Oak Apple Day - 29th May

Oak Apple Day was a public holiday in England on the 29th May, inaugurated by Charles II on his Restoration in 1660, until it was abolished in 1859.   Boo Hiss.  That was the reign of Queen Victoria, what was she doing abolishing it - perhaps she thought it was time to forget the Civil War, she didn't want her populace getting ideas.

 

I remember hearing references to it in my childhood, and it always seemed a bit cowardly to me to shin up an oak tree to hide from the Cromwellian forces, why didn't  the king stand his ground.    Anyway, Oak Apple Day is still celebrated in some parts of the country, particularly in the west which was always very Royalist, and in some of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, but most notably by the Chelsea Pensioners as 'Founder's Day' - but there are other villages and places in England which still observe it.  For example, there's a statue of Charles II at All Saints church in Northampton which is always decked out with garlands of oak leaves on 29th May,  and is followed by Communion in the church.

 

This evening I went to an event - a cheese and wine do - at the Art Gallery and Museum on the St Gregory's campus, the Catholic University. 

 

 

Will Rogers was a local hero, born in Oklahoma in 1879 when it was the Indian Territories. He was a big movie star and entertainer in the 1920s and 30s and a guy - playing the part of him- talked to the audience as if he were Will Rogers in his day, talking about his life.  

It was very interesting and there were quite a few people there I knew from Emmanuel.

In the news..........

Apart from Rick Perry and Donald Trump, who have very high irritation factors (in my opinion) they are all very nice.  I think my top five favourites I like are Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, the junior senators from Texas and Florida.    Ben Carson, the neurosurgeon with no governing experience. Scott Walker and Bobby Jindal, governors of Wisconsin and Louisiana.   That's the line up so far.

This morning I did my chaplaincy round then had a  leisurely lunch with Bill, which was nice.  He was telling me that the hospital are getting a new CT scanner, and when it arrives they are going to scan two Egyptian mummies from the Museum.   So that should be interesting.

I meant to post this yesterday for Bubbles' fan club.  When we were having day after day of thunderstorms and lightning she took herself off to the back of my closet and stayed there.  But when the weather turned warm and fine, like it did yesterday, she couldn't get enough of outside, just stayed on the porch, watched the world go by and didn't want to come in.  I took this about 1.00am.

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 27th May

Didn't sleep well and was at the YMCA Pool early - well, 9.00am.   There were quite a few in the main pool, but I had the walkway to myself.   I was too tired though to push against the current, and walked round in the direction of it.  Told myself I was still exercising, I was walking.

 

This is the last Wednesday of the school year and we normally gather for a picnic in Kevin's lovely garden, but as the weather has been so unsettled of late it was decided to move the venue to the mini putt, which is covered over.   As it happened however it was a lovely warm, summer evening, in the 80s.   I didn't feel up to baking today and just took a couple of packets of shortbread biscuits.  I don't think they are the kind of thing Americans normally buy and people thought I'd made them.  I quickly put them right though.

 

 

Also, it has been decided to stay connected during the summer and two church members with swimming pools are  hosting pool parties on alternate Wednesdays, so that should be nice.

 

Am going to hit publish and hopefully get some sleep tonight.  Insomnia doesn't normally bother me but I'm so tired it would be nice to sleep.

ps  After days spent at the back of my closet Bubbles was pleased to emerge and sunbathe on the porch for a few hours.

Tuesday

For those who work, life is getting back to normal after the Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, and one hopes the rest of the summer will be a bit better than this, but not too hot.  Not 103 degrees.

I have changed my chaplaincy round from Wednesday to Tuesday, so was there this morning, and as it was too wet to go out yesterday, Memorial Day, I ventured to the cemetery this afternoon.

Not sure the floral tribute will survive the afternoon, but at least it will survive on my computer desktop.

The weather continues to be unbelievable in Oklahoma and Texas, and the Texas Governor is tirelessly crossing and re-crossing his state visiting the flooded areas.

