Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

Yesterday was just one of those days that rarely comes around in the sporting world. There was some fantastic football (soccer) played at the World Cup in South Africa and the US team sent the nation soccer crazy when they scored the decisive goal against opponents Algeria, nearly two minutes into added time.

It was crazy stuff. The US had knocked on the door several times during the match but were defied by some goalkeeping heroics and then by the woodwork. As we approached the end of the match, it looked like the US were going to go out at the group stages but Landon Donovan’s dramatic stoppage time goal not only secured a deserved victory but also took the US to the top of the group over England.

In the England v Slovenia, it was a similar story. England created several opportunities to score more than the one goal but failed to take them. Ultimately it cost them the chance to win the group. In the other games played yesterday Australia beat Serbia 2-1 and Ghana lost 1-0 to Germany. So in that group it’s Germany topping the group and they now play England on Sunday, while Ghana are now set to face the US on Saturday.

Talking of England, some amazing scenes were seen at Wimbledon. It’s hard to really write about what happened because it was so extraordinary and the history books have now well and truly been re-written.

At 2.00pm GMT John Isner and Nicolas Mahut set foot on Court 18 to resume their match from the previous night. The match was delicately poised as they walked off the Court last night due to play being suspended through bad light,  so when they resumed they were tied at 2 sets all and going into the fifth deciding set.

John Isner

In an astonishing afternoon, Isner and Mahut battled it out with each other and the record books saw record after record broken. Some 10 hours into their game they again left the court for the evening, again bad light stopping play, tied at an amazing 59 games each! Yes, 59 GAMES EACH! Play was officially suspended at 9.10pm GMT by officials although both Isner and Mahut wanted to go on!

Nicolas Mahut

The previous sets had gone 6-4 Isner, 6-3 Mahut, 7-6 Mahut, 6-7 Isner and no-one expected this game to drag on for much more than an hour and a half. To still be going all those hours later was astounding and speaks levels of these guys concentration and fitness. So today they get to go again and to build yet more records. Currently Isner has made 98 aces in the match while Mahut has 94.

So, we’re in hour 10 of this amazing match. The previous record was six hours and thirty three minutes set at the French Open in 2004 when Fabrice Santoro beat fellow Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 16-14.

Another record to tumble was the most games in a match, which had stood at 112 in singles and 122 in doubles. We’re currently at 163 games in this match!

The Wimledon record has also been put in its place as a 1969 singles match between American’s Pancho Gonzalez and Charlie Pasarell ended up 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9 and lasted a mere five hours and twelve minutes.

Further, the record number of aces served by one player in a match has now been broken by both players. The previous record was by Croatian Ivo Karlovic in a 2009 Davis Cup match where he hit 78 aces.

So, whoever wins this game is sure to be tired but they can at least draw some comfort from the fact that opponent Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker had a relatively hard game in defeating Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 16-14.

After today’s feats the players commented:

Isner: ” Nothing like this will ever happen again, ever” while a drained Mahut simply said “We played for too long.”

But the spectators weren’t so convinced at they yelled “We want more”.

So more it is… make sure you watch. You’re unlikely to ever see anything like this again. Here’s the stats so far…

Well, the game two nations were looking forward to ended in a 1-1 draw. England took an early 4 minute lead through Liverpool’s Steve Gerrard but then an absolute howler of a mistake from England goalkeeper Robert Green handed an unlikely goal to the USA just before half time.

Clint Dempsey twisted and turned 25 yards out and wriggled free of his marker to hit a low shot goalwards. It looked comfortable for Green to deal with, but somehow the ball slipped through his attempted grasp and before he could get back in time, it rolled agonisingly over the line. Incredible.

Second half England looked the more likely to take the lead but the US actually had the best chance as Jozy Altidore skint Jamie Carragher down the left side before cutting inside and firing a shot goalwards that Robert Green manged to deflect on to the post.

England had plenty of the ball and created some decent chances but man of the match, Tim Howard was up to everything England could throw at him.

