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Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments" - Episode 14 Life Outside Ambridge Have a seat and let's chat.
He's doing it right now as I type.....
ReplyDeleteLove it ! He's doing the crazy cat thing...goes on for a long time too.
DeleteI like these so much that I 've ordered a DVD of them. We try to get a couple of lighthearted DVDs to watch at Christmas so this will be ideal. I could only find a German version but that won't matter as it 's the visuals that matter. My daughter missed seeing Aladdin at the cinema so that is our other Christmas DVD. I have to admit that we went to see Frozen 2 recently and enjoyed it.
DeleteMade my first batch of mince pies today, rather good if I say it myself.
ReplyDeleteI’m home unable to drive following an op on my neck, so pottering around taking it easy. Back to light cooking which I enjoy, but excusing myself from more energetic house hold chores which I am happy to ignore (I did clean pretty thoroughly before I went in) At least I’m getting past the clock watching for my next lot of painkillers.
I’m lucky that the procedure was done electively before my symptoms got too severe and I should be back at work in the New Year.
Glad to hear all of the above KP! Enjoy those mince pies...!!
DeleteWhen we rest our bodies can focus on healing so take it easy. Best wishes.
DeleteGlad to hear all went well KP 🤗
ReplyDeleteMany bloggers currently very thankful for our NHS 👏🏻 Wishing you all a quick journey along the road of recovery.
How did you get on today Archerphile?
Glad to hear all went well for your op KP.
ReplyDeleteAnd wishing you the best recovery before a N Y return to normal activities.
KPNUTS ..... make the most of your time off but be very careful. Don’t go lifting too many trays of mince pies!!! Are you able to drive after your op or are you a prisoner in your own home?
ReplyDeleteKP - glad to hear your op was successful and you are home and enjoying cooking - mince pies- Yum! Take care, take things slowly and ignore the housework!
ReplyDeleteSorry you have had this to contend with, KPnuts. Dead impressive, actually MAKING mince pies at all, quite apart from having a sore neck.I hope the pain doesn't keep you awake at night.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a really restful Christmas.
Knee Bulletin.
ReplyDeleteSaw consultant this afternoon. He agrees it’s time to do knee replacement but thinks all the pain in my calf has been due to another Bakers Cyst, behind the knee, rupturing and leaking synovial fluid into my calf muscle. Apparently this is much more likely if you have osteoarthritis. I don’t really care what the cause is, I just want the pain to stop!
So I have an operation date of 22nd January at the Hampshire Clinic, though I am also getting a quote from the Candover Unit at the main hospital and shall choose the cheaper option - same surgeon, just the ‘hotel’ costs differ.
Apparently he wants to wait for a week after I return from Dubai to avoid possibility of a DVT.
Lady R - it seems you were right about NHS operations transferring to Winchester. Mr Stranks told me all joint replacement operations have been cancelled at Basingstoke from tomorrow and will only be done at The Royal Hants - because B’stoke is so overstretched. But he said it will mean the waiting list time doubles because they are having to combine the lists of both hospitals! He is very angry about it and I’m not surprised.
Ye Gods Archerphile certainly not good news re elective hip / knee surgery.
DeleteAre you going privately at either The H. Clinic (on occasions NHS ops are done there) or Candover which is private of course. If so I don’t blame you if feasible to do so money on health is well spent - and one person off of the NHS list too.
Either way I wish you well, (what are you taking currently to reduce your Bakers cyst pain was Mr Stranks able to help with that....)
Thanks for your good wishes Lady R.
DeleteYes I shall be going privately to either Clinic. Mr Stranks has regular weekly operation days at the HC so it was easier to get a date there. But for the C.C he has to arrange a slot via the NHS so a bit more uncertain when it would be. He is getting me quotes from each so I can get the cheapest ‘package’. I shall also be able to attend the ‘Knee School’ as I did the ‘Hip School’ which was brilliant.
My pain relief is still a combination of paracetamol in the day and cocodamol at night. Not very effective really but I can contact GP if I can’t cope. Have to be very careful about what I take to Dubai though as they don’t like people taking opioids into the country!
Glad the op is going to happen soon-ish, AP, & you have the information you need. This is probably a silly question, & ignorant, but, if the intensity of the pain is caused by this cyst thing, can't they puncture it or something first, to relieve the pressure ?
ReplyDeleteI don't remember much pain when I had a Bakers Cyst on back of knee, but pleased that you have a date and useful information and perhaps treatment (?) of the cyst.
ReplyDeleteWe shall all be rooting for you Archerphile and I can understand Mr Stranks caution re DVT.
hope the trip to Dubai gives you lovely times with family.
About the cyst - normally they just reduce naturally in time but can be aspirated by the doctor if they get very large and impede movement.
ReplyDeleteIn my case, I didn't even know I had a cyst there. But apparently they both ruptured , then the fluid suddenly leaks down into the calf muscle causing severe pain and swelling.
The first time it happened (in Sainsburys carpark) it was so sudden and painful I was convinced I had been shot in the back of the leg and looked around for somebody with an air gun!
Having had one, 2 years ago, I was more likely to develop another because of the arthritis damaging the knee. The replacement joint should prevent them happening again.
That's very interesting Archerphile, thanks for the explanation. I had no idea that the cyst and worn knee had any connection.
ReplyDeleteI only ever had the one, and it just cleared up on its own.
Considering the number if years I struggled with my knee, about 25, I'm amazed that I did have only the one episode.
Thinking of you and hope the time goes quickly, before your fit again.
Bon courage Archerphile & KPnuts...
ReplyDeleteMince pies.. I shall be making some as part of the "pot d'amitié" after chorale next weds. It's our turn, other items on the menu include bite-sized pain d'épice /fois gras /fig conserve, blue cheese /membrillo, chicory leaves /goat's cheese /walnuts.... hmm, a lot of cheese..
Ooh Parsley, that sounds like my sort of spread, there are very few cheeses that I don’t like ( American cheese and processed cheese don’t count as cheese in my book) I also have to confess a liking for fois gras, although I do have qualms about traditional production.
ReplyDeleteI trust you and your other half are both fully recovered from the medical interventions you underwent earlier this year.
I love cheese too. My son is vegetarian and likes cheese but out where they live when in the Philippines it is difficult to find "proper cheese", just mainly the processed American stuff. Today I am going to introduce Mariavilla to the fun of Christmas pudding making and stirring to make a wish.
ReplyDeleteI too love cheese Janice. I eat far too much of it - but can't seem to help myself. The only one I can't stomach is cottage cheese. The very thought of it makes me feel nauseous!
DeleteP.S.Hope you enjoy the Simon's Cat DVD!
Good luck with explaining about silver sixpences Janice.
ReplyDeletecheese.. heaven !
ReplyDeleteSaw the surgeon yesterday & Mr P has been pronounced clear, merci KPnuts, now a matter of the after-effects..
ReplyDeleteGary - I love the Simons cat cartoons too.
ReplyDeleteAnd I confess to having downloaded the Simon’s Cat app to my iPad!! It’s really a sort of children’s game where you have to guide the cat through a garden, jumping obstacles and gaining rewards. I just love the cartoon element which is so amusing. It is in colour not black and white.
I must be a 74 year old child. ( I found the game in the Apple App Store, don’t know if it’s available by other app providers - if you are interested
Archerphile if you google “Trauma and Orthopaedic Reconfiguration” there is much info on the Basingstoke/ Winchester experiment. Mr R & I were shocked that this trial is happening so soon. It is not long since the local paper reported that a discussion would be taking place with the Surgeons from both hospitals to gain their thoughts on the possibility - with nothing since....
