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EPISODE 850 KNEE PAIN…MOBILE SOLUTION…A BIT EMBARRASING

EPISODE 850     KNEE PAIN…MOBILE SOLUTION…A BIT EMBARRASING 

alan skeoch
june 2023’england



HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN?

I Would not describe myself as mighty but the general idea fits.  I had been too proud to admit my knee gives me 
a lot of pain.  So bluff.   Stagger is a better word.. That ploy did not last long.

“Dad, I have renter a scooter for you all week.”
“No goddam way am I going to use a scooter”
“Delivery coming up lane now.”
“Makes me look like an old fool.”
“True…but sometimes you look that way without the scooter.   Get on
it.  Easy to use.”

(Too easy … soon everybody wanted my scooter.   Then they began regarding
the scooter as a bag truck….piled all the groceries on, even a bag with two watermelons
that rolled away and a little kid helped me catch them.  That was a waste of time the watermelons
were past the due date…spongy.  Should have given them to my little helper who swiped
a plastic bucket from a stack of them.)
Strange how a big man on a little scooter was totally ignored by the Morris dancers which
allowed me to zip in and out as they jumped about.



Nolan told the horses….
“Grandpa will be buzzing around.  Do not get alarmed.  Do not laugh at him.  He is super sensitive.”

Under all these bags is a scooter and two watermelons. They are rolling out of the scooter.  “I will get them” announced a helper with  big plastic pail.

Morgan and the dogs liked to zip around…


“Hey, Dad, I am going  to buy one of these scooters to get back and forth to the horse stables”

MY EMBARASMENT (sp) WAS SOON FORGOTTEN.

POST SCRIPT

When I began using a cane due to knee pain, I suddenly became aware of 
so many other lame people with canes.  Some of us nodded  to each other.
When I graduated to this scooter the same thing happened….nodding to each other.
‘Birds of a father flock together”, comes to mind although the analogy is
not accurate.   Birds fly…we stumble.  I have decided to get my knee fixed…surgery.
If all goes well does that mean I can no loner nod at those with canes…no longer
grin a t those with scooters.  I fear I will join the arrogant majority once more.
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EPISODE 849 MORRIS DANCERS…why do they jump about?

EPISODE  849   MORRIS DANCERS…why do they jump about?

alan skeoch

june 2023


Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers, usually wearing bell pads on their shins. Implements such as sticks, swords and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers.


WE MEET A BUNCH OF MORRIS DANCERS , june 2023

The village of St. Albans had closed off its main street for a bunch of senior
citizens in odd costumes…with bells on their ankles and either hitting each other with sticks
or leaping in the air and waving white handkerchiefs all in time with a violin and an accordion.
Big crowd had gathered.

Strange to see men leaping in unison while waving a white  nose cloth.  Even stranger to see 
two rows of women in green dress trying to hit each other hunks of wood….while dancing .

“What’s happening?”
“I think these are Morris dancers?”
The name came to me although I had never seen such dancers before.
“Strangest dancers I’ve ever seen.   Big men and big women acting as if they are light  feathers.”
“Could you do it?”
“Not with my bad knee.”
“These dancers are 60 to 90 years old.”
“How do you  know that?”
“By their haircolor or lack of hair.”

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF MORRIS DANCING?

“’Seems to have begun as a fertility thing way back in the 15th century.”
“Fertlility?”
“”Villagers wishing that their neighbours would get pregnant.”
“Did they not know the real facts of life,?
“Sex?”
“Yes.  Getting pregnant and having healthy children is a matter of chance….it does not 
happen that easily.”
“Are Morris dancers encouraging sexual activity?”
“Seems so….although the dancing could be a harvest wish……good crops?”
“Do you know what I  really think?”
“Morris dancing is not a fertility blessing or a  wish for good harvest….then what?’
“I think Morris dancing is just an excuse to have a good time with friends.”
“Now that makes sense.”

