Anniversary
I would like to wish everyone who came and visited us here and especially those who have contributed articles.
We are celebrating our first anniversary and I can confirm that it has been one of success.
The Admin and I would like to thank you for your great patronage.
Please celebrate with us our First Year Anniversary.
Regards
Punch and Judy anniversary marked 350th anniversary!
Press Association
Punch and Judy have marked their 350th year with a celebration of Britain’s favourite puppet show.
Fans of the bawdy seaside staple took part in a Punch and Judy party at The Patrington Haven Leisure Park near Hull.
It included a Mr Punch sound-alike contest, Punch and Judy jousting, children’s fancy dress competitions and a performance by a professional showman.
The event is one of many across the country to celebrate 350 years of the show, which originated in Italy where it starred a character called Pulcinella.
Punch and Judy man Paul Derek, of Hull, who performed at the party, said: “Punch and Judy is special because although it originally came from Italy, it’s been adopted by Britain as its national puppet show.
“But it keeps evolving and a show in 50 years’ time will be very different to a show 50 years ago.”
Initially a form of political satire, the first recorded performance in England was in Covent Garden in May 1662 and was watched by famous diarist Samuel Pepys. In its heyday, it became a favourite seaside attraction, with the irreverent antics of Mr Punch proving popular throughout the Victorian era and early 20th Century.
But changing attitudes and political correctness made their mark on the show, which was recently reworked for TV channel Gold by scriptwriters John Phelps and Gary Lawson – who have written episodes of Goodnight Sweetheart and Birds Of A Feather – to take “modern sensibilities into account”.
In their version, Punch, a tracksuit-wearing benefits cheat, does not beat his wife or drop the baby. While the devil is no longer in it, new hate figures include an EU sausage inspector and a loan shark.
However, Mr Derek said: “You can do a version which is politically correct, but the children always enjoy the non-PC one the most.”
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There is a beautiful, beautiful poignant song by The Cascades called Punch and Judy Show. It summarises what Punch and Judy show is all about.
It is worth looking for it in youtube.
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Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy
Fought for a pie,
Punch gave Judy
A knock in the eye.
Says Punch to Judy,
“Will you have any more?”
Says Judy to Punch,
“My eyes are too sore.”
I must say I do doodle when I am answering the phone at work. It is usually circles or flowers.
What does that say about me?
Jean
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What your doodles say about you
Whether it’s hearts and flowers, gurning faces or the scrawled name of your secret crush, your doodles say an awful lot about you.
As handwriting expert Ruth Rostron puts it, because we doodle without thinking the patterns we choose can be very revealing – “like Freudian slips or body language that we are not aware of”.
For instance, emotional people who crave harmony tend to go for rounded shapes and symbols such as circles, suns, flowers, hearts, lips and balloons.
More down-to-earth, practical people who desire order draw square shapes and things that represent material security, such as boxes, doors, forts, towers, block letters and numbers.
And determined people with a lot of mental and physical energy draw pointed or masculine images, from stars to arrows, zigzags, spires, stick figures and lightening.
But whatever your doodle style, today is the day to make those doodles make a difference. That’s because it’s National Doodle Day, founded in 2004 by charity Epilepsy Action as a fun way to raise funds and awareness for a condition that affects one in every 103 people in the UK.
By submitting your favourite personal doodles to the organisation’s annual National Doodle Day competition – along with a minimum £1 donation – you could stand to win £250 of high street vouchers and at the same time help raise cash for a vital cause. The closing date for entries is Friday 13 April and full details are available at the National Doodle Day website.
Alternatively you could bid to win one of dozens of celebrity doodles auctioned on eBay today – including Dame Helen Mirren’s doodle of a glamorous woman, X Factor winner Matt Cardle’s smiley face, The Only Way Is Essex star Lydia Bright’s scribbly lady, Queen guitarist Brian May’s swirly tree-like effort or Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s sleeping “goalkeeper cat”.
