First celebrated 23 May 2020
Monday 18 May 2020 was Victoria Day. A little background for those in other countries...
Canadians have celebrated Queen Victoria's birthday on the Monday before the 25th of May every year since 1845, that's since before Confederation when Canada as we know it today did not even exist. Actually now it is to celebrate whoever is queen of Canada but they don't change the date. It is the informal start to the summer season and lots of people open up their cottages for the season and fill up their pools. This year because of social distancing people seem to have been celebrating by using angle grinders and other very loud power tools in their back yards and there will be virtual fireworks you can watch on your phone.
Anyway, in honor of the Queen's Canadian Birthday and also Duncan's birthday on the 24th May this week we decided to celebrate all things British.
Each day had a theme and all participants nominated there favourite for that theme so this post will be 5 long lists:
Best of British People
William Wilberforce
Was a British MP, philanthropist and tireless leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. He headed the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade for twenty years and was largely responsible for the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.
Florence Nightingale
British social reformer, statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. She came to prominence during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers.
Mary Seacole
Was a British-Jamaican business woman and nurse who set up the “British Hotel” behind the lines during the Crimean War. She used herbal remedies to nurse soldiers back to health. She was posthumously awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit and in 2004 was voted the greatest Black Briton.
Gladys Aylwood
She was a missionary in China but became a member of the Chinese administration in order to stop the binding of women's feet, no one had any success before her. She worked to prevent child poverty and adopted many children herself. When the Japanese invaded China she led over 100 children to safety over the mountains despite being injured herself.
Charles Dickens
His books, of course are legendary and he is one of our greatest novelists and social commentators.
He had no formal education and went to work in a factory, in very poor conditions at a young age due to his father being imprisoned for debt. Despite this he edited a monthly magazine for 20 years and wrote all those lovely, realistic and socially aware books.
The real reason I chose him though is that because of his books many people who would never have known about life for the lower classes found out and started campaigning for better conditions for poor people. Also he himself worked very hard for social reform and helped as many people as he could.
Joe Bloggs
I'd like to nominate the Joe Bloggs (that's Joseph & Josephine). They represent all the great unsung heroes and heroines of Britain, past and present. By this I mean all those people who work/have worked tirelessly to help others and make Britain better and happier whether it be by inventing things, studying, cleaning, mending, singing, listening, cooking, looking after people, the list is endless.
Queen Elizabeth II
The Queen didn't know she would be Queen when she was growing up. She was crowned when she was just 25. On her 21st birthday she dedicated her life to the service of the British Commonwealth.
She is:
- The longest lived and longest reigning monarch in British history
- The longest serving female head of state in world history
- The world's longest living monarch
- The oldest and longest serving head of state in the world
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
19th century civil engineer. He worked hard on many seemingly impossible projects and achieved many firsts and best and biggests and I love how so many of them are still standing proud today. I think my favourite things are his bridges, the Clifton Suspension Bridge is a magnificent site to behold and the Maidenhead Bridge is the widest flat arched bridge in the world and is still carrying main line trains even though they are 10 times heavier than they were when he built it. I also discovered today when I looked him up that he invented the prefab hospital for Florence Nightingale during the Crimean war so that's topical too.
Alan Turing
He made a lot of progress in fields of math and computer science. He helped decode the enigma machine in WW2. He died at 42 of either suicide or mishandling chemicals. He was gay and got punished for it but has now been officially pardoned by the queen. I am adding that they have calculated that his work may have made WW2 2 years shorter than it could have been and therefore saved approximately 14 million lives. Jacob nearly didn’t put him in because his personal life was so sad.
Bruce Dickinson
Not writing all that again, let's just say surprisingly diverse modern polymath!
Best of British Bands
Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders
Groovy Kind of Love
U2
All I Want is You
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin IV
Teenage Fanclub
I Need Direction
Iron Maiden
Fear of the Dark
We also have a list of honorary mentions to cover Wales/women/diversity, it’s a motley bunch including:
Val Doonican, Paddy Mcginty’s goat - none of the above but Mum needs to clap the sillies out or something
Aled Jones, Walking in the Air
Tom Jones with the Stereophonics, Mama told me not to come
The Stereophonics, Dakota
Super Furry Animals, Juxtaposed with U
Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Patio Song
Fernhill
Robin Hall and Jimmy McGregor, Nicky Tams - see above
Andy Stewart, Donald Where’s Your Troosers - ditto
Cilla Black
Heather Small with M People, Movin on Up
KT Tunstall, Suddenly I See
Best of British Birds
Chaffinch
there are 20 sub-species and they've been introduced into New Zealand, proving how, like all finches, they're very adaptable.
