Pancakes are universal

Hi bloggers, it’s still cold isn’t it in Japan it’s gone on such a long time you must be exhausted with it. It warmed up for a few days in London but back to morning frosts and very cold. Last Tuesday it was pancake day and many communities organise pancake races. A town called Olney claims to hold the oldest annual pancake race dating back to 1445. The race is open to ladies only, and you have to be a resident of the town for three months. An apron and headscarf are provided, but the contestant have to provide their own pancake. The contestants have to toss their pancake at the beginning and end of the race. I personally would rather eat them.
Another shrove Tuesday another competition is a football match the Ashborn Royal Football Match.
It takes place across two days, the competition dates back to 1667. It’s not held on a football pitch, it’s is played in the streets. The town is divided in half and the people living in the northern part are called the Up’ards, and those living in the south are called the Down’ards. There are no rules and the goal posts are three miles apart. Not something I’d like to play!
Pancakes are an ancient dish and archaeologists discovered in a glacier of Otzi the iceman. He was perfectly preserved and it was discovered that his final meal was a pancake. They are a universal dish Americans make them with buttermilk and Chinese make a thin wanton style. I am very fond of the Japanese okonomiyaki. Enjoy your pancakes next time you have one.
The sweet rainbow bird is a Goulding finch found in Australia isn't it beautiful.
Have a good week over and out London.





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Street art in Pakistan

I hope that you are all keeping well, goodness me the cold weather continues for you it seems endless. Well in England the valentines paraphernalia has been supplanted by Easter. The herald of Easter is pancake day which is 21/2/23. There was an article in the newspaper about a man in Shropshire, who had stolen over £30,000 worth of Easter eggs mostly small cream ones. He was dubbed the Easter bunny by the police. What was truly bazaar was he put them on a trailer highly visible stolen goods!
In my local convenience store there’s a really lovely young woman she’s originally from Pakistan. She talks to me about what she misses from her county; food smells beautiful scenery. I had a pretty limited knowledge of Pakistan, mostly derogatory so I did a bit of research. Pakistan has a very diverse landscape, beautiful scenery ranging from the Himalayas to forests and the Himalayan salt mines.
 Karachi is the most densely populated in Pakistan. But there is something called truck art, brightening the streets and providing cheer by bringing colour to the urban grind.
People spend thousands of pounds on getting their trucks decorated. The trucks are known as Chaltihui Duhan which translates as moving brides. Truck art decorates all modes of transport including rickshaws boats and buses.
The art includes many designs; floral, patterns and political slogans. Acrylic paint is used and other materials, no 2 vehicles are the same. They are moving works of art they are also important in other ways. They play a role in raising awareness about the many things including the importance of education for girls.
One of the most renowned artists in this art form is Haider Ali. He paints a wide range of objects the most famous being the Nike sneakers. I'd love a pair.
Pakistan also has many wonderful birds, a very colourful chap is the strawberry finch. The males usually a brownish colour, become bright red with markings like the ones on a strawberry when they want to attract a mate. Nature can not be surpassed.
Bloggers I wish you all a good week over and out London.







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Love light and fun


Hello I hope you are all keeping well, I saw the snow returned I do hope that it ceases soon.
In London shops are revving up for another celebration Valentine’s Day, roses chocolates and meal deals proliferate the shops. However the Animal Welfare department in the Indian government has taken a somewhat different approach to Valentine’s celebrations. They are promoting the concept of make the day a hug a cow day. They are aiming to promote Hindu values, and oppose the western way of celebrating. The cow is revered by Hindus, and the department is saying hugging a cow will bring emotional richness and collective happiness. Who knows? I won’t be able to test this theory.
I saw a fantastic article about a project called a Litre of light has as a Solution. They have come up with a cheap way of lighting up homes. An upcycled plastic bottle water and bleach placed on a roof can provide light. The light refracts from outside to inside. It sounds almost too good to be true, but it is. The concept is being used in South East Asia and South Africa. The project was given an award by the World Habitat. A small amount of bleach is used to prevent mould in the bottle. To enable the bottle to provide light at night a small LED light is used along with micro solar panels. It benefits people and our environment what a magnificent idea.
Meanwhile in Yorkshire a fun day at the races can be had, not horse racing ferret racing. A publican in Yorkshire had the idea and the day of racing began in 1978. More than fifty ferrets will participate in group and individual events. Ferrets were bred as working animals to track rabbits and rats. Apparently they are very talented they like dancing and socialising. Personally I’d rather a cat.
I was sad to hear about the death of Burt Bacarat. Lots of his songs have been played on the radio in memory of him. I was amazed at what a huge range of musical genres his songs covered. So many brilliant songs one of my favourites and in my opinion necessary currently is, What the world needs now is love.
So bloggers have a good week over and out London.



















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