The First Time I Drank Coca-Cola

Upon our arrival in beautiful Hong Kong in 1961, we were taken to the Ascot Hotel in Happy Valley. It will have been demolished long ago, but it was a nice family hotel and well used to having bewildered, pasty children and parents dumped upon them while apartments and school places were found. I was almost eight, my older brother, Steve was twelve and a half, Ian was less than a year old. My father was a civilian who worked for the RAF doing highly secret things. Life was too exciting for me to ponder upon that for too long.

We did, and saw, many memorable things during those early days, among them was being allowed to drink my very first ever coca cola! They were different times, a drink like that was a treat to be savoured. I can still remember the ice cold, greenish glass bottle, condensation dripping down the sides and two straws (the paper type) it felt like the height of sophistication and luxury. The taste did not disappoint!

Borrowed image

A Sophisticated Young Girl About Town

The illusion was helped by the fact that we were sitting in the bar, on high bar stools. It was so exciting. We were having a drink before going into dinner. We only stayed there for ten days, but I know that the waiters used to be highly amused because each evening I would order exactly the same meal...spaghetti bolognese with lashings of parmesan. No matter the other tempting dishes, I had found a dish that I liked and stuck to it. I wonder how long that would have lasted had we been there for three months.

Borrowed image

As we settled into our new apartment and our schools, we began to explore the island. We had lots of wonderful experiences which always involved stopping off somewhere for a drink.

Another memorable one was the 7up float - 7up with a scoop of ice cream. I didn't really rate that, as it seemed a waste of both 7up and ice cream! Oh how I loved those beautiful green bottles with the red and white label.

It was an exciting time, riding in rickshaws as a treat, visiting fabulous parks, botanical gardens, the Tiger Balm Gardens with the weird and wonderful statues, the visions of Hell, grottoes and pavillions displaying effigies of Chinese mythology. We travelled up The Peak on the Tram, got to play on some very beautiful beaches, visited a variety of parks, and crossed to the Mainland on the Star Ferry.



It became an established routine to go to Kowloon, on the Mainland, every Saturday. We would go to the YMCA to buy our English comics and magazines - Bunty, Judy, Princess, Eagle, Dandy and Beano - according to what was available, then we'd settle down for a drink in the cafe. I'm not quite sure why, but we always drank tinned milk. Ice cold tinned milk. I think it was called Tongala - but I may be wrong. I was always fascinated at the triangular punch holes which were made in the top, then a straw was popped in. It was sterilised milk, but after the heat and bustle of the journey it tasted wonderful!

Quite often we'd go the Victoria Barracks Swimming Pool and after swimming and splashing all afternoon our drink would be Green Spot Orange Juice. Glass bottles, paper straws, ice cold. It was wonderful.

One of the lovely parks which we visited regularly had a big pond in the middle with a cafe to the side. After running around and letting off steam we go there for a drink. We always had the Apple Float. This was actually a pineapple float and was totally delicious, a mix of pineapple juice, fizzy water, tiny ice cubes, and pineapple pieces.

One drink I never got to try, but which always intrigued me, was a dirty milk coloured drink which came in the ubiquitous glass bottle of the time. I think it may have been a type of soya bean milk, but I could be mistaken. My mother was quite adamant that I wouldn't like it and that was the end of that!

So there you have a whistle-stop tour of beautiful Hong Kong, via some of the soft drinks we enjoyed. I could also have done a version describing the smells, but I thought this was more fun. Without doubt, the best drink was that very first coca cola - not because of the taste - but because it marked a complete change in my quiet English life.

One of these days I shall have to buy a bottle, see if it still tastes the same as in my memory.

Can you remember your first taste of coca-cola?

Ozzie's Resolve!

There's a saying that's not too nice, but possibly true: "Dogs come when they're called... cats take a message and get back to you later." So when Ma pulled out the blasted flashie box the other night, she got me. On that note, I decided to turn on the charm. After all, it is MY turn!!!

My golden sister gets an awful lot of press - don't let it fool you; she's just had a better agent than me. That will all change in ! I've hired myself bigger, better advert. people this year! Resolved! I will be making more appearances here in for your enjoyment and entertainments!
Watch for me in the near future as I pull out all the stops. You won't be disappointed! Back to my attacks on the Xmas pressies! Happy New Year!