In Houston it looks DIRE!!!

My friend gave me some new laid eggs from her chickens, and I opened up the box expecting them to be all white, or all brown, so was somewhat surprised at these.

This must be the first time - in my life - I have seen new laid eggs.

This lovely picture of a bald eagle was taken in Minnesota at about 6 in the morning.  The tv anchor who comes from that area says they are not all that uncommon up there.

I'll finish with a word about Memorial Day.................................it was originally known as Decoration Day after the Civil War, initiated by the leader of the Northern Civil War veterans, and by the 20th century  had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in  military service.  

 

Looking at the masses of flowers on graves at the cemetery this afternoon I take it that people generally remember loved ones on this day.

Whit Sunday

The weather has kept me imprisoned in the house the last few days, I opened the front door from time to time to peer out and came to the conclusion - somewhat dramatically you might think - that to try and leave the house would result in my certain death.  The torrential, monsoon like, rain would pound me into the ground, and I'd never get up.   And there has been a record amount of rain this month, 19 inches.

However, it cleared up somewhat this morning and I ventured out to Emmanuel where today is called Pentecost, the clergy are dressed to the nines, and the youth of the church are processing with streamers and waving banners.

 Rather out of focus I'm afraid, I was right at the back of the church. 

There was a baptism and afterwards a reception.

The rain has been playing havoc with the roads and bridges in Oklahoma, and there will be some serious repairs needed when it is all over.

And if the roads aren't bad enough there is another problem caused by the rain.

All over Oklahoma storm shelters are popping up in back gardens.

Householders are being advised - if they are having tornado shelters installed - to take the day off work, stay at home, and make sure the shelters are being properly installed.   But unless one is a construction engineer I am not sure how they do that.

The forecast for the coming week.  Tuesday and Wednesday don't look bad.



 

Friday 22nd May

Well yesterday's nice summer weather didn't last long, we are back to grey skies and very heavy, drenching rain, and it is doesn't look like getting better anytime soon.  It is beginning to get me down.

And talking to Kevin yesterday he said something I NEVER thought I'd hear anyone say  here - that we have had enough rain.

I wonder if they can't make up their mind what Sunday is going to be like.  It is all rather a shame because this is a holiday weekend, it is Memorial Day on Monday, the unofficial beginning of summer when all the barbeques  come out.

 

Went to the hospital for my chaplaincy round.  Bill has been away for most of the week in St Louis, Missouri at the hospital's HQ and was chatting to us in the office about his week.   The hospital was founded by an Order of Nuns and we were somewhat astonished to learn that the Sister who originally founded the Order was an unwed mother.   She became a nun a few years after her child was born.   After my round I had lunch by myself as Bill needed to debrief a colleague about his week in St Louis.

And from the local newspaper.............

A new verb has entered the American vocabulary, things are no longer "signed".  They are "inked".  How stupid is that!!!

I am beginning to sound very disagreeable, time to hit 'publish'.

 

 

Early Thursday am

I woke up 4am, fully dressed with all the lights on, I ought to get myself better organised.    

 

I haven't done a lot lately, but at this time of year there is not a lot going on.   In my reading matter I have moved from the Second World War in the East End to May 1911, the coronation year of George V and Queen Mary.

 

It is written by the grand daughter of Vita Sackville West, so she had access to many fascinating primary sources, but while the subject matter is fascinating it is terribly written.   As one reviewer accurately put it " it is little more than a reporter's notebook of jotted facts without transition”.     As the jotted facts themselves are so interesting I am ploughing through it, but am not sure how long I can keep going.

 

May 1911 is the subject and title of the entire book.   It also includes mention of the fact that the country was "suffering" under a heat wave of 86!!!!!    For crying out loud, the author doesn't know what a heat wave is.  86 degrees is a pleasant summer's day, that's what is was yesterday after the heavy rains,  Kevin came and cut my grass and we chatted about how nice it was.          A heat wave is 103!!!!!!!!!

