Author: joannerambling

I am a mother and grandmother and I blog about my family and my life along with anything else that takes my fancy

England part 2

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This week I am doing a little more about England with information such as, England’s national animal which is the lion.

In the Middle Ages there were lions kept at the Towel of London as part of a menagerie.

English medieval warrior rulers with a reputation for bravery attracted the nickname “the Lion”: the most famous being Richard 1 aka Richard the Lionhearthed.

Lions are frequently depicted on shields they also appear in sculpture, at sites of national importance. The lion is used as a symbol of English sporting teams, such as their national sporting teams.

The national tree is the oak tree, specifically the English oak, it represents strength and endurance.  In 1651 during the battle of Worcester King Charles 11 hid in an oak tree before making it safely into exile.

The national flower is the rose, a Tudor rose is officially used, it signifies the unification of the warring parties of during the War of the Roses under the Tudor dynasty, the red rose represented the House of Lancaster, and the white rose the House of York.

England doesn’t have a single official national dish, however there are some foods mostly connected to the country such as roast beef with Yorkshire pudding which has its roots dating back to the 18th century. The ballad “The Roast Beef of Old England” from 1731 highlights the dish’s cultural significance. 

Other dishes would be fish and chips, toad in the hold and bangers and mash.

Toad in the hole is a traditional British dish consisting of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with onion gravy and vegetables. Historically, the dish has also been prepared using other meats, such as rump steak and lamb’s kidney.

Bangers and mash are sausages, and mash is a traditional British dish consisting of sausages and mashed potato. The dish is usually served with onion gravy but may also include fried onions and peas.

England’s national drink is tea. While gin is also a strong contender, particularly in the south, tea’s widespread consumption across all social classes.

Many people say that England has two national sports being Association football (commonly known as soccer), as well as Cricket, which is often considered the national summer sport.

Also, England is known for being the home of some amazing authors such as William Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens to name a few.

There are two versions of the banknotes in circulation. One version featuring a portrait of King Charles III and one version featuring a portrait of Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. There are four denominations of the banknotes in circulation: £5, £10, £20 and £50. The £1 & £2 notes have been converted to coins during the 1980’s and 1990’s.

In England, women gained the right to vote in a phased approach. The Representation of the People Act of 1918 granted women over 30 the vote, provided they also met certain property qualifications. However, full equality with men was achieved in 1928 with the Equal Franchise Act of 1928, which lowered the voting age for women to 21.

The first woman to have a seat in parliament was Nancy Astor (Viscountess Astor), after a by-election, in December 1919. She was elected as a Conservative for the Plymouth Sutton constituency after her husband, Waldorf Astor, the former MP, was elevated to the peerage.

The English coat of arms, featuring three golden lions on a red field, dates back to the late 12th century, around 1198. While there are earlier uses of lions in English heraldry, the specific design of three lions passant-guardant was introduced by King Richard I and is the one that became established as the Royal Arms of England. 

The coat of arms of England, part of the wider Royal Arms of the United Kingdom, features three lions passant (walking) on a field of gold, representing the English royal lineage. This design, often described as “three lions on a field of gold,” has been a consistent symbol of England since its adoption by King Richard I in the 12th century. The lions, initially a single lion on a shield, were later expanded to three by his successor, King John, and have remained a defining feature of the English coat of arms ever since. 

At the center of the arms is a quartered shield, depicting the three passant guardant lions of England in the first and fourth quarters, the rampant lion and double tressure flory-counterflory of Scotland in the second quarter, and a harp for Ireland in the third quarter. 

Well I guess I will wrap this up hope people found the post interesting.

 

Week 15 of 2025

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I had another good night sleeping straight through although I woke with a runny nose and have a headache again. Also, up earlier than normal as the clocks changed and I was awake, only 20-minutes earlier so that’s ok.

The bird Tim was fussing over last night died this morning which is sad.

It is another hot day, and I am having a rough arvo, my left hearing aid keeps falling out which is annoying.

7,129

I slept well in fact at 4am I was getting up as I thought it was 5am, although when I realised my mistake, I got back into bed for another hour.

Tim home for a couple of hours, he got a stern talking to about an accident he had a work a week ago, damaged the bus and something on the street. He still has his job though; he was sure he would get the sack over it.

