Current War (New Film) and The Imitation Game

What better actor to portray the famous American inventor than the wonderful American actor, Benedict Cumberbatch!  I am kidding! Of course, Benedict Cumberbatch is British.  And anybody else remember that we learned from one of the geneology shows that he is related to King Richard III? Anybody?  Not to worry if you don't know that, you do now! On our flight to England, I watched a film with Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightly, "The Imitation Game", based on the true story of Alan Turing and his team during World War II to break the radio code of the Nazis. If you have never seen that film, I highly recommend it! (I had seen it before, but it was well worth watching again.)

Thomas Edison! In the days when we used to play the game "Trivial Pursuit", whenever there was a question about inventors, I would always say, "Thomas Edison" and nine times out of ten, I would be right!  I think I have read that he had 1093 patents, the most famous ones, being the light bulb, phonograph and movie camera.  I have written of my fascination of inventors before, so you can be sure that I would like to see this film about him. To have Benedict Cumberbatch as Edison...well, that is perfectly fine with me! The film title is "Current War" and is about Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse.  (I do hope that the film is not one of those that have been...you know, "made to be edgy for modern times",  in Hollywood fashion. We will see.)

Of these two films, I will be honest with you...I know for sure that "The Imitation Game" is worth seeing.  Y'all let me know if you see this new film and what you think of it!

This was at the British Library in London which I also highly recommend! If you would like to read more about it and the exhibition that it is connected to, you may do so just here.

Still have lots to tell you about our trip to England! I am doing much better now.  Thanks for all your well wishes.  Here, I am walking by the sea in Eastbourne...it looks cold but it wasn't, just windy and cloudy. It was over 90 degrees in Georgia on this day in late September, so I was very happy to be beside the sea and to feel that nice sea breeze...

Lemon Honey Drink (Just Don't Burn Your Goozle!)

Feeling under the weather and need a soothing hot drink? This is what I do... squeeze the juice of half an organic lemon into a cup. Add 2 big tablespoons of local honey. Be sure to angle the cup so that if you have any drips of honey, it will be on the side where your lip will go. (Yes, I do think of everything!) Leave the spoon of honey in the cup...pour boiling hot water into the cup. Stir. (See, all that honey on the spoon? It is now in your drink!)  Leave just long enough to cool so you don't burn your goozle out!  (Wow, that is memory from my childhood...that is what my Dad used to say to me! Anybody else remember that word?)

Now, my Dad would tell me to put some WHISKY into that drink, I am sure! That leads me into a song...and it is perfect for this post because besides having this cold/bronchitus  problem, I also had a little fall this week! I am okay, just scratched and scraped up a bit.  I fall down but I get up again! 

Hope to be back with my blogging soon. If I have left comments on anyone's blog and they don't make a bit of sense, just blame the drugs!  

Windfalls (Free Pears in England)

Hello everyone! I have not been able to blog recently because Richard and I have been in England! It was almost impossible to get to a computer but I was able to write that last post "Here Comes the Sun" while I was there. I have so much I want to tell you! For now, I have to ask you...have you ever thought to look up the meaning of the word "windfall"?






Windfall:  (noun)
1. An apple or other fruit blown down from a tree or a bush by the wind.

2. A piece of unexpected good fortune, typically one that involves receiving a large amount of money. "windfall profits"


Are you like me and the only thing that you think of is the second meaning here...the one that involves "windfall" in terms of money?
While we were in Eastbourne, there were some rather windy days. One day when we were walking to town, we came across this....

Can you see the handwritten sign? It says, "Conference Pears".   Why are they called that?  It is because they are a cultivated variety of the European pear and it was developed in Britain by Thomas Francis Rivers. It won first prize at the National British Pear Conference in London in 1885!  So, Conference pears!

Now, you can see the rest of the sign....

    Windfalls.  FREE.

The wind had knocked the fruit off the tree (windfall) but it was also a piece of unexpected good fortune for us! I wasn't greedy, I only took one!  Would you like to know what I did with it?  I chopped it up along with a Gala apple. (If you are in England, make sure you eat apples while you are there, they are wonderful!). Okay, that is one Conference pear and one Gala apple chopped up...I put that into a pan with a spoonful of sugar and cooked them until they were soft, just before they were cooked, I mixed in one tablespoon of strawberry conserve. (Conserve is what we Americans would call preserve.)  Now...that delicious mixture was spooned over Cornish vanilla ice cream for a fantastic dessert! The next time we walked by this house, you know I left a note thanking them and ...well, after all, I am American and I wrote this recipe for them! I wonder what they must have thought when they saw my note? 
It was delightful to come across those free pears and I enjoyed the sign just as much as I did that one pear!


