Friday Advice: The Beach - Flip Over Flip Flops!!!

May 31, 2012

Hello MY Darling!

Well, MY advise is simply this!

"Friday's are for having fun......call your friends, shut the door, take a nice car ride to the Beach!  May 31, a special day.....I dedicate this to my Auntie Karen....her birthday is today!

Check out the local ice-cream places (there are plenty)!!!

I'm ready for ICE CREAM!         Watch the human and children through the window, lick YOUR lips look sweetly (innocently) and your human companion might...might get you a little bowl of your own.

Hit the road running!

Well, well, yes we do have the occasional treat in MY kingdom, the shear fun is ENJOYING with those you love!

British Beach Huts

In England there is a special ice-cream affectionately called a "99".  Here is the "real scoop"  It used to cost that? The standard cone, filled with soft serve

Brighton Beach UK: Beloved "99" (cost 99 pence)

The "99" theory...according to my UK sources:  In the UK everybody knows what comes with a '99', but a newcomer to these shores who wonders at the name's provenance is sure to be baffled.
Earlier this week, a Magazine reader from London wrote in to ask this very question, prompting a flurry of responses - all positing different theories. So which is right?

The ice cream in question has gone by that name since 1930, when Cadbury's launched a shorter version of its Flake bar - called a Flake 99 - for the ice cream trade. 

Which does rather seem to blow one theory - that the bar is exactly 99mm long - out of the water. The UK is only now edging towards metrification - 70-odd years ago, everything was in imperial measures.

Ditto the suggestion that back in the day they cost 99p. True in the 1990s, but in 1930, nothing cost 99p - it was pre-decimalisation, remember.

Ness: Which flavor will I have today

 
Another theory goes that the initials of ice cream are IC, which is one way to write 99 in Roman numerals. But the convention is to write it XCIX - but it's possible this was ignored or not know. 

I wonder if anyone remembers "Magpie Ices" Ness Uncle George knew about that ..no wonder she loves ice-cream!

Theories aside -- let's just wiggle our toes in the sand, have a picnic and fall asleep....(day dreaming)!

The valiant quest:  to try and eat  chocolate before the ice-cream melts and runs down your arm....squealing with laughter and delight!!!!  (well, yes that has happened to me...lots of time). 

 [Adults please don't read this it can be an be embarrassing]..

I love watching 2 and 3 year old children....all that melting ice cream around their mouths...it's enough to make your roll on the floor laughing (without being tickled LOL)!!!

Like cats and catnip...........

Vanessa, Charlie, Harry circa 1961

My opinion you say. perhaps -- when I'm DONE!

Let's ask Ness for her opinion??

Well the Royal decree from the kingdom this week is:

"Go forth.....have fun......

Remember: to connect with friends and visit here soon!

Do what Cats do best -- HAVE FUN!

Room mates 301 - Yours Mine and MINE

Hello MY Darlings!

In the continuing saga about room mates, I thought speak on the aspects of  'food sharing'. 

After all (don't you agree) this is not unlike human children and sibling rivalry (giggling with paw on hip).

Being the ultimate Diva of my kingdom and calling all the shots, it can be quite surprising when your own food gets stolen (right under the hands of the lady in waiting....how does that happen (looking peeved...I ask you)!!!.

Knight Chambers

I've had lots of practice (mirror..mirror....on..the wall....) watching those British epic Edwardian drama series  'Downton Abbey...one 'Drama Queen' for another. Sr. Sammy has been out on patrol duty for most of the night (I heard him come in around 3 a.m. The familiar ring tone of his bell on his collar is like distinctive paw print).  So I let him sleep in. 
                                   
My morning started off with usual, routine of warm milk, stretches, ablutions,  going though my agenda with my PR person and organizing staff, making sure we are all on MY page.

No question "Alpha" is best

I heard the familiar dinner gong ......food (well my stomach usually let me know before then -- LOL).  Ah yes....perhaps  "Pheasant Under Glass or (Paw)". With anchovies an an appetizer??? (lips smacks, tongue moves from side to side like a pendulum in purfect rhythm). Not like those humans with unpredictable wind screen wipers -- ah ha that is where the word "intermittent" was developed on purpose

Knight delights - feast NOT famine!

