The fifth and the last Test match between hosts England and visitors India was awaited by cricket lovers with much excitement with India taking an unbeatable 2-1 lead winning the fourth Test at the Oval, because the Indian fans wanted their team to seal the series win while the England fans wanted their team to bounce back and win the Test to share the final honours. All of them were in for a huge disappointment though. As soon as the junior physiotherapist of Team India tested COVID-19 positive on Thursday, the 9th of September 2012, a day before the fifth Test was to start at the Old Trafford, total and clueless uncertainty enveloped the match; head coach Ravi Shastri and possibly one or two members of the team management including the senior physio (not confirmed) were already in isolation testing positive before the fourth Test. The practice session for India on that day was cancelled.

Since a physiotherapist is obviously to get involved with the players ‘physically’ there were risks of players getting infected if the match was allowed to go on, and many cricket mandarins of India had the prospects of the IPL-2021 starting in nine days in their minds. Perhaps getting concerned for the health of the English players a few of whom are also going to play in the IPL to be followed by the ICC T20 World Cup, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) asked the Indian Board BCCI to forfeit the fifth match which meant that in that eventuality the Series would be considered as drawn at 2-2. It was also instinctive on their part as nobody would want their team give up, as it were, the Series without a fight. The two respective Boards got into a seemingly endless bout of deliberations with no communication to the players.

On Friday, the 10th of September 2021-the day the match was to start-the ECB changed its earlier statement slightly, now saying that India was unable to field a team due to the physiotherapist’s infection and that the match was cancelled. The Indian Board also said that fearing a rise in infections among the playing members the match had to be cancelled. Meanwhile all the Indian players were tested and found COVID negative. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma reportedly objected to the match being called off; although some other report said that they secretly wrote to the BCCI expressing their concern of more infections, because they felt the present status of ‘COVID negative’ might easily change in the course of two or three days. Anyway, the Boards took a long time in deciding, and announced that the fifth Test was cancelled just two hours before the scheduled start. Even the players of both the teams did not know it beforehand.

Now, the verdict of the Series in India’s favour has been the biggest question. If rains had washed out the match India would’ve won the series undoubtedly, but even though the pandemic is also a natural calamity the question is about taking precautions and following the strict protocols, and some in the English camp felt that the Indians were not careful enough. However, we feel that it is indeed unfortunate that the Series was held during a time when England decided to live with the virus after vaccinating most of their citizens, and the matches were fully open to the spectators who were not even asked to wear masks, and in such a situation the players or the non-playing members could get easily infected as they move through the crowds on various occasions, at least while moving through the pavilion stand. There was a soft bubble and necessary tests were done from time to time; and therefore it is not right to blame the Indian camp for their supposed lack of taking adequate precautions.

It was also reported that the ICC would intervene and give the final call on the official result of the Test Series. Perhaps to avoid an imbroglio or any injustice to any team the two Boards finally decided to reschedule the Test sometime next year as there was hardly any time left now with the IPL-2021 starting in nine days followed the all-important ICC T20 World Cup-2021 in UAE. But the problem is far from being resolved, because if the lone fifth Test is going to be held as a standalone or one-off match then how was it to be considered as part of the England Vs India Test Series of 2021, and if it was not considered a part then it must be declared now that India have won the Series at the 2-1 lead achieved after winning the fourth match.

Of course, if the IPL-2021 can be split into two halves-first part already played in Indian venues and the other half in UAE venues-at different time periods with the same league points and standings, then why not apply the same rule here too: hold the cancelled or rather now postponed fifth Test any time in 2022 in England and treat it as part of the 2021 Test Series, the result of which would finally decide the Series verdict. As per the latest international cricket schedule India is supposed to visit England again in 2022. There is an additional aspect of the issue: ECB stands to lose around 40 million pounds on broadcasting rights and hospitality sponsorships from the cancellation of the fifth Test, and therefore, it would be in the Board’s interest to reschedule the match and treat it as a part of the present Series.

The money-game or the money-challenge is everywhere in the game of cricket. Ideally, the series should naturally have been decided in India’s favour and the players should have been flown home immediately to give them the much-needed rest and to prepare them well for the T20 World Cup. But no, the IPL has to be completed for the same monetary stakes for the Indian Board. Another ideal alternative would have been to reschedule the fifth Test in a week’s time, depending on the situation, postponing the IPL-2021 to be held after the World Cup. But no again, for the same reasons; the stakes involve not only the Indian Board, but a large chunk of international cricketers and cricket boards. So then, let’s wait and watch, and enjoy whatever is offered.

Finally, the pandemic is far from over yet, and it has to be taken seriously. Cricket matches must go on being held under strict bubble and behind closed doors. Besides, it is inhuman to keep the cricketers in a bubble-to-bubble scenario and the mandatory isolation plus the endless tests for over a year now. Whatever be the stakes involved in cricket the matches should be held considering all humanitarian angles.

England is a kingdom dripping with tradition and pride. The is a brief intro to this royal kingdom and some places you may find worthwhile.

Yeah, you can find the typical Brit snobs, but you will find that most of the people are friendly, down-to-earth, and steadfast, if at times somewhat enjoyably quirky. In fact, although more reserved than Americans, many Americans find friends in Britain with little difficulty, especially when camping or doing something else together with the British, such as hiking, biking, or other activities. Our common language is a huge advantage in Britain and enables you to speak to anyone.

The land is so enchantingly beautiful it is awe-inspiring. Great Britain truly is one of the most beautiful islands in the world. England is a green, pleasant, and graceful land with rustic, orderly villages and towns and vibrant cities all with centuries-old architecture that capture the quintessential essence of England. It is like visiting an enchanted land.

There are several large cities in England, such as Liverpool and Manchester, but the most important city politically and culturally is London.

