Showing posts with label Humour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Humour. Show all posts
'Oh, Santa!'
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Buckle up and brace yourself, Mr B's racy rhymes won't be to everyone's taste, but I couldn't help raising a chortle at this one...
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing...
Tuesday, 25 December 2012
A man from Ayrshire was hospitalised last Christmas after eating too many Brussels sprouts.
The traditional Christmas vegetable contain lots of vitamin K which promotes blood clotting. However, this counteracted the effect of anticoagulants the man was taking because he had a mechanical heart.
Doctors at the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank eventually realised too many sprouts were to blame. Consultant cardiologist Dr Roy Gardner said, "Patients who are taking anticoagulants are generally advised not to eat too many green leafy vegetables, as they are full of vitamin K, which antagonise the action of this vital medication."
Jill Young, chief executive of the Golden Jubilee Hospital added, "Whilst we think this is possibly the first-ever festive admission to hospital caused by the consumption of Brussels sprouts, we were delighted that we were able to stabilise his levels."
So don't go mad this Christmas and enjoy your Christmas dinner. Just lay of the baby cabbages, okay?
Play Christmas with the Sproutifarts here.
Jingle Bells as you have NEVER heard it before!
Sunday, 23 December 2012
The Chrismologist's Advent Calendar - Day 23
N is for the Nutcracker
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
At Christmas time it is not uncommon for many families to attend the only ballet the will see all year. The name of that ballet? The Nutcracker. But how did a ballet about a mechanical device for cracking nuts become such a popular festive tradition?The story itself is quite old, older than the one we see portrayed on stage, which is actually an adaptation by the French author Alexandre Dumas, possibly better known for such titles as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo.
The Nutcracker was actually Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's final and least satisfying ballet, after he took on the project with a marked lack of enthusiasm. It is ironic then that it would be The Nutcracker that was to become one of the most beloved Christmas traditions.
But it was really George Balanchine who really set The Nutcracker on the path to popular fame. In 1954 he choreographed the ballet for a New York company, and not a year has passed since when the ballet hasn't been performed in New York City.
The Nutcracker is on at the O2 from 27-30 December this year. If you'd like to go and see it, follow this link.
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You will find many other such tasty morsels of information in my book What is Myrrh Anyway?- and its American counterpart Christmas Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas.
E is for Elf
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Ever fancied becoming one of Santa's elves? Well if you have, now you can (like I did). Just follow this link.
D is for Dom and Danny Do Christmas
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
In 2008 I was involved in the recording of Dom and Danny Do Christmas, for Radio 5 Live. When the show's producer contacted my publisher's publicist to see if I would be interested in taking part, the email she sent said that they wanted a Chrismologist.
I was referred as such by Danny Wallace at the start of the show (which you can listen to below) and the name just sort of stuck.
If you would like to listen to the whole hour's worth of Dom and Danny Do Christmas, you can download it for free from here.
Just before we went on air, Dom Joly got out a singing, plastic Christmas tree. When I happened to mention that the first artificial trees were made from goose feathers dyed greed, he turned to me in amazement and said, "You really do know everything about Christmas!" I obviously made an impression, because he later mentioned me in his column in the Independent - sort of...
Then, last week I was recording my Radio Five Live Christmas day special and invited a man on who'd written a book called What is Myrrh Anyway? It turns out to be an "embalming ointment".
Ah... Fame at last!
If you would like to listen to the whole hour's worth of Dom and Danny Do Christmas, you can download it for free from here.
Just before we went on air, Dom Joly got out a singing, plastic Christmas tree. When I happened to mention that the first artificial trees were made from goose feathers dyed greed, he turned to me in amazement and said, "You really do know everything about Christmas!" I obviously made an impression, because he later mentioned me in his column in the Independent - sort of...
Then, last week I was recording my Radio Five Live Christmas day special and invited a man on who'd written a book called What is Myrrh Anyway? It turns out to be an "embalming ointment".
Ah... Fame at last!
Ideal for Halloween
Thursday, 13 October 2011
If you understand the logic of this, please can you explain it to me?
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