What is one thing you would change about yourself?
It would be pretty cool to wake up tomorrow morning being multilingual. Arabic and Tamil (to start with) so I could surprise friends by being able to communicate in their mother tongue.
The texts of both are complicated so very complex my poor brain would not be able to cope with an influx of data of such magnitude. So, the verbal ability will be just fine. Thank you.
What are your two favorite things to wear?
An easy DP@WP today.
It was my birthday a little while back, and I got two amazing wearables.
One from a couple, close friends, I’ve known forever and the other from a very generous and kind employer from overseas,moons ago.
Me n Patch had a summer break in Cornwall. Said friends had generously given us use of The Sheppy. One of their Airbnb’s, a Shepherds Hut. We had a great time and of course this year it was as hot as. One day, we were shopping before ‘ladies who lunch’, lol. I had eyed and coveted a lovely winter cardigan in a little shop. It was more than I could afford, so I walked away from it. Only for it to turn up on my day. Surprise? Oh yes!
The other gift and also a favourite for this DP. A very beautiful Pashmina from an employer I had parted ways with twenty years ago. She remembers me every birthday and Christmas. I’m not sure this lovely lady imagined I’d wear it every night and every single morning whilst writing before I get out of bed ( Patch willing).
Better than letting it wait for a special occasion – I’m awake and breathing, a cause to celebrate anyway, methinks.
Tributes are flooding in from the literary world and beyond for the celebrated playwright, screenwriter, and former journalist, Sir Tom Stoppard. ( 1937~2025)
Critically compared to William Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw, his writing for film, stage, radio, and television is legendary. Covering subjects including human rights, censorship, political freedom, and philosophical observations of human society.
Of him, Sir Lawrence Olivier once said –
” ….is a great glamouriser of thought”
About being a writer, Sir Tom said –
“You’re a writer. You write because you’re a writer. Even when you write about something, you have to think up something to write about just so you can keep writing”
Wow- imagine being a writer of that calibre!
What technology would you be better off without, why?
Okay, let’s get this out there- I’m still impressed with the landline. I mean, come on, who the flip thought that up? What I mean is how?
From what I can gather Alexander Graham Bell and his sidekick Watson get the credit, but it was Antonio Meucci, an Italian inventor who came up with the first telephone-like device, he couldn’t secure the patent in time, and Bell beat him to it in 1876. Nice!
Getting to today’s DP, its got to be the driverless car. Nah, don’t fancy that at all. By any stretch!
AI tells me….
‘Pilot programs for driverless taxi, private-hire, and bus services will launch in the UK. These will be the first opportunities for the public to book a ride in a self-driving vehicle via an app, though the rules for these early services are still being shaped.
Second half of 2027: This is the target for the full implementation of the UK’s Automated Vehicles Act, which could lead to a broader rollout of driverless vehicles on public roads.’ Yikes!!
So yes, landlines are pretty amazing in my simple mind, but so are 3D printers. 😯 How the…?
Do you or your family make any special dishes for the holidays?
WP, are you asking us this as today is Thanksgiving, or simply a coincidence? I’m a Brit, so that’s not something we celebrate, but to my blogging buddies from across The Pond, have yourselves a happy day!
Word is that turkeys were introduced into England in the 1520s – purchased from American Indian traders, by William Strickland, an English landowner, navigator, and explorer. Much to the delight of King Henry VIII ( a glutton, by all accounts), who is reckoned to be the first monarch to eat it at Christmas. Goose would probably have been an option along with peacock prior to this.
Turkeys were considered a status symbol for a very long time. Only being available to those of considerable wealth or location.
In the 1720s it is recorded 250,000 turkeys were walked from Norfolk to London to meet the festive demand ( One would think that the birds would have lost a considerable amount of weight on their journey?)
As farming increased, it spread to the middle classes partly thanks to Charles Dickens writing about a dinner in A Christmas Carol. ( published in 1843)
Due to mass production and refrigeration, the general population could finally afford to push the boat out and buy turkeys like the elite had done for donkeys years. How disappointed they must have been to find out after all that time the meat would be quite dry…and they realised they preferred goose, beef or a humble chicken any day?