London

In some ways, London captures the spirit of England and it is its very center in many ways except geographically. Besides a healthy and ever-changing clubbing scene, London also has a major place to see live theatre in the English-speaking world; and this is located in the West End districts of Soho and Covent Garden. Interesting places to see in the daytime include The Eye, which is a giant Ferris wheel with large enclosed cabins that travel slowly around and provide surprisingly good vistas of London. A cruise tour of the Thames River travels through the center of London, but you may also visit the Tower of London that houses the Crown jewels, the London Aquarium, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Westminster Abbey, and The London Zoo, to name a few. For those interested, London has a number of major world-renowned museums including the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, and the Museum of Victoria and Albert. If you need to do some shopping for yourself or for gifts or just for fun, visit some neighborhood flea markets and antique shops on the weekend.

But London is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Get Out of London

Many American visitors remain in London for their entire vacation, and that is a dogfish shame. If you are backpacking or have the gumption to strike out and travel the roads and byways away from the big city, then for goodness sake after you see some of London, get out of London and roam through the rest of England.

The English countryside has been the topic of rhyme and verse, ballad and song for over a thousand years. Simply put, it is awe-inspiring in its forested grandeur, and a welcome refuge from the hectic city. In deepest England you will free yourself from (most) freeways and except for festivals, mobs of people and find the quiet villages and towns that are the prototypical Olde England. Of course, in the summer months, many Britons have the same idea, so the larger tourist towns may not be as quiet as one may wish.

But there are other delights. In the summer months festivals are everywhere and you will be able to attend folk music festivals, rock festivals, and all other kinds of festivals all across Britain. Visit a government tourist office for festivals in the areas you plan to visit.

In addition, there is an abundance of magnificent medieval cathedral cities such as Lincoln, York, Salisbury, Durham and Winchester, fascinating ruined castles and majestic country manor houses that dot the countryside that are open to the public, an abundance of peaceful gardens, National Trails footpaths hundreds of miles long, and picturesque villages each with its own unique eccentricities, literally all over England.

Research and plan ahead of your trip and plan where you would like to go and what you would like to see and experience.

The following are some districts, towns, and places you might like to visit.

Bath

Some consider Bath the most idyllic of English towns. Bath is west of London and in the beautiful English countryside, Bath is an especially beautiful town. This is the location of the famous Roman Baths, which became popular because of natural hot springs in the area. The remains of the Roman baths are open to the public.

Oxford & Cambridge

These are separate towns but one cannot be discussed without the other, as the history of England is intertwined with the ancient universities of both of these towns. In fact, the two towns are sometimes referred to as “Oxbridge.” Oxford and Cambridge are incredibly beautiful towns that are so profoundly English and upper class that their importance and prestige would border on myth were it not fact.

Oxford is the older of the two towns and Oxford University is the oldest in Britain. Oxford University has 36 colleges and over 14,000 students. Oxford is a very small town that is also one of the major tourist destinations in Britain. This means it is often very crowded, so we do not consider driving a car in Oxford as a viable option. If you are arriving by car, there is a Park and Ride service with buses into the city centre that we recommend you use. Or bring bikes and bike around Oxford. Incidentally, if you attempt to rent a punt (boat) to go punting on the river, we recommend you do so only if you are a strong swimmer as learning to control a punt is incredibly difficult, but as all such things- it looks so easy.

Cambridge is a very pleasant town not far from Oxford. There are many things to see and do in Cambridge, but because it is a smaller in size, Cambridge is the best choice to visit during the school year, but if classes are out Oxford is boss.

Stonehenge & Avebury

Stonehenge is a famous prehistoric ritual site made up of a circular formation of enormous boulders. There are various theories on the origins of Stonehenge, but it is acknowledged that it served as an astronomical observatory and it had major religious significance. Visitors have come in increasing numbers over the years so to protect the site, it can only be observed at a distance, so don’t expect to be able to walk around the boulders.

Avebury is not far away and it is also a magnificent prehistoric site. Unlike Stonehenge, Avebury is still fully accessible to visitors. It is certainly worth a visit.

Cotswolds

The farm fields and gentle rolling hills of the Cotswolds are an gorgeous area west of Oxford, east of Gloucester, and running north up to an area south of Birmingham, in southwest England. The Government has designated it as an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB). It is best to visit this unusually picturesque area off season. Should you visit during the warm months avoid the larger towns and you will not in any way lesson your experience. There is a National Trail called ‘The Cotswold Way’ which is a hiking footpath that runs for 102 miles (164 km) along the dramatic escarpment of the Cotswold Hills from Bath north and then parallel to Gloucester and then north through the countryside to the west of Cheltenham and then north to Chipping Campden. Several prehistoric sites are close to the trail and are worth visiting.

Glastonbury & Its Festival

Of interest to those with of a spiritual, New Age, NeoPagan, Traditional Craft, or Transitional Community orientation, Glastonbury, in Somerset, southwest England, is of special significance. If you are of like mind, you will find this small town an interesting place to visit. For some, it is a place of pilgrimage to experience its special energy-matrix, similar to that of Sedona, Arizona, with the convergence of energy lines, or lay lines, close to the town. Glastonbury also has its share of myths as it is thought by some as the possible location of King Arthur’s Isle of Avalon. In any event, it is certainly a unique place with interesting people.

Since the 1970’s, Glastonbury has been famous for its open-air performing arts festival, which actually takes place in the small town of Pilton, near Glastonbury. The Glastonbury Festival is a music festival that has drawn some of the leading pop and rock musicians, but there is also live theatre, comedy, and dance productions, a circus, a cabaret, and other arts. The Festival usually takes place in the latter part of June, but did not occur in 2012 due to the 2012 London Olympics. In 2011, tickets sold out within four hours of going on sale. You have to plan well ahead if you want to attend.

