Inside the November Issue:
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The Afternoon Tea Times welcomes correspondence. Contact Afternoon Tea online, or by mail to: Afternoon Tea Times, MPT, 11767 Owings Mills Blvd., Owings Mills, MD 21117-1499. You may also reach MPT Afternoon Tea by telephone at (443) 394-1634.
Tea Times is a co-production of Maryland Public Television and The Insider, a publication of the BBC Sales Company.
The Insider welcomes all correspondence, story ideas and requests for contributed articles. Send letters via e-mail to Editor N. Scott Jones at bbinsider@comcast.net or by snail mail to: The Insider, c/o Oliviu Savu, BBC Worldwide Americas, 747 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10017-2803. All letters are assumed to be for publication unless marked otherwise. The Insider reserves the right to edit letters for reason of space or clarity. Let us know what you think!
The Insider, copyright 1999-2007 by the BBC Sales Company. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission. All photos and graphics used are rights free or copyrighted by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Unless otherwise indicated, all material written by N. Scott Jones.
Editor's Note
We hope you are all enjoying the beautiful colors of fall and the crispness that has entered the air. November is a special time of colors and scents and the start of holiday gatherings for family and friends.
We hope, too, that you consider us a friend and gather around your television to watch all of your favorite programming and also wonderful specials that MPT has to offer. Read the Tea News Bits to see what great programs you can anticipate throughout the month.
Last of the Summer Wine and Holmfirth - a great program and great scenery. Read on to enjoy a little reminiscing of the show and a virtual stroll through Holmfirth.
Did you ever wonder about the first woman Beefeater? Well, wonder no longer. We give you insight into her daily activities.
Happy Birthday to Prince Charles! To celebrate this event, we have a profile of his life.
We know that Thanksgiving means turkey but our recipe this month branches out a little to include a tasty dish that goes well with other main dishes too.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
The Tea Times Newsletter Staff
1
They Say It's Your Birthday!
Do you share a birthday with any of these people?
November 5, 1913
Vivien Leigh – actress
November 10, 1925
Richard Burton – actor
November 14, 1948
Prince Charles – Prince of Wales
November 23, 1887
Boris Karloff – actor
2
We thought you might enjoy visiting Holmfirth and thinking about "Last of the Summer Wine" via the Tea Times. Every time you tune in, we feel certain you get caught up in the scenery as much as we do.
Holmfirth and Last of the Summer Wine
Almost Inseparable
A visit to Holmfirth in West Yorkshire is not likely to be on every tourist's standard itinerary. For fans of Last of the Summer Wine, it's a good day out, and for everyone else, it's a chance to enjoy some beautiful English scenery.
Last of the Summer Wine: A Classic Britcom
According to the BBC, Last of the Summer Wine (or "LOTSW" as insiders call it) is the world's longest-running sitcom. The first episode was broadcast in 1973, and there are a few original cast members still appearing.
TV viewers may think Jerry Seinfeld invented the "show about nothing". Seinfeld may have come up with the name, but LOTSW had long since perfected the concept. LOTSW regulars know that nothing much will happen in any given episode, and that all the action will be more or less predictable.
What Happens in a Typical LOTSW Episode
Set in Holmfirth and the surrounding valley, Last of the Summer Wine treats the beautiful Yorkshire landscape and the little village with its stone houses and pretty bridge as essential characters.
In any given episode, the three aging men whose lives and friendship are the core story will have some minor adventure. Typically at least one man gets dumped in the river, falls from a tree, drinks a bit too much, or does all of these. The ladies of the village will have coffee and discuss the shortcomings of men in general and theirs in particular. Would-be lovers Howard and Marina will sneak away for a secret rendezvous, inevitably to be discovered before their first kiss. The two witless policemen will lose their car, and someone will roll down the long, steep hill in a steel bathtub on wheels.
Committed show followers know and expect all this. They tune in to make sure everyone else shows up, and to indulge in an armchair visit to some of England's most beautiful countryside.
Visiting Holmfirth
The village of Holmfirth is just south of Huddersfield. It lies roughly halfway between Manchester and Leeds.