So 1 point goes to each team in Group C and we move on.

If you’re wondering where you can go to watch the World Cup and the USA v England game in particular, then here’s the place for some atmosphere and fun:

Saturday, June 12, 2010
Time: 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Location: Cricketers Arms Pub, Festival Bay, International Drive Orlando

My friend, Rochelle Peachey, of online dating site, ILoveYourAccent.com has also introduced a bit more fun to proceedings by sponsoring the event and running a contest to find the best English / British accent. Here’s Rochelle’s challenge to all Americans…

“America!!!!! Can you do a English/British Accent? Lots of you think you can and get it horribly wrong. We are going to see if you really can. We are giving away a $50 bar/food tab for the best English/British Accent. Remember, we have lots of different Accents on our little Island so they don’t all have to be like the Queen or Hugh Grant. This will be fun and it will be filmed.”

In addition, Orlando’s own DJ Dennis Michael from ESPN 1080’s Best of British show will be there playing some uplifting tunes to get you in the mood before and after the game.

There’ll be plenty of great Food, and of course, the Big Game, USA v England, in Hi Def on many screens as well as other prizes and giveaways. The kids are also covered as there will be an opportunity for them to get their face painted! Fun for all the family.

This is the only place to be to watch this incredible game and now is the time to get your ticket. Do NOT leave it until the day and hope to get in… you might be unlucky as only a certain amount of tickets are available at $5 which includes entry and a drink.

There’s just two days to go before the first game of the World Cup, South Africa v Mexico, and it’s still not too late to download your TV Guide featuring the channels and times when the games will be shown.

Don’t forget the huge game that’s on on Saturday… United States of America v England.

Our 2 great nations have stood shoulder to shoulder through many wars and much global unrest. On Saturday, all that goes down the toilet. It’s WAR once again…….2 teams, 2 lots of fans, one venue…….should be interesting!

You can also download it for FREE by filling in the box below.

Today is St George’s Day and while it is celebrated by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which Saint George  is the patron saint,  St George’s Day is mainly known as England’s National Day. 23rd April is the traditionally accepted date of Saint George’s death in 303 AD and it should also be noted that today was also the day that William Shakespeare died in 1616.

St George’s Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas  from the early 15th century but the seemed to wane by the end of the 18th century after the union of England and Scotland. In recent years the popularity of St George’s Day appears to be increasing gradually and although Saint George is the Patron Saint of England, it is believed that St George was not actually English. It is far from certain that he ever visited England, although legend has it that St George was born in Coventry at Cauldon Castle in Wyken.

The traditional custom at this time is to wear a red rose in one’s lapel, but with changes in fashion this is no longer common and it is becoming more popular to fly or adorn the St. George’s Cross Flag  in some way. Another custom is for the hymn ” Jerusalem” to be sung in cathedrals, churches and chapels on St George’s Day, or on the Sunday closest to it.

Other countries that celebrate St George’s Day include Portugal, Cypress, Greece, Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Macedonia.  It is also celebrated in the old kingdoms and counties of the Crown of Aragon in Spain… Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia.

Saint George & The Dragon

The episode of St George and the Dragon was a legend brought back by the Crusaders. The earliest known depiction of the legend is from early eleventh-century Cappadocia and the earliest known surviving narrative text is an eleventh-century Georgian text.

In the fully-developed Western version, which developed as part of the Golden Legend, a dragon makes its nest at the spring  that provides water for the city of “Silene”  in Libya or the city of Lydda, depending on the source. Consequently, the citizens have to dislodge the dragon from its nest for a time, to collect water. To do so, each day they offer the dragon at first a sheep, and if no sheep can be found, then a maiden must go instead of the sheep. The victim is chosen by drawing lots. One day, this happens to be the princess. The monarch  begs for her life to be spared, but to no avail. She is offered to the dragon, but there appears Saint George on his travels. He faces the dragon, protects himself with the sign of the cross, slays the dragon, and rescues the princess. The grateful citizens abandon their ancestral paganism and convert to Christianity.