ReplyDeleteIt does mention that everything other than the op can be done at Basingstoke which is something but people have come from far and wide for a long time on the strength of Basingstoke's Orthopaedic reputation. Indeed it was Mr Britton who instigated the (now) National Joint Register.
When are you off to Dubai? As you said you will have to be very careful of the drugs you take into the country!
Parsley, what wonderful news 🤗
KP hope you are taking it easy in order not to hinder you’re recovery. I somehow missed news of your op - what have you had done to your neck? ( if I am not being too personal of course!)
Best wishes to all with ongoing health issues 💐
I also love 🧀 cheese, but watch the amount I could eat otherwise I’d become one of Neil’s fattened up pigs. Should that be a Hannah?
ReplyDeleteGary, if you can find it there is a Christmas Simon’s 🐈 cat with a 🌲and as usual pawsy is up to no good.
To all who are in pain and have been experiencing illness I send jingle bells and some holly and mistletoe to brighten up your day. The mistletoe needs to be placed where you can receive lots of hugs and kisses from all who love 💕 you. 🌱🌱🎄
ReplyDeleteLovely Stasia - a lovely and kind thought. 🥰
DeleteKP, sorry to hear you have had some health problems - I noticed you had been away from the blog a while. Hope your convalescence goes smoothly with plenty of relaxation.
ReplyDeleteParsley, good news about Mr P. Hope 2020 brings better health to all our bloggers 🤗
It was very windy here tonight with rain which reminded me of typhoons when we lived in Hong Kong. We never had a direct hit while we were there but each household had a tracker map where you could plot the progress of the storm. We all had a typhoon cupboard with tinned food which was on standby just in case.
ReplyDeleteThe weather here today has been nuts! So much rain and wind. I do love stormy weather, but I think I would feel very differently if I lived somewhere that experienced typhoons, hurricanes and monsoons!
DeleteMasbate island has had a worse than usual typhoon, with houses on the coast flattened. The house my son lives in when in the Philippines has been flooded downstairs but fortunately they moved as much as they could upstairs before they came over. The oven and fridge were still downstairs though. His wife's family are safe which is the main thing, although one of her brothers had the boat he uses to get from island to island wrecked.
DeleteIllustrates my point completely Janice. I like the 4 seasons that we have in Scotland - nothing extreme apart from the odd Beast From the East!
DeleteWe are truly fortunate to live in the U.K. where we have such clement weather.
ReplyDeleteHowever along with the rest of the planet weather patterns are changing for us too.
We must be grateful for what most of us on this site have enjoyed for most of our lives.
Just what I think too Mrs P. Despite the occasional problems we have with heavy rain, floods or the odd ‘heatwave’ in the Summer, I love the fact that we have proper Seasons here.
DeleteI should hate to live in a country that is permanently brown from the heat with parched grass and trees; or permanently cold with short winter days and everything is white and frozen.
Or, at present, in Australia where my friends in Sydney can’t go outdoors because of the choking smog from the very close bush fires.
We are very lucky to live in such a temperate climate and, so far, have been relatively unaffected by climate change compared with some other countries.
How long that will continue, and how our young families will cope in the future is a great worry.
I missed the seasons when we were in HK. The summer lasted for 9 months of the year and winter the other 3 months. No spring or autumn with temperatures 33 degrees every day in summer and about 16 in winter. I also missed country lanes, new potatoes and Brussels sprouts! Even though we returned to UK in November with the shock of darkness at 4 and the cold, damp weather it was good to be home!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried Brussels sprouts in a white sauce, they are nice like that.
ReplyDeleteEver tried them raw, finely chopped and made into a Caesar salad? Absolutely delicious.
DeleteLast week I made a sprout & chicory bake made with gruyere cheese and Dijon mustard, then topped with rosemary breadcrumbs - one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted!
We eat a LOT of sprouts in our house. If you had told the 10 year old me that that would be the case when I was older he would have stared at you in utter disbelief...
Brussels Sprouts are my favourite vegetable .
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at how few people seem to like them which means there are always some over after the Christmas lunch which are made into bubble and squeak.
Half of mine never make it to the table. I eat them straight from the pot like sweeties.
DeleteGary, do you fancy outlining the chicory/sprout recipe, it sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteFood is probably my favourite thing about Christmas.
For those who kindly enquired about my neck, I had an anterior cervical decompression and disc replacement with the intention of reducing the tingling down my arms and the rather severe neck and shoulder pain that has been driving me nuts for some time. The arms so far feel normal, difficult to assess the neck pain so far, but too much rest with my usual lousy posture has made my lower back ache🥴 such is life.
DeleteTA-DA! Recipe from Waitrose.....
Serves: 4-6
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
180g gruyère, grated
300g crème fraîche
1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
400g Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
2 heads chicory, leaves separated and thinly sliced lengthways
60g fresh breadcrumbs
50g parmigiano reggiano, grated
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6. Use a little of the butter to grease a large ovenproof dish. Put the gruyère, crème fraîche, mustard, garlic and the rosemary in a pan set over a medium-high heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes until slightly thickened. Add the sprouts and chicory leaves and combine with the sauce. Season, then transfer to the ovenproof dish.
2. Combine the breadcrumbs, parmigiano reggiano and remaining rosemary; scatter over the top. Drizzle over the remaining butter, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for a further 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
KP thank you for explaining your op (which I then googled - ooh!) however will be well worth it when fully recovered I’m sure. So glad to hear some improvement already. Take good care of yourself 🌻
ReplyDeleteKP ,that sounds awful.
ReplyDeleteI hope it isn’t long before you lose the pain in your neck.
I reckon the weather has a lot to do with all our aches and pains.
It is too damp.
I am finding that a hot water bottle helps with the back pain.
Now that I have discovered the jacuzzi at the nearby Health Centre I am hoping that will improve my sciatica.
I have just received my first card from “Sue”
ReplyDeleteWhich Sue is it?
Why do Sue’s assume there is only one of them.?
We used to get 5 and then it went down to 4
The stamp wasn’t franked so there is no way of saying in which part of the Country she lives.
Nice of her to keep in touch though.!
Oh dear Lanjan!
ReplyDeleteWe once received a card addressed inside to me and another man’s name 😂😂
(Not even a mistake from bygone years and my ex husbands name!) luckily Mr R is not a suspicious man and we had a good laugh and dined out on it a few times 🤗
I too love Brussel Sprouts. Very cross that the ones I used to have (frozen with boiled chestnuts) became unavailable five or six years ago and now the frozen ones have bacon lardons in them. No good for veggie me!
ReplyDeleteFor the past two years, when future dil was living here, we had fresh as she also loved them.
My vegetarian friend introduced me to raw Brussels in a 'Winter Salad' where she grates them instead of lettuce.
Love the sound of GG's recipe. I may very well give that a try when son and family visit from Frankfurt in the new year. Haven't seen them since Easter so I am quite excited.
I am cooking and preparing dishes occasionally for freezing so as not to get too tired.
Only two more weeks on steroids! Just hope when I'm finally off them it doesn't all flare up again.
I am just looking forward to losing my 'hamster pouches' from my face!
Best wishes to all other old crocks! Keep taking the tablets! XX
DeleteGreat news spicycushion and a wonderful Christmas present.
DeleteI also love sprouts, but only since growing my own. I didn’t hate them just didn’t eat too many.
I shall be picking them fresh on Christmas Eve, from field to fork. I toss mine in butter and black pepper and they will accompany parsnips, cabbage, beans potatoes and a goose. All veg my own.