I have had another bad afternoon with the uncontrollable movement of my body. Did a video and shared it on Facebook so others can see what I have to cope with some days.

I turned the air con on around 1.15pm for a few hours as I was hot and didn’t want to deal with the heat.

Steps: 7,899

I woke up with a headache which is annoying it is a nice cool morning. I used a small, long-life milk to make my porridge this morning.

This morning Sam was picked up by a different driver in a different van, not sure if Joel is off sick or what.

I have felt ok for most of the day did the usual housework.

Sue rang she had a phone call from the hearing aid people who told her my appointment is for 12.30 tomorrow, I don’t know why I would make it for that time I don’t like appointments after midday. Sue managed to change the time till 8.45 instead.

This afternoon I am aching all over and feel extremely tired, I will be in bed by 7.30pm.

Steps:8,692

I woke up tired and my legs will not stop moving making it difficult to stand.

Sue and I went to the hearing aid place, me to have a check I all was good with my hearing aids. Sue had her hearing checked and yes, she needs hearing aids and thankfully she doesn’t need to pay as she is on a pension.

The difficulty with my legs went away by 9am.

After the hearing place we went to Coles so I could get a few things.

By 3pm I was extremely tied again, so tied I found concentrating on stuff almost impossible. I will be having another very early night.

Steps:7,399

I slept all night, and I am doing pretty good this morning, I am going to try and have an hour nap each day from midday to 1pm and see if that helps prevent the extreme tiredness I am feeling of an arvo.

I did have an hour nap, and it did help I am still very tired but not as bad as the last few days.

I did manage to write a few letters today.

The nap has helped I am tried this evening but not so much that I am falling asleep at 6pm.

Steps:6,988

I slept all night, and I am doing pretty good this morning, I had to wait till after Tim left for work to have a shower.

Received a wonderful text message from Sandy last night played it this morning and got all chocked up.

I had to ring Sue this morning as she wasn’t replying to my messages, she phone had restrictions on it as she hadn’t paid her bill yet. She went and spoke to someone about it, telling them she will pay it on the 17th but really needed to be able to receive messages as she was my carer, so they removed the restrictions.

We then went to her doctor’s appointment she has to see someone about her eyes as she needs three health professionals in order to get a care plan.

After that we went to the cemetery, Sue liked what I wrote and left on the headstone. She said I should send a copy of it to the other siblings.

Steps: 6,668

IT’S BEEN 4YRS TODAY SINCE MUM PASSED

I slept all night; I woke at 5.12am wondering where my phone was as it wasn’t next to the bed. I had left t in the lounge-room last night.

Tim and I went over to Lake Fair, I did some shopping while

Tim cashed in some bottles.

It has been a warm day, Tim did some more work in the back

yard and has started thinking about stuff he wants to do out

the front.

Steps:5,339

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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This week we are looking at Sydney, which is the capital of New South Wales and one of Australia’s largest cities, is best known for its harbourfront Sydney Opera House, with a distinctive sail-like design. Massive Darling Harbour and the smaller Circular Quay port are hubs of waterside life, with the arched Harbour Bridge and esteemed Royal Botanic Garden nearby. Sydney Tower’s outdoor platform, the Skywalk, offers 360-degree views of the city and suburbs.

The estimated population of the Sydney metropolitan area in 2025 is around 5.248 million. 

Greater Sydney covers 12,368.7 sq km and is made up of 34 local councils. Over 650 suburbs make up the Greater Sydney region.

Sydney was founded 237yrs ago when in 1788, the First Fleet of convicts, led by Arthur Phillip, founded Sydney as a British penal colony, making it the first European settlement in Australia.

Sydney is also where Kirribilli House is, this is the secondary official residence of the prime minister of Australia. Located in the Northern Sydney suburb of Kirribilli, New South Wales, the cottage and its associated grounds are located at the far eastern end of Kirribilli Avenue. 

It commands impressive views across to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House and has been visited over the years by many important international dignitaries. Kirribilli House is open to the public on one day a year, courtesy of The Australiana Fund.

This year it will be open to the public for an open day on Saturday, June 3rd, 2025, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, along with Admiralty House, allowing visitors to explore the grounds and gardens.