The reality is a little different….

It is likely that Saint George was born to a Christian noble family in Lydda, Palestine during the late third century between about 275 AD and 285 AD, and he died in Micomedia.  His father, Gerontius, was a Roman army official from Cappadocia  and his mother was from Palestine. They were both Christians and from noble families of Anici, so by this the child was raised with Christian beliefs. They decided to call him Georgius (Latin) or Geōrgios (Greek), meaning “worker of the land”. At the age of 14, George lost his father; a few years later, George’s mother, Polychronia, died and some Eastern accounts give the names of his parents as Anastasius and Theobaste.

It was at this time that George decided to go to Nicomedia, the imperial city of that time, and present himself to Emperor Diocletian to apply for a career as a soldier. Diocletian welcomed him with open arms, as he had known his father, Gerontius — one of his finest soldiers. By his late 20s, George was promoted to the rank of Tribunus  and stationed as an imperial guard of the Emperor at Nicomedia.

In the year AD 302, Diocletian (influenced by Galerius) issued an edict that every Christian soldier in the army should be arrested and every other soldier should offer a sacrifice to the Pagan gods. But George objected and with the courage of his faith approached the Emperor and ruler. Diocletian was upset, not wanting to lose his best Tribune and the son of his best official, Gerontius. George loudly renounced the Emperor’s edict, and in front of his fellow soldiers and Tribunes he claimed himself to be a Christian and declared his worship of Jesus Christ. Diocletian attempted to convert George, even offering gifts of land, money and slaves if he made a sacrifice to the Pagan gods. The Emperor made many offers, but George never accepted.

Recognizing the futility of his efforts, Diocletian was left with no choice but to have him executed for his refusal. Before the execution George gave his wealth to the poor and prepared himself. After various torture sessions, including laceration on a wheel of swords in which he was resuscitated three times, George was executed by decapitation  before Nicomedia’s city wall, on April 23, 303. A witness of his suffering convinced Empress Alexandra and Athanasius, a pagan priest, to become Christians as well, and so they joined George in martyrdom. His body was returned to Lydda for burial, where Christians soon came to honor him as a martyr.

So, if you’re in Orlando today, don’t be surprised if you see the famous white flag with a red cross flying at full mast. The origin of the St George’s Cross came from the earlier plain white tunics worn by the early crusaders and more and more of our English visitors are choosing to recognize and honor the day.

More good news for those folks currently stranded in Orlando because of the volcano in Iceland. Both Bok Tower Gardens and WonderWorks. Here’s the details:

When:             April 20-27, 2010 (or until normal flight schedules resume)

Where:            Bok Tower Gardens

LAKE WALES – Bok Tower Gardens will offer free admission to tourists stranded in Florida due to the interruption in international air travel caused by Icelandic volcanic ash. Stranded tourists must present a valid return airline ticket from Wednesday, April 14 through Wednesday, April 21 or until normal flight schedules resume. One ticket will be offered for each return flight ticket presented. Children under age 5 are free.

Special after-hours events will be available for families to enjoy. This Saturday, April 24, the WEDU Star Gaze will offer the opportunity to view Saturn and other deep sky celestial wonders from 6 to 11 p.m. The Blue Palmetto Café will remain open until 7 p.m. when the admission gate will close. Telescopes will be provided by Webber International University and amateur astronomers of Lake Wales. Participants also are encouraged to bring their own telescopes. WEDU will preview the national public television documentary, “400 Years of the Telescope.” Admission is $5 per person (including members); children under 5 are free. Military free with identification. General public and member tickets may be purchased online at www.boktowergardens.org or at the gate. Seating is limited and scholarship tickets are available.

On Tuesday, April 27, the 500^th anniversary of the first carillon (Oudewaarde, Belgium, 1510) will be celebrated during the final Moonlight Carillon Concert of the season at 7:30 p.m. Visitors can experience the Gardens by the light of a full moon for half-price admission, have a light dinner at the Blue Palmetto Café and enjoy an hour-long concert by carillonneur William De Turk performing “Music of Carillon Countries.” General public admission is half-price and members are free.

