HUMP DAY HISTORY!

Welcome to the middle of the week, friends!

I am SO pleased that summer has finally showed up here!  The past 5 days have been sunny, warm, and rain free.  I'm loving it. 

As such, we've spent quite a bit of time outdoors over the last few days.  Here's a little review!

On Saturday we helped our friends move to a nearby neighborhood.  Going up and down stairs with heavy boxes really gave my calves a workout!  In the afternoon, we checked out the Worthing Lions Club Festival Market with loads of merchants/food stalls along the seafront.



Found at a discount book stall--It's Waldo with a different alias



Blown glass, pretty sweet



That's a lot of slushies!

On Saturday we also got our bedroom furniture delivered (yay!  finally a place for my underoos and shirts!)  so we spent much of the afternoon assembling them.  Of course these things always come in about 14,205,356 pieces and I can never understand the instructions.  Good thing Kieran was there to make sure I wasn't building things upside down.  By the time we finished, I was so knackered from the day's events, I passed out early.

Sunday was brilliant, a group of us went to nearby Arundel read about the history of this castle! to get a tour of the castle and to see the "Medieval Encampment" and jousting match!

Check out this video I took:

It was so much fun!  Poor hubby (and our other fair skinned friends) got nasty sun burns, but nothing a little aloe can't sort out.  Sunday night we knuckled down and FINALLY selected our wedding pics for our album and prints.  PHEW! No easy task, we were exhausted yet chuffed with ourselves for having accomplished it.  One less thing to worry about!

Monday morning I had a lovely bike ride with my father-in-law.  It was the maiden voyage of my newish bike (walking it home from the shop on the day I bought it doesn't count).  We biked down to Shoreham and walked around the grounds of a 900 year old church (I know it's morbid, but I love old graveyards).  Then he showed me the Shoreham houseboats moored along the River Adur.  It's amazing the creativity (and talents with a soldering tool) in these houseboats, I had never seen anything like it!

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How cool is that?!

After cycling back, grocery shopping, and lugging full bags home over a mile, I was done with the day's fitness.


Today was the first HOT day in England terms.  About close to 80F.  I had been so spoiled with 65F weather, today felt sweltering.  It was the first time I was actually uncomfortable in the flat.  Not gonna lie, I did my household chores in my underoos.

So that's the last few days, in a nutshell!  Now on to today's history lesson:

BT's Speaking Clock Turns 75!

The other day I was watching the news and saw a story about Britain's "speaking clock" and how it recently celebrated its 75th anniversary (24 July, to be exact).  From 1936 til today, one can dial "1-2-3" from any BT phone and get the precise time.  Not in the UK?  No problem, you can dial +44 871 789 3642 from the U.S.!

The Speaking Clock is a national institution and part of Britain's Heritage.  It was originally introduced in 1936 for people who did not have a watch or clock. 

Around 30 million calls every year are made to the speaking clock, which was nicknamed "Tim" because originally the line could be called by dialing the corresponding numbers (846)

Initially the accuracy of the clock was one-tenth of a second, but today it is accurate to within five thousandths of a second. Even Big Ben uses the service to check its accuracy.

The "voice" of the clock is almost as famous as the service itself, with only four permanent voices ever used. The fourth, and current, voice is Sara Mendes da Costa, who became the clock's voice in April 2007 after winning a nation-wide contest. 

So why do so many people still call this service now that we have computers, cell phones, and digital clocks/watches?  Some just get a kick out of it and its historical significance.  Others use it to define the exact moment of a holiday or special occassion (i.e. New Years).  Reportedly there are several phone calls made just before 5pm, when customer service staff are trying to avoid having to take a lengthy phone call at the end of the day.
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Thanks for reading!

Amanda xxx

HUMP DAY HISTORY!

this week's history lesson:  Brighton's Royal Pavilion

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Brighton is the closest major city to where we live, a beautiful and vibrant seaside location with great nightlife, culture, shopping, and business (and maybe job opportunities, I haven't gotten that far yet).  It's very modern but also has a rich history, including that of its eye-catching landmark, the Royal Pavilion.

Beginning in 1787, the Pavilion was built and added to in three phases:

1)  The Prince of Wales (later to become King George IV), first became interested in Brighton in 1783 after visiting his uncle in this very fashionable city.  He was advised by his physicians that the seaside had medicinal effects and might cure his gout.  Shortly after, George acquired some land and a farmhouse in the area.  In 1787, when George got a raise in income from the House of Commons, he hired Henry Holland to build and expand the property into the Marine Pavilion.  Prince George also purchased the surrounding land where he built stables for over 60 horses.

This is what it might have looked like under Henry Holland's original design:

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2) In in early 1800s, George started to feel that the Marine Pavilion lacked the size and functionality for large social events he liked to host.  In 1815, John Nash was hired to expand and transform the small residence into the brilliant palace it is today.  The design of the exterior domes and interior decor borrowed heavily from Indian, Chinese, and Islamic architectural influences.
George spared no expense in this expansion to make sure the palace was modern and comfortable, including interior lighting, heating, and sanitation.
George's presence and the construction of his massive palace brought prosperity and people to Brighton.