There will be tours of both houses, and then lunch on the lawns. You can bring a packed lunch, or there will be food available to purchase. Entry is $15. 

Sydney has relatively low crime rates compared to many other major cities globally. Violent crime is uncommon, and the city is known for its safe streets.

Sydney’s public transportation system, including buses, trains, and ferries, is generally safe and mostly reliable all the services are well-monitored and have security measures in place. We also have transit officers that can tell people to leave stations and trains, demand full name and residential address when they suspect, on reasonable grounds that a person has committed a railway offence, Issue infringement notices (‘on-the-spot’ fines) for railway offences.

Bulls

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Ok last week I wrote about cows, so this week I will write about bulls.

Bulls are powerful, muscular, and often larger than cows, with thicker bones, larger feet, and a muscular neck, which they use to fight for dominance within a herd. They have a “mane” of curlier, woolly hair on their neck and head, and a hump on their shoulders. 

They have large, bony heads with protective ridges over the eyes and the hair on their bodies is generally shorter.

They typically weigh significantly more than cows of the same breed. Their horns are thicker and shorter than those of cows in horned cattle. Some breeds have horns that curve outward from the centre in a flat arc, while others have horns that curve upwards in a lyre shape. The horns are unbranched and are not shed annually. 

They can be unpredictable and aggressive, which can pose a risk to those who work closely with them. They are intelligent and can learn quickly, and have long-term memory, and can tell people apart. 

They weigh up to 997 kilos or 2200 pounds, although there are some breeds, like the Chianina, can reach up to 1.8 meters (5 ft 11 in) at the shoulder and weigh up to 1,280 kg (2,820 lb). 

Like most mammals, bulls are red-green colour blind.

They become fertile around the age of seven months. 

The phrase “like a bull in a china shop” describes someone acting clumsily and causing damage, and while bulls can be unpredictable and strong, they don’t inherently go “crazy” in shops; the phrase is a metaphor, not a literal description of bull behaviour. 

England

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This week I am looking at the country of England, last year I wrote about the United Kingdom of which England is part.

The area now known as England has a long history, with evidence of human presence dating back over 800,000 years, with stone tools and footprints discovered at Happisburgh in Norfolk. 

Though the Kingdom of England, as a unified entity, emerged in the late 9th century and existed until 1707 when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. 

The Romans invaded and occupied the area in AD 43, leaving a significant impact on the region’s culture and infrastructure. After the Romans left in the 5th century, the area was inhabited by various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. 

The Kingdom of England emerged in the late 9th century as various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were unified under a single ruler. 

The Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland were united under one monarch in 1603, and in 1707, they formally merged to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Kingdom of Great Britain existed from 1707 to 1801, when it merged with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 

England’s population is estimated to be around 56.5 million, representing about 84.3% of the total UK population. 

The dominant religion in England is Christianity, with the Church of England being the established state church, although it represents less than half of the population, with a growing number of people identifying as non-religious. 

Other religions include Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Buddhism. There is also an increase in the number of people identifying as non-religious.

Besides the Church of England, other Christian traditions include Roman Catholicism, Methodism, Presbyterianism, Mormonism, and Baptists. 

The current Prime Minster is Keir Starmer elections are held when the prime minster calls for one. As the ability to request a dissolution of parliament and call a general election lies with the prime minister. This means that a prime minister can effectively announce an election at a time of their choosing.

If the prime minister does not call an election earlier, then parliament would be automatically dissolved “the beginning of the day that is the fifth anniversary of the day on which it first met”, with the election being held 25 working days after that date. This means the latest date for the next general election will be 21 August 2029.

The legal age to drink, vote or marry is 18, although until 2023 you could legally marry as young as 16 with your parents’ consent.

The law also expands the offence of forced marriage to make it illegal to arrange for a child under 18 to marry, regardless of whether force or coercion is used. 

Adults who facilitate underage marriages can face up to seven years in prison. 

The law change aims to protect vulnerable children from being forced into marriage and to address the damaging impact of child marriage. 

The legal minimum age to work is 13 years old, but with restrictions, and young people can work full-time once they reach the minimum school leaving age which is 16.