Cornwall’s Eden Project

Although Cornwall is itself an interesting county, of special interest is an astonishing place called the Eden Project. It consists of two incredibly enormous domes with secondary supporting domes that make up the world’s largest greenhouse. This is a green-conscious facility that is huge in size. If you arrive by foot, bike, or by public transportation, you will qualify for the “Green Discount” of £19.50 for admission. Although expensive, it is well-worth it.

Inside the first dome is a tropical rainforest environment and the second has a Mediterranean environment. Thousands upon thousands of plants and trees are carefully tended. You are able to follow a path through these domed environments. It is a pleasant and beautiful experience. It is located in the countryside 1¼ miles (2 km) from the town of St. Blazey and 3 miles (5 km) from St. Austell.

The Lake District

Another especially beautiful area are the mountains and serene lakes of The Lake District, also called ‘The Lakes’, in northwest England, that essentially is the national park of the same name. The pastoral mountain scenery of The Lakes is breathtaking with stunning views comparable with any you will find in Switzerland. The mountains with its natural lakes and beautiful rustic villages was the inspiration for some of England’s leading romantic poets of the 19th century including Wordsworth and Coleridge.

Manchester

Manchester is an impressive city in the north of England that has transformed itself into a modern metropolis that has fully embraced the 21st century like few others in Europe. Many consider Manchester as the most dynamic city in England if not in Europe, and after London the most important city in England.

Manchester is a lively city with a very active nightlife, a lively fine arts scene, the place of a ‘musical revolution’, and has a considerable amount of modern architecture. It is clearly the city of the future and it is the only English city to carefully plan for orderly and planned residential expansion. It has been compared to Barcelona in its uniqueness and modernity. It is a wonderful place for a vacation, and it is cheaper, friendlier, and more pleasant than London– but that is a personal opinion. Manchester has five universities and a very active night scene.

My earliest memory of drinking tea, was when I was a young girl and had been taken on a special visit to Lion’s Corner House in London. My eyes boggled at the site of cream cakes, piled high on a 3 tiered silver cake stand, and tiny sandwiches cut beautifully into all sort of shapes, just waiting to be devoured by my insatiable appetite. When the waitress came, dressed in her white starched cap and black dress, with a white lace pinafore, I sat very quiet and contemplated which cream cake I was going to have. Before I could get that far, however, there was a grown up discussion on what kind of tea we would drink. My Mother opted for English Breakfast, but my Grandmother decided we would have her favorite “Earl Grey”.

It is hard to imagine, at one time, tea was considered distasteful and unhealthy in England, and was also highly taxed, but Queen Elizabeth saw tea as a very profitable investment. She chartered the East India Co. in 1600 and granted it the monopoly of trade in the East. For over 250 years the company was a crucial player in the rise and fall of the British colonial empire.

The queen introduced tea as a breakfast drink to replace ale. The idea that tea could accompany food was quite abhorent to some, they even added salt and spices to it. The ignorant few, decided to chew on the leaves!. It wasn’t until the Duchess of Bedford devised a ceremony of tea in the middle of the eighteenth century, that tea became an English institution. By the end of the seventeenth century, tea was England’s national drink. Tea gardens abounded in many places, where the drink became an excuse to meet friends and maybe lovers!.

Until this time China had been England’s sole source for tea, but the East India co. discovered the Indian tea plant in the early eighteenth century, however obsession with growing Chinese tea was prevalent but China was not about to give away any secrets as to the propagation and drying methods that had been for centuries, kept behind the Great Wall. India tried to tell the company that their native herb was worth all the tea in China, but the company stubbornly insisted on planting the Chinese seeds.

By the end of the nineteenth century, the East India company had produced approx 170million pounds of tea, three quarters of which kept the English busy boiling water!!

During the early 1900’s something happened to change the way the Western world looked at tea. In 1904 the St Louis world’s fair took place on a very hot day in a humid summer. The producers of Indian tea had taken a booth to advertise their product, but no one seemed to be interested in the hot steamy drink, until someone poured the tea into a glass of ice, now people flocked to the stall to quench their thirst with this new concoction, and Americans still prefer their tea iced today.

I hope to bring you more information about tea, in a later ezine.

Meanwhile, always remember to take the teapot to the kettle, and not the other way around!!

Ena Clewes

Since its introduction into the Western world, tea has grown in popularity and is now the second most popular beverage in the world after water. Throughout its history tea demand has dramatically increased as a result of its good taste, health and medicinal properties and increasingly efficient channels of production and distribution.

Perhaps the most important benefit for the consummate tea drinker is the aura of good feeling and stress reduction.

Tea production and distribution became big business throughout the world as enterprising individuals and companies invested in tea plantations and distribution assets to meet the growing demand for tea. As the business expanded, national governments began to view tea as a valuable source of revenue. Government regulation and taxation often had a detrimental effect on free commerce and customer satisfaction however.

The popularity growth of tea in a country such as England, a country whose tea culture is well established, provides for a viable case study on the social and fiscal influences on the consumption of tea.

During the sixteenth century in England, tea became a popular beverage mainly for the upper classes. Based on a unique taste and realization of tea health benefits, more efficient channels of distribution opened. Although the imports were initially slow, a growing understanding of the lifestyle benefits of tea accelerated this growth into the 18th century.

During this time, taxation, smuggling and adulteration of tea became significant factors in the English tea culture.

Considering tea a tropical luxury, the English government saw revenue-raising opportunities in tea to fund a military buildup that supported expansion of the British Empire. By the 18th Century, tea was a hugely popular drink in Britain but, to the everyday consumer, it was also prohibitively expensive. Tea smuggling became a growth industry in England as smugglers profited as they met the demand for lower cost tea by ignoring oppressive customs duties.

This created a demand among the British population for cheaper tea; when that demand could not be met by legal means, a great opportunity was presented to those people who were less than concerned about breaking the law. From the beginning of the 18th Century, the trade in smuggled tea flourished.