Queen Mary died just before the Queen's Coronation in 1953, so I remember reading about her from time to time, and as I think most of my generation would agree, she always came across as very forbidding, but this portrayal is of a very shy, desperately lonely, individual.

 

She and George V seemed very happy though.  In the evenings he would be busy with his stamp collection, and she would knit.    Knit!!!!     Knit!!!!    I thought that was what poor people in the East End had to do.

 

As some of you might remember from your history lessons, she had been destined to marry his brother, the Prince of Wales, but she was saved from this fate worse than death when he died of influenza immediately prior to the wedding, and just as she was about to be put back on the shelf the powers-that-be arranged the marriage between her and George V.

 

It is a widely held belief that the Prince of Wales was Jack the Ripper.   Anyone else heard of that?

 

I'm beginning to yawn, I think it is time to go back to bed with another cup of tea.

Before I go however, I will just mention.   My surrogate brother Ken in Derby has blue tit boxes outside their kitchen window - so did my mother, so this is very interesting to me, and they have put cameras in them, how my mother would have LOVED that technology.   He sent me a picture when they laid eggs.

Sadly though, the male tit instead of looking after the female and feeding her, did a runner so she was unable to hatch them out.   My initial reaction was disparaging thoughts about the male species generally, but then I got to thinking that perhaps he was desperately trying to make  his way back to her and the nest, and was attacked by nasty predators.   So maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt.
 

 

Tuesday 20th May

Haven't felt too well today, the weather is so unsettling.  There's thunder and lightning for hours, then unbelievably heavy, crashing rain.  It is all so NOISY.    I think Bubbles was unsettled too, pacing about, not quite knowing what to do with herself, which is rather how I felt.

 

So I've just  been mostly reading and watching television.   I might have mentioned before I am into a series of novels which take place on the south coast in the last war.   As I have also mentioned before, I spent most of the war - four and a half years of it - in my Grandma's air raid shelter, so these novels are giving me an interesting insight into the social history of the time.  

 

Also I hadn't realised the extent of the bombing on the south coast.  As well as dog fights between the RAF and the incoming Luftwaffe,  German planes returning across the Channel used to drop their 'excess' bombs on the South Downs to lighten their load; that is why there are so many bomb craters over the South Downs.   Even more curiously, why didn't the Germans drop them all on our cities - did they drop a few, then think they had done enough damage??

 

An interesting segment on a tv programme was given to the 'Word Police' because there is so much now, isn't there, on political correctness. 

 

No one now is 'fat'.    They are 'ample'.  And it is not pc to tell someone they have 'lost weight'.  It implies they were previously fat - or ample.

 

Manmade is 'synthetic'.    And it is not pc to say 'man power' but I don't know what the alternative is.

 

We no longer have 'master' bedrooms, and  'ex cons' are now 'returning citizens'.   Also because it is not right to own other living creatures, pet owners are now 'pet guardians'.

 

And I've saved the most absurd till last.   A career woman raising a child is a 'domestic engineer'.

 

Who knew!!!

 

Monday 18th May

The weather here in Shawnee has been very nice today, I think it was 86 as I drove through town.  But some parts of Oklahoma didn't fare so well.

 

This is in Waco, Texas and is the 21st century equivalent of the Shoot Out at the OK Corral.  

170 are being held in custody, and the ballistic experts are going to have their work cut out because there will be capital murder charges.

I am not quite sure how to follow this - I think I'll just hit 'publish'.

Sunday 17th May

I was reading this morning at the 8 o'clock, then went back after the 10.30 service as there was a little farewell 'do' for the church secretary and the organist who are leaving.  It's something Emmanuel always does very well.

Spent rest of day crocheting, then went to the evening service at Larry's church out near the lake.  

Larry is the former senior hospital chaplain, and has not been very well, also I have always liked a Sunday evening service, and now we have lighter evenings I am able to get out and back before dark.

 

And this is for Bubbles' little fan club.   It's where she likes to perch when I am at the computer.

