Forget-me-not

 

Forget-me-not (Myosotis)

This is not the clearest of photographs, but it does show some flowers with yellow centres, indicating that they still have nectar, and some flowers whose centres have turned white.

These pretty flowers, usually dressed in blue, but sometimes appearing in pink or white, flower for a few weeks in the spring. They are dying back now, to reappear next year, without fuss or special care.

The yellow centres indicate that the flowers are full of nectar. When the flower has been pollinated, the centres turn white. This indicates to bees and other pollinators, that the flowers are no longer offering nectar, the food they are seeking. The cupboard is bare, and they should look elsewhere.

 A podcast from the BBC, ‘In Our Time,’ hosted by a rather elderly-sounding Melvyn Bragg (he’s now 85) gives a detailed account of pollination. The programme lasts for fifty minutes, but all the contributors are experts, and so are fascinating to listen to.

Did you know that bees can count, and recognise images of human faces?

 

The Shipping Forecast

The Shipping Forecast

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The announcement of the shipping forecast is one of the most comforting to be heard on BBC Radio 4. No matter what calamitous events are happening, the shipping forecast is a calm constant in an ever-changing world.

The tune ‘Sailing by’ follows the final Radio 4 programme at night before closedown. It is played at 00:45 to introduce the late night forecast. Its repetitive tune serves as a signal for sailors tuning in to easily identify the correct station.

The broadcast reports weather conditions and forecasts for the seas around the British Isles. The Met Office provides the data and the BBC broadcasts it ‘on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’ four times a day, at 00:48, 05:20, 12:01 and 17:54. The measured tones of the broadcaster betray no surprise or emotion and are reassuring, even when gales are forecast for the entirety of the British coastline. The forecast has a poetry of its own, the names of the 31 sea areas familiar to all who listen, at sea, on land, in fair weather or foul.

Even though modern ships have onboard technology to advise them of weather conditions they still tune in to the broadcast to check their information. The forecast follows the same format of around 350 words, beginning with any gale warnings that may be in force followed by the general synopsis, which is a brief summary of weather conditions in the seas around the UK and Ireland. Then the area forecasts are given, including wind direction and speed, weather, visibility, and any ship icing.

Driving home late at night, or tucked up in bed, the shipping forecast is soothing and familiar, though less so to storm-tossed fishermen in icy seas, or lifeboat crews hastening to an imperilled vessel.

 It is an important element of the fabric of our (UK) lives.

We have a Dunoon mug showing the sea areas surrounding the British Isles. It also features the Beaufort scale.

The Teddy Bear's Picnic

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic

 The name teddy bear came from President Theodore Roosevelt, whose childhood name, which he disliked, was Teddy. The first teddy bears were created in 1902 and quickly became very popular, following a bear-hunting trip in which Roosevelt took part. He was unable to locate a bear, unlike others in the party, so someone caught and beat a black bear and tied it to a tree and invited Roosevelt to shoot it. He thought that was unsportsmanlike and refused, asking someone else to shoot it to put it out of its misery. A political cartoonist, Clifford Berryman, seized on this incident, depicting Roosevelt with his back turned to the bear and The Washington Post published it.

Clifford Berryman's cartoon, Washington Post, November 16th, 1902

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons     

The music for The Teddy Bears’ Picnic was written by American composer John Walter Bratton in 1907. It started life as the ‘Teddy Bear Two-Step’ and was often used to accompany circus acts. The words, by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy, were written in 1932 and the Two-Step was renamed The Teddy Bears’ Picnic.

In the same year, Henry Hall and his orchestra recorded the song with the singer Val Rosing. The recording was of such high quality that it was used by BBC sound engineers until the early 1980s to assess audio equipment.

If you go down in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise
If you go down in the woods today, you'd better go in disguise
For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

Every teddy bear who's been good is sure of a treat today
There's lots of marvelous things to eat and wonderful games to play
Beneath the trees where nobody sees
They'll hide and seek as long as they please
That's the way the teddy bears have their picnic

Picnic time for teddy bears
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today
Watch them, catch them unawares
And see them picnic on their holiday

See them gaily gad about
They love to play and shout
They never have any cares
At six o'clock their mummies and daddies
Will take them back home to bed
'Cause they're tired little teddy bears

If you go down in the woods today, you'd better not go alone
It's lovely down in the woods today, but safer to stay at home
For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

Some critics have claimed that the lyrics are grim and menacing and not at all suitable for children.  Not everyone likes the song. I think it’s rather charming and I really like teddy bears!

                                Here is someone who's gone 'in disguise'

The 1992 illustrations in my board book version are by Michael Hague, an American illustrator who has created drawings for many books,  mainly children’s.

Imminent human catastrophe or phone-hacking - which is more newsworthy?