A 😋 feast that includes as dessert a Mahenca (spelling), brandy and lots of wine.
Felicitations to all other sufferers whether through surgery, injury, pain or medication or possibly all four.
ReplyDeleteI'm managing fairly well and Lady is being extremely considerate, seeming to know and understand my difficulties.
Have in the last hour managed scrambled egg and toast, but had to lurk at the front of the cottage to catch a passer by to get them to open my new jar of marmalade.
Delivered my ' severe' letter to the lady demanding money, written by me with amendments by daughter, printed out by friend, and driving me to delivering it, by another neighbour.
I have put out requests for lift share via a number of sites, Next Door, Fair Shares, Gloucestershire County car pool, and the pub opposite has put it on their FB page.
My slight contact in Helston is putting it on the town FB page too.
I've had one reply so far but that local lady is travelling on the day that I have to be at the hospital for the next procedure. So, no good.
I will reassure those concerned that I will not be travelling with any one that I have not thoroughly verified, if I do get a lift.
And thank you for those concerns.
I like the recipe for the sprouts.
Will alert S in L to it. Both of them keen and good cooks.
Many years ago my mother confided in me that it was very likely that I was conceived during a long weekend spent in Ostend Belgium. I've since always considered myself a Brussel Sprout.
ReplyDeleteI am not making this up🍈🍈
They look more like gooseberries to me Autumnleaves! Perhaps it was something to do with a gooseberry bush in Belgium? 😉
DeleteCouldn't find sprouts Archerphile so I stuck in the first round green things I could find😁😁😁
DeleteOften cook a chicory gratin, with or without ham, popular traditional dish from N France, Gary's recipe could be a way of smuggling sprouts past the suspicious Parsley taste buds...
ReplyDeleteLove sprouts, and every year, at Christmas, go to a farm shop to buy a home-grown "sprout stick" freshly picked, and often still wet!
ReplyDeleteThe difference in taste, is definitely worth the drive. Plus the pots, onions, cabbages of all types (red, savoy, green etc) are so cheap, any cabbages is only 48p each, and pots are just.35p/kg.
Am lucky that can get great, fresh + cheap produce, so easily.
In HK we used to have Choi Sum which is like purple sprouting broccoli with yellow flowers. It was delicious stir fried. Sadly not available here although Pak Choi which I didn’t like as much is available in big supermarkets. It is quite nice thinly sliced and again stir fried.
ReplyDeleteAnybody see the dreaded interviews on The Apprentice last night, when the final two contenders were selected?
ReplyDeleteI can’t believe that serious participants for Lord Sugar’s prize would be so naive as not to prepare proper business plans with costings and know so little about how they will grow their business.
The lad wanting to run holiday trips to Croatia had never been there and couldn’t even find the country on a map!!
I hope the girl wanting to expand her family’s artisan bakery business will win, she seems the only contestant with her feet on the ground.
Yes Archerphile and I also want the bakery girl to win! No Lottie on “You're Fired” as she blotted her copy book with the BBC somehow I believe....
DeleteWhat about the eyebrows,Archerphile?
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable.
Black,shiny inverted V shapes which must painted on or does one stick them over natural, possibly scarce brows?
Plus those teeth.........
Wow .
Talk about whiter than white.
✔️ 👍 👏🏻
DeleteOh yes! What is it with eyebrows these days? They seem the latest feature to be demanding attention. So many girls have great black half-moons or wings plastered on their faces, even if they have blonde hair - looks so unnatural. Next year it will probably be back to trout-pout lips!
DeleteMessage for Lady R - I have had the two quotes for my operation from our local clinics and there was only £100 between them. But the Hampshire Clinic includes 6 month’s aftercare with as many physio sessions as necessary , whereas the Candover charges an extra £90 for every session of physio and no free aftercare. So you can imagine which one I have chosen.
ReplyDeleteThank you for kindly letting me know your choice and why Archerphile. HC is certainly the better value and firm date as well. So pleased for you🤗
DeleteRe eyebrows- I don't know of the person you have been discussing, but immediately thought of all those ladies that many of us will remember from our younger days, who had the extreme plucked look of the twenties / thirties, very fashionable at the time, which created a permanently surprised look.
ReplyDeleteSome years ago I knew a woman about the same age as myself who still had these eyebrows, and dyed her hair very black and still wore it in a tight chignon along with very scarlet lipstick. She had been married to a Chinese Dentist, widowed, and I always wondered if her appearance was still for his taste in woman.
The first Robin arrived today.
ReplyDeleteIt is wearing a Santa bobble hat.
It is sitting on a sprig of holly.
I am disgusted but unsurprised considering the sender.
However I recognise that I should be pleased to be remembered.
I am !
Family all voted, I don’t think I have ever felt so depressed on Election Day, still I guess the sky will stay in place and the sun will continue to rise....
ReplyDelete........for the time being..........
ReplyDeleteBoth Katy and I had to queue to vote - most unusual on the island ! Transposed across the country, I guess the turnout has been high. The result will be most interesting!
ReplyDeleteMrs P, I couldn’t resist a pack of Christmas cards depicting the Red Funnel ferry with Santa flying overhead! At least he is coming to the island! Wish I could send you one as it would beat the robin! It does benefit our local hospice though!
Still up, in front of TV watching Election results coming in.
ReplyDeleteI’m usually fast asleep by 10, so this is very late for me.
I just *love* election nights and find them very exciting.
Don’t suppose anyone will be surprised to hear I am delighted by the exit poll results, but there is a very long way to go yet.
But I’m all prepared with a flask of coffee, dish of sustaining vegetable crisps and nuts, warm blanket for when the room cools down and iPad to keep a check on what’s going on locally.
Son in Dubai is whatsapping as he hears the results even though it’s past 4am over there!
Mr A has given up and gone to bed 😴
I'm still awake too, and usually asleep by 9-10. In bed, listening to the radio on my phone. But will probably fall asleep soon. I'll find out in the morning.
ReplyDeleteYes I'm up too Archerphile, I've done that huge pile of washing up, have taken the dog for her night time wee, and the cat is in.
ReplyDeleteThe pub over the road is heaving, and it will be a very close contest here.
I did think I might go over but know very well, that I would be enormously out of place there. Very left is Stroud. Though to be fair David Drew is an excellent constituency MP.
I'm off to my bath and bed now, but will be on my IPad throughout the night switching from R4 to the television.
Like you A. I am an election aficionado the first big one for me was at eighteen with Kennedy and Nixon.
Finally had to give up and crawl up to bed at just on 3am .... very cross to find I had fallen asleep for a while!
ReplyDeleteAh well, it will still be going in the morning.
Night all!
I wonder if Ruth Davidson is already on her way up to Loch Ness....Brrrrrr❄❄🏊
ReplyDeleteShe doesn’t need to .
ReplyDeleteThe SDP didn’t get 50 seats
Yes I think I can hear the screeching of tyres as she makes a very welcome (for her) U turn even as we speak.
DeleteWhat impresses me is
ReplyDelete1) How accurate the exit polls were
2) How the Country acts as one in as much as what happens in the NE of England for example happens in the rest of the Country.
3) Joe Public is not stupid and likes fairness and believes in democracy.
Assuming with point number 2 you're talking about England Lanjan? 😉
DeleteYou have a point there Gary.
DeleteI wonder if anyone in Ambridge went out to vote yesterday ( in what was appallingly weather)
ReplyDeleteWe shall find out tonight with a slot in no doubt- just a remark!
We had (another 😞) funeral and it was hard to dodge such an onslaught at The Crem or at The Hotel.