Saturday 16th

Just been to Pattisue's funeral.   It was  very well done;  joyful, uplifting hymns. 

Staying indoors now.  There's a serious threat of tornadoes all over Oklahoma.

Friday am early

Rain is absolutely crashing down, and I am guessing the road outside is like a river in full flood.

 

Woke up at 5am.  I might have gone to the YMCA pool but with thunder and lightning about it will be closed.   I really don't understand why, unless they think a window might break, and everyone in the pool will be electrocuted.

 

Movies change on Fridays and I see that 'Woman in Gold', which Pattisue never got to see, is on for another week.   Of course she is still very much in my thoughts, her funeral is on Saturday at University Baptist.   I had an e-mail from Bill, I don't know if he will be participating in it - although he lives in Shawnee he belongs to a church in OK City.    I was beginning to wonder when her funeral would be - in this country they are usually within a couple of days of the death, not like us when it would have been a fortnight next Thursday.

 

Yesterday, Thursday, I went to Kiwanis in the morning.  A member, who is a hospital volunteer, told me the retired Fire Chief, Jimmy Gibson with his guitar - who she knows I love - would be there.  He and the newspaper editor who plays the double bass, and another guitarist are a little troupe.   I was surprised Jimmy greeted me like an old friend, I modestly don't expect people to know, or recognise me, but I guess it's being English makes me recognisable.

 

I apologised to the Kiwani members for my meltdown a little while ago when I failed to pick up the donuts, but they were all very kind and forgiving.

 

Mark and Mary stopped by yesterday, I'd asked Mark to change a light bulb for me (it's in a difficult place for me to reach) and they stayed for a while and chatted, which was nice.   Mary has introduced me to a series of books she has enjoyed, so I will look into those.

 

It has gone suddenly quiet, the rain has stopped for a bit.   I'll catch up with the news, then I'll be going to the hospital for my chaplaincy round.   

Wednesday am

Took a call a little while ago from chaplain Bill to tell me Pattisue died this morning about 2.45.   We talked about how bravely she battled her cancer.  Goodness, it was only last Sunday she wanted to go out to lunch, and I thought the weather looked too threatening.  But she still wanted to see 'Woman in Gold' on Monday, but then had to admit she didn't feel well enough.

She was certainly battling it to the very end, a very brave soul.   May she rest in peace.

Tuesday 12th May

It was a usual quiet Tuesday, watching tv and crocheting.   I had a call from Pattisue this afternoon, she had been taken into ICU, and has pneumonia, which isn't good in her current state of health.  She seemed to find it difficult to breathe, and talk.  I didn't stay with her too long.   Her daughter and son in law had gone to the cafeteria for something to eat, so I went down and spoke to them.

I'll write more tomorrow.

Monday

I took a couple of sleeping tablets last night, without them I don't sleep at all, it is like I have totally lost my sleeping mechanism.  I don't worry about it too much, on the whole I accept my insomnia and just read, and  take the sleeping tablets if I think it is time I had a night's sleep.

 

Anyway, I woke up about 10 this morning and felt very hung over, so have just been dozing most of the day.

 

I'd arranged to go with Pattisue to see Woman in Gold this afternoon, weather permitting - and the weather is lovely today, very warm and sunny - but she rang this morning to say she didn't feel well enough.  She didn't even sound her usual chipper self, so I fear she is going downhill.

 

Her family are not going to keep me in the loop, I thought it was just me they didn't like, but the people at University Baptist said they don't like talking to anybody.   So that is a bit of a shame.

 

Anyway, yesterday afternoon I braved the weather to go and see "Age of Adaline", and it was wonderful, it's up there now with the current favourites, better than Woman in Gold.

