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International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society

The purpose of the International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society is to foster the collecting of, and research into, sewing machines.

Graham's True Stories
Number 31, Hot Lover

This silly little story comes out of our big ISMACS Convention held in London in April. People arrive from all around the world. Remembering names - nearly 170 on this occasion - can be tricky, but I do my best.

Therefore, I make a point of approaching anyone I don't recognise and seek an introduction.

My knowledge of European languages is limited, and of former Eastern block countries is non-existent, so when a German collector arrived with his new girlfriend from Poland, I anticipated trouble.

He introduced us, giving her a name of umpteen syllables that I had no chance of remembering, and one which was not easy to shorten down. I tried a couple of times and then gave up with the name and said “ You can't use all that every time you meet - what do you call her?

He replied with a nice simple, easily-remembered name (which I've since forgotten) which I used continually for the full two days of the convention. It was only as we were packing up that he slid across and whispered in my ear: “I don't suppose you know it, but you've been calling my girlfriend 'hot lover' all weekend!”


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