We will be spared a second referendum and hopefully end the uncertainty. Boris will have to work hard!
ReplyDeleteIf you repeatedly tell lies, and attach a slogan, Joe Public will believe it.
ReplyDeleteIf you sit on the fence too long Joe Public will think your a prat.
The Naked Emperor has taken over the asylum. Gawd help us one and all.
God would have had more on his hands if it had gone the other way. ‘Nuff said! No more politics from me!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI am SO cross with myself. Finally went to bed at 3am, set alarm for 6 but it didn’t go off.
ReplyDeleteSo I missed all the exciting early morning happenings and woke at 8.30 to find the election was all done and dusted!
Now all there is to watch is the analysis and pretty coloured maps. 😟
Archerphile Channel 5
ReplyDelete9.11to 11.15 am Anne Diamond is chairing the Jeremy Vine Show and it is all about the election with various guests and newspaper people.
Thanks Lady R. Currently tuned into Adam Boulton on Sky News doing much the same!
DeleteI'm going out into the garden to watch my bulbs grow.
ReplyDeleteI’m gonna have 2 parrots eat em all and a lie down in a darkened room til the excitement ends........
ReplyDeleteI missed my own constituency result, must have drifted off at that point, but finally turned IPad off at about 4.15 and did sleep, but put Today on at about 7.30.
ReplyDeleteI am an analytical animal, and love all the analysis.
It is what it is, and much as we may want to we cannot predict what will happen.
Interesting to me that the heaving and filming in the pub expecting a victory, must have turned into a wake.
Although they had a licence to stay open until 5am their lights were out before mine, and they had all gone home.
To me it was a vote for Brexit without a second referendum which I now accept.
ReplyDeleteAssuming you are talking about England Basia? 😉
Deleteoh dear oh lor', even Grimsby's turned blue, Tony Crosland must be spinning.
ReplyDeleteGary .please can you explain.
ReplyDelete,Scotland voted against Independence in September 2014.
They are therefore still part of the United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom voted for Brexit in 2016
I cannot understand what Nicola Stugeon is on about .
I think you answer your own question, Lanjan ! Scotland did vote against independence in 2014, but they voted by majority for remain in the 2016 referendum, thus there is a case for considering independence again.
DeleteLanjan, thank you for the history lesson about my own country.
ReplyDeleteAnd you say you don't understand what Nicola Sturgeon is on about? That just about sums it all up perfectly....
I'm a Scot and I left Scotland in 1982. When I left Scotland was a sea of red ..red hot Labour...Labour councils everywhere and to be honest there was a lot of degradation not just in Glasgow and Edinburgh but in all central Scotland.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what Nicola Sturgeon has done but when I saw the map this morning I couldn't believe my eyes.
Even if there isn't another referendum Scotland has been brought out of the dark ages. There's a Buzz every time I visit..an optimism that I have never seen before. It's wonderful.
So much so that my older daughter decided to move to Glasgow in March and she loves it.
Sorry for my little rant but I felt so proud this morning.
By the way my daughter voted SNP yesterday
I was not trying to teach you anything about your Country ,Gary .
ReplyDeleteI just required clarification.
I must be missing something.
The area where I live is a Remain area .
The people voted overwhelmingly to Remain in the EU.
It is part of the United Kingdom and must accept that the majority of the Country voted for Brexit.
My point which I will not mention again that surely that is the same position as Scotland.is in.
Despite the bitterly cold high wind today, my bulbs have grown a good 1/4 inch and many more have appeared which were not there this morning.
ReplyDeleteHow were the parrots, PtbY, roasted, fried or boiled? I should think you would need to lie down in a darkened room after a feast like that!
I must admit that I admire Nicola Sturgeon for her tenacity, hard work, and sticking to what she so desperately wants - an independent Scotland.
ReplyDeleteI swore to my entire family that if a certain party with anti-Semitic leanings gained power last night I would emigrate to Scotland, vote for indépendance in an Indyref 2 and enjoy staying in Europe. Or, alternatively, would have moved to Eire or France.
As it is I am in a bind. On the one hand I shall not have to live under Corbyn rule but I *shall* still have to live with Brexit! If only Jo Swinson hadn’t been so naive and scuppered the chances of the Lib Dem’s getting a second referendum by insisting she could be Prime Minister.
Well, I have truly nailed my colours to the mast now, and have probably horrified and annoyed some of you. Shoot me down in flames if you will, but thems my feelings and I promise not to make any further political comments on this harmonious and friendly blog for fear of upsetting the apple cart!
Oh no Archerphile I always live in the hope that we can agree to disagree.
DeleteAnd if you were to " emigrate" to Scotland ,they would welcome you and everyone with open arms. It's called Scottish hospitality and its second to none.💕
Well we’ve done our bit with the voting. What will be will be.
ReplyDeleteI am of the opinion that politics and religion should not be discussed if harmonious relations are to be long lasting.
I’ll say no more on the subject.
Totally agree PtbY.
DeleteI thought we had decided/were advised that this would be a politics free zone. I came here today sated with opinions of whys and wherefores and what do I find?
Like you I will say no more.
I am in favour of much discussion on politics, religion and philosophy with others who choose to discuss with passion but without provocation in a civilised manner round the dinner table.
ReplyDeleteAttempting to discuss these subjects in any way at all on a forum such as this is asking for trouble.
Just popped in, but popping straight back out again. After today, had hoped for a politics free zone...
ReplyDeleteI think we have carefully respected the agreement not to risk getting into religious or political discussions here, but after a general election such as we've just had, it is expecting too much for there to be no reference to it whatsoever today. We are only human ! As it is, general, neutral comments, staying up late etc., have been made, a few opinions stated, which have not been followed by rancorous disagreements, so we have been commendably civilized.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow is another day.
👍 on fait avec.
Delete👍✔️
ReplyDeleteMy comment has disappeared and I don’t know why
ReplyDeleteJeremy Corbyn was this and that and nothing as a leader. Didn’t deal with Anti semitism.
Boris Johnso is the misogynistic, racist and xenophobic newly elected in the U.K.
Both these political leader haven’t dealt with the underlying hate traits in the U.K.
They came for the socialists and I didn’t speak out,
They came for the Jews and I didn’t speak out
They came for me and there was no one left.
Martin Niemöller.
My apologies to the many bloggers I have come to know on the this blog . I believe you are all wonderful! Kind and caring.
But this election smells of something I find fearful and I am profoundly saddened.
I’m moving to Scotland.
Plant bulbs, Stasia, and watch them grow. Indoor ones for the midwinter festival might help to disguise the smell and you won't have to keep going out in the cold....
ReplyDeleteNobody much recognises my features or accent except a fellow-islander - everyone assumes I must be 'one of us', so please don't tell anyone I'm a foreigner.
ReplyDeleteI have been quietly chuckling at your attempts to divert the conversation Sarnia. There is nothing quite like gardening to soothe the soul.
ReplyDeleteI have realised from talking with my daughter in law that we are actually very lucky in this country in so many ways. Electioneering in her area is riddled with corruption. Votes are bought, and who can blame people in poverty for accepting the bribe, and those standing for election rarely go out on the campaign trail in case they get shot by the oppositon.
Apparently in rural areas where several people in a family agree to vote the same way they can be lucky enough to receive a carabao. This is a water buffalo which is a draft animal used for ploughing, and if a female can provide milk and future young to sell. Vote buying is illegal but it happens, especially in the poorer rural areas.
