Our World Tuesday, ABC Wednesday, E for Eye of London

 

Opposite the Houses of Parliament

In the factory of Hollandia in the Netherlands.

After 2000 the Eye of London became a landmark of the City of London. At that time I happened to teach English to a group of adults,of whom several men were involved in the construction of this enormous wheel. Every week they informed me about its progress. I even got  newspapers with the latest news. Enough material for my lessons.

Wikipedia says:
"The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on piled platforms in the river. Once the wheel was complete it was lifted into an upright position by a strand jack system made by Enerpac. It was first raised at 2 degrees per hour until it reached 65 degrees, then left in that position for a week while engineers prepared for the second phase of the lift. The project was European with major components coming from six countries: the steel was supplied from the UK and fabricated in the Netherlands by the Dutch company Hollandia, the cables came from Italy, the bearings came from Germany (FAG/Schaeffler Group), the spindle and hub were cast in the Czech Republic, the capsules were made by Poma in France (and the glass for these came from Italy), and the electrical components from the UK.^[27]"

On our last day in Great Britain in 2007, we were in London, where we made a short trip on the Thames. Here I saw for the first time the Millenium Wheel or The Eye of London. The guide told us that the construction of  the Eye of London was sponsored by British Airways. I was waiting to hear that he would tell where it was constructed, but in vain..

It was made in Holland at the factory where my eldest daughter was a draughtswoman, who had actually drawn a small part of the Wheel.At that time we were very anxious to see if it could be constructed at all.

 It was designed by David Marks and Julia Barfield, who were architects. 

 A well known Japanese company was first asked to do the construction, but they turned it down. Too difficult!! Then Hollandia in the Netherlands offered to do the job, after the engineers studied long and hard on the project.They even made a model of it. It was going to be the biggest wheel in the world. With a splendid ceremony the green light was given on January, 28th, 1999.The work had to be finished before the beginning of the new millenium.It was an enormous challenge.

The wheel was finished in December 1999 and opened on 31st December.

 

This photo shows the assembly of the last section

 on a special platform in the river.

The above photo shows one of the four rim sections, which had to be taken to London from Holland. The right photo shows the first section arriving in London.


The London Eye stands 135 metres (443 ft) high on the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, England, between Westminster and Hungerford Bridges.

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar  This week we are looking for words beginning with E.

ABC Wednesday, E for English

We thank Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC, and we must thank Roger too for the weekly job to find  ten bloggers for each of the ABC Team members  to visit and to read their posts. We are beginning to find another round for all the 26 letters of the alphabet. This will be now the letter  E.

Even if we don't like to admit it, English is the most important language in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and last but not least Australia. In the Netherlands French used to be the language for the upper walks of life. The man in the street spoke a  Dutch dialect, and when he met a foreigner he spoke Dutch with the same accent only a bit louder, thinking: the louder I speak the more I make myself clear.

After WW II English became more and more popular. We thought: "Oh, English is not so difficult, if we only learn a lot of words we can translate everything".No wonder that there were a lot of hilarious anecdotes to be told of Dutch expressions literally translated into English, which changed the meaning of the expression completely, Fortunately British citizens also have problems with their own language. Here are a few exemples:

What shall I complain about now??

These are apparently genuine excerpts from English letters to local councils. We all know that English is a complicated language and not alone for non-English speakers. I think that we do not need to feel embarrassed if we read these letters of native speakers

Council complaints ( which one is your favourite?)

===============

1.This is to let you know there is a smell coming from the man next door.

2.I am writing on behalf of my sink, which is running away from the wall

3.I request your permission to remove my drawers in the kitchen.

4.Our lavatory seat is broken in half and is now in three pieces

5.Can you please tell me when our repairs are going to be done, as my wife is about to become an expectant mother.

6.The toilet is blocked and we cannot bath the children until it is cleared

7.The person next door has a large erection in his back garden, which is unsightly and dangerous.

8.Will you please send someone to mend our broken path. Yesterday my wife tripped and fell on it and now she is pregnant.

9.Our kitchen floor is very damp, we have two children and would like a third, so will you please send someone to do something about it?

10.This is to let you know that our lavatory seat is broken and we cannot get BBC2.

11.I am very annoyed to find that you have branded my son illiterate. This is a dirty lie, as I married a week before he was born.