“Morris dancers used to be exclusively men for some reason but now both
sexes jump around.”
“I wonder why just men?”
“I have no idea but I bet there was a reason..”
“Find out…..(READERS JOB)

NOTE:  My brother Eric and I did not need Morris Dancers to exlain the facts of life.
We had TINKER who attracted Tom Cats like a magnet does hairpins.   She chose one,
struck an odd posture.  The Tom Cat then crawled on fast and got away fast.  Then
we had kittens….lots o of kittens.  TINKER was a teacher.  Her Tom Cat visitors lined
along the back fence and sang some sexual song in perfect harmony until dad fired 
the bb gun from the kitchen window.





History in England

While the earliest (15th-century) references place the Morris dance in a courtly setting, it appears that the dance became part of performances for the lower classes by the later 16th century; in 1600, the Shakespearean actor William Kempe, Morris danced from London to Norwich, an event chronicled in his Nine Daies Wonder (1600).
Almost nothing is known about the folk dances of England prior to the mid-17th century. While it is possible to speculate on the transition of “Morris dancing” from the courtly to a rural setting, it may have acquired elements of pre-Elizabethan (medieval) folk dance, such proposals will always be based on an argument from silence as there is no direct record of what such elements would have looked like. In the Elizabethan period, there was significant cultural contact between Italy and England, and it has been suggested that much of what is now considered traditional English folk dance, and especially English country dance, is descended from Italian dances imported in the 16th century.
By the mid 17th century, the working peasantry took part in Morris dances, especially at Whitsun. The Puritan government of Oliver Cromwell, however, suppressed Whitsun Ales and other such festivities. When the crown was restored by Charles II, the springtime festivals were restored. In particular, Whitsun Ales came to be celebrated on Whitsunday (Pentecost), as the date coincided with the birthday of Charles II.
Morris dancing continued in popularity until the industrial revolution and its accompanying social changes. Four teams claim a continuous lineage of tradition within their village or town: Abingdon (their Morris team was kept going by the Hemmings family), Bampton, Headington Quarry, and Chipping Campden. Other villages have revived their own traditions, and hundreds of other teams across the globe have adopted (and adapted) these traditions, or have created their own styles from the basic building blocks of Morris stepping and figures.
However by the late 19th century, and in the West Country at least, Morris dancing was fast becoming more a local memory than an activity. D’Arcy Ferris (or de Ferrars), a Cheltenham based singer, music teacher and organiser of pageants, became intrigued by the tradition and sought to revive it. He firstly encountered Morris in Bidford and organised its revival. Over the following years he took the side to several places in the West Country, from Malvern to Bicester and from Redditch to Moreton in Marsh. By 1910, he and Cecil Sharp were in correspondence on the subject.
Several English folklorists were responsible for recording and reviving the tradition in the early 20th century, often from a bare handful of surviving members of mid-19th-century village sides. Among these, the most notable are Cecil Sharp, Maud Karpeles, and Mary Neal.
Boxing Day 1899 is widely regarded as the starting point for the Morris revival. Cecil Sharp was visiting at a friend’s house in Headington, near Oxford, when the Headington Quarry Morris side arrived to perform. Sharp was intrigued by the music and collected several tunes from the side’s musician, William Kimber; not until about a decade later, however, did he begin collecting the dances, spurred and at first assisted by Mary Neal, a founder of the Espérance Club (a dressmaking co-operative and club for young working women in London), and Herbert MacIlwaine, musical director of the Espérance Club. Neal was looking for dances for her girls to perform, and so the first revival performance was by young women in London.
In the first few decades of the 20th century, several men’s sides were formed, and in 1934 the Morris Ring was founded by six revival sides. In the 1950s and especially the 1960s, there was an explosion of new dance teams, some of them women’s or mixed sides. At the time, there was often heated debate over the propriety and even legitimacy of women dancing the Morris, even though there is evidence as far back as the 16th century that there were female Morris dancers. There are now male, female and mixed sides to be found.
Partly because women’s and mixed sides were not eligible for full membership of the Morris Ring, two other national (and international) bodies were formed, the Morris Federation and Open Morris. All three bodies provid
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EPISODE 846 CHARITY STORE SHOPPING, MUSWELL HILL, LONDON, ENGLAND, JUNE 2023

EPISODE  846      CHARITY STORE SHOPPING, MUSWELL HILL, LONDON, ENGLAND, JUNE 2023


alan skeoch
june  2023

Marjorie may not like this photo but it captures her determination to visit all the
charity stores in Muswell Hill.  Escorted by our amused and joyful grandchild, Morgan.
Marjorie gets lost often…or is it me that does so?