Information about upcoming Gardens’ events and activities is available with a free subscription to the “Friends of Bok Tower Gardens” eNewsletter. Visit www.boktowergardens.org to join or call 863-676-1408 for more information.

About Bok Tower Gardens:

Bok Tower Gardens, a National Historic Landmark, voted Florida’s Best Garden, is located 55 miles southwest of Orlando and 60 miles east of Tampa near Lake Wales, Florida, and is open every day of the year from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., last admission at 5 p.m. The Visitor Center, Café and Gift Shop are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $3 for ages 5-12. Members and children under 5 are admitted free. For more information contact Bok Tower Gardens, 1151 Tower Boulevard, Lake Wales FL 33853; 863-676-1408 or visit www.boktowergardens.org

WONDER WORKS OFFER

WonderWorks is offering 50% Off admission and combo packages to any United Kingdom,

Irish or Continental European tourists stranded in Florida due to the interruption in international air travel caused by Icelandic volcanic ash.

Stranded tourists wanting to take advantage of this offer must present a valid return airline ticket from April 14 through April 21 — or until normal flight schedules resume — plus a valid ID such as a passport or drivers license at the admission counter. Children under age 3 are free.

Not valid with any other offers or previously purchased tickets.  Expires 4/30/10

News just in… our overseas guests who should be flying home in the next week but are stuck in the Orlando area because of the Icelandic volcanic ash don’t have to just sit at the airport.  Instead they can enjoy a ride on the new Omaka Rocka slide in Aquatica, fly on Manta at SeaWorld or check out the new Sesame Street Safari of Fun area at Busch Gardens for FREE!

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is offering FREE one-day admission to any United Kingdom, Irish or Continental European tourists stranded in Florida due to the interruption in international air travel caused by Icelandic volcanic ash.

The offer is valid at SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and stranded tourists must present to the parks’ front gate Guest Services window a valid return airline ticket from Wednesday, April 14, 2010 through Wednesday, April 21, 2010 or until normal flight schedules resume. One ticket will be offered at each park for each return flight ticket presented. Children under age 3 are free.

Well done to the folks at Sea World… a fabulous way to help those folks pass the time… great PR and no doubt the families affected will enjoy themselves even more!

I don’t know…what an excuse to take a longer vacation!

Good news for all our British visitors as Virgin Atlantic has partnered with The Walt Disney Company to bring three Disney channels (Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney & Disney XD) to the airlines television channels.

So that now means the 8 to 9 hour journey over the pond will more pleasurable as the kids watch shows like Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Phineas & Ferb, Handy Manny and Zeke and Luther.

The day after Christmas is widely known as “Boxing Day” in many areas of the world including United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ghana, Switzerland, Germany, Greenland, The Netherlands, New Zealnad, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Trindad & Tobago, Jamaica and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations. In these countries “Boxing Day” is a bank and public holiday yet here in the United States it is not officially recognised.

The origins of Boxing Day are widely debated but it is generally acknowledged that Boxing Day was traditionally a day on which the servants had a day off from their duties. Because of this the gentry would eat cold cuts and have a buffet-style feast prepared by the servants in advance. In modern times many families will still follow this tradition by eating a family-style buffet lunch, with cold cuts rather than a full cooked meal. It is a time for family, parlour games and sports in the UK.

The traditional recorded celebration of Boxing Day has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era; metal boxes were placed outside churches used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.  

In the United Kingdom it certainly became a custom of the nineteenth century Victorians for tradesmen to collect their “Christmas boxes” or gifts in return for good and reliable service throughout the year on the day after Christmas. The exact etymology of the term “Boxing” is unclear, with several competing theories, none of which is clearly true.

The establishment of Boxing Day as a defined public holiday under the legislation that created the UK’s Bank Holidays started the separation of ‘Boxing Day’ from the ‘Feast of St Stephen’, and today it is almost entirely a secular holiday with a tradition of shopping and post-Christmas sales starting.