Smuggled tea was that which was brought into the country illegally – it was not imported by the East India Company and it did not pass through customs. Being light and easy to transport, tea was a very profitable smuggling commodity – even more so than alcohol in which there was also a healthy smuggling trade.

The State Needs Money

Like any state, 18th Century England was no exception to the need to raise revenue. Mercantilism was the English policy and a military presence was required to support the English role in overseas colonies and possessions. Expansion of world interests requires two things: a strong military and funds to support military activities.

The state sought to import duties and excise taxes as a way to raise the necessary funds; these taxes soon became excessive. The Government had to legitimize the tax and did so by treating tea initially as a “luxury” that could support high duties in the eyes of the public. Later, however, tea was correctly classified as a “necessity” that would only support lower levels of taxation. Before the Tax Reform Act of 1784 for example, the price of tea was burdened with taxes and duties of over 100% of the pretax price.

In addition, although the supply of tea continued to increase as tea plantations became more productive, the price remained high as the East India Company (granted a monopoly on tea imports by the English Government) artificially manipulated supplies to maintain prices.

High Taxes and Manipulated Supply Lead to Smuggling as a Growth Industry

A pattern developed in English commerce in tea. As taxes were raised on tea imports, smuggling increased in a successful attempt to meet the underlying growth in demand. But smuggling and high taxes had a direct relationship and produced a negative effect on the English economy and population at large.

Although taxation is important for raising revenue, most economists acknowledged that high taxation encouraged smuggling and also that the quantity of tea being smuggled was directly linked to the level of duty levied on legal tea imports. In England, at the beginning of the 18th Century, the government’s need to finance a war in Spain led to an increase in taxation on tea and the price of leaves rose dramatically.

The tax was deemed outrageous and fueled the activities of the tea smugglers. Duty was later slashed by Henry Pelham in 1745, which meant that more tea was legally imported; the quantity passing through customs more than doubled and the increase of tea imports on which duty was paid actually led to the government’s revenues from tea being increased.

However, in the 1750s, the need to finance another war led to another increase of the duty on tea. This, in turn, led to a surge in the business of the smugglers, which continued to thrive throughout the third quarter of the 18th Century.

Though illegal, the smugglers had the support of millions of people who could not otherwise afford to buy tea.

A great deal of tea was smuggled in from continental Europe, shipped into Britain via the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Although smuggling was widespread, in the first decades of the 18th Century many of the smugglers themselves operated on a very small scale. Scores of smugglers used their own small boats in which the contraband tea was then sold to personal contacts and local shopkeepers. Smuggling became a cottage industry.

It was, by now, widely acknowledged that the only way to tackle the smuggling problem was to make tea cheaper – in effect, to reduce the duty paid on it. Therefore, the East India Company, who had powerful allies in the British Parliament, lobbied for the duty to be lowered. The power of the corporate world was thus added to popular demand for permanent change in the tea tax.

It was when William Pitt the Younger became Prime Minister in 1783 that the work of the anti-tea duty forces finally achieved their goal. As a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Pitt was familiar with tax policy and the impact of high taxes on tax revenue. He understood that raising the tax rate often resulted in decreased tax revenue.

Pitt slashed the tax on tea and made up for the revenue lost by hugely increasing the window tax, which was a property tax much easier to enforce. The Commutation Act of 1784 reduced the tax on tea from 119% to 12.5%. Tea smuggling ceased to be profitable and the smuggling trade vanished virtually overnight. More importantly, tea was treated as a necessity rather than a luxury with long term implications for lower tea taxes.

The consumption of lower taxed tea greatly intensified, so much so that even with the reduced rate of tax, the amount of revenue collected from tea was soon restored and eventually exceeded pre-reduction revenue. Equally important, tea became the standard beverage for the greater majority of the English population.

Ultimately, tea drinkers had the window tax to thank for the popularity boost of their favorite beverage!

There are many types of liquor in the world. Some have existed for a long time, like beer or wine. Many have only been made during the last millennium. One of the relatively more recent one is gin.

Gin is a dry and hard white alcohol flavored with the seeds of a juniper bush and other botanicals. The alcohol is made from grains like wheat and rye. It is usually used as a base for other drinks. It is often used in cocktails and other mixes.

As mentioned before, gin is relatively recent. It was created in the 17th century, in 1650 to be exact. The creator was a medical professor at the University of Leyden. He was truly a doctor who knew what his patients needed. His name was Franciscus de la Boie, a.k.a. Dr. Sylvius. He created gin as an inexpensive diuretic for kidney disorders. While gin will never ever fulfill its intended purpose, it became popular anyway, as another way to destroy our kidneys and liver when taken in ungodly amounts.

Dr Sylvius named his creation Genever, which is the French word for the juniper. It was shortened in English to gin. The juniper is a bush can be found all over the northern hemisphere. It grows aromatic blue-green berries. Juniper was not just added for the taste. It is also known to have healing properties. It can act as a diuretic and it also helps with arthritis. Other botanicals are sometimes added to gin, like cinnamon, anise, orange peel, cassia bark, angelica root and coriander. Gin producers have their own secret combinations of botanicals.

Gin was very popular with English soldiers who “sojourned” in the continent. They called it Dutch courage and it was an instant hit when they went there for the Thirty Years War. It warmed their bodies during the cold nights and calmed their minds before the battle. They brought this taste back to England where it found incredible popularity. Gin practically became the national drink of England.

The most interesting thing about gin isn’t the addition of juniper berries or botanicals. It’s the alcohol used. Alcohol is usually made from fruits or aged grain spirits. Gin was made from unaged grain spirits.. Before the creation of gin, such alcohol was considered too harsh. But that was never the case for gin. It tasted good and it was easy to produce too

In this ceremony, parents and Godparents promise to raise the child in the Christian faith. Even if the child’s parents are not regular churchgoers, a child can still be Christened and the local vicar will be able to provide guidance on this. Sometimes a vicar will require parents to undergo a period of instruction before the Christening, but again, this will depend upon circumstances and the vicar him/herself.