Other stars who have submitted their doodles include Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park, designer Ben de Lisi, Prime Minister David Cameron, Peter Andre, Joanna Lumley, Twiggy, actor Bill Nighy and footballer Steven Gerrard.
Epilepsy Action fundraising events manager Philippa Cartwright said: “National Doodle Day is a great way for celebrities and members of the public alike to get creative for a good cause. Taking just five minutes out of your day can make all the difference to the 600,000 people living with epilepsy in the UK.”
A winning bid or donation of just £10 can fund a call to the organisation’s helpline, £20 could fund one hour of support from an epilepsy specialist nurse, £50 could fund a six month supply of information booklets and £100 could fund an awareness session by a trained adviser to dispel myths and answer questions in schools and workplaces.
In the meantime, want to know more about what your doodles say about you? Here are 10 things you never knew about doodling:
Doodling is good for you because it helps relieve boredom and frustration, allowing pressure to be dispelled in a creative, playful way. The urge to doodle gets stronger as stress levels rise.
Underlying preoccupations can surface and take shape as doodles. Doodling maps your mind as you plan something new, worry about money or dream of a lover. Subconsciously, it may actually help you sort out your problems.
Some symbols crop up again and again – such as the sun, stars, boxes, arrows, hearts, flowers and waves. This may be because they have special significance for human beings and are symbols that represent our aspirations, needs and feelings
People who prefer straight lines tend to have strong willpower and self-control and like facts. Those who prefer curved strokes are more flexible, imaginative and emotional
A single object represents the person doodling while the background scene or space represents the world around him or her. Several objects may represent people who are important to the doodler, different aspects of a situation, or parts of him or herself
If your doodle consists of a single object or pattern, how big is it in relation to the space? A large object shows you are outgoing, appear confident and have a busy life. A small object suggests you observe more than participate, like your personal space and prefer a quiet life
If you doodle at the top of the page, this is linked to dreams and aspirations. The bottom of the page is associated with security and material concerns. The right is concerned with the future and the outside world and the left relates to the past and family
People who are sensitive or hesitant tend to draw with short, light or sketchy lines. Determined people who feel strongly about things use longer, firmer strokes
Digging into the paper or going over and over something are signs that someone is frustrated, obsessed or stuck with a problem
Heavy shading or criss-crossing of strokes suggest depression or worry
For more information on how to take part in National Doodle Day visit the website here or call 0113 210 8800.
For more in formation on epilepsy, call the Epilepsy Action Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050 or see Epilepsy.org
http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/doodles-say-100000947.html
Recipe
Today is Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day. Tossing pancake is the business – what fun!!!
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, which is tomorrow. It is the start of Lent for Christians.
When my son was really young we used to troop to church and join in with the pancake tossing at the church hall. There would also be a picture quiz before the pancake tossing. We used to look forward to the event as our family was the quiz champion. hehehe
Now that James is grown up, Pancake day is not the same anymore. But perhaps one day we will go back to join in the fun once again.
Ingredients
For the pancake mixture
To serve
Preparation method
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl
Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it.
Then begin whisking the eggs – any sort of whisk or even a fork
Gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking
Whisk until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream.
Now melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan.
Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.
Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you’re using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It’s also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it’s tinged gold as it should be.
Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife – the other side will need a few seconds only – then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate.
Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.
To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon.
The Queen is Head of State of the UK and 15 other Commonwealth realms. The elder daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, she was born in 1926 and became Queen at the age of 25, and has reigned through more than five decades of enormous social change and development. The Queen is married to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and has four children and eight grandchildren.
The Queen is Head of State of 15 Commonwealth realms in addition to the UK. She is also Head of the Commonwealth itself, a voluntary association of 54 independent countries.
Tomorrow, the Queen will mark the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne, making her second only to Queen Victoria as the longest-reigning British Monarch.
Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years, 7 months, and 2 days.
TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!!!