Cockney Slang

     Marco and I live in the east end of London.  It may not be as posh as the west side of town but I actually prefer it.  There is a lot of history and character here.  We have become friends with some true east enders and they have been teaching me cockney.  Cockney rhymes are phrases for words.  It is a way of talking to another east ender so a non-east ender won't know what you are saying.  The last word in the phrase will rhyme with the word you are replacing but, the phrase can be cut short by just using the first word.

     A very common phrase or rhyme is Adam & Eve = Believe.  Someone might say, "I can't Adam (& Eve) it!" = I can't believe it!  Another common one is Apple & Pears = stairs.  I learnt a new one yesterday that I like.... Don't forget your titfer = tit for tat = hat.  They are a lot of fun and it really is like learning a new language.

    Here are some more cockney rhymes:

• Trouble & Strife = wife (Marco likes this one for some reason)
• Tap & Water = daughter
• Current Bun = son
• Skin & Blister = sister
• Dog & Bone = phone
• Brown Bread = dead
• Giraffe = laugh
• Frog & Toad = road
• China Plate = mate (and they really do call each other mate or govner)
• Bees & Honey = money
• Scotch Pegs = legs
• Boat Race = face
• Plates of Meat = feet
• Fireman Hose = nose
• Minc Pies = eyes
• Bonnet Fair = hair
• Hampsted Heaths = teeth
• Vera Lynn = chin
• Dicky Dirt = shirt
• Daisy Roots = boots
• Kettle = watch (or clock)
• Pigs Ear = beer
• Rub-a-Dub = pub

     And the list goes on...  Hope you have enjoyed!

A Visit to Cornwall England

Marco and I just celebrated our tenth anniversary.  We didn't really have time for a long trip so we decided to visit a part of England we had not been to.  We have friends from Cornwall and we have friends that have been there so we decided to give it a go.  It didn't take me long to figure out that Cornwall was not city but a region of England.

 

Cornwall is basically a county within England.  The people of Cornwall are referred to as Cornish and Cornwall is considered one of the Celtic nations.  Cornwall is the most southwestern peninsula of England.  In Cornish, Cornwall is Kernow.

 

 

The flag of Cornwall is black with a white cross.  The Cornish people use the flag as a symbol of their identity.

The first time I remember seeing the Cornish flag was during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012.  The flag is center on the Queen's Royal Barge, Gloriana.

 

We rented a car and headed west....  It took a lot longer to get out of the city than we expect, and once we got off the highways (carriageways) the roads became windy and quite narrow!  Some of the roads had "LOW" painted on them instead of "SLOW" because of overgrowth.  We also had a few issues with out GPS (Sat-Nav).  As we approached out hotel (Trevalso Court Beach Hotel) the GPS decided to work.... As we turned onto the road the hotel was on, the GSP informed us that our destination was on the right and then it told us that we had arrived.... Thanks

 

The hotel we stayed at was on the outskirts of a village named Megavissey.  We relaxed in lawn chairs and enjoyed the ocean view!

Later, we walked down the path towards the beach... These pink flowers were everywhere!

 



 

This is the view we saw walking down....

 

The gradual path then turned into steep steps and I decided to enjoy the view from here....

 

Megavissey, like most of the coastal villages in Cornwall, is a fishing village.

 

On the north side of the peninsula in one of the villages, the show 'Doc Martin' is filmed.

 

Sea gull waiting for a snack....

 

It was highly suggested that while we were in Cornwall, we should try a Cornish Pastry.

 

It is like a beef or chicken pie but in a closed pastry so you can eat it on the go...  Very tasty!!!

 

We visited The Lost Gardens of Heligan.  The gardens were part of an estate in 1766.  As the gardens grew they became more difficult to care for.  The family left in 1920's.  Restoration of the grand gardens of Heligan became in 1990's. 

 

The Giants Head

 

A Robin... the gardens are home to numerous animals and birds.  This little guy was quiet friendly....

 

A natural retaining wall....  The gardens grow over 200 varieties of fruit and vegetables.

 

The Mud Maid

 

There are 3 ponds on the grounds...

 

The 200 acre garden is not just a 'museum' but it is also a working farm.  Our trail passed through several gates (watch your step...)

 

This guy looked very happy and content.  I think I would have looked rather suspicious trying to take him home :)

 

Driving through Cornwall, the fields were littered with sheep, cows and horse farms.  These sheep are Devon & Cornwall Sheep.

 

The cows are Dexters

 

There are several green houses on the gardens.  The vegetation was gorgeous!  I think we probably only saw half of the gardens... I guess we need to go back :)

 

After The Lost Gardens, we went to the Eden Project.  The Eden Project is a 35 acre global garden (bio-dome) that was built 50m-deep (54.7 yard) crater that was once a china clay pit.  Cornwall is also known for their clay and china....

 

The domes to the left house a Tropical Forest while the domes to the house the Mediterranean gardens.

 

It was amazing inside!  They birds inside the domes made you forget you were inside and gave a real feeling of being outside in a jungle.

 

We saw banana trees, cocoa trees, coffee plants, rice.... if it grows in the tropics, we probably saw it!

 

The humidity was so high in the Rain forest, there were 'Cool Rooms' for you to go in and cool off.

 

 

 

In the Mediterranean Dome we saw Olive trees....

 

Cork trees....

 

Citrus trees...  Marco said he felt like he was in Sicily... the air was dry and very pleasant.

 

It was then time to say good-bye to Cornwall and head back to London.

 

We had a great time and definitely want to go back again!  On the next trip I would like to visit Plymouth where the likes of the Pilgrims, Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Captain Cook, and Darwin set sail on their pioneering journeys.

 

I hope you have enjoyed!!