Usually, Christenings form part of the regular Sunday service to welcome the child into the community. Often, several Christenings take place in the same service, but in some parishes a private ceremony can be arranged following the Sunday service.

Parents and Godparents will be asked to make declarations that they believe in God and will raise the child to follow Jesus. The vicar will make the sign of the cross and then pour water on the child’s head to wash away sin. Sometimes a candle will be lit in the church or given to the parents to symbolise the light that has now come into their child’s life.

Some vicars will allow parents or guests to choose hymns and readings for the service.

The Church of England suggests that at least three Godparents are chosen, two the same sex as the child being Christened. Usually Godparents are relatives or close friends of the parents – people the child will have regular contact with. Godparents should themselves have been Christened and some vicars also require that they are confirmed. Godparents should be comfortable making the religious promises that are required of them.

In 1999 the Church of England introduced a Thanksgiving or Blessing Service. This is designed for those wanting a religious service to thank God for the child, but are not ready to make the commitment to baptism into the faith. A Christening can always follow at a later date. In these ceremonies Godparents are not chosen, but adults who will have a similar role in the child’s life can take part.

England has so any things in store for its visitors who are on their dog friendly holidays. Accommodations will never be a problem because there are several luxurious holiday cottages wherever you go. As far as attractions are concerned, you will never run out of places to include in your itinerary. From ancient forts, beautiful castles and mansions, interesting museums, lush gardens, lovely coastlines, and pristine beaches. Going around the country is easy and convenient because of the availability of transportation options like the trains, buses, taxis, and bicycles. There are also several great restaurants and cafes anywhere in the country which serves various delicious food. It would be very easy to fill your day with many fascinating things to do and amazing places to visit. If you want more fun at night, you can visit the different bars, pubs, and nightclubs which are just stone’s throw away from the different holiday cottages where you should stay during your dog friendly holidays.

Koola Bar

Make the most of your dog friendly holidays by visiting different attractions both during the day and likewise at night. This pat of the country boasts of lively night bars and pubs. The Koola Bar is one of the best venues to enjoy an exciting night out with friends and family. You can leave the children in your comfortable holiday cottages and go to the Koola Bar which is just near the Chy Bar. Try out some authentic English “pub classics” meals and great drinks while relaxing in its friendly and comfortable environment. Enjoy a night filled with lively music and hit tunes chosen by the best energetic DJs in England. Aside from the great food and exciting music, the location of the bar along the seaside makes it even more interesting which is why a lot of flock there after the sun sets. The Koola Bar is located close to the luxurious holiday cottages so going home would not be much of a problem. During your dog friendly holidays, you should not miss going to the Koola Bar.

Bertie’s Nightclub

After a day filled with sightseeing, you can always go back to your holiday cottages and have a good night’s rest. However, if you feel you haven’t gotten enough for the day and have much energy left for a party night, you can always go the bars and nightclubs for a special night out during your dog friendly holidays. Right in the heart of Newquay, you will find the popular Bertie’s Nightclub where you can experience some of the most exciting and amazing night. This is a great party place and a lot of guests go to this place especially during summer. If you are in the area for your dog friendly holidays, you must go not fail to enjoy at Bertie’s Nightclub.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

Shakespeare-King Henry IV; Part II. Act iii. Sc. 1.

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,

and all that beauty, all that wealth e’re gave,

awaits alike the inevitable hour.

The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

Thomas Gray-Elegy Written in a Country Church-yard

(9th verse) (1716-1771)

Certainly, with the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton (now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge), there is much speculation as to whether William will eventually be King of England. While the King’s Numerology never makes predictions, we can look forward into William’s life via his numbers, especially his Life Matrix, which reveal substantive secrets regarding his future as Great Britain’s monarch.

William was born William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor; 21 June 1982 [Wikipedia]. The first evidential aspect to assess regarding a future kingship for William is his Basic Matrix.

Basic Matrix of Prince William

Lifepath: 11-2

Expression: 9

Performance/Experience (life reality): 11-2

Soul: 8

Material Soul: 55-1

Nature: 1

Material Nature: 66-3

Basic Matrix Assessment

The numbers of William’s Basic Matrix reveal an individual whose numbers support the role of a ruler or leader. They don’t necessarily imply a person will be a king, but they do corroborate the characteristics necessary to the task.

The 9 Expression

Because it is the Grand Elemental and the Number of Mankind, the 9 of William’s full birth name gives him the universality to appeal to all people because not only is the 9 “all people” (all numbers), it reflects every number to that number, thus making the 9 very magnetic, charismatic, universal. Thus, the 9’s universal appeal is excellent for anyone in a public leadership position.

The 11-2 Master Achiever

Working and building in the field of relationships is important to success. The 11-2 master achiever energy is excellent for a leader. William’s 11 Lifepath and 11 PE (the role of his life) are important signals that he will be involved in relationship. Interestingly, William’s mother, Princess Diana, also had an 11-2 in her PE. She also had an 11-2 Material Nature. His father, Prince Charles, has an 11-2 Lifepath. Therefore, it’s not unusual that their first born son would have their energies, especially given the fact of destiny being set before a person is born. Because William’s parents both had the 11-2 in their charts, his schooling to be king one day would only be helped. It’s like being a famous athlete who was born the child of famous athletes. Parentage does bequeath advantages.

The 55-1 Master Explorer/Creator

Having the 55-1 master number in his Material Soul gives William a worldly desire to be a one-of-a-kind individual and leader. The 55-1 does not want to be like everyone else, and in fact it is not. It is very unique. It is also filled with fire because both the 1 and 5 are fire signs. As we also know, 5 is the fulcrum, the midpoint, of the Alpha-Numeric Spectrum, giving it the ability to move with equal ease up and down the Avenue of Crowns. Therefore, the 55-1 is a positive adjunct to William’s 9 energy.