While Boxing Day is 26 December, many retailers who hold Boxing Day Sales will run the sales for several days before or after 26 December, often up to New Years Eve.  Canada’s Boxing Day has often been compared to the U.S.’s Black Friday, right after Thanksgiving,  and in 2009 a number of major Canadian retailers had their own Black Friday promotions in order to discourage shoppers from crossing the border.

Boxing Day is also a big sporting day around the globe and in both England and Scotland, it is traditional for the Premier League and Scottish Premier League respectively, as well as the lower divisions and Rugby Football  leagues, to hold a full program of football and Rugby matches on Boxing Day. Traditionally matches on Boxing Day are played against local rivals. This was originally to avoid teams and their fans having to travel a long distance to an away game on the day after Christmas Day. It also makes the day an important one in the sporting calendar.

In horse racing, there is the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park Racecourse in Surrey which is the second most prestigious chase in England, after the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The association of Boxing Day with sport in early village celebrations has led to the folk etymology that Boxing Day is traditionally associated with boxing , although the word box can mean a gift or gratuity, especially one given at Christmas, especially in Britain.

Australia holds the first day of the Boxing Day Test match  in Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the start to the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

It’s a big day…but in our household we tend to just take it easy…relax with  book, watch a movie and enjoy a glass of wine or two… what’s your like?

‘Thanksgiving’ is based upon the story of the Pilgrims and their thankful community feast at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The Pilgrims who set sail from Plymouth (England) on a ship called the Mayflower, on September 6, 1620 were, in fact, fortune hunters bound for the resourceful ‘New World’. The Mayflower was a small ship crowded with men, women and children and also, of course, the sailors working on the ship. Aboard were passengers comprising the ‘Separatists’, who called themselves the “Saints”, and others …. whom the ‘Separatists’ called the “Strangers”.

After land was sighted in November, following 66 days of a lethal voyage, a meeting was held and an agreement of truce was worked out. It was called the ‘Mayflower Compact’ and the agreement guaranteed equality amongst the members of the two groups. They merged together to be recognized as the “Pilgrims” and elected John Carver as their first Governor.

Although the Pilgrims first sighted land off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, they did not actually settle until they arrived at a place called Plymouth. It was Captain John Smith who named the place after the English port-city in 1614 and who had been settled there for over five years. Thus, it was here that the Pilgrims finally decided to settle as Plymouth offered an excellent harbor and plenty of resources. An added bonus was that the local Indians were also non-hostile.

However, their happiness was very short-lived because they were ill-equipped to face the winter on this estranged place and were ravaged thoroughly!

As luck would have it they were somehow saved by a group of local native Americans who befriended them and helped them with food. Soon the natives had taught the settlers the technique to enable the cultivation of corn and how to grow and store (for hard days) the native vegetables. By the next winter they had raised enough crops to keep them alive. The winter came and passed by without much harm. The settlers knew they had beaten the odds and it was time to celebrate.

They celebrated it with a grand community feast wherein the friendly native Americans were also invited. It was very similar to the Harvest Feast, the Pilgrims used to have in England. The new recipes entailed “corn” (wheat as the Pilgrims called it), Indian corn, barley, pumpkins and peas, “fowl” …. especially “waterfowl” ….. deer, fish and yes of course, the wild “Turkey”.

However, the third year was real bad when the corn got damaged and Pilgrim Governor William Bradford ordered a day of fasting and prayer and very soon ….. the rains followed! To celebrate, on November 29th of that year, it was proclaimed a day of ‘Thanksgiving’. This date is believed to be the real beginning of the present ‘Thanksgiving Day’.

Today ‘Thanksgiving Day’ is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November …… this date was set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 and approved by Congress in 1941. Earlier it was the last Thursday in November as was designated by the former President Abraham Lincoln. However, sometimes the last Thursday would turn out to be the fifth Thursday of the month and that falls too close to Christmas! That left businesses even less than a month between to cope with these two big festivals and hence the change.