British Music Week

For all you music lovers here's a great page to visit while you still have time during the Christmas holidays.

www.britishmusicweek.com

There's lots to see and plenty of information about your favourite singers, groups and bands. They go from the newest releases to the classics like the Rolling Stones.

You can see the results of 2009 Rising Star finalists before the year ends. There are bands from as far away as Canada and as close as Spain. Check it out! You'll love it

Who Invented Powered Flight?

The year 2003 was the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ invention of the first powered airplane. The first successful flight occurred on December 17th, 1903 at Kill Devil Hills in Kittyhawk, North Carolina.
Hey, Wait a minute!
They may have made ‘the first successful flight’ but could you say they ‘invented' the first powered airplane?
Before the Wright Brothers across the Atlantic Ocean…..in Britain……
Percy Pilcher was born in Bath, England in 1867. He designed a powered triplane and built it in 1899. By the end of September 1899 his triplane was nearly ready to fly (except, that is, for mounting the engine), but while gliding in his previously reliable “Hawk”, there was a structural failure. Pilcher fell and died two days later. His triplane was never flown but the “invention” beat the Americans by 4 years.
Or could it have been Bill Frost, a Welsh carpenter, who patented the aeroplane in 1894. He flew his powered flying machine the following year in 1895 that was 8 years before the Wright brothers!
Think about it….before the famous flight in America some 55 years earlier John stringfellow took flight in his steam propelled twin engines at Chard in Somerset.

British Poetry

LOSS

The day he moved out was terrible -
That evening she went through hell.
His absence wasn't a problem....
But the corkscrew had gone as well.

By Wendy Cope

I had a really good laugh when I first read this poem. Such sentiment in the first two sentences to then realize it was directed to a corkscrew. Ha, ha, ha, ha; what a giggle.

If you like contemporary poetry you can take a look at this site. It will first show you Wendy's biography and you could possible go on and on....

www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth174

How Eight Minutes Changed British Time

Well, this has to do with the Railway and a court case that set time keeping in Britain. On November 24, 1858, at 10:04 a.m by Dorset clocks a Dorchester judge found against a man involved in a land battle because he was late for the 10 a.m hearing. Two minutes later the man arrived and claimed he was on time according to the Railway station clock in his home town of Carlisle in Cumberland.
The case had to be retried because of this discrepancy, and in 1880 Parliament ended the confusion by ordering the whole country to set its clocks by the Greenwich Mean Time.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (usually shortened to United Kingdom or UK) is a country situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe and is surrounded by the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

The UK is composed of four constituent parts: three constituent countries England, Scotland and Wales on the island of Great Britain and the province of Northern Ireland on the island of Ireland. The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland forms the United Kingdom's principal international land border. There is also a frontier with France at the Channel Tunnel with the French border control being on the English side of the English Channel (La Manche)!

The UK has several overseas territories throughout the world, relationships with several Crown dependencies and Commonwealth realms.

If you would like to find out more here is a good website:http://www.timeanddate.com/library/abbreviations/timezones/eu/gmt.html

Burton Agnes Hall in Yorkshire

Burton Agnes Hall is an Elizabethan manor house in the village of Burton Agnes, near Driffield in Yorkshire. It was built by Sir Henry Griffith in 1601–10 to designs attributed to Robert Smithson.[1] There is an older Norman Manor House, originally built in 1173 on an adjacent site; both buildings are now Grade I listed buildings.
The Hall contains a number of fine seventeenth century plaster ceilings and chimney pieces. The ceiling of the Long Gallery was restored in two stages by Francis Johnson between 1951 and 1974.
Frances Griffith heiress of the estate married Sir Matthew Boynton the first Boynton Baronet and on her death in 1634 the estate was bequeathed to her son Francis ( later the second Baronet). On the death of the eleventh Baronet in 1899 the house passed to his daughter, and on her death to her son Sir Marcus Wickham Boynton. He operated a successful stud farm on the estate for many years. He died in 1989 and left the property to a distant cousin, Simon Cunliffe-Lister, (then aged twelve), grandson of Viscount Whitelaw and son of the 3rd Earl of Swinton. Today, the estate is kept and owned by the Burton Agnes Preservation Trust and is managed by Cunliffe-Lister and his mother Hon Susan Whitelaw.
The walled flower garden has a games motif with a central chess board played on black and white paving stones. Other games include draughts, snakes and ladders and hoop toss. Each of these games is in a separate garden surrounded by plants selected by flower colours. There is also a market garden area with attractively planted seasonal vegetables.
Whimsical statues abound throughout the grounds. A woodland walk is well known locally for abundant snowdrop blooms in February.