DeleteI speak as a Scot by birth and my father was born and bred in Glasgow. I can’t see that Scotland is viable on its own. The population of 5 million is too small and revenue from North Sea oil and gas, whisky etc together with taxation from the few must be insufficient. Currently there is more per head from central government than for us here in England and it is understandable that the remain vote came back from Scotland as Europe also supplies subsidy. If Scotland gained independence the country would have to apply anew to join the EU as it’s status would change as a separate country. All 27 countries in the EU would have to agree to this including Spain which has its own internal problems as Catalonia like Scotland wants independence and it would be condoning the breakaway of parts of a union. If rejected by the EU, Scotland would stand alone and the prospect is bleak. I think the Scots need to put aside historic differences and realise that we in UK need each other. I have lived in Cornwall, as remote from London as Scotland and feeling that for MP’s England ends at Bristol and yes, here on the island we can feel forgotten so Scotland is not alone in that but whatever else we are part of a whole and we do get something when slicing the cake! Personally having lived in England for most of my life I am a bit worried about my passport and status if Scotland breaks away and will then seriously apply for English citizenship although Katy asserts I will not pass the test!!
ReplyDeleteEv, English citizenship doesn't exist yet, but it may if all the parts of the UK break away.
DeleteYes to all that, Ev, but the fact remains that you are English and don't know what it feels like to be automatically lumped together with the English when you're not.
ReplyDeleteSarnia.....I know what you mean about being lumped together with the English. After all I’m Yorkshire!!!!
ReplyDeleteYorkshire (and Cornwall) is rightly proud of its identity, but it's still in England. N Ireland, Scotland and Wales are not.
ReplyDeleteNoooooo. Cornwall is part of Britain (and I am proud of that) but it is not part of England.
DeleteWanted to add the Cornish flag to my comment but having been looking through the flags icons I can't find one. Tut! 😏
DeleteI'd better go and plant bulbs as well!😊
DeleteSarnia we are all British and although brought up in England, I am not English as my roots are mostly in Scotland although I had an English mother much to the chagrin of my Scottish grandfather! That sort of prejudice is unforgivable IMO. If asked for nationality I always put British and feel these 4 countries belong together.
ReplyDelete✔✔✔ I wrote my comment before I read yours Ev. I don't feel English, I feel Cornish.
DeleteJanice, I love Cornwall and feel more at home there than anywhere else in the UK apart from Wales. In terms of terrain, and especially language, you have more in common with Wales, Brittany and my islands than you do with the rest of England. I am British by default, but I'm not proud of it.
DeleteSarnia. Thank you for the support.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who lives in upstate New York, whose mother managed to leave Austria in the 1930’s and flee to Israel 🇮🇱. My friend was born there and her family emigrated to the US when she was eight years. Since DT has been president she has bee on the receiving end of hate comments. Have we come full circle?
During the height of the Irish troubles I was living in London, and if I opened my mouth in public I was sometimes on the receiving end of hateful comments. I have what my fellow country people would call a posh N.Irish accent. Genetically I would refer to myself as a bit of a European mongrel.
I will be taking your advice and plant bulbs.
I have an allotment and shall going there this morning to plant bulbs and garlic.
Mongrel, me too, Stasia - roots on both sides of the family on the Cherbourg peninsula, with a dash of East Anglia way back on my father's side. As Mr S grew older and more set in his ways he became more and more of a 'little Englander' so that by the referendum I felt no longer welcome in my own home. Please don't suggest that feeling as I do I should go back where I came from, because I've been here for 45 years now and have nowhere else to go. I'll just keep watching the bulbs grow and hope the smell counteracts the current atmosphere when they flower.
DeleteIt's not your fault. Archerphile, this isn't really about politics, it's about identity and the widespread assumption that British=English. I go.
Changing the subject entirely - and apologies to all for having started the comments on politics yesterday, which I should not have done - I have one more bit of news about joint replacement.
ReplyDeleteThis is for Lady R really but might be of interest to others :-
My consultant has given me a DVD to watch about knee replacement, as he did for my hip.
Unfortunately we no longer have a DVD player, so I was a bit stuck, until I realised it is available for anyone to watch online.
The Hampshire Hospitals Orthopaedic Trust have set up a website to ‘give patients a step by step guide to the journey through joint replacement and recovery’.
It web address is www.hipandknee.tv.
The whole film is shot in Basingstoke Hospital (I recognised the wards, corridors, physio room etc) and has interviews with our various consultants and patients. It really is very reassuring and helpful. It also covers other types of knee treatments.
Anyone, anywhere in the country, can benefit from the advances made in patient preparation and rapid recovery by Hampshire’s Orthopaedic team. I recommend the wesite and be assured there are no gory scenes!
Thank you will follow up Archerphile sounds interesting (although Mr R well versed of course 🤗 in all things knees) Mr Risebury (Mike) still phones him - it will be their 10th anniversary in 2020!
DeleteHad you gone with NHS Winchester Archerphile- and I understand why you are not doing so, would Mr Stranks have done the op or a Winchester Surgeon?🤔
Although of course everything else can be done at Basingstoke so it would make sense to be a BS surgeon....
"Then let us pray that come it may
ReplyDelete(As come it will for a' that),
That Sense and Worth o'er a' the earth,
Shall bear the gree an a' that.
For a' that , an a' that,
It's comin yet for a' that,
That man to man, the world, o'er
Shall brothers be for a' that.
Robert Burns
Robbie Burns, thanks 'for a' that', Autumnleaves ; it offers hope for a troubled uncertainty, internationally, nationally, right here in this blog, even.
DeletePrompts me to add a similar sentiment from 14) Julian of Norwich, ' All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well'.
Neither she nor Burns offer glib solutions, ant agenda, but they express what all desire deep down, often buried, & the hope that it will come to pass. ( if you think it, imagine it, it can become lived reality)
Merci Feuilles d'automne/Autumnleaves 💕Sarnia. We have v good friends who live in La Bonneville, nr Pont l'abbé /Picauville.
DeleteOff to Angoulême - chorale concert this afto!
DeleteI've read with great interest all of the posts since mine last night.
ReplyDeleteI can understand the concern and confusion of some of those posts, but in the end feel that Sarnia has summed it up with her assertion that it is not about politics at all, but is about identity.
As far as I am aware I am English, but identify as British.
My fathers paternal roots were from Essex, my paternal grandmother proudly Welsh.
My mother's roots as far as I know were from rural Kent. And they all melted together in London.
For me, the most important aspect of my identity, is that I am part of an Island race.
I view The British Isles as a group of islands clustered around the main island which is seen as England Scotland and Wales, with Ireland offshore but close.
And this cluster itself lies offshore of Europe.
But we are separate because of the seas around us.
And that for me creates The British Isles.
The history of how these warring small separate identities became the British Isles, has blood gore and cruelty, but also periods of peaceful coexistence.
But throughout, the separate identities seem to have survived, and I believe they always will.
Regarding how we identify ourselves - I agree with you, Mrs P.
ReplyDeleteI know I was born in England but I have always thought of myself as British and that is what I put on official forms, or say when asked.
But as an Englishwoman, I have always had a sneaking jealousy of our Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish cousins who have a very deep sense of, and pride in, their nationality.
They have such distinct heritage, National costumes, special days of celebration, language and traditions which we English don’t share.
The only ‘English’ event seems to be St Georges Day which is more or less ignored and is not a public holiday, unlike St Andrews and David’s days. The St Georges flag has become the preserve of football fans and the far right and the only national costume appears to be that if the Beefeaters at The Tower of London!.
So I prefer to think of my self as British and support England at cricket, but Wales at rugby!