London City Farms

There are approximately 14 farms in London.  I've been to a few and I think they are great.  People can go and visit the farms and get the 'country' experience.  The farm that I go to the most is

Stepney City Farm.

 

The farms are working farms and mostly run by volunteers.  Stepney grows their own vegetables which are used and sold in their cafe.  Check out the green house... it is made from water bottles.

 

 

The farm(s) also provide allotments where people can come and grow their own veg.

 

The farms also have animals.  Some have different animals than others.  Schools will come to farms for field trips.  Most city kids have never seen these animals.

 

Here is mama pig taking a needed break from her 5 piglets... spring is here!  :)

 

Chickens and roosters just run about...  The farm sells chicken, goose, and duck eggs.  This is a bantam rooster.  Bantam chicken eggs are about half the size of a regular chicken egg and they don't lay everyday either.  I hear duck eggs are very rich...

 

Daddy goat... donkeys in the field behind him.

 

Mama goat and one of her babies.  There are 4 baby goats this year.

 

Mama sheep and her lambs.... I think I counted 5 lambs in all....

 

CUTE!

 

I found out about Stepney Farm when I was looking at volunteering for something.  Stepney Farm has a project called Furry Tales.  We take some of the smaller more cuddly animals to senior homes as a therapy project.  It is amazing to see the seniors light up when we bring the animals out. 

 

Butterscotch had 5 bunnies this spring.  We took her and all her bunnies one week.  This week we took Ginger (from her last litter) and 2 babies... A mama and 5 babies get heavy to carry after a bit.  Butterscotch's babies will be handled as much as possible to prepare them to be therapy bunnies.  (The brown bunny there only has 1 ear)

 

We also take Guinea Pigs.... They make good therapy animals.

 

And believe it or not, we also take a chicken.  Mable had a broken leg when she was born and was handled a lot.  She has been a good therapy pet.  The east side of London was a very poor part of the city and it was not uncommon for people to have their own chickens in their gardens.  Mable seems to trigger a memory for some of the seniors.  Some seniors are a little intimidated by her at first but once they stroke (pet) her, they fall in love.  Mable will perch on our arm and we can walk her around... she is very calm and as soft as silk.

 

Don't you just LOVE this face!!  I wish I could take her home with me... but I don't think she would last long in a 500 sq ft flat  :(

 

Here is mama telling her baby to get away from the crazy human!!

 

And what would a city farm be without pigeons?!?

 

Stepney City Farm also provides a metal working shop, a wood working shop, and a ceramics class.  They also have a farmers market once a week. 

 

I hope you have enjoyed!!

 

A Visit to the Irelands

Marco had a conference in Belfast (Northern Ireland and part of the UK) and in Dublin (Republic of Ireland) this past week and I got to tag along.  We flew into Belfast and had just enough time to visit the Titanic Museum before Marco had to get to work.  The museum was very well done!  It started with the history of Belfast before the Titanic was built.  It then takes you through the process of the ship being built, the maiden voyage, about the crew and passengers, the communication after the ship hit the iceberg, the aftermath, a journey to bottom of the ocean, and then finally live feed of current work being done by Professor Ballard (who discovered the Titanic).

While Marco was working, I visited the Belfast Castle.  It was much smaller than I expected.

The first castle was built in the last 12th century.  The current castle was completed in 1870.

The gardens surrounding the castle...

The castle sits up on the slopes of Cave Hill and looks out over the city of Belfast.

It is said that good fortune will come to those who visit Belfast Castle as long as the tradition of the Castle Cat is kept (sounds a bit like the ravens at the Tower of London).  The story goes that there has always been a resident white cat at the castle.  The gardens celebrate this tale with 9 cats in the gardens in the form of mosaics, statues, a topiary, etc.

We stayed the night in Belfast and then took the train to Dublin early the next morning.  We only had one snag on the trip...  One of the carriages had an electrical fire so we had to wait for that issue to be resolved.  Fortunately no one was hurt and we were soon on our way.  We passed a lot of farms and small villages.  I like to travel by train so you can see the countryside.

Again, while Marco was working, I got to do some site seeing.  I visited Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells.  The Book of Kells is the four gospels in Latin and written early 9th century in Scotland and probably by monks.  During this time all bibles were written in Greek or Hebrew.  The gospels were written on calf skin and has elaborate art work telling the stories of the gospels.  The Book of Kells was sent to Dublin around 1653 for safe keeping when Vikings attacked the area where it was kept in Iona.  The Book of Kells has been at Trinity College since 1661.

The college's library (behind the tree) was completed in 1732.  The library has the books on the upper floors to protect from dampness.  The Liffey River came up to the walls of the college and flooding was a problem.  It is no longer a problem though.  The river no longer reaches that far and there are 2 Oregon Oaks planted in the green space and they have sucked enough of the water that dampness is no longer an issue.

All over Dublin signs are written in English and Gaelic.

I visited the Dublin Castle.  It was not very impressive.  I had a friend say that the castle "should have been called 'offices from where you will be ruled by England for 500 years'".

I met up with Marco after he was finished with work.  We went to a local pub for dinner.  They had live music and then they had Irish dancers.  The music made me think of Bluegrass and the River dancing made me think of cloggers.  It was very enjoyable!

The following day, Marco and saw St. Patrick's Cathedral.  We were not able to go in because of a graduation taking place.

The Cathedral Gardens were very nice and full of people enjoying the sunshine (even though it was cold!).

I almost missed this plaque for looking up....

Store fronts...

The last thing we did was visit the Guinness Brewery (top of Marco's list)

It was very interesting!

The tour ended with a pint (I had a half...).  Here are some pints settling before they are topped off.

It was a short trip and there were things we did not have time to see and do (another time) but we had a great time!

I hope you have enjoyed!!