 

When my main television went down last week, and I rang  Direct TV who provides my service, they sorted it out, then said I had another tv (in the computer room) how was that?    I said it wasn't working, I keep meaning to take it to a repair shop.  But the woman on the line (and why is it always women who are helpful, men technicians couldn't care less) said I was paying for the service of two televisions and made me turn it on, and I confirmed it didn't work.  So she sent a guy out this morning, and the fault lay in the fact that the receiver box just wasn't in the right place.   So he sorted it all out for me, I've now got a perfectly good television working in the computer room.   I apologised for being a confused old woman, but he was very kind.  I've noticed that the older I get the kinder people are.

 

It is a lovely, warm afternoon here, I think I will take my book and sit on the porch.

 

 

 

 

Sunday am

The weather was a bit quieter yesterday, Saturday, but there are thunderstorms forecast for today, and into the week ahead.   I'd arranged to go to lunch today with Pattisue but if there is any possibility of bad weather while we are out I'll suggest postponing it.

 

I've been reading books lately about wartime Britain, and one I am reading at the moment is growing up in the 1950s, which is my era.   It is bringing back so many memories.   The early 50s were the 'radio years' and the late 50s were the 'television years'.   

 

During the radio years everyone sat down, like we did, to Sunday lunch at 1 o'clock, and the Billy Cotton Band Show.   Remember that, those of you who are my age?

 

And the other popular radio programmes.  The Goons.  Dick Barton.  Hancock's Half Hour.  The Archers and Mrs Dale's Diary.   I somehow thought these programmes were all still running, although I think I knew Dick Barton had finished. 

 

And the meals we ate!   Liver and bacon, toad in the hole, stews, egg and chips.   I thought that was just my mother's repertoire, but no, everyone else was eating that as well.   I seem to remember we always had Sunday's leftovers on Mondays, and egg and chips on Fridays.  And who didn't love bread and dripping?   And who of my age doesn't remember Spam sandwiches?  I bought a tin recently and had a few sandwiches, but couldn't eat it all.  There was something very salty about it.   

 

And if you needed to see a doctor you just turned up at the surgery and waited your turn.  There were no receptionists to manage the patients, the doctors retrieved your file from a filing cabinet.  And heaven help you if you needed an injection, because the needles were all re-usable and huge.    And up until 1954 children in hospital were only allowed to see their parents on Saturdays and Sundays.  I didn't know that - no wonder I felt so abandoned when I went into hospital to have my tonsils out, when I was about 5.

 

This is all a real trip down memory lane for me.

 

 

Friday

This is not going to be long.   I went to the hospital this morning before the weather got bad,  then did some shopping.  Got home just as the rain (if you could call it that, I've never seen anything like it) came down.

There have been 55 tornadoes in this area.  25 houses have been destroyed.  I thought this was going to be another one when hail came crashing down on my metal roof, sounding like falling rocks.   I am just hoping the car has survived.  If it hasn't I'll be walking, or seeing when or where the community bus goes.

I feel glad to still have power, they have lost it down the road in Tecumseh.   But my television signal has gone down.  I hope that is just a temporary thing and I'll be watching the evil Fox News in the morning.

I just peered out the front door.  I have a table on my front porch, with a cloth held down by two bricks (covered in aluminium foil so they look a bit prettier) and the cloth and bricks were lying on the porch in a heap.  I brought the bricks inside in case they went flying through the window.

Tornado Update

I've experienced some bad weather in this country but I think this evening's weather was the worst of all.

I got in from the cinema well ahead of it - when I turned on the television it was raging round Oklahoma City and Norman.   The tornadoes flipped cars, downed power lines  snapped trees, roads were closed because of debris, and on top of all that tigers escaped from an animal park.  People were warned to stay indoors!!!  

When it came over Shawnee, hail the size of baseballs came crashing down on my roof, it was deafening.   Poor Bubbles has spent all day and evening curled on the duvet in the back of my closet.

But all is quiet now, I think it has moved on.

Wednesday 6th May pm

There has been a tornado threat hanging about all day, I went to the hospital this morning but no one was mentioning it, so that was all safe enough.

