A Broadway Treat

by Patrick O'Connor

It used to be such a simple affair going to the pictures or the flicks as we used to call it.

Hand over a few coins, grab some popcorn from the small kiosk and sit through a support feature before the main event.

Back in those days –  I’m talking about the late 50s, early 60s here –  there was a huge selection of cinemas to go to. Grand names such as Regal, Alexandra, Classic and Gaumont.

The one within walking distance from me was called the Cavendish and it is there that my love of film began.

Saturday morning matinées for kids, what an adventure that was...

Who Are We?

by Margaret Watson

I don’t know about you, but I get a little confused at times as to who exactly I am and even what to call myself. It depends upon the circumstances and who I am with to some extent: In a shop I may be ‘Madam’ or ‘Love’. In other parts of the country it might be ‘Duck’, ‘Pet’, ‘Luvva’ or ‘Hen’ At home I can be Margaret, Maggie, or Mom. Elsewhere I might be Mrs Watson or John’s wife, Jo’s Mom, Brenda’s sister or even occasionally myself. I have been identified as Alf’s daughter, Lizzie’s niece, Eric’s cousin – I could go on. I am a wife and mother, a daughter, sister, cousin, neighbour. I am a cook, a midwife, a gardener, a writer, a preacher, the lady at number 60 and a woman. Sometimes I take on several of these roles in one day and even more than one at once.

The English Garden

by Margaret Watson

This week we have had the Royal Chelsea Garden Show, one of the best and most famous in the world. Gardeners come from as far away as Japan to show their blooms and skills at Chelsea. Although I lived in central London for a number of years I’ve never been. For one thing it is too crowded and for another the crowds are only allowed to view the gardens from the edge. For me it is all about handling the plants, brushing against them, smelling as well as seeing the roses, the freesias and more exotic blooms. I prefer to watch this one on the television with my feet up and a cup of tea. I can listen to the interviews with the growers and designers and see the plants close up. It isn’t as good as real life, but it will do. The one time I would like to be at Chelsea is at closing time on the last day – that’s when they sell off the plants for charity. I’d need more than a taxi to get home that day.

A Quick Guide to Coping with Culture Shock

by Heather Pears

One sunny afternoon my cousin and I were seated on the small patio of a restaurant in the Hungarian countryside. The beautiful scenery was lost on us because we were busy staring blankly at the menu in front of us. Slowly the feeling of panic grew, nothing made sense! What was “galuska”, was it something I wanted to try? Suddenly a waitress set a big bowl of food in front of us, saying something that sounded like “Is good!” With that she was gone.

Fast forward ten years. I found myself standing in an underground subway having an emotional meltdown. I was paralyzed by confusion and anxiety. There were 6 sets of stairs radiating upward to street level and I had no idea which way to go. I couldn’t understand the signs and, even if I could find someone who spoke English, the people rushing past me looked too busy to answer my questions.

May Day

by Margaret Watson

May Day is always celebrated on the first Monday in May, which means that this year it will be Monday May 5th.

In my Shropshire school they had a Maypole. It is probably long gone, to make way for netball courts or climbing frames which can be used every day, but then it was only a once-a-year experience. Someone would climb up and attach ribbons in various colours to the circle at the top.  A little girl then held on to her ribbon and danced in an intricate pattern so that the ribbons crissed and crossed to form diamonds of colour. Well, that was the theory, but we were very young, totally under-rehearsed and the result was chaos, and one child nearly getting strangled in pink ribbon – but at least we enjoyed ourselves. I wonder if they ever got the ribbons untangled.

Cadbury Creme Egg

How do you eat yours?

by Lynne Hand

Cadbury Chocolate is a household name in the UK, and the Cadbury Creme Egg, a brand of chocolate egg produced by Cadbury is their best selling confectionery item between January 1st and Easter, with annual sales in excess of 200 million items and a brand value of approximately £45 million.