BBC Tour

<div style="text-align: left;">Posted by Happy Homemaker UK</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sorry to have been away so long, my chickadees ;)<br /><br />I skipped into London to have coffee with Robynne of <a href="http://fromrobsnest.blogspot.com/">Robynne's Nest</a><br />We have a lot in common, for she is an Australian expat here,<br />and she is an absolute delight :)<br /><br />The following day I went back into London to tour the BBC Television Centre<br />And let me just say, BBC and <a href="http://happyhomemakeruk.blogspot.com/2011/04/along-peter-pans-route-big-ben.html">Big Ben</a> have been my two favorite tours since living here <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YcirCcvX2t8CIQg0QI612027XWhGHDpmp9gAfKWal3hNyY9MZP3a9t_1V1bL7izE3shV4DexxkboEy1qqURpp0yUUiU8EAP7n_ka2vNmYvGkkiiSgxZM0voh1r05s4NTVoLKX6PBqC8/s1600/DSCN6834-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YcirCcvX2t8CIQg0QI612027XWhGHDpmp9gAfKWal3hNyY9MZP3a9t_1V1bL7izE3shV4DexxkboEy1qqURpp0yUUiU8EAP7n_ka2vNmYvGkkiiSgxZM0voh1r05s4NTVoLKX6PBqC8/s400/DSCN6834-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love my BBC media access tag {to keep!}<br />I wonder if it would work as a backstage pass at a concert?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />I didn't expect to enjoy the BBC as much as I did because we hardly watch television,<br />so I am unfamiliar with their programs<br />{ I can't figure out how to get my Sky Box to record }<br /><br />But I admit I was dazzled by the studios and news desk<br />and our guides were very entertaining<br /><br />They told us if we saw someone famous we shouldn't take photos or ask for autographs<br />And I followed that up with a request to tell us when we do see someone famous!<br /><br />Anyhoo, in Britain, anyone who owns a television is required annually<br />to buy a TV License for £145.50 / $220 - Ouch!<br />All that money goes directly to the BBC to provide commercial-free programming<br /><br />BBC is the largest broadcaster in the world and<br />our guide estimated BBC World is in 190 countries { not funded by the TV License }<br /><br />BBC also publishes books and magazines { <a href="http://www.homesandantiques.com/">Homes And Antiques</a>, a fav }<br />and recently purchased <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/">Lonely Planet Travel Guides</a><br /><br />This media empire is moving 50% of their programming up north to Salford, near Manchester<br /><br />Why? Our guide said the short answer is subscribers complained<br />it was not fair to pay the licensing fee and have all the programming concentrated in London<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJOExk9DypbI3aIvPadhW-Ij1J3G9wdXh1WK0mA4H2VoWykd00q-v1ewJZUOw-uBYxZ37JPfNmLQb6MDxVBHwPG3894hHm8TAruVtVCOjxkE71Li_V1TVkcK82mtd3tS605n4RjVsJyE/s1600/DSCN6829-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJOExk9DypbI3aIvPadhW-Ij1J3G9wdXh1WK0mA4H2VoWykd00q-v1ewJZUOw-uBYxZ37JPfNmLQb6MDxVBHwPG3894hHm8TAruVtVCOjxkE71Li_V1TVkcK82mtd3tS605n4RjVsJyE/s640/DSCN6829-2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Before WWII, the BBC was mostly broadcasting on radio<br /><br />Only the wealthy could afford televisions<br />and most TV programming was just a few hours each day of<br />someone reading a poem or playing the violin<br />{ my, how programming has changed }<br /><br />A black-and-white Mickey Mouse film was showing the moment WWII started,<br />and BBC Television immediately went off air<br /><br />When it aired again 5 years later, a woman gave her deepest apologies for going off air<br />and then they continued that Mickey Mouse film right where it left off 5 years before the war<br /><br />It gives me goosebumps to think how many lives changed<br />between the two frames of the Mickey Mouse cartoon<br /><br />The guide speculated the BBC went off air because many of the staff were needed for the war efforts,<br />however, BBC Radio did broadcast during the war<br /><br />Furthermore, few owned televisions, so it may have seemed frivolous to have stayed on air<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvBGnZnUR_lyecHm-7H1QlggMfBdLWP-KWtQcW_14vxYld0OcQfThUP0XU8BRhD2dMVIM6zpGWxhvDcKFfgqotjHGuSEa6xqGkWtFZmUNcnzOH-dRH3fo52K1BT2womPggbfVGYgvCUU/s1600/DSCN6835-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvBGnZnUR_lyecHm-7H1QlggMfBdLWP-KWtQcW_14vxYld0OcQfThUP0XU8BRhD2dMVIM6zpGWxhvDcKFfgqotjHGuSEa6xqGkWtFZmUNcnzOH-dRH3fo52K1BT2womPggbfVGYgvCUU/s640/DSCN6835-12.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />After the war, the children's show <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/blue-peter">Blue Peter</a> was created, catering to 5 to 8 year olds<br />With London under rubble, it was a breath of fresh air featuring a garden and adventures<br />It is still the longest running children's program in the world and still airs<br /><br />The Americans in our group wanted to know<br />if BBC studio audiences have signs instructing them to 'Laugh' or 'Applause' as in the US<br /><br />Our guide chuckled and said if you told an English audience when to laugh,<br />they would stand up and walk right out the door!<br /><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;"><i>- all photos by me -</i></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">BBC Tour Information <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/tours/">here</a></div></div><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-color: initial !important; border-image: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-style: initial !important; border-top-width: 0px !important;" /></a>

BBC Tour

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK Sorry to have been away so long, my chickadees ;) I skipped into London to have coffee with Robynne of Robynne...