The 1 energy in William’s Material Soul is strengthened by the 1 in his Nature, compounding the power of leadership, action, going first and showing the way. William is his own person even though his life’s lessons and role in life are to be involved in relationship. The two 1s and two 2s in his Basic Matrix give him the ability to act independently while still being a support person, and even though a king is a monarch, he supports the monarchy governing his domain and the people within it.

The 66-3 Master Lover/Artisan

Love in communication is a phrase befitting the 66-3. The personal love and nurturing touch of the 6 in a master frequency (11 x 6) is highly attuned to being positively communicative. This 66-3 is in William’s Material Nature (his worldly personality) and this bodes very well for him, not just in his personal life but also in his public life.

The 8 Soul

The 8 Soul has a desire to manage, administrate, orchestrate, coordinate, and lead, not so much in the pioneering manner of the 1 but in a context of social interaction and management. The Soul energy is the engine that makes the person tick and tock. It drives him, and William is driven to be the 8, to be socially powerful, have status, and connect the dots of his work and career. It is an excellent energy for one who has leadership qualities and seeks to govern well.

Basic Matrix Summary

William’s Basic Matrix is comprised of energy suitable to him, or anyone with the same numbers, being a unique person (1) with universal appeal (9), working in the field of relationship (2), being communicative and approachable (3) and desiring to manage and execute. This pattern will certainly serve him and England well should he become King. And will he? There is a very good chance of it, and the secrets are clearly indicated in his Life Matrix. Let’s take a look.

Prince William’s Life Matrix

Prince William’s Life Matrix clearly manifests, prima facie, the potential for him to be King of England. This doesn’t mean he will automatically be his country’s monarch, but the numerical combinations in his chart certainly reveal the potential for monarchial success.

Whether one is an experienced numerologist or a fledgling novitiate, when one looks at William’s chart, it is impossible not to notice the master number of the executive, administrator, manager, general, or prime mover.

Grand PC Couplet: 8/44-8

In the King’s Numerology, the Grand PC Couplet stands for the core Pinnacle and core Challenge of a person’s lifepath. The Grand Pinnacle and Grand Challenge are usually different numbers. However, in Prince William’s chart both house the same 8/44-8 Influence/Reality set (IR set) indicating management and executive leadership. The 44-8 is in the outcome position of the 8’s causal influence. The 44-8 in the King’s Numerology is called the master worker/leader energy. It often occurs in the charts of great leaders and generals. Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses S. Grant, General George Patton, General Douglas MacArthur, Mother Teresa, and others have this energy dominant in their charts.

The timeline of William’s Grand PC Couplet is from age 44 to 52. This is a powerful indication. William also has the 8/44-8 IR set in his 2nd Pinnacle which begins at age 35. Corroborating this potent 8/44-8 energy is his 4th or Crown Challenge which begins at age 53 and continues to death. Therefore, Prince William’s 8/44-8 IR set of management, executive leadership and worldly success begin at age 35 and continue to the end of his life.

In partnership with the 8/44-8 IR set is the 1/1 IR set which reflects the leadership, star, center-of-attention, and solo aspect of life. No two numbers express management and leadership more than the 1 & 8 together. It must also be taken into account that William’s Soul-his most primal desires, needs, and wants-are ruled by the number 8. Therefore, William’s life will give him exactly what he wants-worldly success, status, power, and executive command. Even though the King of England has only figurehead status, his personality will have a bearing on his position and its affect on the English people, especially given the fact that this is now a social world, an age of the 2 energy, and not an individual world of 1 energy of the last millennium.

Final Epoch: 2/11-2

Williams’ 3rd Epoch (beginning around age 55) is a 2/11-2 – the energy of his Lifepath and PE (his performance in life). Obviously, he will be intrinsically connected with his potential role of relationship when he enters this energy field in his later life.

We must also remember that the filter of William’s Life Matrix IR (Influence/Reality) sets is the number 9, his Expression. The 9, as we know, is the number of universality, the masses, the public stage. Therefore the 1 and 44-8 energies in the Reality or Outcome fields are awash in universal energy and the public.

Summary

As stated in the beginning of this article, The King’s Numerology never makes predictions. It assesses and analyzes numerical energies and patterns to see how they interrelate with one another. Given the numbers, number patterns, and number placements in Prince William’s chart, it is quite possible that his life role of being the next King of England is highly probable. And if this is to be the case, the lesson to gain from his numbers, as with all of our numbers, is that life is destined, and there is, unequivocally, a divine design to life and destiny!

~finis

International Shipping Companies are there to help you in transferring your goods to countries like Ghana and England, it is significant to point here that Ghana and England are one of the many countries which follow rigid international trade, and customs practices. Therefore, if you are seriously thinking on moving your household goods to any of these countries, you should immediately make the choice after shipping and comparing the international shipping companies. Once reliable choice of the cargo and freight shipping company is made, then you will get the following information for shipping to England and Ghana.

Shipping to England

When shipping to England you need to have the original passport available. In case you are also shipping vehicle, make sure that it is neither a brand new vehicle nor too old, because in either cases you will not be able to transfer your vehicle. Moreover, you should also produce correct purchase invoice before the customs officials in the England. The entire inventory should be written in English and make up in your mind that you do not conceal any article of utility. Furthermore, when shipping to England, your cargo should not include prohibited list of items or else your cargo will be confiscated at the port by the customs officials without prior notice. There are several categories of pets which are not allowed in England, and for which purpose, the international shipping company will provide you complete and detailed information. Finally, you should also need to make sure that all shipping documents are updated and signed by the authorized signatories.