This is a great family activity for the weekend, and if you like history, why not do some research before you go.

Have a great weekend!

One of Britain's favourite Poems

TIDES

The evening advances, then withdraws again
Leaving our cups and books like islands on the floor.
We are drifting you and I,
As far from one another as the young heroes
Of these two novels we have just laid down.
For that is happiness: to wander alone
Surrounded by the same moon, whose tides remind us of
ourselves,
Our distances, and what we leave behind.
The lamp left on, the curtains letting in the light.
These things were promises. No doubt we will come back to
them.

By HUGO WILLIAMS 1942


There is a great write up in the Guardian it is well worth reading.

www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/mar/26/poetry.features

I am sure you will find this poet so very interesting, as well as his poems, of course!

A Delicious Autumn Treat

THE TOFFEE APPLE

The Toffee Apple or Candy Apple (U.S.A) are delicious apples covered with a hard crunchy toffee and served on the end of a stick. They are usually made for the winter festivals, especially on November 5th which is Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire night. This is probably due to the fact that it is the apple harvest anyway. They are eaten during the autumn months and even during winter. If a travel fair comes to town there will always be Toffee Apples as well as many other delicious things to eat.

There is a great page by Jamie Oliver with this great tradition recipe if you want to give it a go but please be careful. Hot sugar can cause serious burns, make sure children and pets are kept away while you try your hand at making Toffee Apples.

Check out Jaime's page: www.jamieoliver.com/foodwise/article-view.php?id=1673

I'm sure you'll really enjoy this delicious but simple treat.

The Benefits of Giving Flowers

PLANTS THAT NURSE THE SICK

It has long been suspected that contact with nature can reduce stress, produce positive feelings, and ease the suffering of the sick. In Britain, most hospitals are set in a park like surroundings. New research confirms that belief. “Patients were randomly assigned to hospital rooms with or without plants during their recovery period”, explains the SCIENCE DAILY. Patients who had plants in their rooms experienced less pain, needed significantly less pain medication, had better heart rate and blood pressure, and reported greater satisfaction with their rooms and counterpars. Some 93% of those exposed to plants said that these were the ‘most positive’ aspect of their hospital room.
Don’t forget to give flowers to the sick!

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s famous poem ‘Kubla Khan’ has been surrounded by mystery ever since it was published in 1816, 20 years after it was written and when he needed money.

Coleridge explained that the 54 lines were a mere fragment of a glorious vision inspired by an opium dream. The dream had been shattered by an interruption and the rest of the poem had been lost forever.

It came to him while he was staying at a lonely Exmoor farmhouse, recuperating from an illness. He had taken two grains of opium for medicinal purposes. On awaking he began to put down the poem in an ecstasy of inspiration.

When he got to:
For he on honey dew has fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise….

He was suddenly interrupted by an insurance salesman from the nearby town of Porlock. Desperately he tried to get of the man, but somehow he was detained for an hour, talking mundane finance.

Try as he might, Coleridge could never recapture his vision of the legendary world of Xanadu. All that was left was the first fragment of ‘Kubla Khan’, which for 20 years he did not consider worth publishing

The Poem: KUBLA KHAN

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree :
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round :
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree ;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

But oh ! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover !
A savage place ! as holy and enchanted
As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover !
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced :
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail :
And 'mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean :
And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war !
The shadow of the dome of pleasure
Floated midway on the waves ;
Where was heard the mingled measure
From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice !
A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw :
It was an Abyssinian maid,
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight 'twould win me,
That with music loud and long,
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome ! those caves of ice !
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware ! Beware !
His flashing eyes, his floating hair !
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise.