The village is small and pleasant to stroll around in. Sid's Cafe is easy to find in the centre of town. Sid's is featured in every LOTSW episode, though Sid himself is long gone. There are tours operated by a local company, Summerwine Magic, leaving from Sid's.
Over by the river on a quiet street is Nora Batty's house - easily recognized. It's available as a self-catering house now (The Nora Batty Experience), so true admirers can sleep where the daunting Nora has previously laid her curlered head.
For Everyone Else
As hard as it may be to believe, not everyone loves LOTSW. Because Holmfirth is so beautiful, visitors can enjoy a day there without having to be Britcom fans. Take a camera, a picnic, and be prepared to get lost in the hills of Yorkshire for a day. It's a welcome change of pace, which, by the way, is more or less the point of the TV show.
http://england-travel.suite101.com
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Tea News Bits
November Programming
We know you all enjoy Antiques Roadshow so we want to be sure you are aware that you can enjoy one of your favorite programs on Sundays at 5:00 pm and Monday evenings at 8:00 p.m. On November Sundays it is followed by Agatha Christie's Poirot, then Nature, Sherlock Holmes and Masterpiece Contemporary. What a fantastic way to spend your chilly Sunday evenings.
On Wednesday, November 4, tune in at 8 pm for Bill Cosby: The Mark Twain Prize followed by George Carlin: The Mark Twain Prize. These two gentlemen will have you smiling all night!
Saturdays at 6:00 pm, join us for MI-5. We've mentioned this program before but really believe this program will grab your attention. It follows the work of a group of British MI-5 intelligence officers.
If you missed Poirot on the previous Sunday, it repeats after MI-5 on Saturday.
Wednesday, November 11at 9:00 p.m. brings another fantastic program - America's Veterans: A Musical Tribute. This MPT production, filmed at the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, is always spectacular. This is a first-time broadcast of this program that was filmed in June 2009. A perfect program to watch on Veteran's Day! This program repeats on Monday, November 23 at 10:00 pm.
Maryland's Governor Martin O'Malley is with you on Wednesday, November 18 at 7:00 p.m. on Ask the Governor: Special Edition of Direct Connection. This program addresses important issues for the citizens of Maryland.
MPT will be Pledging on Saturday, November 21, Sunday, November 22, Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30. Join us for wonderful programming that is made possible by viewers like you!
Cake Slice From Prince Charles And Camilla's Wedding To Be Auctioned
A slice of wedding cake from Britain's Prince Charles' union with Camilla is to be auctioned. The portion of confectionery is going under the hammer at Andover auction house Hampshire Auctions, but is expected to fetch around 15 times less than a slice from Charles' wedding to the late Princess Diana.
A spokesman from the auctioneers said: "We are expecting quite a bit of interest."
The wedding cake - from the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall's 2005 nuptials - is still in the presentation box it came in.
It has been valued at £60 to £80 [$100 to $132], and is being sold by a woman known as Diana.
She was gifted the treat by Queen Elizabeth, Charles' mother, as she worked for the royal family when the wedding took place.
The price tag of the cake is dramatically less than the £1,000 [$1650] paid when a portion of the sweet treat from Charles' 1981 wedding to Diana was sold last year.
That piece was kept in the attic of a former servant for 27 years, and had been expected to fetch up to £20,000 [$33,000], even though only icing and marzipan was left.
The nine-inch square treat was given to Moyra Smith, who died last year, when she worked as a servant at Clarence House.
He husband Donald said before the sale: "I'm not as sentimental as Moyra was about these sort of things, but it would be nice to see the cake go to a good home."
A slice of Diana's cake sold for £17,000 [$28,000] when it was auctioned in 1998.
www.ncbuy.com
What do you want to know more about?
If you have a topic that you would like to know more about, please drop us a line at tealady@mpt.org. We'll explore the opportunities to bring you the information you have interest in.
4
Woman joins Beefeaters at Tower of London
Officer becomes first female guard since corps was created in 1485
A woman joined the protectors of the Crown Jewels on Monday as one of the famed Beefeaters of the Tower of London, becoming the first female Yeoman Warder since the corps of Tower guards was created in 1485.