Robin
a bird so loved that it was given a human name. Lots of animals were given names as people hundreds of years ago lived much closer to nature and names them eg. "Jenny" wren, Brock the badger. They are constant companions in the garden, hold eye contact with humans and are the easiest birds to teach to eat from your hand. The first postmen wore red jackets and were called Robins, not surprising the most cheerful Christmas cards have them perching on a snow covered post box.
Jackdaw
which shares the human element in the name and also maintains eye contact with humans. Jackdaws are not as popular as robins, probably because they are members of the crow family and as such are scavengers. This activity of clearing up rubbish in the countryside is not as recognised as it was. Jackdaws are probably the most intelligent birds with a relatively large brain, they make very faithful pets and have close bonding with their mates and other jackdaws. It is the only bird ever to have been made a saint - the Jackdaw of Rheims.
Kingfisher
very rarely seen but unforgettable if you have. Mentioned, quite rightly, in poems
" It was the rainbow gave thee birth
And left thee all her lovely hues...."
William Henry Davies
Also by Mary Oliver
And one of my favourite poets Gerard Manley Hopkins
Blue tit
They are cute and colourful and I always associate them with dad. They are famed for their skill and can hang upside down when looking for food. They are so light they weigh the same as a pound coin. In the olden days when we used to have milk bottles delivered they used to peck through the foil tops to drink the cream, the cheeky monkeys.
Here's a pic.
Wood pigeon
They always look a bit dippy which I find endearing. I love their call which, to me, is reminiscent of lazy summer days. They snuggle up in pairs, all 'lovey dovey'. They waddle along and when they take off they do so with a clattering of wings. It's said they look like they are swimming when in flight (I'll have look out for that!).
More info here.
Mallard duck
Let's be honest, these things are completely beautiful and adorable in everything they do. The way they walk, the way they swim, the way they fly, the way they eat. They may not be smart but they are truly amazing creatures. The males and females look completely different yet they are both beautiful in their own way. There are cool facts about them. The classic duck quack sound is the female mallard's "hail call" used to call their ducklings to them.
Puffin
Was anyone surprised I included puffins? They are specifically Atlantic Puffins, the type you would get in Britain. These lads are amazing and definitely among my favourite things ever to exist. One day I hope to see them. It's hard to get over how great their beaks look. They're like Atlantic Penguins with colourful beaks. They're a lot smaller too. Unfortunately, they are now classified as Vulnerable so there may be a time in the future where puffins are no longer around. I hope to be dead by then. Fun facts time: Their beaks are glow in the dark! We didn't know this until very recently because they are in their burrows at night. There aren't any good pictures because since puffins are always in their burrows at night, the only pictures we have are of dead ones :(. Puffins' beaks aren't always the bright colours we see in pictures. They are still colourful, but they are much duller. It's tough to find pictures of these because they are usually at sea during the winter. Here's one that didn't change back to summer colours fast enough. Fast fact time. Puffins mate for life. Puffins are very social and cool. Puffins typically use the same burrows to lay their eggs in every year and only lay 1 egg per year.
The wren
I've mainly chosen this for Rosish reasons, they are so cute, like little brown ping pong balls with tail feathers. I'd forgotten how cute they are until a couple of weeks ago when J and I spotted one bouncing about on our deck. Here's a couple of facts:
- The wren is the shortest (not smallest, that's the gold crest) British bird.
- In proportion to it's size it has the loudest song, per some sort of unit it is 10 times as loud as a cockerel.
- It used to appear on the smallest British coin, the farthing.
Pic here.
The barn owl
First bird of prey on the list. I've only seen a barn owl in the wild a couple of times, they are very ghostly and beautiful things to watch. Here are my facts:
- Barn owls do not hoot, they screech and hiss.