 MY food had been carefully prepared just to my liking, I was called away to deal with a minor matter.   

(Sr. Knight...thinks.....my tummy is rumbling.....Well, after being on a grueling patrol over rugged terrain and not much food I was starving.) No filed mice to be had.

Safe in the castle ....I had to grab anything I could.....I didn't see a name...however ....now I DO SEE...the feeding station has a noble mat??  

My "Giddy Aunt" my food is gone........my 'Lady in Waiting' didn't see anything......????

The "Royal We" is not AMUSED

Well, the mystery has to be resolved (with a wry smile)....ummm let see if  "two can play this came"...
 

Opps...caught  "after the fact"

(Queen...thinks) intuitive whiskers quivering....Eureka.....I feel a Sherlock Holmes idea coming on. Body language, posturing....that's it...all will be revealed.


I will do the "Royal Diva"
and make my rounds......

Diva Queen gets the spoils

One has to simply know where to look ......."a sprat to cat a mackerel"  (small expenditure made, or a small risk taken, in the hope of a large or significant gain, recorded from the mid 19th century). 


Besides which, I order the food stores anyway LOL (wink wink)!!

Well MY Darlings......

Be sure to drop in for....more tails about 'Roomies'

If you missed Room mates 201 you can find it here -- 

(point mouse over text and click)

Room Mates-201-feels-like-home


Ciao......../*.¸.*´

¸.•´ ¸.•*¨)¸.•*¨)

(¸.•´(¸.• (¸.•´¸¸.•¨¯`•.¸¸.♥^,,^  follow the Diva

Roomates 201 - Feels Like Home

Hello MY Darlings!

Welcome the this weeks advise blog.

I decided to continue the subject of Room mates as with most ...the relationship shifts like a pendulum or tidal waves. As with personalities having characteristics of their own.

The very best advise is: patience, humour and leverage LOL.

Cats have varying degrees of alpha traits where one alpha female (may...I say may in tongue and cheek.....) may give way to the alpha male if she choses.  This can be said of humans too, that is why they call them "Diva and Divo".  The Italians had to think of it first (laughing hysterically)!!

As with any relationship it is often tested depending on the weather, mood, feeding time or stresses from the day. Or in my case running my kingdom and looking after the staff, upstairs and downstairs.

Once the transition of the relationship takes on a comfort zone, their more tolerance, ("not being on tender hooks" as humans say) ease and less assertive commands of putting your foot down for position for territorial space. LOL More sharing as in the delightful afternoon tea we as recently. 

Testing the Waters

http://divapaws4advice.blogspot.ca/2012/05/mothers-day-british-tea-at-court.html

Sharing is a bit part of the commitment of sharing (with cats we agree to help ourselves to each others water or food bowl).

Sharing is easier if you just relax!!

Well sometimes you might not like it due to territorial rights...however you begin to live with it .....much like human brothers and sisters!  It takes a lot for me to share my Spider Plant well, having "Sr. Sammy" is a lot cheaper than hiring a flock of sheep to keep it cut down (ha ha)!!

I am quite sure dear fans you have a lot to say on this and we welcome your comments on this subject. We love to hear from you as it makes us PURR!!!


Well MY Darling there you have it!

Another fine day!

One last word take care of each other, enjoy life and look for that sunshine gleaming in your window each day!!

Queen Diva remembers Queen Victoria

Queen Diva - Gives the Commands!

Hello MY Darling!

Today, we wish to honour another Queen.
Queen Victoria.

My staff are busy preparing for the "Afternoon Tea" and festivities that will ensue tonight. Of course all I have to do is 'give orders'! LOL.  Then all I have to do is relax and do what comes naturally!
All a question of 'optics' you know MY darlings. 

I've done my research and found out some history I'd like to share with you on your "Official" holiday of today.

History:

The birthday of Queen Victoria was a day for celebration in Canada long before  Confederation,  with the first legislation regarding the event being in 1845 passed by the Parliament of the Province of Canada to officially recognize May 24 as the Queen's birthday.It was noted that on that date in 1854, the 35th birthday of  Queen Victoria, some 5,000 residents of   Canada West gathered in front of  Government House (near present day King and Simcoe Streets in Toronto) to "give cheers to their queen."
  On May 24, 1866, the town of Omemee , also in Canada West, mounted a day-long fête to mark the occasion, including a gun salute at midnight, pre-dawn serenades, picnics, athletic competitions, a display of illuminations, and a torch-light procession.