Moira Cameron, a Warrant Officer Class 2 who joined the army at age 20, was selected over five men who also applied for the vacancy.
"This place is magical. It's just a wonderful job and I'm very, very lucky to have it," said Cameron, 42, who spent much of her first morning on duty talking to journalists.
"You wake up in the morning and you know you're going to have a good day."
There are 35 Yeoman Warders at the Tower plus the Chief Yeoman Warder and Yeoman Gaoler.
Candidates must have been a warrant officer or senior noncommissioned officer, have served at least 22 years in the army, Royal Air Force or Royal Marines and hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal.
While the warders' role was initially to provide security for the Tower - a 900-year-old fortress built by William the Conqueror - and to guard its famous captives, they now spend most of their days guiding visitors and posing patiently for snapshots. They also attend coronations, funerals and charity functions.
Chief Yeoman Warder John Keohane said he and his colleagues had anticipated that a woman would one day join their ranks, and that only one or two had expressed reservations.
"She's been here for two months and been accepted by the community," he said.
"Life is moving on here at the Tower," he added.
Associated Press
5
The Prince of Wales
Since this month is Prince Charles' birthday, we thought you might enjoy reading this profile.
The Prince of Wales, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is Heir Apparent to the throne.
The Prince was born at Buckingham Palace on 14 November 1948, and was christened Charles Philip Arthur George.
When, on the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1952, he became heir apparent, Prince Charles automatically became Duke of Cornwall under a charter of King Edward III dating back to 1337, which gave that title to the Sovereign's eldest son. He also became in the Scottish Peerage, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick and Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.
The Prince was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 26 July 1958, becoming the first Prince of Wales since 1936. Although investitures of Princes of Wales were traditionally held in front of Parliament, and not all Princes of Wales have been invested, the investiture of the present Prince of Wales (like that of his predecessor Prince Edward, later Edward VIII, in 1911) was a State occasion.
It took place in a Welsh setting before the Welsh people, at Caernarfon Castle on 1 July 1969. The Welsh regalia (Crown Jewels associated with the Princes of Wales) used at the investitures in 1911 and 1969 are on loan to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff.
On 29 July 1981, The Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in St Paul's Cathedral who became HRH The Princess of Wales.
The Princess was born on 1 July 1961, at Park House on The Queen's estate at Sandringham, Norfolk. She lived there until the death in 1975 of her grandfather, the 7th Earl, when the family moved to the Spencer family seat at Althorp House in Northamptonshire.
Lady Diana's father, then Viscount Althorp and later the eighth Earl Spencer, had been an equerry to both George VI and The Queen. Her maternal grandmother, Ruth, Lady Fermoy, was a close friend and lady in waiting to The Queen Mother.
The Prince and Princess of Wales had two sons: Prince William, born on 21 June 1982; and Prince Harry, born on 15 September 1984.
From the time of their marriage, The Prince and Princess of Wales went on overseas tours and carried out many engagements together in the UK.
On 9 December 1992, the Prime Minister, John Major, announced to the House of Commons that The Prince and Princess of Wales had agreed to separate.
The marriage was dissolved on 28 August, 1996. The Princess was still regarded as a member of the Royal Family. She continued to live at Kensington Palace and to carry out her public work for a number of charities.
When The Princess was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997, The Prince of Wales flew to Paris with her two sisters to bring her body back to London. The Princess lay in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace until the night before the funeral.
On the day of the funeral, The Prince of Wales accompanied his two sons, aged 15 and 12 at the time, as they walked behind the coffin from The Mall to Westminster Abbey. With them were The Duke of Edinburgh and The Princess's brother, Earl Spencer. The Prince of Wales asked the media to respect his sons' privacy, to allow them to lead a normal school life. In the following years, Princes William and Harry, who are second and third in line to the throne, accompanied their father on a limited number of official engagements in the UK and abroad.
The Prince of Wales married Mrs. Camilla Parker Bowles on 9 April 2005 at a civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor, followed by a service of prayer and dedication in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
After the wedding, Mrs. Parker Bowles became known as HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. When The Prince of Wales accedes to the throne, she will be known as HRH The Princess Consort.
www.royal.gov.uk
6
Becoming Jane Austen
The True Love Story That Inspired
the Classic Novels
by John Spence
Part of a continuing series.
