What's in a name or a nationality?

By Guilherme Paula [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

In an earlier post this week I referred to "GB interest" in the Winter Olympics which start tomorrow.

I realise now that this could be confusing, especially if you're not familiar with the abbreviation GB and don't know it stands for Great Britain.  My pedantic husband would have pointed out that I should have put "Great Britain (GB)" so that it was clear what I meant.

I suppose it doesn't help that Team GB, as the British Olympic team tends to be known, doesn't actually convey the correct meaning. Great Britain only includes includes England, Scotland and Wales. 

Most people probably know that UK means United Kingdom.  What many won't know is that its full title is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.  In the Olympics our team can consist of sportsmen and women from all four countries.  I suspect that in the opening ceremony the team will be announced as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but I'm not sure I'll be waiting and watching to check! 

And just to add further confusion, in the Commonwealth games the four nations send separate teams!  That also applies to the Football World Cup, except that often not all four countries get through the qualifying rounds to reach the final stage.

The images above show how the flags of the respective countries of England & Scotland were combined and then the insignia of the Order of St. Patrick added to produce the United Kingdom flag known as the Union Jack.*

Do I consider myself British?  Of course.  That's what my passport says but I'm also English due to my birthplace with a bit of Welsh thrown in from my Dad and who knows what else if I went back a few generations.

Hmm I'm not sure if I've clarified my shorthand or muddied the waters even more.   But I will be watching out for Team GB in the Winter Olympics over the next couple of weeks. 

* If you want to know why there isn't a Welsh component to the Union Jack don't ask me ask Google!

1 out of 2 is better than none!

I had a productive day today.  I cleaned my ovens, got a few loads of laundry done and then I planned our evening meal.

Continuing with my 18 in 18 list I picked out a recipe I hadn't cooked before - Moussaka. 

It required some shopping so a trip to the local shops gave me a walk which helped get my step count up today.

Then I started preparing the meal and I remembered to take a photo.

I was feeling quite impressed with myself.  Everything came together well and we all enjoyed the meal but of course I forgot to photograph the finished product so here's what the book version of it looked like. Mine looked pretty good too.

Wednesday Hodgepodge 7/2/18

Wednesday's Hodgepodge is brought to us courtesy of Joyce at

From this side of the pond

Pop over there to see other posts and if you want to join in add the link to your Hodgepodge blog post to the Linky List at the end of Joyce's post and don’t forget to visit at least your neighbours on the list.

1. February can be a little bit tricky given the weather and the winter and the whatnot. I read a list (here) of things you can do to make your February brighter which included-start planning your next trip, take more baths, make your own chocolate covered strawberries, and exercise in preparation for swimsuit season. Anything on the list you might try? Which suggestion on the list appeals to you most? Tell us something not on the list that helps make your February brighter.
Ha there are definitely some things on that list I would not be doing!  But taking more baths would make my to do list.  Getting out and about more would help get through February.
2. Tell us about something you've seen or done recently that you'd say was 'super'?
We had a family meal together last weekend that was super.  Hosted by one of hubby's siblings all 8 siblings were there with partners. We had beef wellington and the beef was just so tender and delicious.  The company was pretty great too.

And of course this little one is pretty super too - now with 4 teeth!

 
3. Best thing you ate in a 'bowl' last week?

Well the beef wasn’t in a bowl but the chocolate mousse cake that followed was and that was pretty special too.
4. Something you're 'cheering' for right now?
Blue skies!
5. The Winter Olympics begin Friday, February 9th in Pyeong Chang, South Korea. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being all in and 1 being no interest whatsoever) how interested are you in the games? Which event do you most want to see (you'll find a list here).

Probably a 6.  I often have good intentions about watching but then miss the things I really enjoy – ice skating and curling or anything where there is a GB interest.  My report card would read “could do better”
6. Insert your own random thought here.

We finally watched Suffragette on TV this week and it was quite eye opening.  It was also interesting to see when women got the vote in other countries and of course the battle goes on in some places.  Women have come a long way but there is still a distance to go.

Families - love 'em or hate 'em?

Well this is not good.  Just Jot it January finished last week and no post here since Friday.  Clearly there's a connection.

I'd like to say I've been busy but that's only partly true.  On Friday evening we were out.  One of Hubby's siblings invited all of us to dinner. By all of us I mean the 8 siblings and partners so 8 + 6 partners arrived for a lovely meal.  She had prepared 3 types of smoked salmon for starter, followed by Beef Wellington and then Chocolate mousse cake or trifle for dessert.  All of it was delicious and we had a really nice evening.  It's rare that we manage to get all the siblings together except at things like weddings but we've all agreed to make more effort this year.

I think we're all conscious of not having my Mother-in-law around anymore to pull us all together so we have to do it for ourselves.  We've already agreed a date for the next get together which Hubby and I will organise.  We won't be cooking a Cordon Bleu meal though as it would be hard to seat 14.  We're probably going to do a buffet for when people arrive and then go out to a couple of local venues that have music.

Getting back to the weekend, we ended up staying the night at Nick's sister's house.  Fortunately I had grabbed a few essentials like toothbrushes in case.  Not the most comfortable night's sleep - on the floor and a sofa - but it avoided a drive home and meant I could have more than a small glass of wine for a change.  We also got to help clear up the next morning and spend more time with two of his sisters.

Once we got home though the rest of the weekend was spent rather lazily. We even avoided a certain well known event taking place in the US - probably because our American DIL was also away for the weekend!

I did prepare a new recipe on Sunday, a tasty chicken casserole but once again did not take a photo!  Perhaps I need to be more like my kids and glued to my phone.  Actually I'm off phones since Nick got his nearly new smartphone.  He's still getting used to it so the questions keep coming.

Yesterday was a bit more productive - we finally delivered our old mattress to a friend who wanted it and I got bits and pieces for my son's birthday which is today.  No big celebrations this year despite one of our oldest friends getting the two boys confused and wishing him a happy 30th two years early!  One of my BILs has just jokingly wished him a happy 40th on Whatsapp.  Don't you just love family? I certainly do.