First Government House in Toronto

Following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, May 24 was by imperial decree made Empire Day throughout the British Empire, while, in Canada, it became officially known as Victoria Day, a date to remember the late queen, who was deemed the "Mother of Confederation"

Sr. Sammy - Knight

I have for the degrees the day to be an official holiday in MY kingdom.   Sr. Sammy has taken his valiant group of knights with him to ensure the message reaches the villages beyond MY realm. I have ordered him to do a little recruiting too before he returns for "Afternoon Tea"  

Downton Abbey Guests

If you missed my last soiree here is the link: http://divapaws4advice.blogspot.ca/2012/05/mothers-day-british-tea-at-court.html

Afternoon Tea

Well, MY Darlings, I must be off to check on MY staff...do have a 'Jolly Good Time' on this very special holiday.   We are having 'tea' at 4:00 p.m do drop in won't you...........come back soon..................

Mothers Day: British Tea at Court

Well, MY Darlings!

Happy Mothers Day!

I was really busy organizing the kitchen staff for this event, and so much preparation, I had hardly time to take 'cat-nap' let alone write.

I'm sure there are plenty of you that can relate - phew (yawn - paw over face)!

My kingdom kitchen was a hub of activity, like a cat finding a mice-hole ...then all of them scattering in all directions.  A bit like humans....there's a thought!!! I just stand back, point and (giggle)!  I have decided to write a little about British culture, and art of "Afternoon-Tea".  My ancestors are an eclectic mix.  The orange is a give away (Scottish), brown tabby and calico. Is that like comparing Scottish to Welsh. Got to watch those 'gene mixes'.  Just ask my human companion, she's all of that and sometimes gets called "Loch Ness" (side-ways grin - we know about interesting characteristics amongst the genes).  I'm interviewing my human companion on what she knows about tea.  Anyway....lets move on....got to keep the readers happy LOL)!  

British Culture: Afternoon Tea

       

I guess the kitchen staff was on break?

It is common practice to acquaint the British with tea drinking, that is very true.  If you could see how much my human companion drinks I swear. she has one hand glued to the kettle and tea pot at once (much like me when I am hugging my kibble).

Since the 18th century the British have been the largest per capita tea consumers in the world, with each person    consuming on average 2.5 kg per year
 

Proper Tea is served with milk.

Tea, which was an upper-class drink in Europe, became the infusion of every class in Great 

Britain in the course of the 18th century and has remained so. 

 

Mother Day fit for a Queen

As tea spread throughout the United Kingdom in the 19th century, people started to lay out tea and hold tea dances. The tea gardens lost value after World 

War II but tea dances are still held today in the United Kingdom.  Though my families generation we know this to be true.  In Britain tea is usually black tea served with milk (never cream; the cream of a "cream tea" is clotted cream served on scones, usually with strawberry jam, a tradition originating from Devon and Cornwall). 

Cream Tea with Clotted Cream

   

An elevenses is a snack that is similar to afternoon tea, but eaten in the morning, you guessed it darlings..that's right at 11:00 a.m. no trick here!! It is generally less savory than brunch, and might consist of some cake or biscuits with a cup of coffee or tea.  

"Hi"Cream Tea with Scones

I remember being in a shop in England where the whole village stood still in time! It was 11:00 a.m and everyone stopped for tea. 

They really take their tea seriously (like cats do with chicken or fish)!

My human shared many stories of her childhood in England, her maternal grandmother had 'hi-tea' with white table cloth, tea served in bone china tea pot with real loose tea... (tea bags were not invented but considered.....as sweeping off the floor). She remarked of having her first afternoon tea experience when she was 8 in a hotel.  

Afternoon tea: is a small meal snack typically eaten between 2pm and 5pm. The custom of afternoon tea originated in England in the 1840s. At the time, the various classes in England had a divergence in their eating habits. The upper classes typically ate luncheon at about midday and dinner (if not eschewed in favor of the later supper) at 8:00 pm or later, while the lower classes ate dinner at about 11:00 am and then a light supper at around 7:00 pm. For both groups, afternoon tea filled a gap in the meals. 