The legal age to join the British Armed Forces is 16, but with parental consent, and those under 18 will be considered junior soldiers until they turn 18, at which point they can become regular soldiers. 

If you’re under 17 years and 6 months old, you’ll start your Army career at the Army Foundation College, Harrogate, as a Junior Soldier. You can become a regular soldier at 18 years old. 

You can start your application when you’re 15 years and 7 months old, but you won’t be able to go to the assessment centre until you’re at least 15 years and 9 months old. 

Those who sign on when 16 or 17 must serve until they are 22. However, a soldier cannot be deployed to the front line until they are aged 18. 

In England, you can start receiving the state pension, at the age of 66, but it is set to rise to 67 by 2028 and to 68 from 2044. 

Ok that’s enough for this post, I may do a part two looking at other stuff about the country.

Week 14 of 2025

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I slept straight through the night again waking only when the alarm went off at 5am.

Tim has a long day ahead of him it will around midnight before he gets home.

I slept all night, there is no rain this morning, just nice and cool at the moment. The temp is 20C with a top of 22C expected.

It turned out to be a warm day, I went and did some shopping at Woolies, cost me $62.

We have had showers on and off all day.

Tim wet up my new smart watch so we will see how that compares with the pedometer I wear on my waist band.

Steps:9,105 pedometer over 13hrs

 3,877 watch over 4hrs

I slept straight through the night again waking only when the alarm went off at 5am.

Had to wake Jess to wake Sam whose phone was going straight to voicemail.

Around 2pm Sam rang to see if I could get Sue to pick her up from Charlestown and bring her home, so I did, and she did after some rigmarole trying to explain where she would be picked up from.

It turned out to be a warm day. I am wearing the new smart watch Tim bought me, it counts my steps better less guessing on my part.

Steps 6,669

DAWSON’S BIRTHDAY HE IS 26 TODAY

I slept straight through the night again waking only when the alarm went off at 5am.

Tim said he has been awake since either 1am or 3am I don’t remember what he said.

Sue took me to the podiatrist; all is good with my feet. Sue asked her opinion about Sue’s ingrown toenail on her big toe. She was so concerned that when telling Sue cost to have it removed would be $100 and Sue said she didn’t have the money right now so it would have to wait. She said she would do it for a reduced fee while Sue was there. She ended up treating both big toes for only $20.

I told Sue needs to see her GP about getting a care plan, so she doesn’t have to pay to see the podiatrist. Sue made an appointment for Friday 11 at 9am.

Steps:8,088

I slept straight through the night again waking only once to pee. I am very restless this morning.

I went with Sue while she had her mammogram, on our way home we called in and saw Dave at work.

I wore the new dress I got from Millers that I didn’t order or pay for, it looked nice on.

I am having a bad with my body moving so much, by 4pm I was so exhausted and worn out.

Didn’t do much today

Steps:5,845

I slept straight through the night again waking only once to pee. I am having a better morning then yesterday.

My left arm is very sore this morning I should have got Tim to help me put the shoulder brace on.

I have had a better day then yesterday haven’t done much as my motivation is here and there.

It got as high as 27C, and I had to change into shorts.

Steps: 7,673

I had another good night sleeping straight through although I have woken with a headache, I did remember to get Tim to put my shoulder brace on before he left for work.

It has been another warm day, thankfully I have been good with my body shaking very little till around 1pm when it increased.

I was having a water ice block when it went down wrong causing me to have a bad coughing fit, how annoying.

Steps:6,529

I had another good night sleeping straight through although I woke with a runny nose and have a headache.

I had a nice hot shower.

It has been another warm day; Tim is off this weekend. Temp reached 27C but didn’t turn the air con on.

This evening Tim has had too much to drink and is annoying a baby bird, he keeps picking it up and it has been squawking in distress and I keep telling him to leave it alone. If he was sober, he wouldn’t be doing it.

Steps:7,959

National Anthem of the United Kingdom

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This week’s national anthem is Northern Ireland’s which because the country is part of the United Kingdom they use “God Save the King” as its national anthem, but at the Commonwealth Games, “Londonderry Air” (also known as “Danny Boy”) is used as the Northern Irish team’s victory anthem. 