FOR a lot more information on Samuel Taylor Coleridge and other famous poets and writter type in the name in Wikipedia or http://etext.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Kubla_Khan.html

The Battle of England

In Hitler’s morbid world view not only existed a hierarchy of races but countries too. And probably amongst the great nations of the world, the one he most admired and feared at once was Great Britain. For that reason, after defeating and occupying Poland, Holland, Belgium, and France he tried to sign an armistice with the UK. He considered his dreamed-of continental empire (from France till the very east of Russia) perfectly compatible with the great old overseas British Empire. But Britons, unlike Stalin or the Japanese, didn’t want to come to any agreement with Hitler’s Germany. It was too late. After five years of appeasement policy and several invaded countries there was no choice but war.

Hence Hitler planned the invasion of the isle. The plan was going to be carried out on September 15th (1940) in the southern part of Britain and consisted in landing a great number of troops through the English Channel. But before, all German generals fully agreed they needed unavoidably to reach complete aerial supremacy through subduing the British Royal Air Force (RAF).

In the first stages of the battle, the German air force (Luftwaffe) focused their efforts to attack the shipping traffic in the English Channel in order to make the Britons use all their air force resources to protect the very important supplies from America and the colonies. By the end of July it was clear that it was going to be impossible to do the German invasion of England on time, so they commended Luftwaffe the task of destroying as soon as possible the whole enemy’s air force. A new great offensive started on August 13th and it lasted until September de 17th. During this 35 days the fights in the air were constant. The German planes bombed aerodromes and radar stations, and in several moments they were about to make collapse the attack protection system which was decisive for the Great Britain defence. From July 10th to October 31st the RAF lost about 800 planes in this battle, and the Luftwaffe more than 1300.

We can say the battle of England marked a historical milestone because was the first time that military plans of Hitler went off the rails. The first time that German army had to go back without achieving success. And the first time that Luftwaffe, which had shown great effectiveness supporting land troops in Poland and France, exhibited weaknesses against a modern air force and motivated pilots.
Churchill summarised those weeks saying: ``Never before so many people (British people, but the whole humanity too) had never owed so much (freedom, independence) to so few (the pilots of the RAF)´´
The battle slowly became in a nocturnal bombing of the English big cities, specially London. These attacks lasted till May 1941 and had a bigger impact in civil population, although were not able demoralize them.

Favourite Children's Television

THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT

When thinking back on favourite tv programmes for kids, one comes to mind straight away. It very different to children's programmes nowadays, it was innocent, nice, educational and so very cute. It was the time-lapse animation called 'The magic Roundabout'.

The Magic Roundabout was first shown on British BBC TV on October 18th, 1965 just before the 6 o'clock news (prime time). It was a popular programme about 8 million watched the five minute episode of the Magic Roundabout.

It's original name was 'Le Manege Enchante', French as you can see because it was created by Serge Danot but as it came to Britain it was re-named by Eric Thompson.

The Magic Roundabout ran on British T.V until 1977 and was phased out. However a few films have been made using this old series and they are both very entertaining for all the family. The first film featuring the characters of the Magic Roundabout is called: 'Dougal and the Blue Cat' and the other film is made in 3D digital animation 'The Magic Roundabout Movie'which is far from the old time-lapse methods of the past but they still keep that lovely quality.

This was such a popular children's programme that they translated it into 28 different language.

British Sense of Humour

I remember when I was a kid at school and teachers made us study the countries of Europe and the whole world with their capital cities. I always liked geography although it was tough.
When I studied all those names, most of them didn’t mean very much to me, they were just names that I should memorize. But others automatically brought something to my mind. Italy reminded me of the cuadriga fightings and the Roman coliseum, all the Caesars and all the movies. When I heard about the US it was the New York skyscrapers, the statue of Liberty or their western movies. France stood for the Eiffel tower and those moustached bohemian painters drawing beautiful pictures at those enormous green gardens near the tower. If we talk about Portugal, towels, blankets, and those typical cocks that forecast the weather through the colour of its wings –I still have one-.

And what about Britain? Yes. When I thought of Britain the image of those series of Thames Television coming from England with the river Thames and its music of the Big Ben sounding is what I clearly associated Britain with. After that came The Roper’s or Benny Hill. So different of those other luxurious, opulent ones coming from the states: Dallas – J.R. was so evil- Dinastía, Falcon Crest, etc… I remember with affection those nights of the 80’s while having dinner with my parents and little sister we had a fantastic time with George and Mildred. Their natural grace was boosted by the Galician dubbing, I think much more suited for comedy than Castilian. Later came Benny Hill, Os Novos –I don’t know the original name was- or Mr. Bean. If they say you may know a country for their sense of humour, then if you see these series of my childhood you´ll notice that Britons are really serious reliable people but with an enormous capability to make a fool of themselves.