🇬🇧 🏴 🏴 🏴. Sorry, no Ulster flag in the emoticons - that’s dreadful!
Thank you for your understanding, MrsP, Archerphile and others. I grew up with the French mainland on the horizon and transport links with England too expensive for families such as ours. I have no reason to identify as 'British', which was a decision made in the C13 for political expediency at the time. I too have my own language, customs and traditions and cannot understand why the traditional English folk songs are spurned except among specialist groups and societies, and Morris dancers generally the butt of ridicule. I put it down to all-pervasive American influence since the war. Long live the Helston Floral dance and the Viking celebrations of Shetland.
ReplyDeleteHere here!
DeleteI have been known to add an extra box labelled European to forms asking nationality and ticking that, quite often I leave that question blank.
DeleteAgree with your comments and sentiments Sarnia.
ReplyDeleteI am afraid I am utterly ignorant of the history of the Chantal Islands, and apologise for being so.
I find the strong Greek sense of identity fascinating, especially as it is found throughout the vast number of islands scattered well beyond the mainland and Athens. This common bond is held together by shared observance of the traditions and customs of the Greek Orthodox church and the responsibility undertaken by families to pass on their songs and dances to each new generation. Although these may vary from region to region, children attend Saturday morning classes to learn them and each age group is included in performances at each town/island's annual Saint's patronal festival. There are dances for couples as well as separate ones for men and women, some playful and others quite dramatic. There is no underlying macho sense that dancing is too 'girly' for men - in fact many of the men are superb dancers, performing quite athletic feats well into middle age. The most corpulent of men are surprisingly light on their feet and as graceful in their movements as any woman. These, as well as the language, are the shared activities that hold a nation together and build a strong sense of identity, which is what has been said of Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland.
ReplyDeleteThe identity of each Channel Island was almost destroyed by separation and martial rule during the Occupation and it has taken more or less the whole of my lifetime to restore any form of social cohesion.
The Channel Islands had a very rough time during the occupation from what I’ve read and my heart goes out to you. Britain has had times when we fell far short of what we should have been but I am still proud to be British and would not have it any other way. I have had holidays on the Greek islands and admire their culture and attitude. I agree that we need to treasure our own traditions and have seen and enjoyed the furry dance in Helston! I think it is sad that the English flag has been devalued and echo the thought that St George’s day should be a holiday as it is also my birthday!
ReplyDeleteMany moons ago we had a family sailing trip to Alderney , the seas around the island can be tricky ( and unlike others in the family I am a useless sailor ) but I loved the island. We hired bikes and cycled all round it, and it was so peaceful. We stopped for cups of tea and cake at a cottage , and couldn't believe it as when we came back a few years later and stopped for tea again she remembered us.
ReplyDeleteThe flag of St George is not solely used by 'the far right!'
ReplyDeleteSt George is the patron saint of Scouting and was chosen because Baden Powell said he was what every Scout should aspire to be. "When he was faced by a difficulty or danger, however great it appeared, he did not avoid it or fear it but went at it with all the power he could ..."
The nearest Sunday to April 23rd Scouts celebrate, and we renew our Scout Promise; sometimes in church services, sometimes in unusual places and once I renewed at a sunrise ceremony.
Wherever we are we are accompanied 'on parade' by "The Jack and The George."
I have a photo of my middle son when a Scout proudly carrying 'The George' at the Garrison Church in Gillingham just over twenty years ago.
Prior to the Euro Football Championships about thirty years ago the Union Jack was waved by English fans. However Scotland had qualified as well so the England fans had the red cross of St George to wave whilst the Scots had the saltire. Rugby and cricket fans also wave the flag of England.
Spicy - I never meant to imply that the flag of St George was being ‘solely’ used by the far right! But I really wish they had chosen some other symbol for their disgusting movement rather than the Red Cross on white ground.
DeleteMy grandson had the honour of carrying the flag at a Scout parade in Winchester Cathedral last year.
My point was that we don’t seem to see it being used as universally throughout England as the Welsh and Scots do theirs. Our village church does fly it on St George’s day, but that is only once a year.
I noticed, on a driving tour though Switzerland, a few years back, that the Swiss flag is flown everywhere- towns, public buildings and in most people’s front gardens. Not just on one day but all the time. That might be a bit excessive but I do think (planning permission granted) we could do better with our flag!
I think they chose the cross of St George becaus it IS the flag of England and they purport to want to demonstrate their 'loyalty' to England.
DeleteHaving heard and read some horrible things said by Scottish people about the English I do wonder why the nationalists in Scotland are not held in such contempt as the nationalists in England?
I have often seen the George flown on churches (after all they are Church of England) on all sorts of days throughout the yeaar. One of the churches in Gravesend always seemed to be flying it.
I would love to display the national flower of England in April but sadly the emblem has been misappropriated by a political party that rules it out for many English people.
I do hope your grandson is enjoying Scouts. My son took his troop paintballing on Saturday and is well and truly bruised! He is at the moment planning next term's programme until he is ordered by me to go to the loft to fetch down the Christmas tree. Guess what I am doing this afternoon!😀🎄🎇
(Oh and making fifty onion barghiis for his office party tomorrow!)🧅🧅🧅😪
Spicey, The Guernsey flag is flown from almost every church, but curiously, you'll find the same one fluttering from every church tower/steeple on the Cherbourg peninsula because it is the flag of Normandy... ...
DeleteI sympathize Spicycushion it seems that any symbol that represents a country is being hijacked by exremist groups both left and right.
ReplyDeleteI was astonished when I read a couple of years ago that the Celtic cross was associated with a hate group and that anyone wearing it would be associated with it.
If you visit any cemetery in Scotland (and Ireland) you will find the majority of old gravestones in the form of the Celtic cross.
I really don't know what is happening to our customs and traditions. They are becoming taboo.
This saddens me.
Oh and Spicy...hankies at the ready for all the onion choppping😢😢😢
DeleteWhen she was sixteen Katy went up to Scotland to stay with my Dad’s sister. My cousin had married into a family who were obviously nationalists and cousin’s mother in law almost spat out “English” when she met my daughter. After my aunt’s death some years later it transpired that she had left everything to my cousin’s son and without going into too much detail she had been taken advantage of due to her advancing senility. That’s why I am no longer proud of being Scottish although I do realise this unpleasant family are in the minority. There is however an element in Scotland who despise the English and I can’t accept that as it is based on ancient history and is totally unfair.
ReplyDeleteEv, I am going to stick my neck out and say that in my opinion it's a generational thing. Certainly up until recently . I think (and hope) that things have changed (with the exception of football), mostly due to the younger generation expanding their horizons by living and working in England and Scotland.
DeleteFamily bitterness is everywhere mostly caused by jealousy...I could write a book, but life's too short.
Yes, I agree and have l eft bitterness behind but the prejudice between races even on our little part of the world does concern me. If the English/Scots/Irish/Welsh can’t get on and want separation what hope is there for relations worldwide?!
DeleteOn a lighter note, we took the dogs to Quarr Abbey today for a walk. As we set out the sun was shining and then a great big grey cloud appeared followed by rain so we had to run back to the car, not easy on my 70 plus year old legs and the short Shih Tzu ones but Katy managed a sprint with Gypsy tucked under her arm!
I am Irish and I live in England and have many people to thank for enabling me to have a brilliant education, profession and a wonderful life. Hopefully through work and friendship I have repaid and supported all with whom I come into contact.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do understand the sceptical attitude many people have towards England, many countries have been exploited through colonialism and imperialism, but only the rich reaped the rewards. English people as individuals are mainly kind and caring, but history dictates how we perceive others and that is no different to other nationalities.