No trip to London, England, is complete without a day spent hopping from one CHARITY STORE to
ANOTHER.   Recycling shopping is one of our favourite activities.   Not just clothes…lots of books, dishes
and boots.

“Marjorie, next time we come to London let’s travel very light. Maybe come in the nude even.”
:Why?”
“We can dress ourselves in the charity stores cheaply.”

We did not quite go that far but could have done so.  And a nude flight would give a little more
room for our hips in those economy airline seat designed for those with no fat…for human
skeletons.



That’s our eldest son, Kevin, somewhat patiently awaiting us.


Why is Morgan looking at me in such startled fashion?   Simple.  Her job is to prevent use from getting lost.
Easy to do.   So she acts like an insufferable mother hen. 


Dominating Muskel Hill is this grand church now turned in to a grand pub.  When the church tried therefore no pubs allowed
in the village.  Now it is closed.  But even now there are only two pubs.   So if its beer you are after walk down to Crouch End or
up to Highgate whose graveyard features the massive headstone devoted to Karl Marx.  Never get bored in London.



Kevin has lived in many London homes so we are quite familiar with the city and
all its nooks and crannies.   Highgate, Crouch End snd Muswell Hill were the last 
three before Shenley.  The result?   We know a lot of Charity Ships In London and 
consider Muswell Hill one of the best with 7 or 8 or 9 Charity shops in the urban village.
A super good fish and chip shop like Toff’s in the middle.  Today I am wearing Canadian
Salvation Army shoes, pants and shirt so we do shop in Canada as well.  

If you have nto shopped in a charity store you have missed a nice experience.

alan
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EPISODE 844 SHENLEY EQUESTRIAN….THE HORSES AND STABLES JUNE 24, 2023

EPISODE 844    SHENLEY EQUESTRIAN….THE HORSES AND STABLES  JUNE 24, 2023


alan skeoch
june 2023




Much of Shenley Equestrian rests on the shoulders of Kevin Skeoch.   A heavy load. I would sure have difficulty
as I am very nervous around horses.  The horses know that and do theer best to intimidate me. Maybe I am  wrong
Maybe they just want  a kiss.  Ears back is the clue.  Look for it.  No point in much dialogue here.  Photos say it all.

1) A long series of box stalls for horses  Built n 1903 with money provided by a London financier who you met earlier.
        ’Two colours of bricks.   Yellow for the basic buildings and red for the finishing touche….their is a word for
this that I have forgotten,

2) Luxury home for each horse.  Room to excercise and the horse can lay down if it so wishes.    New bedding of wood shavings each day while 
the soiled shavings and straw are removed.   These are pampered animals.  

3) Five hundred acres of pasture…more  than the horses will ever need.

4) A professional team of horsewomen 

No need for much comment.   Look at the pictures

alan


Ears back!  Horse nervous.  Did not like me.




Mungkin imej kuda dan rumputMungkin imej 1 orang dan kuda



Mungkin imej 2 orang, kuda, seluar dan teks yang berkata 'SHENLEY EQUESTRIAN SHENLEY'Mungkin imej 2 orang dan kuda
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EPISODE 840 A WALK DOWN RECTORY LANE, SHENLEY STUD FARM, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND JUNE 2023

EPISODE 840   A WALK DOWN RECTORY LANE, SHENLEY STUD FARM, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND  JUNE 2023

alan skeoch
June 2023



This is Rectory Lane.   The only way  tor reach Shenley Stud Farm is this
single lan road which is engulfed by greenery.   Hertfordshire seems to
have been  ignored by tourists.    Rectory Lane is a road that seems to have been
forgotten…sides reserved for foxes and horses and those little spiny things called hedgehogs 
which are rarely seen.