 

Downton Abbey:
Mrs. Patmore and Staff prepare

While visiting Belvoir Castle, Anna Maria, Duchess of Bedford, is credited as the first person to have transformed afternoon tea in England into a late-afternoon meal rather than simple refreshment.

The term “high tea” was used as a way to distinguish it from afternoon tea. Though it is often stated that the words "low" and "high" refer to the height of the tables from which either meal was eaten, the term for the later meal actually relates to the usage of "high" as in the phrase "it's high time". Afternoon tea was served in the garden where possible; otherwise it was usually taken in a day room, library or salon where low tables (like a coffee table) were placed near sofas or chairs generally (hence the fallacy about it being low tea).    It reminds me a little of Downton Abbey, this is how I run my kingdom! LOL.

Well my Darling, after all that I deserve a saucer of milk with Sr. Sammy..........more on tea next time!

Knight Quest: In Search of the Holy Cat Grail

Hello MY Darlings!

I have been busy writing decrees and commissioning......

"Sir Sammy" is on a Knight's quest in search of the Holy Cat Grail.

Dawn breaks upon the kingdom

There have been eerie noises emanating from the hallways and peripheral grounds of my kingdom.  Workmen have been rebuilding the walls of my castle since the last siege.  Nothing more than a few crumbling stones ....nothing of great magnitude. Clanging swing-stage break the sounds of morning silence when I demand my sleep. Nothing to say of the privacy issues.  This requires Knight Sammy to be on 24 hour guard, the most honored in my cat kingdom. The look and stealth of a noble family.        

The Journey Begins: Into the uncertain mist

The journey is set to begin at dawn, my dark knight is set to embrace adversity, fearless and undaunted by the face of mystery. Poised strength is his cloak that awaits dawn's early rise.

"Go Sir Knight, be valiant"!

Noble "Black Knight"

Chiseled face and expressive eyes carve out the mission quest with determination.
 

Noble knight raises the position of our humble kingdom by being part of it. I am fearless, "I will stalk the night moving with stealth into the dawns early light, perhaps a few field mouse to give me strength for my journey".

My super cape with special Star will guide my path

Holy Grail Chalice

Eloriomonous Moat

Ashness Bridge - Keswick - Cumbria UK

Long ago my ancestors were known for their hunting skills and stunning intellect...I will bring all this to the surface......fast flowing rivers and mountains are not an obstacle but a welcomed 
challenge. "Oh Holy Grail lead me to you".

Perhaps some delightful salmon pate on route.....


The Holy Grail Cat Chalice: is to be furnished from fine leaded crystal resplendent of Cumberland distinction.  Humans often refer to the shape as Brandy Snifter. Only the Queen of the Kingdom is allowed to partake of it's contents after her servant tests the royal morsels.

The word chalice derives from the Greek kalyx through the Latin calyx, in which it simply means ‘cup’. A chalice is, in fact, simply a cup meant to hold drinkable liquid, although it has come to have more specific connotations. Generally chalices are looked upon as religious objects, and in the modern world are most often associated with Christian masses, out of which the Eucharist wine is drunk.

The most common shape for a chalice is with a large bowl on top, with a stem that widens out as it goes down to a flat base. Most chalices have fairly wide bowls, but some are smaller, sometimes then referred to instead as a goblet. Because of its central place in the Mass, as well as its material beauty, the Christian chalice is usually treated with a great deal of respect and reverence.

Word back from the palace .......Sr. Sammy walked for miles on his 14 trek. The treasure buried was finally found in a remote location called "The Beaches"in sandy soil, partially dried elements were left in the archaeological dig.



Dusty, tired paws covered in sand and his coat and cape worn by the adventure.

Ah Bliss after Pampering

All in a Knights work. Resting my paws

 He was treated to the Royal treatment by grooming by the ladies in waiting, where his whiskers and coat were shone to perfection. 

A hearty dish and a smile from his Queen gave him the satisfaction of his noble duty.



Well, MY Darlings, I am delighted to be dining once again in Royal style.  Sr. Sammy is now on retreat after a valiant journey.

Queen Diva Nods to her Knight!

**Happy Mothers Day***

Next post: -- Afternoon at the Palace Royal.....what will it be like?
http://thedivafilechronicles.blogspot.ca/