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A Few Funnies

<div style="text-align: left;">Posted by Happy Homemaker UK</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">To kick off the new week</div><div style="text-align: center;">I want to share with you two photos from last month :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8nz0kKcZ3cjJ4MQeNE0ILrIZc1eDaBN-shyphenhyphenpUHST203iKFnQhWOE2kJ9Fiz_28j-To0i5jdWEJih7GsLUFGppmrr05q1qgeoEdSRhjYZulVRwU4c_8b1aM6Q2HHWqLPbi1eO-5lHuGg/s1600/DSCN6105-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8nz0kKcZ3cjJ4MQeNE0ILrIZc1eDaBN-shyphenhyphenpUHST203iKFnQhWOE2kJ9Fiz_28j-To0i5jdWEJih7GsLUFGppmrr05q1qgeoEdSRhjYZulVRwU4c_8b1aM6Q2HHWqLPbi1eO-5lHuGg/s640/DSCN6105-1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stickers added to a 'No Entry' sign in Rome</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMwDN3I_YuSGkBs1yhW4Rpgg962z2H-Y6LJYAcu4ZdxkqzSuO1jVzEkPciq7j3pr0X05UxTC5l4fePtAqkiGd8wHGeEG2Q5FxcssWR-pn8-Fdx0GEpoB5SbyINnOPcv_M5_cdMISiiucM/s1600/Capture-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMwDN3I_YuSGkBs1yhW4Rpgg962z2H-Y6LJYAcu4ZdxkqzSuO1jVzEkPciq7j3pr0X05UxTC5l4fePtAqkiGd8wHGeEG2Q5FxcssWR-pn8-Fdx0GEpoB5SbyINnOPcv_M5_cdMISiiucM/s640/Capture-1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">England is really big into recycling, but I mean really...</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Have you seen THIS before?!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Have a fantastic week!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">- photos by me -</span></i></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-color: initial !important; border-image: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-style: initial !important; border-top-width: 0px !important;" /></a>

A Few Funnies

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK To kick off the new week I want to share with you two photos from last month :) Stickers added to a 'No Ent...

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The Dentist

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The English have a reputation for having bad teeth, so you can imagine my concern for visiting an English dentist. So let's explore that...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul><li>First of all, one of the reasons they may not have good teeth is because dentistry (except emergency care) is not covered by the NHS. And a private dental cleaning costs £110 (approx $170) a pop, so with a family of 4 paying out of pocket, preventative cleanings don't happen twice a year for most people. If at all.</li></ul><ul><li>Fluoride is not in the water.</li></ul><ul><li>Without hard numbers, I am guessing smoking is more prevalent here than in the US. Also not good for the pearly whites.</li></ul><ul><li>Although there are orthodontists, I don't see many teenagers wearing braces (another big out of pocket expense).</li></ul><ul><li>I've never seen a dental practice cater to children only. And *gasp*, there is no toy box with goodies to lure kids in (unheard of in the US). My guess is children don't form early habits of regular check ups that would continue into adulthood.</li></ul><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">You can imagine my husband's quizzical look when he heard 'Good Luck!' several times by co-workers as he mentioned he'd be late to work due to a dental visit. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then imagine my surprise when the dentist gushed on and on about my teeth - like I was a rock star! He loves American dentistry, he tells me. Let me say, my teeth are super-duper average.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My cleaning was VERY gentle - I think this is because most patients visit only in emergencies with pain. The dental hygienist didn't use the sucky-hose when she cleaned my teeth. Instead, I was told to 'swish' and spit into the basin. She did floss and use 'the pokey thing' I was accustomed to in the US. And when it was time to polish, she gently placed safety glasses over my eyes (the English are very safety conscious, you know). I walked away empty handed - no goody bag with floss or toothbrush. But at least my gums were in tact - not swollen and bleeding like in the US where they scour my teeth and gums.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a recent magazine, American teeth were described as too perfect, 'like white piano keys'. Supposedly the rich and famous British will have their smiles enhanced in Paris with teeth adjusted but not perfectly straightened or overly-bleached. They go for a more 'natural' look. Interestingly, the level of bleach used in the US for professional teeth whitening is illegal here. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In case you are wondering, I continue to visit my American dentist for a real bruising and deep clean. Then 6 months later I visit the UK dentist to hear how fabulous <strike>I am</strike> my teeth are ;) Complementary yin and yang, my friends<br /><br />(Postscript: Thank you to my wonderful commenters, who steered me when I went astray. The NHS <u>does</u> provide dental care at a fee but known for inconsistent quality of care.)<br /><br />More medical posts:<br /><a href="http://happyhomemakeruk.blogspot.com/2012/01/womans-right-to-choose.html">Giving Birth in the UK</a><br /><a href="http://happyhomemakeruk.blogspot.com/2012/02/more-on-nhs.html">More on the NHS</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-color: initial !important; border-image: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-style: initial !important; border-top-width: 0px !important;" /></a>

The Dentist

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK The English have a reputation for having bad teeth, so you can imagine my concern for visiting an English denti...

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