We were watching the early evening news on BBC. For twenty-five minutes there was reporting of the phone-hacking scandals that seem daily to be revealed. Telephone-hacking is most unfortunate for those involved and very hurtful, of course.

There then followed a two-minute report on the disaster in East Africa where millions of people are facing starvation because of the severest drought for sixty years. People are walking for days, even weeks, without food or water, to reach refugee camps which are seriously overcrowded. On the way, the very young and the very old die. When they arrive, the smallest children still living are often very sick, many dying within hours of the end of their journey.

Has the BBC become so insular that it does not care – or even notice -  what happens in the wider world? On other news channels we hear about global events far more important than the parochial and introspective happenings of the UK. Does phone hacking, deplorable and distasteful though it is, really require twenty-five minutes of in-depth reportage when tragedy is unfolding and life is unravelling for so many millions? 

Red Nose Day

Fund-raising with a difference is organised by Comic Relief biennially across the UK, the biggest and most noticeable event being Red Nose Day.

In 1985 Ethiopia was experiencing a devastating famine.  On Christmas Day, 1985, a charity organisation called Comic Relief was launched from a refugee camp in Sudan. Red Nose Day, a fundraising idea founded by the charity, took place for the first time just over two years later, on 5^th February 1988.

The aim of Red Nose Day is to raise money to help the plight of thousands of people in Africa and the UK who are suffering dreadful injustice or living in extreme poverty. On this day everyone in the UK is encouraged to overcome natural reticence, put on a Red Nose (or wear something red) and be sponsored to do something amusing or unusual or even quite mundane for money.

In the first year the red noses were shiny, hard and very uncomfortable to wear - sales amounted to 3.4 million. The red nose was so popular that it was difficult to find one, outlets like Oxfam selling out as soon as they went on sale. Twenty-five years later sales of red noses had risen to more than 50 million. It is not uncommon to see cars, lorries, trucks sporting large red noses.

The day is celebrated in diverse ways – schools, offices, pubs, hairdressers are among the institutions that participate. Anything from cake sales to sponsored silences, sitting in a bath full of baked beans to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro can take place in the lead-up to the day. People work together or individually to raise funds.

This year Red Nose Day falls today, Friday 18^th March. The biggest event of the day is a marathon telethon hosted by the BBC. It involves many celebrities and is a mix of comedy and poignant documentary films. All the money raised goes to good causes. The three main sponsors, the BBC, BT and Sainsbury’s give their services free and all of the participants waive their fees. All administrative costs are met from the interest accruing from monies raised before they are distributed to the many good causes.

The founders of Comic Relief are amazed and gratified by the success of their vision.

Richard Curtis, (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, Blackadder) Co-founder of Comic Relief, says:

‘An astonishing credit to the British people, because of their continued and remorseless generosity’

The CEO of Sainsbury’s comments:

‘The Red Nose Day campaign has become part of Sainsbury’s way of life, and we’re incredibly proud that our colleagues and customers have been able to help raise £48 million for Comic Relief over the years’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/rednoseday/

In 1988 Barry was working in London and used to go running with two others during his lunch hour through the streets and parks. On that first Red Nose Day the three men collected more than £200 for Comic Relief, the equivalent of around £800 today.

Question Time

The BBC's Question Time has invited the leader of the BNP (British National Party) onto the panel for tonight's show. There has been a great deal of debate about the wisdom of so doing and there was an appeal to the BBC Trust to prevent the leader appearing but it was rejected. In this country there is a tradition of free speech. Anyone may declare their views and listeners are free to agree or otherwise.

Anti-Fascists are expected to protest outside BBC Television Centre. There will undoubtedly be scuffles and there is bound to be a good deal of heckling inside the studio.

I dislike the BNP's attitudes, policies, beliefs but they have a right to express them. What I strongly object to is their appropriation of the Union Flag as a symbol for their party. It implies respectability and representation of the majority of Britons. I would hate the rest of the world to associate our national flag with a Fascist party and I wish, without much hope, that the news channels would blot out the flag in pictures of the BNP leader. I suppose that would be considered a form of censorship.

Barry’s rant about innumeracy (1)

I am astounded by the lack of numeracy shown by some BBC presenters who consequently fail properly to address news and current events. A recent example was 'Any Answers?' on 5^th September; Jonathan Dimbleby responded to a caller about the advisability of vast expenditure on British rail. The caller stated that the French had observed that travel on the railway network in France averaged 20 miles per gallon per person. This interesting point posed serious questions about carbon emission. Mr Dimbleby countered with astonishing innumeracy. He asserted that trains would be running at 1000 gallons per mile! According to him, at 20 miles per gallon per passenger there must be an average of 20000 people per train.

According to the Association of Train Operating Companies UK passenger trains have 35% occupancy. Mr Dimbleby's figures imply each train has an average capacity of 57000 passengers. Larger trains would be able to carry more. Sounds like our railways are doing just fine!