Bone China - Something very common in the UK

Bone china?
What is bone china? Does it really contain bones?
The story of bone china starts with Josiah Spode. Spode was born in 1733 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire in England. The county of Staffordshire is world-renowned for its ceramics and porcelain. When he was 16 or 17, young Josiah apprenticed with Thomas Whieldon, one of Staffordshire’s finest potters.
Spode worked for other potters and also co-owned factories with other potters until 1767 when he formed the Spode factory. This factory was wholly owned by him by 1776 and that factory continues in operation in the same spot today. It is the oldest porcelain factory to be in business at the same site.
Josiah passed his factory on to his son, Josiah Spode II (1754-1827). Josiah II apprenticed in his father’s factory and opened a London gallery to show off his father’s porcelain.
Porcelain is an ancient ceramic material perfected by the Chinese. There are examples of porcelain that date back to the 7th century. Porcelain is commonly called china, as this is where the material originated. There are three types of porcelain, hard paste, soft paste and bone china. In 1800, Josiah Spode II created bone china by adding bone ash to the formula for porcelain. The result was the hardest, most durable porcelain available.
Hard paste porcelain is made from kaolin and petuntse. The materials are fired at high temperatures, with or without a glaze, and produce a hard, translucent material. Soft paste porcelain contains the kaolin and petuntse of hard paste but also includes frit – a combination of various materials like white sand, nitre, alum, salt and gypsum. The frit in the mixture liquefies and turns to glass when fired and the glassy bits fuse to the porcelain. The resulting soft paste porcelain has a grittier feel to it and is not as strong as hard paste porcelain.
Bone china is the toughest of porcelains and does indeed contain bones. Bone ash makes up the greatest part of the formula for bone china, with the balance of the formula containing kaolin and petuntse. The resulting material is hard, resilient and an ivory white in color. This formula remains the standard for porcelain manufactured in England.
How do bones become bone ash?. All tissue is removed from animal bones and they are fired at temperatures of up to 1000 degrees. The resulting ash is crushed to a powder and mixed with water before being added to the other porcelain material.

The best cup of tea is always out of a china cup

You Either Love It or Hate It

Carol Smilie, a TV presenter, once said 'Yuck.'

Tom Baker, an actor said: ' I love it.'

What could they be talking about? Well, it is one of Britain's great culinary icons. Culinary icon you say! Yes, it is a yeast extract, a dark syrupy paste made from the waste of brewer's yeast in the beer making process with a meaty flavour called MARMITE. This was discovered by a German chemist by the name of Justin Liebig in 1866.

It can be spread on your bread and butter, used to add flavour to stews and casseroles. A spoonful in a hot cup of water and drank while hot will warm anyone's cockles. It can be used in a Roquefort, Prawn and Pear Salad, in Haddock and Artichoke Chowder with Parsnip chips....the possibilities are endless.

VITAMIN-RICH

In the early part of the 20th century people quickly picked up on the benefits of this vitamin rich paste. Marmite a yeast extract is cram packed with vitamin B complex in a highly concentrated form. That's why it found its way into hospitals, schools and homes as a great nutritional addition. It is suitable for all the family including Vegans.

Why not take a wonderful ride with Paul Hartley on his culinary ride from past to present in Marmite History. Check out his breakfast and brunch website and see what you can cook up for breakfast.

If you type in 'Marmite' on this site you will see a lot of recipes with the famous Marmite.
www.breakfastandbrunch.com

Even better read his great book: The Marmite Cookbook by Paul Hartley.
ISBN 1-904573-09-6

It's a great read! ^_^

Long weekend

For all of you who are looking forward to the coming 'Long weekend' here are a few suggestions:

1. Visit your local Planetarium

2. Visit a friend that lives miles away. It's a good excuse to travel.

3. Go to a show in London. You can see: La Clique, Endgame, The 39 Steps, Speaking in Tongues and Aladdin.

4. Eat out at Princess of Shoreditch (5 star rating by customers/gastropubs) 76-78 St. Paul's Street, London EC2A or Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester (haute cuisine/restaurant) The Dorchester, 53 Park Lane, London, W1K

5. See a film: 2012, The Twilight Sage: New Moon, A Serious Man, Harry Brown, A Christmas Carol (a great new version of an old story)

6. Visit an exhibition. GSK CONTEMPORARY (Art) Until Jan 31 2010, The Royal Academy Burlington Gardens, London. 'Earth: Art of the Changing World'.