Edward's style is informal and conversational, the flow of his sentences natural and unaffected. At his best, he is playful and, like Jane, enjoyed giving a comic turn to an otherwise pedestrian observation by dropping in an unexpected word or phrase: "Walked in town in the morning, which is by far the neatest I ever saw, and kept constantly well cleaned by a set of malefactors who chained two and two are condemned for a certain number of years, sometimes for life, daily to clean the streets and remove whatever rubbish may offend the eyes or the nose."
Jane Austen
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He describes a not unusual night's accommodation during his rambles in Switzerland: "We had the comfort however of having a longer sleep than usual, which notwithstanding the badness of the beds, the closeness of the room, and the quantity of the fleas, we most of us took occasion to "profit of." He could also laugh at the discomfort he brought on himself. "I continued my walk a few hundred yards farther to a large heap of snow, being curious to make a snowball in August. I paid [for] my curiosity by getting perfectly wet in the feet and then went contented back and found dinner already served." He conjures a scene with deft assurance and gives it a humorous turn:
By way of dinner, we found some excellent curds and whey of goats milk and tolerable bread, which we eat in an open part of the hut that served as a pigsty and at that moment a fine old sow was lapping up her whey in one corner whilst we with two or three dirty Germans were lapping up ours in the other…After having dined in our pigsty we took a nap in the open air.
His comments are not just straightforwardly comic. He could direct his irony against his readers. He takes a bit of wicked delight in debunking what he knew must be his family's idea of their rich son's Grand Tour. He eats swill in a pigsty with a sow and sleeps in a stifling room on a bad bed infested with fleas. So much for his coddled and luxurious life abroad.
Evidence of Edward's talent only survives in his journal but is a slight foretaste of Jane's gift, a gift that in her was to develop into genius. Soon after she came home to Steventon at Christmas 1786, she began to write.
7
Tea Advisor
Aspects of Tea Production
The company had been operating without proper incorporation and with unlimited liability. This meant that if the company became insolvent, the shareholders would be liable for its debts. These problems, and the discouraging news from India, were enough to frighten some shareholders, and these forfeited their shares rather than pay what was due on them. The company was finally incorporated in 1845 under a special Act of Parliament, six years after it was founded. Its seal depicted a tea bush and an elephant, surmounting the motto 'Ingenio et Labore' - 'by ingenuity and hard work.' In 1845 the company declared a dividend. Presumably this was to placate shareholders, for there was no profit to justify this largesse and the money had to be borrowed from its bank. Such was the state of the company's finances that some of the directors wanted it liquidated. However, no buyer could be found.
Drastic cost-cutting ensued. The company's steamer and sawmill were sold; the estates in the north and east were abandoned. The Calcutta board kept their nerve while London panicked, and they changed the management in Assam. The concentrated group of tea tracts left in production became better managed, the quality of tea improved, and in 1847 the tide began to turn. In 1848 the company made its first profit. By 1850 the company had cleared its debts. Some abandoned estates were brought back into production, and in 1852 the company paid a genuine dividend.
Within a decade the Assam Company had raised tea production from 10,000 lbs to 250,000 lbs. Five years later, in 1855, it was 583,000 lbs. At that date they were still the sole exporters of tea from Assam, but the situation was about to change. In the early 1850s a number of small estates were opened up to follow the example of the Assam Company. Many of them, indeed, were started by British employees of the Assam Company. They found it convenient to buy a plot adjacent to the land they were managing for the company, where they could keep a close eye on things, and perhaps 'borrow' the company's seed or labour. In 1859, a large new public company came into operation - The Jorhaut Tea Company. It absorbed several of the existing small tea gardens as a nucleus, and then expanded to become a major force. By the end of 1859, in addition to the Assam Company and the Jorehaut Tea Company, there were fifty other tea estates in Assam.
Tea | By Roy Moxham
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Mystery of the Month
What Is Your Guess?
Case One
A man puts on makeup and a strange outfit as he prepares for work. What he does for a living makes some people laugh, but his main audience just wants to kill him. Though he always wears loud obnoxious clothes, he really only wants one individual's attention.