- They are soft and fluffy for silent hunting but are not very waterproof and get soaked in the rain.
- They have lopsided ears, one is further up than the other to help pinpoint the location of small sounds.
- It used to be said that they could predict the weather; if you heard a barn owl screech there would be a storm, if there was already a storm and you heard a screech the storm would stop. Obviously very wise these owls.
Pic Here
Best of British Food
- Full English Breakfast
- Roast Beef, Yorkshire puds, roast spuds and a couple of veggies
- Fruit crumble and custard
- Afternoon tea; tea, scones with everything, and posh little sandwiches, oh and some fancy mini cakes.
- Staffordshire oatcakes filled with cheesy with baked beans, mushrooms & tomatoes
- Syrup sponge pudding and custard
- Porridge, no sugar for the Scots version!
- Toad in the hole with vegetables from the garden
- Apple pie with cream or Wensleydale cheese
- Cucumber sandwiches made with Hovis
- Egg and cress sandwiches
- Strawberries and cream
- Ena cake
- 99 ice cream, because they taste good and who doesn't like a flake
- Curry
- Double chocolate fudge cake
- Sticky toffee pudding
- Cranachan
- Treacle tart.
- Sausage rolls
Best of British Icons
The National Trust
The NT was founded in 1895 by 3 people to protect special places and natural environment for the enjoyment of everyone in the future. This now includes 250,000 hectares of countryside and 780 miles of coastline. They are now the largest conservation charity in Europe. They have pledged to become carbon net neutral by 2030 and create green corridors near towns and cities.
English Country Pubs
Yes they're in all 4 nations, but English ones are the best in my opinion. They're all cozy and comfy and you know what your going to get; a mediocre welcome and some ok food.
Welsh Choirs
No one does choral singing like the Welsh male voice choirs. I know, I grew up with an uncle who was in one and we used to watch them regularly, it made the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Lovely.
Edinburgh Castle
When I think of Scotland I think of that big lump of granite guarding that city like an immovable mountain.
Irish Music
By that I mean the fact that if you get 2 or more Irish people together there's going to be some sort of music happening. Every pub, especially in the country side, has a fiddle and drum behind the bar and there's always someone ready to play it and start a reel or jig right there and then.
Red Phone Box
They were designed in 1925 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the first ones in London but followed by every town and village in the country. Very few people had phones as they were expensive so they were used by thousands of people for emergencies and to order things or pass on good news to a community.
When I was a brownie there was a phone badge. It was quite complicated to use one as, if I remember correctly a button A which you had to press to speak to the operator, no dialling then! You then gave a number, Aunty Ena's was Rushton Spencer 268, ours in 1970, as the exchange here was only semi automated was Lowick Bridge 285. The operator would connect you and you would put three pence in. When you heard the person pick up you had to press button B. If they did not pick up you could press button C and get your money back.
They are very much loved in this country, many were sold - I believe Sir Tom Jones has the one where he first heard his daughter had been born by his swimming pool. This one on the Green, Jim and I bought for £5. I gifted it with the Green to the local community. Xxx
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| Nanna's Phone Box in Lowick Green |
The Queen
I have chosen Tower Bridge for my icon. Tower Bridge was built in June 21 1886 - June 30 1894.
The tardis is pretty cool though.
The Union Jack
It's just the right level of fancy and is unlike any other international flag. Here's some facts about it:
It was introduced on 1 January 1801 after the Act of Union merged the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain.
- It is comprised of the St Georges Cross and the "Saltires" of St Patrick and St Andrew.
- Wales is not represented ☹ because it was Annexed by Edward I in 1282, some people have called for a white rectangle to be added to the centre with the Welsh Dragon in it. You couldn't go wrong with a Dragon on your flag really could you.
- Some people say it should only be called the Union Jack when it is flown from the Jack mast of a warship. Pish, that's what I say to that.
- There is a right side up because the fimbriations around the Saltires are different sizes causing a pinwheel effect.
- The pantone numbers are: red, 280c, Blue 186c
Wow, That's a heck of a list isn't it.
On Friday we put up bunting in the kitchen for Fete Friday:
And on Saturday we celebrated Best of British Day with sausage, bacon and sweetcorn topped pizza and British cup cakes, there's a cup cake topper out there for every occasion!