Whittlesey and Flag Fen

What a difference a day makes . . . I think this place is always hot . . .it certainly was last time I walked here.
Led by Barry with me and Gordon. 9.5 miles. Very flat, very hot. Lots of butterflies and dragonflies, plus several herons and a kite.



We set off from Whittlesey - the road in from Thorney seems pretty busy, with cars and not a few cyclists, possibly getting a few miles in before the forecast rise in temperature.

Contemplating Moreton's Leam (Drain)

Junction of the above and the Delph Dyke

This is where we leave the road for a peaceful half mile or so

Along the path which joins the Long Drove there are plenty of butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies.

We rejoin the road at Dog in a Doublet Bridge, and I see that the pub is open again.

I wish them every success

Our route follows the Nene Way next to the road along the north bank of the Nene. Not a lot of shade here, but for most of the way we are walking above the road, out of the way of the not inconsiderable traffic.

We pass the huge Dog in a Doublet Lock, and walk west for around a couple of miles.





When we arrive at the millennium bridge for cyclists and walkers the road leaves us, and the rest of the route is peaceful. First things first though, after that hot section, time for a break.



A quick snack and a chat with three young cyclists from nearby Whittlesey, and we move on. In about half a mile we turn right and head north to today's attraction - Flag Fen. I haven't been here for at least 20 years, and it's much more welcoming and accessible now. At £2 for ancient people like us, good value too.









They also have a small cafe and visitor centre. We meet Harry there, and have a walk around the roundhouses and exhibitions - another place you need to see two or three times, I think.

A landscape of straight lines

We walk back the same way as far as the bridge, but this time we cross it.

The sun is beating down by now - good job we've remembered our hats today.

The view from Ball Bridge

RBS Sustrans Millennium signpost

distant swans

Approaching Whittlesey

from Stonald Road

We follow the quiet road/ cycleway a fair way south of the Nene, past the brickworks and round until it joins the Roman Road which becomes Stonald Road, and continue for another mile to the car. You know what? I think my boots have dried out!



Lots of butterflies, including at least one comma, dragonflies, damselflies.







A footnote: In September we saw a performance by Eastern Angles Theatre of the play Dark Earth at Flag Fen. Very appropriate place, and I'm pleased it was staged inside a tent - the weather was chill.

Exploring Two Rivers Park

Very early Sunday morning we were treated some thunderstorms rolling though the Little Rock area. It was a cool damp day for most of the day. Sun started out peaking out about 3pm.
Looking at Google Maps and Google Earth, there were some "bicycle" trails in/near the Two Rivers County Park. The trails made a unusual geometry pattern. My friends there did not know was there. Exploration Time!
Drove out to the parking lot at River Mountain Park and Two Rivers Park. This was where I had turned back on my ride Saturday (13 miles from the house). Unloaded the bike and beaded across the Two Rivers Park Bridge (today's photo)/
Lots of folks out for a walk/ride. Brought the trail bike since I did know know what trail surface conditions I would encounter. Temp was in the mid 60s. Sky was partly cloudy. Glad I I dressed in my long sleeve jersey. Cool and the shade, comfortable in the sun.
Once you cross the bridge, you are on the Two Rivers Park Trail. A paved, multi-use trail. Sections are also used by horses, I rode to the end of County Farm Rd.
Close to my goal - finding what the geometric shape is, At the entrance was a sign proclaiming this was the entrance to Quorum Court Trail. The whole area is a labyrinth of trails. Most are paved, but those in the center of the open area were crushed rock. Loose crushed rock - not conducive to ride riding (even on the trial bike).
Basically, I explored the perimeter of the trail area. After all, not much to see. Most of the was an open field of grass with trails cut into.
Headed back to the car. My legs were getting a bit tired from pedaling the trail bike and the long ride I took Saturday.
Hoping to ride today before I pack up and drive to Branson. Then this afternoon - Echo, here I come!