We met a horse and rider.    They both acted like the road was theirs and we were
trespassing.   As we were.

If you want to visit Shenley Stud Farm then you must go down Rectory Lane.
Relax.   You will enjoy the trip.














Congratulations.     Next episode you will meet the horses that now
live where once TIGALIE LIVED.

MARJORIE  wants me to remind you that Nolan Skeoch created the  Shenley Equestrian sign.
You will meet her shortly.   Morgan Skeoch, her sister, escorted you down Rectory Lane with her two
Daschounds Emily and Basil.

ALAN
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EPISODE 835 TIGALIE …THE HORSE THAT MADE SHENLEY STUD FARM FAMOUS, JUNE 5, 1912

EPISODE 835    TIGALIE …THE HORSE THAT MADE SHENLEY STUD FARM FAMOUS, JUNE 5, 1912

Alan skeoch
June 27, 2023


Epsom Derby 1912


WHO WAS TIGALIE?  

  Finding TIGALIE was like OPENING  a door to a treasure room.
…much about the past, particularly the years around 1912 when
Shenlie stables was famous as a Stud Farm.  Only made famous
because of one horse…TIGALIE.

  She was a small horse….a filllyl…a grey 
filly.  Not much was expected  of her at Epson Downs on June 5, 1912.  Se ws racing
against 19 stallions….big, aggressive horses.   The best of 1912 three year old 
hoses.

LOOK AT HER….TIGALIE


THIS IS tigalie in 1915 with one of her colts, Mabella.
.  The photo was taken three years after she won
the Epsom Derby’s 1,000 guinea purse.


We were walking down Rectory Lane, an obscure farm road
almost overwhelmed by forest and shrubs.   An opening..a long
ell low brick wall announced SHENLEY STUD FARM 1903.
The bricks were old and faded as was the stone name.  Beside that
sign was a smaller sign….so small that the name TIGALIE was almost
obscured.


This sign was designed by Nolan Skeoch in 2023 to advertise  Shenley Equestrian….located in the same horse styles where
once TIGALIE was housed.


BELOW IS A DESCRIPTION OF THE EPSOM DERBY RACE ON JUNE 5, 1912

“ENGLISH DERBY DAY, JUNE 5, 2012


GREAT RACE RUN IN A BLAZE OF SUNSHINE

MULTITUDE GREETS KING AND QUEEN

EPSON DOWNS

“The gray mare is The best horse after all.”
Derby Day ws Ladies’ Day all the way. The
 beautiful TAGALIE won the great race with
ALL the ease and consciousness of a fine lady leading 
her admirers across the green.  She never faltered,
never for one moment was her supremacy in doubt.
The flag fell, the historic Derby roar “They’re off!”
went up in the glowing sunshine with the excited sob
of tens and tens of thousand at the tail of it, and the
brave little lady horse, with proudly arched neck
and sweeping tail, went away and up the hill like a hare.
She was the only filly in the race, and a gray one at that.
They were all saying that a gray horse never had won
theDerby, and never could. So there you are!
 
TAGALIE not only won; she was supreme through every
moment of the race.  Very soon nineteen gentlemen horses, 
with  the right spirit of the true equine aristocrat acknowledged
themselves TAGALIE’S faithful servants…all the way she was
showing them her heels…silver plated, flashing like
summer lightning.

There never was a prettier race….the weather perfect.
One little spatter of rain then the sun came out and shone most 
gloriously in a heaven of blue…little white clouds romped
across the sky like lambs. The air was sweet, the turf 
was green and soft…soft enough for the most tender
footed filly that ever cantered.

The crowd was tremendous.  Mr. Henry Chaplin, who won
the Derby win 1867 was bluff and hearty as ever as he gazed
through his monocle and declared that he never remembered such
a gathering.  The crowd stretched without a visible break
around the whole vast circle of the course…all the fun of 
the fair raged and shrilled.  