What’s your favorite month of the year? Why?
Oh WP, this DP is so very easy to answer today. May in England, what’s not to love?
The new energy is sublime, with days longer now and warmth in the sun. The birds are as busy as ever with the arrival of swallows and swifts from Africa. If you are super-lucky you’ll get to hear a cuckoo.
Bluebells and tulips bring more depth of colour to the late Spring. With wild animals coming out of hibernation, too, the land feels alive. Fresh.
As a young child, Lily ( some of you may remember I’ve written about this amazing lady more than once) would take me to something called The Tulip Festival at Cannon Hill Park, in our side of the city on Birmingham. ( Just across the road from Pebble Mill, TV studios.
It ran from 1960 to the late ’70’s and we have Sir Frank Price to thank for it. A Labour politician and Lord Mayor of Birmingham thought it would brighten up the city after what were in those days quite harsh winters.
If overseas visitors were thinking of visiting England, I would suggest May is the month to do it.
What book are you reading right now?
A few of my WP buddies are published authors Tia ( TJ Mueller ) and Georgi Kisyov have wonderful children’s books out, which I will tell you more about over the next day or two..
But to what I’m reading now ( also a WP buddy)
Marcus Goldworthy Books
You can find it on Amazon.
Review…Verified Purchase
‘ I am loving this book…and when I have written this well-deserved review, I shall get straight back to it. Aesthetically, you will like this a lot. The book is the size of a hard back size but with a wonderfully smooth cover. The paper, text, and print are perfect. Why am I telling you this? Because on the odd occasion I have bought a book like this the paper was horrible and the text tiny, generally mean little books. So this was a really nice surprise. The author writes so naturally without superfluous dialogue spoiling a story you just want to keep reading. Billed as a ‘ Medieval, Murder, Mystery’. I couldn’t have put it better myself. This would make a great Christmas present. The recipient will be very happy’.
If any of you lovely peeps would like me to feature your work/creativity, leave some info in the comments box
What are your favorite websites?
Oh, WordPress! Really? Today’s DP was such a simple one. Not so long ago, I’d answered something similar and thought it would all be plain sailing, tell you the few sites I visit, and then get on with my day.
Naturally, I was interested in where fellow bloggers spend some of their time and quickly became engrossed in their replies. I began taking notes as I was intrigued by their lists. And now I have this long list of my own that I so want to work through…
It’s much calmer outdoors this morning after a few stormy days, but the carpet of wet leaves really does need tidying up. I am a huge believer in the #leavetheleaves campaign. But they can’t be left sprawled out all over the shop. That was the first thing I had set my heart on doing after dropping into WP for a few minutes. Now, over an hour later, I’m just itching to look at some of these websites I’ve heard about for the first time today.
Through the French windows, the leaves look back at me, suggesting they’re not going to tidy themselves up.
Through another window, I eye the car. It has the same attitude as the leaves. Living rural-side with a dog in Autumn, well my wheels are not going to stay pristine for long, are they? That needs doing inside out, and this is exactly the mild and dry Sunday morning to do it.
And yet here I am. . We spoke of procrastination versus laziness not so long ago ..Oh dear. What to do? Perhaps another cup of coffee and an early snack would be a start?
What historical event fascinates you the most?
Most days, I’ll glance at the DP and then take the Patches out for a long walk. He sniffs every blade of grass, and I have a think about the blog. On returning home, I can pretty much write off the top of my head… but occasionally, I need to scribble down my thoughts/ideas/facts to get them in order.
Today is one of those days…and some. I’m struggling to answer the DP in a bite-sized piece. How on this Earth do I tell you why the Industrial Revolution fascinates me the most?
I guess it’s the social history that has interested me for the longest time. How rural cottage industries using animal power, wind, and water as energy sources in 16th century Great Britain was left behind as steam-powered factories took over production.
The Industrial Revolution was not a sudden rupture but an evolution of the availability of land, labour, capital, scale, and control.
Massive social change.
IN THE BOOMER PIGEON HOLE? 