Springtime

Local weather seems fixed on skipping straight to early summer. I'm in t-shirts and shorts and still sweating -- it's been in the mid-80s (30°C) already. News reports said we'd had the driest December - January - February period on record for over 100 years. It doesn't seem to have affected the wildflowers, though. And finding springs has never been easier: just walk into the woods and listen for frogs.
Hubby tilled up the garden. He mowed the grass for the first time, or part of it anyway -- he also experienced the traditional first bending of the lawn mower blade.
Tiny ants keep popping up in the kitchen, and outdoors the larger ones are unrelenting. Diatomaceous earth poured onto an ant superhighway only served to split them into two trails on either side; seemingly twice as many ants.
I happened upon my first migrant (Swainson's Thrush) when I was without binoculars, and had to practice a considerable amount of stealthy sneaking to confirm the ID. We've seen or heard several others since then: Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Parula, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Black and White Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Rough-winged Swallows, Broad-winged Hawk.
The chickens' and ducks' fancy has turned to love, or to mating at any rate. The female muscovy is trying to sit on eggs yet again, but that duck doesn't have a lick of sense so I'm not holding my breath. The chickens are laying very well, but the color of the eggs is lighter than last year. Sometimes the green/blue eggs are almost as pale as the white ones. Hens are supposed to lay fewer eggs every year, but larger ones. I don't think our Leghorn or Marans read that book though, because their eggs are smaller than last year.
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Edited to correct horrendous spelling error. I read once that the smarter you get, the worse your spelling becomes. It's probably not true, but I repeat it a lot anyway.

Narcissus Space Oddity

That's what the card in the florist's window said, so I suppose that's what it is.

When Compo Came to our Village

This is how our wonderful friend, John, the beekeeper, got into the celebratory spirit for the Queen's Golden Jubilee, ten years ago. He played the part of Compo, ('The Last of the Summer Wine')in a show which was held at the Village Hall ....and yes, that is Norah Batty next to him, the wrinkled stockings are a bit of a giveaway! Our village really knew how to have fun in those days.

The village still knows how to have fun, but a certain something has been lost, which is a shame...not that I am offering to dress up as Norah Batty, or anything!

John is 95 now, which means that he was 85 when he played the part of Compo. Ten years on, he is still going strong and putting people many years his junior, to shame. He called in to the Byre recently and I asked his permission to take a photograph to share with you..

Doesn't he look wonderful? John still gets out and about, visits friends, does his own shopping, looks after Arnold, keeps bees - and collects swarmswhen the call goes out - keeping busy and keeping active.

Conversations with him are far-ranging and always interesting. He talks about the old days, modern farming methods, wildlife, nature, beekeeping... anything and everything, he has a fund of great stories and information. I love talking with him, he's an interesting man, who just happens to be 95 years old.



This handsome man was John's father - I think there is quite a resemblance around the eyes.

The photograph below shows John's mother and her two sisters. I think it is a wonderfully evocative photograph, taken well over a hundred years ago. Elegant young ladies.



His mother lived to be over a hundred and this one shows the celebration of her century. Good strong genes obviously run in his family.

He grew up on a country estate in Yorkshire, immersed in country life from the outset - he began keeping bees when he was aged 10 and went on to become a leading light in the field; he is still very highly regarded as a bee keeper extraordinaire, many a bee keeper would love to have the benefit of his knowledge.



Here he is presenting Princess Anne with a jar of honey. It was in the Bee Keeping Tent, at the Lincolnshire Show ...on a very hot day, if that poor man in the background is anything to go by!

I may well have already mentioned in a previous post that at one time John's 30 or so bee hives were producing over a thousand jars of honey.

I admit that I am not very good when it comes to understanding and adapting to new technology, especially if I have been comfortable with the old way...

John is passionate about wildlife and the birds which he feeds. He likes to photograph them, but can't sit there all day to do it, he is a busy man. So, he has an outdoor wildlife camera focused on his bird feeders, it has a PIR sensor and takes a photograph whenever it senses movement. So, he has been happily learning how to adjust the settings to get close-ups of the birds and has learned how to stick the SD card into his television, so that he can view the photographs he has taken. He takes it all in his stride and isn't fazed at all.

George goes along once a week to delete those which he doesn't want, then store the others, to ensure that the disc doesn't get too full. Ninety-five, and still capable of learning and accepting modern technology... that has to be amazing in anyone's book.

John, you are a marvellous man and I am so proud to be your neighbour.

I am about to head on up the road to visit Arnold - I'll take two carrots, one apple, two polo mints and he will be a happy horse.

Footnote: We have just returned from seeing John, and Arnold. Both are in fine fettle, John was keeping busy and is well. Arnold has been groomed, his feet have been trimmed - he was looking very handsome indeed - sleek and shiny, well groomed.

This photograph is the real Arnold - the horse who loves to roll in the mud and stand out in the pouring rain.

Sad to say, the young woodpecker which John had been photographing has been taken by a sparrow-hawk, while at one of his feeders.