The Mystery
What does the man do for a living and whose attention does he want?
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Clues
- He has an elaborate performance but he's not an actor.
- He works in a ring, but it's not one of three.
- He works with animals, but they're not trained to do tricks.
- He doesn't work in Hollywood, but he still deals with a lot of bull.
- He looks like a joker, but his job is very serious.
Case Two
Each working day, Celeste seems to run in circles to get things done. Instead of becoming frustrated by the repetitive nature of her daily responsibilities, she thrives on them. As she sees it, speed is her friend - and the faster she gets through her paces, the better.
The Mystery
What is Celeste's job and why doesn't she mind it?
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Clues
- She often gets into scrapes with her co-workers.
- To be effective, she sometimes has to put her foot down.
- If things get out of control, blood will spill.
- Timing is everything in this line of work.
- Her professional attire includes a helmet.
Be sure to check the December 2009 edition of the Tea Times for the answers
Answers to October Mysteries:
Case One: Maria is a tightrope walker at the circus.
Case Two: The attending surgeon is Dr. Griffith's wife, also called Dr. Griffith, who can't operate on her own child.
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England's Calendar of Events | October
Burning Barrels
November 2009
Ottery St. Mary
A 17th-century tradition to rid the streets of evil spirits is revived every year as fearless men, women and children run through Ottery St Mary carrying blazing tar barrels. Thousands of spectators enjoy the thrill of avoiding the runners.
Having been soaked in tar, the barrels are set ablaze. Flames ten feet high lick the sky as sweating locals stagger beneath their weight. As one man tires, his brother, father or even grandfather steps in and takes over the burning load, continuing until past midnight.
This is a truly exhilarating event - running away requires considerable mobility and provides a thrill unlike any other, as a seemingly impenetrable sea of people miraculously parts to allow the burning barrels through. The streets of the village are completely overrun for the event and flames can be terrifying to young children, so it is definitely a bad idea to take any pushchairs/strollers or people in wheelchairs along.
One can only wonder how this spectacular festival must have caught the imagination of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who was born in the town in October 1772. Perhaps it was a nascent memory of the great poet's which led him to write this refrain in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
"About, about, in reel and rout
The death-fires danced at night;
The water, like a witch's oils,
Burnt green, and blue and white."
www.whatsonwhen.com
Guy Fawkes Celebrations
November 2009
Weymouth
Fireworks light up Weymouth Bay during the annual Guy Fawkes celebrations, which include a beach bonfire, a funfair and a Guy-building competition in the pavilion.
www.whatsonwhen.com
CAMRA Beer Festival
November 2009
Kings Hall
Stoke-on-Trent hosts its annual CAMRA Beer Festival, CAMRA being the Campaign for Real Ale. Local producers turn out in force, the Kings Hall fills with beer-lovers, and there are over 200 real ales, farmhouse ciders and fruit wines to try.
CAMRA is a non-profit, consumer association that champions the right of any drinker to be able to choose in a pub between traditionally-brewed real ales made by individuals and the well-known brands produced by the large-scale brewers.
Since its foundation in 1971, CAMRA has been extremely successful in promoting quality, choice and value for money and preventing the takeover of small breweries. No new ale breweries were set up in the UK for the 50 years before CAMRA was founded and there are now around 300 new brewers producing real ale, part of a massive real ale revival.
www.whatsonwhen.com
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If you've never had Scalloped Pineapple, you really want to try this. It's easy as can be to put together and is so, so good. Try it with ham, pork, or seafood. Mmmm...
Scalloped Pineapple
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup milk
- 4 cups white bread cubes
- 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple
Preparation
Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients and blend well. Place in a buttered 11x7-inch baking dish; bake at 375° for 15 minutes, then at 350° for about 50 to 60 minutes.
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
www.southernfood.about.com
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Afternoon Teaisms
Rhymes and Wits
Afternoon Teaisms
Rhymes and Wits
"The only real elegance is in the mind;
if you've got that, the rest really comes from it."
Diana Vreeland, Newsweek (December 1962)