Just before lunch King
George V and Queen drove up from 
the Downs station and the entire seethe of humanity
burst outing a cheer of heart greeting.

 King George V wore a morning suit and a silk hat; the Queen
a smart grey cloth coat and shirt with a pretty grey and
white hat adorned with white feathers.  The large party in
the Royal Box included his elder daughter Princess Victoria
of Schleswig-Holtein, the Duke and Duchess pf Teck and the 
Hereditry Grand Duke of Mecklenberg-Strelitz.  A great 
number of fashionable people were there but Epson,
unlike Ascot, is not s dressy function; it is a popular
carnival (however) full of spirit and the clamour
of a go-as-you-please festival.

Note: The English Royal family were part  German.  Odd
situation on verge of World War One.
June 5, 1912


This was run on Wednesday 5th June 1912 and the winner was bred by Mr Walter Raphael and trained by Dawson.Waugh at Newmarket. There were 20 runners from an initial entry of 353. The winner won by 4 lengths with 2 lengths between second and third. The winners time was 2 min 38.8 secs.


WHAT ABOUT THE MONEY?

Two very different notes about the money.    One source said that the
owner of TAGALIE received a purse of 1,000 gunnies, the 
other was much higher at  more than 6,000    pounds..

I assume The ‘purse’ was 1,000 guineas.  Let’ s work with that figure even though
the actual winnings in the Epsom Derby  of 1912 may have been more than six 
time that figure.   

1) One thousand guineas in 1910 is worth 78,172.20 pounds …over $1.000,000 ,,, 
,,,, a lot of money that Walter Raphael shoved in his pocket 

2) What could be bought with a thousand guineas in 1912.    For a starter Mr. Raphael; could buy
36 ,more  horses for Shenley Stud Farm.  And he probably did because TIGALIE would
need company.   She would be bred.

3_ Water Raphael could buy 103 cows but  There is no indication
of that.  Mr. Raphael was a financier living in London.   He brought friends out to his Shenley 
Stud Farm from London for visits.  He did not live there.   Mr. Lynne ran the stud farm fo rMr Raphael
and lived on he adjoining Elliot Farm with his family.  He should have gotten a reward … part of the purse
but there is no record of that.   Wealthy people know how to hold on to their money….sorry that is 
an unkind remarkL

4) A thousand guineas could also purchase 1851 stones of wool or  781 quarters of wheat …I leave that
for you to convert.

5) Now this final figure is fascinating.  It says so much about England and  the landed aristocracy. 
Walter Rapuhael could by 3030 ‘days wages’ from skilled tradesmen with that thousand guines purse.  
He could hire a skilled horseman for nearly 3 years.   And he probably did.

6) Suppose the purse was six times tht figure as most sources say.   Now tha is a lot of money/
Little wonder that more than 340 English horsemen tried to qualify for a position at the Epson Downs
starting gate in 1912.  There was only room for 20 horses…and  only one of those horses was a filly
…the only grey horses in the race.   Her name was TIGALIE.   She made the Shenley Stud Farm
famous.  sadly none of her colts were as strong.


POST SCRIPT

How much is a guinea worth in dollars?
Originally Answered: How much is a ginea worth in dollars?

A Guinea was 21 shillings In old L.S.D in today’s money that is £1.05 p . At today’s prices the pound is worth $1.41. So to get the exact amount we have to add one twentieth of the dollar exchange rate which is 0.8 cents plus $1.41 . So a guinea in dollars on the 24 th March 2018 would of been worth $1.49 . But in the days when the uk used guineas as currency this amount would of been at least three times greater .



UNDERSTANDNG BRTISH MONEY BEFORE 1971

The pound, for which a slang term is quid (still) was made of 20 shillings, slang term bob. Both quid and bob have the same form for singular and plural.

A shilling was 12 pence. Pence is plural of penny when talking about value. Pennies is plural of penny when talking about the physical coins.

