“May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks,
May your heart be as light as a song,
May each day bring you bright, happy hours,
That stay with you all the year long”
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Nobody is really sure where this expression came from, but it was first heard publicly in the 1880s.
Prime Minister Lord Salisbury, Robert Arthur Gascoyne-Cecil, noticed his impressive young nephew making his mark on the Conservative government. Arthur James Balfour showed great promise and Salisbury appointed him to a range of positions including Chief Secretary to Ireland, Secretary for Scotland, First Lord of the Treasury and leader of the House of Commons.
Balfour then replaced his uncle Robert as Prime Minister in 1902.
It seemed that Balfour was capable of almost anything and gained all sorts of positions. The ‘word on the street’ was that “nothing is a problem” when “Bob’s your uncle”.
“Malcolm Two began the line.
Duncan, next, was doing fine
Till Macbeth seized bloody power.
Lulach lasted half an hour;
Malcolm Three in battle slain
(Four of his own sons would reigh).
Donald Three was told to stop;
Duncan Two received the chop;
Edgar, Alexander, Dave;
Malcolm Four, William the Brave;
Alexanders Two and Three;
Margaret, Queen in infancy.
John of Bllliol was next,
Crowned on England’s sly pretext;
Then came Robert’s House of Bruce.
David Two was not much use
In the procreative bed,
So the Stewarts reigned instead.
Roberts Two and Three, then James,
After which , no other names
Till the fifth one in succession
Left poor Mary in possession.
James the Sixth and last, her son,
Would be England’s No. 1!”
By James Muirden
Author of “A Rhyming History of Britain (55BC – AD1966)”
“When two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather”
Samuel Johnson
Cnut, also known as Canute, the grandson of Harold Bluetooth, was the first Dane to be crowned King of England in 1016.
He was a practising Christian and his laws seemed to show him expressing his strong beliefs relating to marriage and adultery.
One of these laws stated that a widow could only remarry a year after the death of her husband.
But one of his most interesting was a law that ordered an adultress to have her nose and her ears cut off, ensuring she remained celebate for eternity.
But then of course, the king does not have to follow his own laws, does he? He had a recognised English mistress, called Aelfgifu, with whom he had two sons – Harald and Svein. Altogether with his wife Emma and his many mistresses, he had three sons, a daughter and countless illegitimate children.
The life of a king, eh?
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Image Source: www.britroyals.com
Although whiskey is only water mixed with malt (grain sugar) and yeast, it has been loved, adored, celebrated and prized for hundreds of years. It has also been linked to stories of magic and superstition, and a 17th century Scottish manuscript listed some of its most admired traits, ranking in importance. Whiskey will:
1. Heal all types of open wounds
2. Polish high quality brass
3. Sharpen a man’s wits
4. Put a sad man into a happy mood
5. Preserve one’s youth
6. Help a women to conceive
7. Make good wine out of stale
And oh so many more….
Dawn Denton ©
Image Source: www.whiskymerchants.co.uk
In 2007 3.5 million people went online to shop on Christmas Day and this Christmas it is expected that 5.24 million British internet users will surf the Net for bargains. This is more than will attend a Christian Church service – 4.5 million people are estimated to attend on Christmas Day.
Seven out of 10 British dogs will get a present this year.
Over the festive season, it is believed that the average amount of mince pies consumed in the Uk is 27! Each mince pie has 320 calories….8,640 calories on mince pies alone! 370 million mince pies are bought in British supermarkets…now this is a market to be in! Or weight loss 😉
The British throw away about 83 square miles of wrapping paper every Christmas.
….and the average Briton gains 2kg (4.4 pounds) over the festive season! But don’t let that hold you back….Cheers!
Dawn Denton ©
For the audio version of this tale:
In 1336, Edward III decided to do something about the obesity problem in England. He passed the Sumptuary Act, which did not allow for any man to eat more than two courses per meal.
So, the Commoners thought they could get around the law by using soup as a sauce, but the law actually included a clause that stated that soup was in fact a course in its own right, and could not pass as a sauce.
But, on feast days, the populace was allowed to enjoy a full three courses as part of the celebrations.
I am sure that is why they had so many feast days in their calendar…
Dawn Denton ©
For the audio version of this tale:Hallowe’en is short for ALL HALLOW’S EVE, or the day before All Saints’ Day and was probably first celebrated by the Druids in ancient Britain. It was believed that on this evening, Saman or Samhain, the ‘Lord of the Dead’, would call up evil spirits, and the Druids would light big fires to keep the spirits away.
The Celts celebrated this day as their New Year’s Eve, which was their time for fortune telling, and they believed that on this night ghosts revisited their old homes…..
…Keep yourselves safe…
Dawn Denton©
Travel Trales 