Being on the receiving end of No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs remains in the memory of many emigrants lured here to care for us!
Britannia ruling the waves has long gone, and that is a good thing.
I did say on the survey thing that this blog was gentle and many blogger kind and caring towards each other.
I don’t want to upset anyone 😥.
This is my last political comment.
Spicy cushion 11.12 am
ReplyDeleteYes indeed! My daughter, son in law and all three English grandchildren are very dedicated to the Scouts. Daughter is a Scout Leader in their village, so was Son in Law, but now he is a Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme leader. Eldest grandson ( now 21) represented Hampshire at the last World Jamboree in Hiroshima & Nagasaki. Grand daughter has appeared in several Gangshows in Basingstoke which fuelled her determination to ‘go on the stage’ & now has a place to study Drama & Theatre at Warwick University next year. Youngest grandson is working his way up the Scout ladder with the intention of echoing his big brother’s trips to Jamborees!
Even the 2 littlest grandsons in Dubai have joined the Scouts there and recently went on a camping trip in the desert! So the Scouting movement has been of great importance to the whole family!
Gary. There is a new Simon’s cat on YouTube. Christmas crow. It is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteForgot to say thanks for the heads up stasia!
DeleteJust watched it Stasia..it's lovely.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed reading all your posts this week..I think we've learned a lot about each other. It's been a learning experience.
I've been laid up with bronchitis since Wednesday and thankfully today I'm starting to feel the antibiotics taking effect. I'm no longer wheezing and coughing. .it's tiring. Anyway hope all you bloggers are keeping safe and warm.
Oh who was in the Brownies and Guides
ReplyDeleteI was a Kelpie in the Brownies and a daffodil in the Guides.
DeleteI was a Guide from 11yrs old till 21 (via Sea Rangers) then just a few months break until I became a Cub Scout Leader. On and off now have clocked up 35 years.
DeleteArcherphile -
3 of 'my' scouts, (when middle son was Scout Leader and I was Group Scout Leader) went to Japan as well! The latest group have just come back from America last August and are touring Scout Groups to encourage the younger ones to aim to go to a Jamboree!
BTW Did you know that of the 12 men who have walked on the moon 11 were Scouts and the 12th was a Cub but then moved onto an army cadet instead of a Scout?
Autumnleaves 6.24pm.
ReplyDeleteI’m really sorry you haven’t been well. Bronchitis is horrible, you must be feeling like crap. I find a hot whiskey with lemons and honey helps. It isn’t a cure but leaves a nice warm feeling. Chin,chin.
Just like the supportive comments on this blog.
Today has been horrible weather wise, as was yesterday. Windy with lots of rain.
The sun shone all through late morning and beyond, them just as I finally ventured out it tipped down. But just as I got to the community hall, there was a double rainbow in a huge ark above the town below. Wonderful !
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear that yet another of us has health problems.
Painful bronchitis Autumn leaves. I do hope that the antibiotics clear it up by the end of the course.
As I grew up in the Salvation Army I was not a Brownie, but was a Sunbeam, the SA equivalent. I then joined the Methodist equivalent of the Guides, but for the life of me right now, cannot remember the name. ( remembered now - The Girls Life Brigade.)
I was also a St John Ambulance Cadet, and when looking at the bandaging on my hand when coming round from the anesthetic, remembered that it was as a cadet that I learned my bandaging techniques.
In the middle of Rodborough Common there is a group of fir trees and a dedication explaining the reason for planting. An important visit from Baden Powell.
I was a Brownie for a short while but that’s about it! My Dad served in the Scots Guards during the war as a driver and during that time was the
ReplyDeletedriver to Willie Whitelaw and Sir Charles Maclean who was Chief Scout until 1971 I believe. Both very gracious men according to Dad. He had a lot of respect for them
Well I wasn’t anything. My mother wasn’t one for joining clubs etc so I never went to play school, brownies, swimming club or anything. It was bang, straight to infants school and that’s it.
ReplyDeleteI never went on the skiing trips or duke of Edinburgh stuff at senior school. I would have liked to have learnt an instrument but I think I must have realised we couldn’t afford these type of things so I never asked.
Hence I only had a plastic recorder and a beginners book and taught myself a bit from that.
In the hairdressers the other day some women were talking about school trips to Poland and skiing etc. One trip for 4 days was £700!!! What can you do she said. I thought.....how about saying No!
It’s all just ridiculous nowadays.
Rant over. 👍😇
Anyone had snow today? Arrived in North Yorkshire this evening to snow in the village and surrounding area. ❄️
ReplyDeleteYes we woke to a slight covering at our end of the village. By the time you’d got to the other end and down the hill there wasn’t any.
ReplyDeleteAre you staying up north for Christmas now Seasider?
We had snow yesterday & today - the hills & mountains look like an advert!
ReplyDeleteJust before I came up to bed we had a real hoolie going on outside with gale force winds and hailstones battering against the windows. It was so loud as to be quite frightening. Very unusual for us here in mild Hampshire. Looking forward to seeing what’s outside the window in the morning!
ReplyDeleteForgot to say, I was in the Cubs for a few years! Remember a big camp we went to called Lapwing Lodge where we sat round a HUGE campfire each evening and sang songs and ate half-raw sausages! Loved it.
ReplyDeletePtbY- the year after I sold my house and appeared to be better off than ever before, my son in law was without work for ten months.
ReplyDeleteI paid £700 for my granddaughter school trip to Austria.
We probably paid about £30 for a school journey to the I O W or Devon, in the fifties.
I must say, you seem to have made up for your lack of ' anything much' in your childhood, in recent years with all your glamorous travel now.
In contrast I had a rich cultural childhood, no foreign travel of course, but definitely a holiday each year plus a number of years as a recipient of the Children's Country Holiday Scheme, and a fantastic understanding of my native city, by visiting every conceivable cultural opportunity open to the public using public transport and shank's pony, but a lack of ' anything much ' and considerable poverty as an adult.
Life eh !
We went up to Glasgow every year for two weeks squashing into a two bedroom flat with two maiden aunts and Grandpa and that was the only holiday I knew! I have fond memories of Loch Lomond, Ayr, Prestwick, Culzean Castle, Edinburgh and Glasgow itself. We knew we had arrived after a gruelling 8 hour plus journey when we saw the paper blinds edged with lace in every window! My fellows at school were going to exotic places such as Aberystwyth with a caravan all to themselves! It was a different world before travel abroad became almost commonplace.
ReplyDeleteIn my adult life I have been lucky enough to see more of the world, USA, Canada, Africa, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka not to mention the Mediterranean and Europe. I was lucky to see Syria and Libya before the current troubles there. We also toured our own country in our campervan, Piccolina from Landsend to John o Groats and myriad places in between. I can still recall that excitement in childhood though at the prospect of going to Glasgow!
Have just woken for the inevitable bathroom trip and thought I would call in to the blob so ‘night all and sleep tight!
The only school trips I went on, back in the 50s were
ReplyDelete1). Whipsnade Zoo, which I hated because there was so much walking around for my fat little legs and a ride on an elephant which terrified me (I was aged about 7)
2). The Royal Tournament at Earls Court which I absolutely loved. The military bands, the Royal Navy Field Gun display, the horses - magical! Continued going for many years as an adult too.
P to bY 10.05 yesterday.
ReplyDeleteHow I agree with you about kids today having too much.