That makes a pound worth 240 pence. 20 x 12

A guinea was 21 shillings, so a pound and a shilling.

A crown was worth. 5 shillings, or 60 pence, so a half-crown was 2 1/2 shillings, or 30 pence

The money had such a high value that even a penny could be divided. There were halfpennies (pronounced hay-p nee) and farthings, which were worth a quarter of a penny.

Other coins were the sixpence, threepence, pronounced thruppence, and the twopence, pronounced tuppence.

The letters used were £ S D or LSD, for pounds, shillings, and pence, and that’s how prices would be displayed.

As the value dropped the lower denominations were retired, such as the farthing in 1960.

The money was decimalised in 1971 and a pound became 100 pence.

Now Austen and Dickens will make more sense.

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EPISODE 838 THERE ARE RISKS INVOLVED IN MANAGING A COUNTRY ESTATE …as Kevin discovered

NOTE:  Before I get to the horse stories I think some credit is due to Kevin
for getting the wayward jungle of the formal gardens under control.  It was not easy. It
also could be darn dangerous.


EPISODE  838    THERE ARE RISKS INVOLVED IN MANAGING A COUNTRY ESTATE …as Kevin discovered


alan skeoch
June 25, 2023

What is strange about these pictures above?  Right guess!  They need a hair cut.



English country estates had many employees ….they were needed to keep the 
estate pristine … Just to keep the ornamental trees and hedges and formal grardens
neat and tidy required a bunch of gardeners.   Our grandfather, Edward Freeman, was head
gardener at the Eywood Estate near Kington, Herefordshire way back in 1900.  He
had a staff of 10 ‘under gardeners’.

Kevin Skeoch does not have that luxury so has undertaken to keep the Shenley Estate
under control with a staff of one.  One person.   There are risks involved
just pruning there ornamental shrubs.  So Kevin Skeoch is shaping the 
Shenley Estate.  Rectory Lane, Hertfordshire more than a century later.

“When we moved here the shrubs had become a forest and the grass was a hay field….
took a lot of work bringing the estate back to life…and I am not finished yet.”

“What comes next?”

“See those tall ornamental cedars over there?’”

“You have made them look beautifull except for the tops.
Tops need a haircut.”

“So I have borrowed this scaffolding from the carpenters.  On wheels.  help me
push the tower over to the cedars.”

“Joking!   Way too dangerous….you could killl yourself.”

“Push!  Call Morgan out to help.”

“Dad, this is stupid.  You cannot climb the scaffold…it will be top-heavy”

“How else can I clip the rest of the two trees.”

“Leave them alone….they look like immense pineapples now…”

“No.  Push….Push”

“Look at the ladder…impossible to get to the top platform and 
then reach out with the clippers.”

We argued and cursed.  Kevin responded in kind.  ‘Stupid is as stupid does’ was a line
from a Tom Hanks movie that seemed to fit.   Kevin began to climb and then realized
the ladder went to the sky and not to the upper platform.  Reluctantly he climbed down
and made us a few drinks instead.  He never admitted verbally that Morgan, Marjorie and
I were correct.





Then he got another wild idea.   The Horse Trailer…flat roof he could stand on.

“Help me pus the horse trailer into position…I can prune from the roof.”

We did not move.  Kevin gave up.  His life was saved.




Later we had lunch.   Kevin still asked about the cedars that needed a hair cut.  “The trailer is a good idea.” Meanwhile I  spent some time
figuring Kevin’s I.Q.   Did he get his brains from his mother or me?
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EPISODE 835 JUST WHO IS ALAN SKEOCH? (courtesy of Nolan Skeoch, granddajughter)

EPISODE 846 JUST WHO IS ALAN SKEOCH
alan skeoch June 24, 2023
There is a chance that some readers might wonder just who is Alan Skeoch, author of these daily episodes. Well, one of my granddaughters, Nolan Skeoch captured me in her 3 second video below.
No more need be said.
> >
Play the video below…3 seconds long
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