ABC Wednesday, E for Edith an Edwardian Lady

Small uprightStJohn's Wort  Stinging Nettle, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Sweet

Branched Bur Reed, Common Flowering Rush  
  Spotted Palmate Orchis,  Rosebay Willow Herb

 

Giant Campanula and Common Agrimony

All my friends and relatives know that  I collect English books. During the time I was studying English I got many beautiful books. And one day I got "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" by Edith Blackwell Holden, in English and not long after this also the Dutch translation of this book.
The book consists of a collection of poetry and drawings of plants, insects and birds.


Wikipedia says:

"Edith Blackwell Holden (1871–1920) was a British artist and part-time art teacher, known in her time as an illustrator of children's books.. Much influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, she specialized in painting animals and plants. Holden was made famous by the posthumous publication, in 1977, of her Nature Notes for 1906 under the title The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. She was living in Gowan Bank, Kineton Green Road, Olton, Solihull in 1905-6 when she recorded the notes. The collection of seasonal observations, poetry, and pictures of birds, plants, and insects —which was never even considered for publication when it was composed—had the nostalgic charm of a vanished world seven decades later. It became a world-wide best seller."

 

 

Hazel Nuts and Acorns

ABC is created by Denise Nesbitt. It has been an enormous success. We arrived at the sixteenth round and the letter E. See more lovely and interesting words starting with E.Click on the logo in the sidebar.

                          Meadow Buttercup, Common Bugle, Yellow Heartsease,          
                                                 Large Flowered Bitter Cress,  Yellow Weasel Snout

Scotland and England

Hadrian Wall built by the Romans to keep the Picts( early Scots) out of England occupied by the Romans

Thanks for your comments on the referendum, held in Scotland. You can see by the result of it, how civilized countries deal with issues like independence. If only the governments of all countries stop fighting and start listening to their people, like  in the UK, many  countries in the world,would be a lot better of. Scotland and England are a good example for the rest of the world. 

A long time ago the Scots were fighting bloody wars for their freedom , now they showed their wishes in a wise and mature way by this referendum, and they can discuss the matter like civilized people. We can say the Scots didn't lose. They deserve a lot of respect, and will eventually get what they want. Fair enough! And that goes for Ireland, Wales and other regions in the British Empire.

that's My World, ABC Wednesday, O for Oxfam

A shop in Cirencester, UK.

That's my World is hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia - a Team of experienced bloggers, whom we thank for this wonderful meme. You can see more of the world of other bloggers by clicking on the logo in the side bar or on that's My World

For my birthday (4th December) I got a bag filled with articles from one of the Oxfam shops in the Netherlands. There was coffee,tea, rice, jam, chutney, sweets and more delicious things. I've always bought something from Oxfam or Unicef for my children and grandchildren on birthdays. But... I still didn't know the history of Oxfam, so I looked it up in Wikipedia!

Oxfam International is an international confederation of 14 organisations working with over 3,000 partners in around 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice.

Oxfam was originally founded in Oxford in 1942 as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief by a group of Quakers, social activists, and Oxford academics; this is now Oxfam Great Britain, still based in Oxford, UK.

Oxfam has numerous shops all over the world, which sell many fair-trade and donated items. They opened their first charity shop in 1948. The proceeds from these usually get paid to different charities or are used to further Oxfam's relief efforts around the globe. Much of their stock still comes from public donations but they currently also sell fair trade products from developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America, including handcrafts, books, music CDs and instruments, clothing, toys, food and ethnic creations. These objects are brought to the public through fair trade to help boost the quality of life of their producers and surrounding communities.


With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started round 8 of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with O.

ABC Wednesday, E for English Country Garden

One of the truly great English gardens, created in Arts and Crafts style by Major Lawrence Johnston as a series of outdoor "rooms", each with its own character, separated by hedges and walls. The garden is reknown for its rare trees and shrubs, herbaceous borders and unusual plants from across the globe. The outdoor "rooms" are planted with species that bloom at different times of the year, making Hidcote a year-round pleasure.

Major Johnson began his remarkable gardens at Hidcote in 1907, and continued expanding and improving the site over the course of the next 40 years. When he bought the manor at Hidcote with his mother, there was no garden at all on the site, just a few mature trees.


With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with E.