 Richard and I enjoyed our time in Eastbourne and then we spent a few days in London at the end of our stay. As I told you at the beginning of this post, I have so much to tell you! It is just typical of me that of all photos that we took...beautiful scenic views of the sea in Eastbourne and the famous monuments and churches in London...it is the photo of the free pears that I have shared with you first! 

There are women who can walk in the wind and their hair looks gorgeous...I am NOT one of them!

Here Comes The Sun

Here Comes the Sun.   
Watch this video, please! The very last frame has George Harrison which is fitting because this song was his composition. Lovely to see all four Beatles.  I have always loved them and I always will. All you need is love!
 

The Turtles

Hey!

Anybody remember the Turtles? The group from the 1960's?
Well, you know that I do!  I heard a song on the TV today, when I was in a waiting room. Wow, it sure did sound good to my ears.  I don't want you to think that I live in the past and only listen to music from my youth. It's just that there are many songs that are lodged firmly in my brain and I am grateful to hear some of those great tunes in a TV commercial. (For one thing, it has to be a good thing for children to hear catchy songs from the 60's!)

Okay then, what was the song? You can guess, can't you?  "So Happy Together" is from 1967.  In the USA, this song knocked the Beatles' song "Penny Lane" off the top of the charts. 
"So Happy Together".

 Sing along if you like.

London Pubs and Breweries

Top 20 Places to Drink Beer in London!



Would you like to read about the top 20 places to drink beer in London?  Sure you do!  Just click on that link that I gave you above and you should be able to read most of the article that our son wrote for the Beer Connoisseur Magazine!  (You might have to subscribe to the magazine to read the entire article.)

Christopher visited London this summer and I am happy to tell you that he inherited his father's talent at photography.  (Poor lad, he only inherited my seasonal allergies.) The photos that he took are outstanding!

One of the pubs that he mentioned is the Anchor Bankside on the South Bank.  Richard took a photo the last time we were there. If you look at the second window, you will see an American gawking  looking up at the pub- that would be ME!   

(Gee whiz, I am good at my words..."gawk" means to stare openly and stupidly.  I really should not have crossed that word out!)

Please let me know if you are able to read our son's article!
He is SUCH a great writer, truly he is! Of course, I am a bit biased in that regard but I am not the only one who thinks this about him.
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Hope you are all doing well these days.  In Georgia we are ready for summer to be OVER. I got into my car this week and it said 108 degrees for the outside temp...that would have been correct on that hot Georgia asphalt parking lot. This week, it has been promised that there will be record breaking high temperatures, in the 90's.
Take care and stay cool!

Our hummingbirds will be leaving soon, usually the first week of October. How much I love them! Look at this photo, see those little feet? This tiny bird will fly NONSTOP across the Gulf of Mexico, a distance of 500 miles.  Wow.

What song will I share here?  You know the one!

I Give You The World (And Brownies)

If you read the BBC like I do, you will already know about this! For the past four weeks at Peterborough Cathedral, there has been an art installation of the Earth! You may see it just here.   Go and look at it...I will wait.

(While I was waiting, I made peanut butter brownies. Would you like one when they are cool?)

There...wasn't that amazing?  I can't imagine seeing something like that, rotating just like the Earth and with music with it as well! It was called "Gaia" and the visual artist is from Great Britain. His name is Luke Jerram.  Reading about him, he is color blind and that is what he attributes to his way of "seeing " the world.   (I am reminded of a book that I have told you about before, "Crashing Through" by Robert Kurson". It is the story of a man who was blinded when he was 3 years old.  It is a fascinating book. His sight was restored as an adult and you learn that your sight is not just from your eyes but also from your perception.) 

 Luke Jerram...you may read more about him here.
Does anyone remember me telling you about pianos being placed in public places?  He is also the one behind that idea!  (He called it, "Play Me, I'm Yours".)  These pianos have been placed all over the world and it is estimated they have been enjoyed by over 10 million people.

(Sorry...that makes me think of the song by Squeeze, "Take Me, I'm Yours, so I had to have it here for you!)

Luke Jerram has also written a book..."Art In Mind: An Artist's Journey Exploring the Edges of Perception".  You know I want to read it!

Hope you find this as fascinating as I do!  Why when I took the edge of my knife and pulled it through that peanut butter mixture on the top of the brownie batter, I felt like an artist creating something for the ages! My baking might not be the best but it looks good!
I made those brownies for a family reunion.  "Oh no, here comes Kay with brownies again.", said NO ONE EVER!  Most people really like brownies!  Even mine!