3) When King George died in 1830, his brother William became king and inherited the palace. Only seven years later, King William died and the palace was passed on to his niece, Queen Victoria.  In 1837, Queen Victoria made her first royal visit to Royal Pavilion, which pleased the residents of Brighton greatly.  However, Queen Victoria, being a much more frugal Queen than her uncles before her, didn't care for the extravagance of the palace and soon found it to lack the space and privacy she needed for her growing family.  In 1850, Queen Victoria sold the palace to the town of Brighton for approximately £50,000 and moved her family's summer home to the Isle of Wight.  Assuming that the Royal Pavilion would be demolished by the town, she ordered that all of the internal fixtures and furniture be removed from the palace and divided amongst the other royal homes.  Years later, Queen Victoria and her royal successors returned much of the removed items which were useful in future restorations of the historic building.

Since the 1920s, the building has undergone several renovation and restoration projects to bring King George's original vision of the Royal Pavilion back to life.  Today, the Pavilion is a major tourist attraction in the south with approx. 400,000 visitors every year.

For about £10 you can go inside the palace and get a tour.
The Royal Pavilion Official Website

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I must admit I have only enjoyed the Pavilion from the outside but I hope to be able to cough up a few quid in the next few months to get a tour of the interior!  You know I'll be reporting on it when I do so keep reading!

Peace xoxo

HUMP DAY HISTORY LESSON

Some of my favorite expat blogs like Betsy Transatlantically have a "theme" for certain days of the week, just to keep things interesting and consistent for readers.  I would like to institute the same thing on my blog!  Which is why I have decided to start  "Hump Day History" and "Foodie Fridays" so I can dish about some of my favorite things-- storytelling and food!

Here we go!

The Six Wives of Henry VIII

I know I'm about 5 years late but I have fallen in love with the Showtime series The Tudors.  The series was 4 seasons long and chronicles the most infamous King of England.



King Henry VII

Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a young King Henry.  Sooo hot, want to touch the hiney.  *ahem* I mean he is a fine actor.

Most Americans don't know a whole lot about the history of the English monarchy aside from the fact that we were once under British rule.  Having grown up in a country with no monarchy, I am utterly fascinated by it and by the rich history of absolute monarchies in England and elsewhere.

Before King Henry VIII, England and most of their European neighbors were Catholic nations and all religious laws were overseen by the Pope, the Bishop of Rome.  This wasn't really a problem until King Henry VIII decided around 1530 he wanted a divorce from his wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon.  Though a pious and honorable wife, she was the ripe old age of 42, had not bore him a son, and he had his eye on a younger model--Lady Anne Boleyn.

The King and his aides tried to convince the Pope and the holy men of Rome and England that his marriage to Catherine was illegitimate because they had married against God's will.  Catherine was briefly married to Henry's own brother (King Arthur) and as it says in Leviticus 20:21 "If a man takes his brother's wife, it is an impurity: he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless."  King Henry asserted that Catherine and Arthur had consummated their marriage and thus God was punishing King Henry and Catherine for their sin by not giving them a son.
Much to the King's anger, the Pope and holy men of Rome and England refused to grant the annulment on the grounds that the marriage was, in fact, legitimate under God's holy law.

King Henry VIII shocked Rome and his European peers by announcing he would separate England from the Catholic Church and become supreme the head of a separate church--The Church of England.  Not only would he be able to make political decisions for his country, but he could also decide on all ecclesiastical matters, as he believed he was meant to be the human decision-maker on earth of God's will.

As the head of the Church of England, he annulled the marriage between he and Queen Catherine, banishing her from court.  Their daughter, Mary, was deemed illegitimate and sent away.  (However later King Henry made her legitimate and she ruled as Queen of England for a short time).

Thus began a long history of love and tragedy with his subsequent 5 wives.

1. Queen Catherine of Aragon (married 24 years).  Divorced
   They had one child, Mary, who was Queen of England for 5 years
2. Queen Anne Boleyn (married 3 years).  Executed
   They had one child, Elizabeth. Elizabeth went on to be Queen for 44 years.
   Anne was very passionate and outspoken at times, traits not expected of a Queen
   By the time Anne was accused of incest and adultery, the King already had his eyes on his next wife.
3. Queen Jane Seymour (married less than 2 years).  Died after childbirth
   Queen Jane finally bore King Henry his much desired son and heir.
   She died 2 weeks after the birth from infection.
   It has been said that King Henry had a special affection for Jane and felt she was his "true wife."
   She is the only wife to be buried next to King Henry
4. Queen Anne of Cleves (married 6 months).  Divorced.
   No children
   King Henry mourned over the loss of Jane for three years before his advisors suggested a marriage for foreign alliance.  The King did not love her and didn't find her attractive.  The political reasons for the union were becoming less necessary, so they divorced.
5. Queen Kathryn Howard (married 2 years).  Executed.
   No children.
   The Queen was accused of adultery and promiscuity before marriage.  After investigation, the rumors proved to be true and Queen Kathryn was executed
6. Queen Katherine Parr (married 4 years).  Widowed
   No children.
   Queen Katherine was his 6th and final wife before his death in 1547

I hope this short lesson was interesting and informative!  I highly recommend The Tudors series if you can get a copy on DVD or on the internet.  Though the writers did use some artistic license with the story, much of the historical facts remain intact.  Plus, Jonathan Rhys Meyers ain't too bad on the eyes.  Sorry, I had to say it.

Stay tuned for more history!

Who is your favorite historical figure?



Visa Update:  My case has been assigned to an Entry Clearance Officer and she emailed me today requesting one additional supporting doc, which I sent.  Now I'm glued to my email waiting for updates!