Happy Birthday to Our Rhys… Wishing you whatever it takes to really make your Birthday Great! Lots of Love and Kisses from Grandad and Marilyn.
Enoch Arnold Bennett. He gave up the study of law for journalism and eventually achieved fame as a writer of novels portraying a hard life in the six Staffordshire towns of England known as “the Potteries.” Among his novels are The Old Wives’ Tale, Clayhanger (this became a popular TV series in the 70s) and Riceyman Steps, and in turn successful stage plays such as Milestones, and The Great Adventure. Born in 1867 Arnold Bennett died in 1931. I remember reading the trilogy of Clayhanger back in the 1960s, and watching the superbly made Granada TV production starring the late and great Harry Andrews. Jessica and I, at the time were completely and utterly absorbed by it!
Mushrooms on Hot Buttered Toast. When Marilyn served up this meal it was a real treat! The recipe goes back over 100 years, and it’s really tasty! Firstly, she sliced the required amount of young fresh mushrooms, then crushed a garlic. She fine-chopped an onion and gently cooked this in a pan of butter, adding the mushrooms and garlic after a few minutes, along with some dried herbs, black pepper and salt. This was allowed to simmer on a low heat for around ten minutes, and then turned-out onto slices of hot buttered toast! Fabulous!
The Eastman Kodak Company has turned over its huge archive of Panoramic Colorama Images estabished from 1950, to The George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, New York. The collection consists of some 565 negatives and prints used in displays in New York’s Grand Central Station from 1950. Promoted by Kodak as the world’s largest photographs, these images when shown, measured 60ft x 18ft high, they were backlit and replaced every three weeks by the Kodak Company.
Barbara Wootton (Mrs. G. P. Wright) She was a Professor of Social Studios at London University from 1948, and a member of The Central Advisory for Education in England from 1947. From 1920 until 1922, she was a Lecturer in Economics at Girton College, Cambridge, and was appointed Principal at Morley College in 1926. From 1927 until 1944 she was Director of Studies at London Unversity, and in 1950 made Governor of the BBC.
It’s Our Darling Shelia’s Birthday this Tuesday.
Have a Really Wonderful Day Shelia!
Birthday Wishes Just For You
With Love and Kisses from Patrick and Marilyn.
Britains Biggest Beer Festival is at Earls Court from the 3rd of August until the 7th.
The Great British Beer Festival at Earls Court is Britain’s Biggest Beer Festival and once again brings together a wide range of Ales, Ciders, Perries, and International Beers.
There is plenty to occupy you at the festival, you can play some traditional Pub Games, enjoy live music, sample food that includes good Pub Snacks, and also attend a variety of tutored beer tastings.
So, if you enjoy your beer and good wholesome tradional Pub food, Earls Court London is the place to be from the 3rd to the 7th of August. The nearest subway is Earls Court.
It was in the summer of 1948 when the Ealing crew arrived on the beautiful Island of Barra in the Western Isles of Scotland. Michael Balcon, head of Ealing Studios had not been happy about the production, saying as he looked at the story board, he just did not understand it! “It holds few laughs” he was heard to comment. Based on a Compton Mackenzie novel, shooting almost entirely on location presented huge problems, everything, including cast and crew, and a huge amount of camera equipment, had to be shipped from mainland Scotland. Actors were billited with a number of the Islanders, and in fact, many of the inhabitants appear in the production. Their view of the film people was… That they were quite mad! Prefabricated sets were constructed at Ealing Studios in London then shipped for assembly on Barra. Under the brilliant direction of Alexander Mackendrick, an American born Scot, the film gently eases you into a world of warmth, gentilityand innocent skulduggery. It think this was partly due to Mackendrick’s insistence on being present during every scene, however, this did push the budget over by 20,000, and in those days that was a lot of money…as Michael Balcon soon pointed out, and when he saw the rushes he hated it, and ordered the film to be cut and released as a B’ supporting picture! At this point, Mackendrick asked Charles Crichton, a top editor, if he would look at the negatives. He did… And Recut, and Recut… the result was a more acceptable product for the Ealing Studio boss. Being based on a true maritime sinking means that some facts had to be changed. The real sinking took place off the Isle of Eriskay, and the local Islanders did profit from their huge haul of ‘Scotch’… Unlike the movie that had to deal with the moral issue. In America the movie was given a new title and called “Tight Little Island” because a number of States were at the time ‘Temperance’ If one looks at the stills today Alexander Mackendrick is always there beside the camera operator, and I think, that is what made it such a lasting and enduring, warm and attractive film.
Well, would you ever believe it!…
The ‘SS. Politician’ sank off the Scottish Island of Eriskay in 1941, and eight years on the Ealing movie romanced the story of how the islanders seconded some of its 24.000 cases of Scotland’s finest scotch whisky.
Whisky Galore can be found at: www.thewhiskygalore.com/
The Water of Life is available in many blended and single malts from Whisky Galore…
Trams were abandoned in London on July 5th 1952, after which the street tracks were taken up, however, those in the subway depots, to this day, mostly remain untouched. After the trams disappeared from our London streets, cartoons began to appear in varios London Newspapers depicting “Ghost Trams” and about the same time a BBC Radio Goon Show broadcast featured a certain Tram Driver and his Conductress who had hid in the the underground tramway for nearly three years to ensure that they were London’s Last Tram!