I've been wanting - for a long time - to see the film 'The Age of Adaline' and this afternoon was my last chance.  I promised to go with Pattisue tomorrow to see 'Woman in Gold' (she hasn't seen it yet), and it comes down on Friday.

I'm very engrossed in the film, trying to keep up, because I have to concentrate when the plot is slightly convoluted, and the guy sitting in the back row (there were only three of us in the auditorium) tapped me on the shoulder to tell me there's a tornado coming and they were all going to the shelter, so I guessed the projectionist wasn't going to leave the film running.

There are some fates worse than death, and I reckon a tornado shelter full of strangers is one of them, so I ran out to my car.

I don't know why they were panicking because the sirens weren't going off, which warn us when it is imminent, so I got home safely enough, and I was reassured that I wasn't the only car on the road trying to outrun it.

I just hope 'The Age of Adaline' comes downtown so I can see the end of it.   When I got home I did read all the synopses I could find so I knew the end of it.

Meant to say in the last blog...

I don't take much, if any, notice of what is on the front of The Globe, other than any pictures of our monarchy, and I don't really like giving it any credence now,  but noticed today on television that Hilary Clinton was walking rather funny, and I remembered seeing something on that front page about her having two 'secret' strokes, and the penny dropped.   Not long ago she dropped off the radar...totally..... no one had seen her...... Fox News was wondering where she was.   Now she has appeared walking like someone who has had a stroke.   It's not terribly obvious, I just thought at first she seemed a bit stiff. but now I wonder.

It would certainly put the kybosh on her Presidential aspirations if that got out.   Not that there isn't a lot of other stuff putting the kybosh on her Presidential aspirations

Tuesday 5th May

For the last few days the weather has been lovely, blue skies and in the 70s, like summer should be, today was overcast though,  however I decided to take a rare road trip outside Shawnee.   In the weekend's local paper there was a report about the Kolache Festival on Saturday in Prague, about 20 miles away - I wish I'd gone, but thought I'd visit the town this afternoon.

Prague is notable for three things.  Kolaches, which are sweet rolls with a fruit filling;  the National Shrine to the Infant Jesus and the birthplace of Jim Thorpe, the athlete.

Prague is very small, it took me all of 10 seconds - if that - to drive down its Main Street.  It just had one bakery which was closed, so sadly I didn't get to try the kolaches, but there is somewhere in Shawnee which sells them.    It had a little museum which is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so I didn't get to that either.  So all in all I wasn't out very long.

I should have gone inside the church of St Wenceslas, I don't know why I didn't.  There is a lot more information inside.

Jim Thorpe was a Native American who competed in the 1912 Olympics.

For such a small place Prague has quite a few claims to fame.

Saturday - few random thoughts.

Got a bit behind with the blog, haven't felt too well lately, suffering from back pain.

 

Heard the news this morning that the Duchess of Cambridge has been 'delivered of a baby girl' - which Americans thought was a quaint way of putting it.   Just waiting now for the string of names,  I'm putting my money on Sharon or Tracey.   Or if I were being serious, maybe Caroline.   

 

Loved Prince George's royal wave as his father carried him into the hospital.

 

The caramel crunch I've been making is very popular.  I made some on Monday, put it in Emmanuel's fridge for Wednesday, but a group meeting on Mondays found it and ate it, so someone made some more for Wednesday (just as well I  have been telling everyone the recipe).   Fr Bill thanked me for introducing it to the church.

 

My back hurts when I am sitting awhile and get up, I am not too bad walking around.   The YMCA opens at 7 on Saturdays, so I set the alarm and got there about 8, before they turned on the kiddos splashy toys, and had the walkway to myself.   I found though I didn't have the energy to push against the current, so strolled round in the direction of it for about an hour, then hopped in the jazuzzi, which is actually hotter than I have my bath.

 

 

 

Where do they get these grotesque pictures of the Queen, I wonder.

 

 

Showed the Queen on the news today, when announcing the royal birth, and I thought she looked very sprightly for 89, and far from dying.