I have decided that as a family , my Niece partner and children 4 &6, should sponser a child in order that they might have some understanding of how the other half lives. I like the idea that we can write and get letters back. I am going to provide them with a special money box so that they can put some of their pocket money in, obviously I shall be paying but I want them to have ownership too. My niece thinks it a good idea, so when they come after Cristmas for a couple of days we are going to discuss with them it and set it up.
I think that's a great idea Cowgirl. I joined the JHC in my twenties starting off by buying their Christmas cards and then later when I could afford it sponsoring children in India one at a time, until they left school and the Homes. British money goes so much further in India and can achieve so much more. My proudest moment was supporting one child on past school and through her nursing training. My funniest was when a lad somehow managed to send me a couple of Indian fireworks through the post. When you lit them they turned into sort of snakes that wriggled around. Be prepared for some sadness and disappointments. Sometimes just when a child was getting near the end of their education and final exams or an apprenticeship, and you think they will be set for life a girl could be taken away by remaining family members and married off, or boys having reached an age to be able to earn a pittance were removed, which basically meant a lifetime of poverty for them. The lad who sent the firecrackers and who was so bright and had so many hopes and dreams was taken out of school by his remaining relative, an uncle, who wanted him to help on his patch of land.
DeleteMr A and I did something similar a few years back - sponsored a little girl in India through Action Aid. We were told her name, where she lived and sent a photo of her.
DeleteWe sent money every month and had been promised we would be kept in touch with the child, receive reports of her progress, how the money was being used for her benefit etc
I wrote her several letters, sent additional cards and small gifts.
After only a few months of hearing about her from the charity, the information just dried up and we heard no more about her which was very disappointing.
After three years of donating and hearing absolutely nothing about how the money was being spent, or about her progress, we decided to stop and use the money for a charity at home instead.
There are sponsorship schemes in many different parts of the world, and your niece and daughters might have a leaning towards a particular country or culture.
DeleteJHC seems to be reorganizing and is beginning to move away from sponsorship of individual destitute children and into community projects to benefit whole villages, but personally I always liked being able to follow the progress and development of a particular child.
We have always sponsored through World Vision and have found them good at keeping us informed about our child and the progress the community is making. Currently I have a young girl in India. Sometimes it does end sadly but at least as they are growing up they have enough to eat and an education.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAnd I think that once a child has experienced an education then when they grow up they strive to give their children the same, so gradually over the generations things improve.
DeleteI was a Brownie (Mam was Brown Owl so not a lot of choice) then a Guide, not for long tho', the ghastly camping did for me!
ReplyDeleteMrs P.... I had a brill childhood despite the lack of organised stuff. Much better, I think anyway, than children nowadays. I had 3 good friends up the same lane, we played out in each other’s garden all day, only going home to eat. Then as we got older, talking 7 or 8, we’d be up the lane and over the field to play in the wood making dens and down by the beck paddling and fishing (a stick with a bit of string tied on!!!)
ReplyDeleteChildren wouldn’t be able to do what we did nowadays. In fact I wouldn’t let my son over the field at that age unsupervised and he’s now 28!
We’ve only been travelling the last 4 years. Didn’t go anywhere before then. Never liked travelling before. Hadn’t flown for 27 years and the time before had been my first time.
No more travel plans at the moment anyway until I get my thyroid eye sorted. Having to wear a patch all the time (just need a parrot and a peg leg) hospital appointment in February.
We used to go our seaside holidays to a caravan site in Scarborough. it was too cold to go to the beach but we had just as much fun going to the penny arcades and reading the funny postcards (I was too young to understand them but everyone else was laughing so I laughed along too).
ReplyDeleteThe first year I was there my dad took me to hear Max Jaffa at the open - air theatre (can't remember the name of the theatre). I was 8 at the time and my dad knew I was really interested in music. It became a tradition, every year we would go..just me and him. We would always round off the evening by going to a cafe on the front for a mug of horlicks before going back to the caravan.
Autumn leaves.....bet Scarborough was nicer then. It’s a sh**hole now. Excuse the language but it does emphasise just how bad it is now.
ReplyDeleteThat's sad to hear...I'm sure it's the same for many seaside resorts that were popular in the 60s
DeletePtbY. Your childhood sounds just like mine. A group of us would head out to spend all day on the Divis mountain. I’m amazed now at the miles we walked, drinking running water and burning potatoes on an open fire.
DeleteWe didn’t have guides or scouts as they were perceived to be semi paramilitary, there’s an irony.
We played lots of outdoor games, mainly a Gaelic game called Camogie (camógaiocht]. A dangerous game played with sticks, worse than 🏑 hockey.
As children we were certainly physically very fit.
Well of course we played on the beach, although with strict instructions to be careful of the sea currents (too cold most of the year so no danger there). Holidays were in the countryside just a few miles away but the train is so circuitous I thought I was going a long long way, so long we had time for Gran’s picnic lunch en route.
ReplyDeleteI was in the Brownies for a year until my friend dropped out and I lost my lift. I was relieved as I didn’t like the games - everyone noisier and faster and bigger than me. Highlight was spending a whole session scraping chewing gum off the floor of the hall - an old army camp. Mum wanted me to join girls brigade as we were Methodists but I refused after that experience.
PtbY, yes I am back in Yorkshire for Christmas and New Year. Very icy at the end of our road today and still some snow here and there.
Sorry to hear your eye is giving you trouble PtbY, and annoying that your appointment was put back. After getting through your throat surgery and now this. Hope it doesn’t mar Christmas too much.
PtbY, although I grew up on a council estate in suburban outer London, it was in many ways like a village. Because it was new post war building there was a large area of rough ground dedicated to be allotments but for the intervening years a playground for us where we built camps and I lived out my dreams. The yards between the blocks were for football and running games and the wide concrete base at each block gave us children space to sit with our beads and swapping games.
ReplyDeleteWe also had the river Ravensbourne running through at one end of the estate, and I remember one time taking my wellingtons off and finding leaches in my boots.
We also had a very large park up the road with extensive woodland and a golf course running through. We would go for the day, taking a picnic.
Archerphile, the Royal Tournament at Earls Court was the highlight of the year, particularly for my father. Both he and his father had been in a mounted brigade and my father had started work at eleven leading the horses up Grays Inn Road to deliver the newspapers from Fleet Street to Euston and Paddington.
So at the end of the performance we would be taken round to the stables to meet all the horses.
As I write I can smell that lovely warm smell so alien in central London.
So lovely to hear about all these idyllic childhoods and so sad that today’s children can’t enjoy the same experiences - due to the way the modern world has developed.
ReplyDeleteI thought mine was idyllic too but, looking back, I realise it was rather lonely and restricted due to my parents fears. I went to a posh private boarding school as a day girl so none of my school friends lived nearby and there were no other children living near that I was allowed to play with. We did have a very large garden with a wood where I loved to make little ‘houses’ and have ‘tea parties’ for my dolls and teddies. I did a lot of gardening with Mum & Dad but indoors I would have to play games like Monopoly or cards with myself - right hand against left hand!
I was not allowed to go beyond our front gate on my own, but sometimes I would slip down to the end of our lane where there was a farm & I remember collecting lots of wild flowers and pressing them between sheets of Izal loo paper inside heavy books!
My main occupation as a child was reading, mostly Enid Blyton, and listening to the radio (including TA of course!)
I had just one real friend, a girl called Jane, who was the daughter of Mums best friend. But they lived some distance away so, once each school holidays, we would meet up for the day and could play together - the most looked forward to and exciting day for me.
But although, I now realise how lonely and restricting my childhood was, I didn’t really notice it at the time and thought it was how all children were brought up.