Shipping to Ghana

It is your time to move to Ghana and for which reason you need to think actively on shipping to Ghana. The very first thing that you need to make sure is customs documentation. The essential customs documents required by you will be Passport, Letter of Transfer from your employer, Ghana Customs Form C.12, Inventory in English, Personal Unaccompanied Baggage Declaration Form which will be filled by you at arrival in Ghana. If you do not fill the Personal Unaccompanied Baggage Declaration Form, penalty may be levied by the Ghana customs officials.

The lists of duty able and restricted goods which are considered duty able by the authorities include medications, electrical appliances, as well as new electrical items. It is also important to note here that only one electric item per family is allowed. If the medications are carried for the purpose of first aid, then no duty will be charged by the Ghana customs officials.

The list of prohibited items which are not allowed when Shipping to Ghana includes drugs, Pornographic material, Explosives, Counterfeit money, alcohol, and list of other spirits, besides Firearms and weapons. You may be allowed to ship the firearms and weapons only in the situation where proof of ownership, Import License, Police Withdrawal Permit, and License is shown to the customs officials.

Remember, only left hand drive vehicles are allowed in Ghana and moreover, if your vehicle is over 5 years old, you need to pay high customs duty.

The Eighteenth Century England

The Rise of Bourgeois: The Rise of English Novel

A: The Eighteenth Century England

After the restoration of the kingdom in 1660, British society was under the firm authority of the monarchy and aristocracy. People had experienced the commonwealth duration that impacted a kind of transformation in their approach towards different domains of their life either mentally or practically. They were in a perplexed and complex situation. Contradictory political condition resulted in the form of social hierarchy and an aggression for status quo.

However, Britain was also being transformed by the Industrial Revolution after 1688. There was pursuit of luxuries and materialistic well being in the society. Capitalism drastically changed the face of society and this transformation diverted the business and pastimes of the populace.

In response to this paradoxical situation, a nation ruled by the old elite but dominated by business and trade, authors experimented socially mixed combinations of tragedy, comedy, the epic, pastoral, and satire. These classical genres generally failed to resolve the contradictions of the social hierarchy. Moreover, these genres could not reflect the emerging realities of that versatile commercial society and a broader, more socially mixed audience. That dissatisfaction emerged and polished a new genre, fiction with purely English source as W. Long says, “We have a certain pride in regarding it as England’s original contribution to the world of letters.” (p. 338). To understand this evolving interrelationship between social change and literary form, we will discuss different considerable elements in this paper.

B: The Rise of Bourgeois

The political disturbance between 1642 and 1660 had a profound and lasting impact on how writers and readers perceived the nation’s social hierarchy. The creation of a republic in 1649 not only eliminated the king but also temporarily raised a level of the middling sort, including minor domestic traders, shopkeepers, and common army officers. It emerged positions of unique power and influence. This system eliminated the House of Lords and subjected the royalist nobility and gentry to abstraction, severe fines, and the ruinous exploitation of their land. That ultimately gave rise to the bourgeois, the middle class. The main aspects in this regard are as following:

1. Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution can be said, paved the path to the rise of the middle-class and it also created a demand for people’s desire for reading subjects related to their everyday experiences. It caused a drastic change in the social set up and mind set of the society bringing in a bulk of wealth, luxuries and materialistic supplements. Thus that mind set demanded focus as well as importance that gave rise to another class in the society named bourgeois.

2. Belief in Social Hierarchy

Writers and readers of the eighteenth century were shaped by their daily experience of a culture dominated by an almost unquestioned belief in social hierarchy. Our understanding of this hierarchy, and its literary impact has however been hindered by theoretical obstacles and historical simplifications. A now long line of scholars has argued that the conception of “social class” is highly misleading when applied to a culture that conceived of itself through gradations of “status” or “rank.”1 The rising economic power of the so-called middle class or bourgeoisie, itself a deeply divided and complex grouping, did not translate into a grab for power, or even a disrespect for traditional ideas of political authority.

3. Power in the Hands of Commercial Ranks

Moreover, from the Restoration onwards, successful authors tended to write for a distinctly plebeian group of City-based booksellers who regarded literature as a trade and who sometimes became very rich from the “business of books”. Especially following the Glorious Revolution in 1688, writers often subjected the traditional elite to scathing satire, contrasting the decadence and greed of the present aristocracy with traditional ideals of genteel honor and virtue. Nevertheless, writers equally denigrated the avarice and vulgarity of the rising financial elite and seldom suggested that the commercial ranks should take power. Literary representations of the old and new elite, inherited and newly made wealth, are generally characterized by a controlled tension rather than confrontation, generating a series of higher values of morality and national interest while implicitly underwriting the legitimacy of the traditional social hierarchy. In this way, literature played an arguably significant role in mediating the social and political tensions that exploded into revolution in France

.C: The Rise of English Novel

The literature of the 17th century flourished under the patronage of the upper classes. The 18th century in England’s social history is characterized by the rise of the middle class. Because of tremendous growth in trade and commerce, the England merchant class was becoming wealthy and wanted to get focus this newly rich class wanted to excel in the field of literature also. This class was neglected by the high-born writers and their tastes and aspirations were expressed by the novelists of the time. The Novel was, in fact, the product of middle class. With the rise of middle class, hence, the rise of the novel was quite natural.

1. Rise of Middle Class

The England’s merchant class was becoming wealthy and this newly rich class wanted to capture attention by others. This class was neglected by the high-born writers and their tastes and aspirations were expressed by the novelists of the time. The Novel was, in fact, the product of middle class for middle class as expressed by Thrall et al. “… the English novel as an instrument portraying a middle-class society.” (p. 322). With the rise of middle class, hence, the rise of the novel was quite natural. The novel, therefore, developed as a piece of prose fiction that presented characters in real-life events and situations. Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones are some of early English novels. The novel is realistic prose fiction in such a way that it can demonstrate its relation to real life.

2. Invention of Printing Press

Printing was another crucial factor that contributed to the rise of the English novel. The modern novel was the child of the printing press, which alone can produce the vast numbers of copies needed to satisfy literate publication up rise that they can afford.

