Thursday, November 30, 2017

Thought for the Day

“Purchased experiences don’t count.”

- Douglas Coupland (1961 - )


Canadian novelist and artist.


Brett's Monthly

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Regular readers will know that Byter Brett from the U S of A sends a list of the coming month’s special days and celebrations. This month is no exception. Thanks Brett.

I am posting it today rather on 1 December in that tomorrow is Funny Friday time.

Following is Brett’s list, followed by a look at some of those days.

I had intended to cover all of the November days previously but ran out of time, plus some other items were given precedence. Mea culpa.

I should be okay for December, it’s a quiet month.

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Brett’s dates:

Advent begins, date varies
Santas' List Day - we hope you are on the "Nice" list
Repeal Day - The 21st Amendment ends Prohibition. I'll drink to that!
National Cotton Candy Day - would you like some fairy floss?
International Children's Day - Second Sunday in December
12 Channukah - date varies
12 Poinsettia Day     
21 Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year.
22 National Date Nut Bread Day - or September 8!?
23 Festivus - for the rest of us

To quote General Custer, my God, there’s a lot of them.
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Name:
Eat a Red Apple Day
Date:
Always 1 December
Origin:
Unknown
Comments:
Although the Red Delicious variety was the world’s most popular apple through ton the 1980’s, it’s popularity has waned.  As an example, Washington State, one of the biggest producers of apples, provided  75% of the state’s Red Delicious.  The market today has declined to one third of that.
The science of growing apples is called pomology.
My own fave is the Pink Lady Apple.


Does anyone else get pissed off by the stickers on fruit?



Name:
World AIDS Awareness Day
Date:
Always December 1
Origin:
World Aids Awareness Day was created in 1988 by the United Nations World Health Organisation.
Comments:
The day is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, and mourning those who have died of the disease.
Government and health officials, non-governmental organizations and individuals around the world observe the day, often with education on AIDS prevention and control.
HIV/AIDS is one of the world’s biggest medical crises. It is estimated that approximately 40 million people in the world currently have AIDS.

\

Name:
National Fritters Day
Date:
Always December 2
Origin:
Unknown
Comments:
A fritter is a fried cake or dough with fruit or meats inside.  There's actually not much difference between pancake and fritter batter. They are both made with the same ingredients. It is only once fruit or meat is dipped into the raw batter and then fried that it actually becomes a fritter.
My fave: the banana fritter
The first historical record of the fritter dates back to 1665. Samuel Pepys, an Englishman who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Restoration period, noted in his diary that he would be enjoying some fritters before Lent!
We know it’s right,
It’s in black and white
And it’s all written down in his diary.
And so to bed.



Name:
Advent begins
Date:
Four Sundays before Christmas. 
Origin:
It is unknown when the period of preparation for Christmas that is now called Advent first began.  It is known to have been in existence from about 480.
Comments:
Advent is a season observed in many Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.
The term is a version of the Latin word meaning "coming". (No sniggering please, we are talking holy stuff here).
In the early days of the church, Advent was a time of prayer and confession. Today, Advent is more a time of preparation and expectation of the coming of the Lord. (I said, no sniggering).
A common symbol of Advent is the wreath with 4 candles, 3 purple and one pink. 
On the fourth Sunday before Christmas (the first Sunday of Advent), the first Advent candle is lit at dinner and a short prayer is said. The first candle is lit each night along with a short prayer. On the second Sunday  of Advent, a second purple candle is lit. On the third Sunday the pink candle is lit. Finally on the fourth Sunday of Advent, just a few days before the birth of Christ, the final purple candle is lit.
First Purple candle: represents hope.
Second Purple Candle: stands for love.
Third, pink candle: represents Australia voting 'yes' to same sex marriage joy.
Fourth purple candle: is a symbol of peace.
The third Sunday of Advent when the pink candle is lit is referred to as "Joyful Sunday?"


Name:
National Roof Over Your Head Day
Date:
Always December 3
Origin:
Unknown.  It is believed to have started as a response to the homeless in society.
Comments:
Roof Over Your Head Day serves to bring awareness to the fact that there are so many people out there who don’t have this basic need.
100 million people are estimated to not have a roof over their head, and of those that do, 1.6 billion are seen as having inadequate housing for themselves and their family.



Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Thought for the Day




Focus on People from the Past - Oz

Sydney fashions 1956 

Royal Easter Show, date unknown 

Bondi Beach, 1890s 

Widening of Broadway along George Street towards Shepherd Street, 1930s 

1960 surfers Cronulla Beach, Sydney. 

Kings Cross milk bar 1946 

Ellen Kelly, mother of Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, ca. 1850. 

Ellen Kelly, photographed in 1911 at age seventy-nine, with two of her grand-daughters, Lil and Alice Knight, daughters of Ellen junior. She died in 1923. 

Vintage poster 

Children of the Rocks, 1912 

Mr A Wilson, publisher and family at Collaroy Beach, NSW Australia 1930 

Arthur “Mr Eternity” Stace 

Palm Beach, Sydney, Australia 1920s 

House of Merivale, 1970s 

Bob and Dolly Dyer, Pick a Box 1957-1971 

Woolloomooloo girl 1952-1953 

hild migrants swing on the ropes of the Dutch passenger ship, MS Sibajak, shortly after disembarking at Woolloomooloo, Sydney, 1953. 

Buying sheet music Sydney Markets, c.1911 

Shoeshine men, Park Street, Sydney, c1900 

Sydney Cricket Ground between 1895 and 1902, with the Members Stand in the background.


Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Thought for the Day



Harry and Meghan


And a big Congrats to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their engagement. 

Do The Spare and Spouse remind anyone else of Downton Abbey: the titled Brit who weds an American wife and they live in a stately English home? Wouldn’t that make a great TV series to follow on from Downton. There could even be stories about his mother, his war service, his Invictus Games involvement. . . just remember, I thought of it first.  Megh
an could even play herself, she's an actress after all.


Female hearts everywhere missed a beat, I am led to believe. At least as far as my daughter’s text message is anything to go by: “Lucky bitch.” I used to drum into my daughter when she lived in England that she was not to get involved if she ever met Harry, that I didn’t want to be in the magazines and have photographers on my doorstep because my daughter had hooked up with Harry, even if she was wild about him. Hey, it could have happened, the Crown Prince of Denmark married a girl from Tasmania who he met in a pub in Sydney.

So here are some engagement items . . . 



Thanks, Harry, for ruining Suits for me.










Despite my cynical and lighthearted posts above, it is delightful that the world can pause for a moment to share in the love of a young couple and to feel good for them and about them.  At a time when the current news often consists of terrorist attack and mass shooting body counts, divisive politics and sexual abuse allegations, Harry and Meghan's love is a ray of sunshine in a storm.  Onya, guys.


A final thought . . . 

There once was a lady named Markle
Whose beau made her eyes sparkle.
“But know”, said Prince Harry
When he asked her to marry
“My family’s quite gran matriarchal.”