Saturday, February 1, 2020

Brett’s Monthly and an Anniversary

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Welcome to February, this year giving you more because there is one extra day.

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I am also giving you more in that this blog started on January 25, 2010.

Over the next week I will repost some of the items from those first days. I hadn’t recalled them and found them entertaining and interesting, hopefully you will too.

They appear after Brett’s Monthly.

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Some quick notes about February:

- last month of winter in the northern hemisphere

- last month of summer in the southern hemisphere

- The word February is believed to have derived from the name 'Februa' taken from the Roman 'Festival of Purification'. The root word 'februo' meant 'I purify by sacrifice'.

- Joe, this one’s for you: Before 2002, Super Bowl Sunday was held the last Sunday in January, but since 2002 it is more commonly held the first Sunday of February.

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As usual Brett has emailed me his list of bizarre and unique holidays for the coming month.

Thanks Brett.

Click on the daily items to expand . . .


Month:
  • American Heart Month
  • An Affair to Remember Month
  • Black History Month
  • Canned Food Month
  • Creative Romance Month
  • Great American Pie Month
  • National Bird Feeding Month
  • National Cherry Month
  • National Children’s Dental Health Month
  • National Grapefruit Month
  • National Weddings Month
  • Spunky Old Broads Month
Weekly Celebrations:
3rd Week International Flirting Week
February 2020 Daily Holidays, Special and Wacky Days:
February 1
Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day - first Saturday of month
February 2
Superbowl Sunday - Superbowl 53, date varies
February 3
The Day the Music Died - Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash in 1959.
February 4
February 5
February 6
February 7
Bubble Gum Day - first Friday of the month
Send a Card to a Friend Day - obviously created by a card company
February 8
Boy Scout Day - celebrates the birthday of scouting
Kite Flying Day - in the middle of winter!?!
February 9
Oscar Night - date varies
February 10
Clean out Your Computer Day - second Monday of Month
February 11
February 12
February 13
February 14
February 15
Candlemas - on the Julian Calendar
February 16
February 17
President's Day - third Monday of month
February 18
February 19
February 20
February 21
February 22
February 23
February 24
February 25
25 Mardi Gras  / Fat Tuesday - date varies
February 26
26 Ash Wednesday - date varies
National Pistachio Day - it's a nutty day!
February 27
No Brainer Day - this day is for me!
February 28
National Tooth Fairy Day - and/or August 22
February 29
 Leap Day -2020 is a Leap Year!!! It's once every four years
Open That Bottle Night - last Saturday of month

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Bytes origin:

Bytes started life as a Quote for the Day sent to a select group of friends by email. Gradually more and more people asked to be added to the mailing list and I started adding items of interest. Eventually the list became so large that my daughter, Acacia, turned it into a blog. 

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From the Bytes first postings, an item to go with Australia Day 2010:

Australiana: Under the Southern Cross I Stand 




On a day celebrating all things Oz, and at a time when there is ongoing debate about our flag and anthem (and I place on record that I hate the inane lyric “Our home is girt by sea”), it is appropriate to repeat and amplify an item posted last Australia Day, the victory song of the Australian Cricket Team. I came across it again as I was transferring old posts to this blog. 

The words to the song are: 

"Under the Southern Cross I stand
A sprig of wattle in my hand
A native of my native land
Australia, you fucking beauty" 

Some facts: 

The song is sung by the players after each victory. 

It is treated with reverence and respect by the players. The ritual of singing it is akin to a sacred honour. 

Some sources claim that former wicketkeeper Rod Marsh is the author/composer, the work having been inspired by the 1887 Henry Lawson poem, Flag of the Southern Cross. That poem refers to the flag flown at the Eureka Stockade. 

Others believe that it originated much earlier, including that it was sung by Australian soldiers serving in the Middle East. Thomas Keneally recalls his father (a sergeant in Egypt) singing it when he was a kid. 

Ian Chapell says that he introduced it to the Australian team, although he did not write it: 
“When I recited Southern Cross to Rod Marsh he liked it so much it became the Australian team's victory song, The first time Rod sang it was after we beat England in 1974 at the Gabba. We were down in the dressing room having a few beers and he sang it. A little while later we were invited up to the members' bar, where there were still quite a few people. Well, Rod jumped up and sang it and Lew Cooper, the secretary of the Queensland Cricketers' Club, who had asked us up, came up to him and told him he'd have to mind the language. Well, Rod got up and sang it again and then we were offered a couple of cartons and directed back down to the dressing room." 
At any one time there is a custodian of the song, whose honoured role it is to sing it and lead the others in singing it after a victory. As the keeper of the unofficial anthem retires, is promoted or not selected, he anoints another to be the custodian. 

The custodians so far have been: 

· Rod Marsh, passed it to Allan Border on retirement; 

· Border passed to David Boon when he took on the captaincy. 

· Boon passed the honour to Ian Healy when he retired. 

· Healy anointed Ricky Ponting when Healy retired. 

· Ponting gave the responsibility to Justin Langer when he became captain in 2004. 

· Langer appointed Michael Hussey in 2007 on his retirement. 

· Hussey passed it on to Nathan Lyon upon his retirement in 2013. 

To hear the Australian Cricket team rendering it with beauty, elegance and class after the 2007 World Cup victory, click on: 









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