3. Growth of Newspapers and Magazines

In the 18th century, the appearance of newspapers and magazines attracted a large number of readers from the middle class. These new readers had little interest in the romances and the tragedies which had interested the upper class. Thus need for new type of literature rose that would express the new ideas of the 18th century and this new type of literature was none but novel.

4. Rise of Realism

The 17th century literature was characterized by the spirit of realism and romantic features like enthusiasm, passion, imagination etc. All these characters declined in 18th century. The spirits of reason, intellect, correctness, satirizing etc were the main characteristics in this period. So were the main aspects of English novel of the age. This force of intellect, reasoning and satirizing provided readers with a perfect piece of entertainment along with touching the feelings of readers deeply as Boyd declares a novel as, “A perfect freedom from every degree of immoral tendency, together with the power of deeply interesting the feelings of the reader.” (p.143).

5. Individualism

The social and intellectual currents of the age were linked for creating something new and different. Those who carried out the action became individualized, they were interpreted in and all their complexity and the social pressure on them were minutely detailed. When people wanted to hear stories of those who are not too different from themselves, in a community recognizably a kin to their own, then the novel was born. The Rise of Individualism was also very significant in the emergence of the English novel. Ian Watt sees a typical of the novel that it includes individualization of characters and the detailed presentation of the environment. The novel is more associated with the town rather than to the village, and in some points, they are alike, for example, both involve huge numbers of people leading interdependent lives, influencing and relying upon one another.

6. Educated Women

In the 18th century, women of upper classes and the middle classes could partake in a few activities of men. Although they could not engage themselves in administration, politics, hunting, drinking etc. hence, in their leisure time, they used to read novels.

The eighteenth-century great novels are semi anti-romance, or it was the first time that the novel emerged and distributed widely and largely among its readers; reading public. Moreover, with the increase of the literacy, the demand on the reading material increased rapidly, among well-to- do women, who were novel readers of the time.

Thus, theatre was not such feasible form of entertainment but novel was due to its large audience and its spread all over the land in country-houses. In other words, middle was such an important factor behind the growth of the novel as a new form of art.

Women readers were considered as a crucial factor in providing readership. A better education for women was coincided with a period of a greater leisure for women in middle and upper ranks. The greater leisure for women left a time space, which needed to be filled in. Men were also educated and had an intension to see beyond the narrow local interests and profession to an inspired motivation. Both men and women were receptive to literary forms, which would open up to them recent and real worlds outside their own world.

7. Availability of Writers

Understanding the role of the literary artist in this complex and changing situation raises even more formidable problems. As noted by Raymond Williams, the period after 1680 showed a marked change in the social origins of authors, with more deriving from the middle ranks and fewer from the aristocracy and upper-gentry (1961: 234). Swift, Gay, Haywood, Richardson, Johnson, and Goldsmith came from very modest backgrounds while other writers such as Pope, Fielding, and Burney claimed roughly genteel status without great wealth or an automatic claim to recognition.

8. Market Opportunities

A market economy was the third factor. The sociology of the novel is based very much upon a market relationship between author and reader, mediated through publications, in contrast to earlier methods of financing publication or supporting authors such as Patronage, or subscription. A market economy increases the relative freedom and isolation of the writer and decreases his immediate dependence upon particular individuals, groups or interests.

9. Prohibition on Theatre

The decline of drama also contributed to the rise of the novel in the 18th century. In the 18th century, drama lost its fame that it had in the Elizabethan Age. It did not remain an influential literary form. Hence some other had to take its place and its place was filled by the English novel after 1740 A.D. Thus the decline of drama led to the rise of the English novel. The Licensing Act of 1737 imposed a stifling political censorship on the English theatre. It was a great age of prose. (p. 313) Thrall et al.

D: Conclusion

The success of the novel, on the other hand, owed less to its promotion of “middle-class” values, which had not yet taken a distinctive form, than to its inherent flexibility and ability to mediate a complex and changing social order. The implicit argument of this essay has been that “social class” counts very much in the examination of literature between 1660 and 1800, despite the decline of Marxist criticism. A renewed form of literary criticism sensitive to issues of social hierarchy cannot, however, rely on the old concept of “class conflict” between an old aristocracy and a rising bourgeoisie. Rather, eighteenth-century society generally sought stability by maintaining old political structures in the face of economic change and in fearful memory of social upheaval during the Civil War and Interregnum. Literary evolution during this era was highly sensitive to these changes but also to the desire for stability. Harmonizing these opposite forces was not, however, easily accommodated within existing literary genres. Although the eighteenth century was an era of extraordinary experimentation within the traditional genres of drama and poetry, these older models increasingly receded in the face of the commercial tide of the novel. The novel was in turn distinguished less by its “middle-class” attitudes than by its inherent flexibility to explore society without rules dictated by the inherent laws of genre. Generally conservative from its outset, disagreeing about the nature of elite authority rather than its preeminence, the novel seemed uniquely positioned to harmonize rather than exacerbate social difference.

References

1. Thrall, W. F., Hibbard, A., and Holman, C. H. eds.,(1960), A Handbook to Literature.

Odyssey Press:New York.

2. Alexander, M., (2000), A History of English Literature, Palgrave Foundation: New

York.

3. Long, W. J., (1912), English Literature: Its History and Its Significance for the Life of

the English SpeakingWorld, Ginn and Co.: Boston.

4. Boyd, J.R., (1845), Elements of Rhetoric and Literary Criticism, with copious

practical exercises and examples. For The Use of Common Schools and Academies. Including also A Succinct History of the English language, and of British and American Literature from the Earliest to the Present Times. Harper: New York.

5. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015019369209;view=1up;seq=7

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7. https://www.enotes.com/topics/rise-english-novel

8. https://www.articlesjar.com/rise-english-novel/