Category Archives: Gnome Belay

The world of rock climbing and other outdoorsy-ness, from a gnome perspective.

Meet Lampy…The Oldest Gnome in the World (Who’s Overseeing a Cycling Race!)

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Here at The Gnome Abode, we got a guy who was born in 1970. Fips has got nothin’ on Lampy, the oldest known gnome in the world.

Lampy is the only survivor of a set of 21 garden gnomes that were important from Germany to Britain in the 1840s. An eccentric spiritualist, Sir Charles Isham, brought Lampy and his dear brothers over in 1847. They were all made out of terracotta, and the whereabouts of Lampy’s brothers’ remains is a mystery.

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Lampy: most treasured father of all gnomes

Isham’s daughters (who sound like miserable people) hated the gnomes and removed them from their property. But sneaky lil’ Lampy survived! And today, he’s considered to be the oldest garden gnome in the world.

In 1997, Lampy was insured for £1 million, and is estimated to be worth £2 million.

WHOA!

You can see Lampy for yourself inside Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire, where he’s been living for over 125 years.

“In Chelsea Flower Show’s centenary year, I can’t think of anything more fitting than an invite for Lampy,” said Lamport Hall’s assistant property manager, Neil Lyon, before the suprisingly gnome-friendly recent event.

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A replica of Lampy the garden gnome (WikiCommons)

So what’s Lampy up to these days?

Well by golly, he’s the guest of honor at an upcoming cycling race…what else?

Cycle 4 Cynthia is taking place on September 21st to raise money for Cynthia Spencer Hospice and the Northhampton charity, Kidsaid, which supports kids who’ve suffered from bullying and abuse. According to the Northampton Chronicle, participants are being encouraged to dress up like dear ole’ Lampy in his honor!

Cyclists will ride five, 25, or 50 mile routes and yes, there are prizes for best costume!

Neil Lyon, Lamport’s Assistant Property Manager, said: “I’m sure Lampy would be pleased to think that he was playing his small part in helping to raise even more money for this wonderful event and he cant wait to see all those riders with red pointed hats perched on top of their cycle helmets pedal off down the drive.”

If your little gnome legs are up for the challenge, sign up for the race at visit www.cycle4cynthia.com!

And this concludes today’s combined lesson of history and current events.

Oh and happy Labor Day to all our lazy non-working American gnomes 🙂

xoxo,
Sketchy Andy the Gnome

There’s a Gnome Skiing in the Olympics!

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We gnomes have been really into watching the Olympics in Sochi this winter. Snowboarding, ice skating, luge…you name it!

Sweden's Per Spett reacts at the finish line during the men's freestyle skiing moguls qualification round at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in Rosa Khutor, Feb. 10, 2014. (DYLAN MARTINEZ/Reuters)

Photo credit: DYLAN MARTINEZ/Reuters

Alas, we have finally settled on our very favorite Olympic athlete of these games. His name is Per Spett. He’s from Sweden. And apparently, he’s a gnome. Per is a freestyle moguls skier who finished in 11th place. Thanks to his small frame (he’s 5’6″) and his enviable beard, fans say he looks like a skiing gnome.

Despite his lack of medal-winning, he’s been insanely popular in these games. In the off-season, he works at an iron-ore mine in northern Sweden. I suppose that’s as good of a place as any for a gnome.

Have you seen any other Olympian gnomes in the Sochi games?

USA Gymnastics Tomi the Olympian Gnome

Team USA Shop sells some summer Olympian gnomes, but we have yet to see any of the winter variety.

Tip us off is you come across any others besides Per!

Rock on, Per. Moguls are crazy.
Benjamin “sporty spice” gnome

Small Town Gnoming: You Gnomed, We Gnoticed

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Hey cowboys…it’s your favorite badass biker chick, Trixie, here. I know you miss me, and I miss you too. It’s hard keeping up with blogging when you’re out on your hog all the time. Sadly, summertime is coming to an end so it seems my rides will become fewer and farther between 🙁

I just got back from an epic ride around Starved Rock State Park. For gnomes that live in this very dull corner of the world, the park is one of the most beautiful you can find in riding distance. There were a TON of bikers out and about when I cruised through.

Starved rock

In a weird little place called Ottowa, I made a few friends. This place was a great example of gnomes and humans existing in small town harmony. Human yards were filled with gnomes here, and gnomes expressed genuine pleasure about their lives.

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I chatted with a few of these dudes and we set out to find a place to watch the Bears game. We could only find one sports bar open, which unfortunate. Although it was crowded with drunk, yelling humans, we don’t take up much room and were able to squeeze in and up to the bar. The selection was meh, but the company made up for it.

I’ve biked through a lot of places, but small towns like Ottowa, Illinois seem to be the most gnome friendly. Do you live in a gnome-friendly town? If you don’t, I would suggest packing up and moving immediately. Gnome-friendliness is a sure sign of an overall good place to call home.

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Rev up your engines for another ride, gnomies, because the sun is shining and the next journey is ON!

Peace,
Trixie the Gnome

P.S. – Rumor has it that the next journey is in a place that begins with “Tex” and ends with “as.”

Row, row, row your boat (of gnomes)

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We’re short, we’re pudgy, and we don’t exactly give off an athletic vibe. But believe it or not, we’ve recently gotten into rowing.

We read an article the other day about a gnome-powered dragon boat in Australia. Those crazy Australian gnomes are so adventurous. Apparently, these gnomes in a boat are rowing their way all the way to a whimsical celebration of Canberra’s centenary year. Although I’m pretty sure there are no real dragons in Australia, these wacky nuts have been rocking the boat since 1994.

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If you slack on everything else today, don’t slack on this. Head over to the boat club’s website and check out some of these amazing gnome pics.

According to club president, Joe Murphy, “The gnome uniforms don’t quite adhere to the strict regulations for a formal regatta, but they’re fairly representative of the eclectic personalities in our club.”

If you’re in the area, these boat gnomes will be hanging out on the water this weekend – September 14th and 15th. Unfortunately, I have a prior engagement this weekend, so snap some pics for me if you make it!

Meanwhile, we’ll be on the rowing machine at the gym. Now don’t hate. Not all of us can be buff Aussies straight out of the ceramic mold. We’ll be rowing a real boat soon too…you just wait.

Yours in strength and soreness,
Horace the Gnome