7. Ice-skating at Wembly Stadium. See Winter Wonderland; it's a great show with great professional. Don't forget to take you favourite wooly hat and gloves, it's going to be freezing!

8. Use Your Imagination! The Victoria and Albert Museum are holding an exhibition of new toys to stimulate imaginative play. They are designed by students at Middlesex University and tested by a class of six year olds at Christchurch Primary School.

9. For all you fashion lovers, take a look at the SHOWStudio's: Fashion Revolution at Somerset House, The Strand, London, WD2R 1LA. Tramps, Past, Present & Couture(Christian Dior, Couture Fall/Winter 2001/2). Absolutely Fasinating!

10. For Kids: This season there are plenty of Kid's show and pantomimes; Battersea Park Children's Zoo, The Cartoon Museum, 35 Little Russel St, London, WC1A 2HH; Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, London; Gunnersbury Triangle Nature Park West London ( www.wildlondon.org.uk) and for the teenagers maybe the boys would like to go to The London Dungeon for a ghoulish afternoon.

I have just mention a few things but I'll bet you know so much more. Have a great weekend.

Animal Nursery Rhymes

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Baa baa black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes Sir, yes sir, three bags full,
One for the master,
One for the dame,
And one for the little boy that lives down the lane.

That's just one, how about you? Can you think of another? ;p

A question for you.

How many domestic animals can you think of in 2 minutes? You might think it is hard but you probably know more than you think! ;o)

'A Frog in the Throat? Where from?

Have you ever wondered where the expression: ' Frog in the throat' came from? It's really strange and for any foreign student studying English this will probably raise his/her eyebrows because of such a saying. Well, here are a couple of common understandings you might find interesting.
There are a couple of explanations for this one:

One explanation says: it originated in medieval times when physicians thought that the secretions of a frog could help heal a sore throat. A live frog head was put into the patient's mouth, and the frog was believed to draw out the infection into its own body when it inhaled.

Another explanation is that years ago, people drank directly from ponds and streams, meaning there was always the fear that one could ingest an actual frog or frogspawn. It is believed that once the eggs hatched, one would experience a choking feeling when the young froglets were ready to come out. In the olden days, a travelling medicine merchant (i.e. quack) might have an assistant with a terrible cough (frog in the throat). As he administered a particular medicine supposed to cure all ills, the assistant would pretend to cough up a live frog, and then be pronounced cured.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, disgusting, imagine if it were true. : P

Gadget Quiz

How many household gadgets can you think of in 5 minutes?

This is a great way to recall all that vocabulary you learnt at school.

Write your list on the Blog and we'll tell you how well you did the quiz!

I wonder...........how many? 5, 9, 15 gadgets, ummmmmmm, let me think!

Happy thinking ^ _ ^

The First Vacuum Cleaner

Although considered a crecent invention, the Victorians had a machine which used bellows to suck up the dirt.
In 1901, a new railway-carriage cleaner was demonstrated at St. Pancras Station, London. It worked on the principle of blowing the dirt away but this proved unpopular and was not successful. Hubert Booth decided to reverse the process from blowing to sucking the dirt. To catch the dirt he used a cloth that let the air through but not the dirt; this acted like a filter and the dirt was easily thrown away.
Booth's first practical machine was so big that it had to be drawn by a horse. You can see it in the picture supplied by Google Images when you type in The First Vacuum Cleaner(It's like a red wagon with the words: 'Royal College? on the side.
To this day, all cylinder vacuum cleaners rely on Booth's principal. However, a Mr. Bissel in the United States, who was sick of sweeping up the straw in his china shop, made a commercial success out of vacuum cleaners by combining it with a sweeper for home use.

I'll bet you have on at home!