When Northern Irish players compete alongside players from the Republic of Ireland as one team, they all sing “Ireland’s Call”. 

The anthem “God Save the King” has a history dating back to the 18th century, with the first published version of the lyrics and tune appearing in 1745, though the origins of both are somewhat obscure. 

The song was first publicly performed in London in 1745, and by the beginning of the 19th century, it had become known as the national anthem. 

The origin of both the words and music is unclear, with the anonymous song appearing in Gentleman’s Magazine in 1745 and the tune appearing around the same time in an anthology called Thesaurus Musicus. 

Some possible composers and lyricists suggested including John Bull, Thomas Ravenscroft, Henry Purcell, and Henry Carey, but the authorship remains disputed. 

The song’s first performance in 1745 coincided with the Jacobite rebellion, and it was sung in support of King George II. 

The melody of “God Save the King” has been used for national anthems in other countries, like the national anthem of Liechtenstein, “Oben am jungen Rhein”. 

The lyrics were originally “God save great George our king,” but were later changed to “God save our gracious king” to accommodate the names of later monarchs like William IV and Victoria. 

Since 2003, “God Save the King”, considered an all-inclusive anthem for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as other countries within the Commonwealth, has been dropped from the Commonwealth Games. In 2006, English winners heard Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance”, usually known as “Land of Hope and Glory”, but after a poll conducted prior to the 2010 Games, “Jerusalem” was adopted as England’s new Commonwealth Games anthem.

The words of the National Anthem are as follows:

God save our gracious King!

Long live our noble King!

God save the King!

Send him victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us,

God save the King.

Thy choicest gifts in store

On him be pleased to pour,

Long may he reign.

May he defend our laws,

And ever give us cause,

To sing with heart and voice,

God save the King.

New Posts

~ joannerambling ~ 4 Comments

Hi everyone, there was no post yesterday due to me going with Sue to her mammogram appointment after which I was in a terrible state, with my body moving uncontrollably. I ended up feeling exhausted and worn out

Anyway, here are this week’s links:

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/04/am-i-nerd.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-no-joking-hodgepodge.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/04/tuesdays-4.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/03/stuff-i-did-during-week.html

Cattle/Cow

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This week is the first of hooved animals, I am starting with cattle.

Cattle are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus Bos. Mature female cattle are called cows, and mature male cattle are bulls.

There are over 1000 breeds of cattle that are recognised worldwide, some of which adapted to the local climate, others which were bred by humans for specialised uses.

The natural lifespan of a cow is 15-20 years; however, the dairy industry rarely allows cows to live past age five.

Cows typically thrive on a diet primarily consisting of high-quality forage, such as fresh grass or good-quality hay. These fibrous plant materials provide essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. In some cases, cows may also be fed grains, silage, or supplemental feeds for specific nutritional needs.

Cows are smart, social animals. They have a rich repertoire of communication that includes moos, grunts, bellows and even non-verbal signals such as tail position.

A cow is pregnant for around nine months (or 279 to 292 days). The gestation length varies depending on several factors, such as the breed of the cow and the sex of the calf. While cows are typically monotocous (giving birth to one calf), twinning can occur, with rates varying between 2-5%.  Twin birth is a result of multiple ovulations, being more common in dairy rather than in beef cattle. Calves could be monozygous or dizygous, with the same or of different sexes.

Cows are surprisingly good swimmers and can swim for several miles, if necessary, sometimes even as part of normal farming practices. 

Cows can doze lightly while standing, they need to lie down to achieve deep, REM sleep, they need only around 4 hours sleep at a time. 

They also have good night vision, but not as good as humans, and they are better adapted to low-light conditions than humans. They have a higher concentration of rod photoreceptor cells in their eyes, which are more sensitive to light than cone photoreceptor cells. 

Cows run when they are startled by something, like all animals and most humans. They may run when they are happy, like when dinnertime hits. Did you know that cows can jump, too? Just not over the moon like in fairytales.

Cows will often come when their name is called. They even differentiate between the voices of the person calling their name and sometimes they ignore you – just like a stubborn teenager trying to avoid a job they don’t like. Don’t be fooled – they hear just fine! Like many animals (and people) cows follow their nose.