As Andy Burnham becomes Britain's seventh premier in a decade the big question on everybody's lips is… how will his pet dog Axel get on with No 10 Downing Street's resident feline, Larry the Cat?
This is not as frivolous an observation as might first seem. Larry has been in residence as chief mouser at No 10 since the days of David Cameron and does not always take kindly to strangers wandering about the place, whether they be feline, canine or human. He is definitely "a cat with attitude".
Someone who was to discover this was Liz Truss during her brief but eventful stay at the residence. On one occasion in front of all the cameras outside No 10, while hosting a visiting dignitary she attempted to stroke Larry. The cat was not amused and ran off in a huff. It is never a good omen to be snubbed in public by your own cat. Only a few weeks later Ms Truss was standing at the lectern announcing her resignation. At least she didn't blame the cat for her downfall.
No doubt the new PM will get on well with Larry although it might be an idea at first to keep his dog at his "No 10 North" abode well away from the moggy.
A Scottish village
After a 40-year hiatus the Falkland Islands have crept back into the news lately, thanks in part to certain goings on in the World Cup. The geopolitics of these islands don't concern me, but the etymology does…how did they become named the Falklands?
The islands where sheep and penguins far outnumber the human population, are named after the 5th Viscount Falkland who in turn got his name from a village in central Fife, Scotland. These days the picturesque village of Falkland is better known as being a location for the popular television series, Outlander, in which a World War II nurse goes back in time to Scotland in 1743.
It was in the late 17th century when the British expeditionary force aboard the sloop HMS Welfare first came across the islands. Captain John Strong named the strait separating the two main islands as Falkland Sound, which later led to the whole archipelago being known as the Falklands.
The name was in honour of the 5th Viscount Falkland, Anthony Cary, commissioner of the navy who helped finance the expedition. Through his Scottish peerage he was associated with the "Royal Burgh of Falkland" in Fife.
Fit for a queen
The village of Falkland has a colourful history and for several years in the 1560s Falkland Palace was a favourite retreat for Mary, Queen of Scots who took refuge there from political turmoil. At the palace she also indulged in falconry and real tennis. The court, built in 1539 is said to be the oldest in the world. The palace is still standing and open to the public and operates as a school.
Another attraction is the wonderfully-named Scroggie Park, home of Falkland Cricket Club. For the curious "Scroggie" is the Scottish word for "covered with undergrowth". It would also be a great name for a Punk group.
Bon voyage
It is hard to imagine what it must have been like in the 17th century to board a wooden vessel in Britain with the next stop some remote islands in the South Atlantic approximately 12,900km away. Many boats did not survive the fierce Atlantic storms.
Not having seafarer's legs my maritime experiences have been limited to feeling ill on assorted ferries, mainly in Asia. My original overland trip to Thailand began aboard the Folkestone–Ostende ferry. The uninspiring entry in the diary for that miserable January day read "Arrived Ostende feeling grim" after an uncomfortable voyage across the choppy English Channel. Not the most auspicious start to the long trek.
A ferry across the Chao Phraya is about all I can handle these days.
Full of beans
Following last week's item concerning the smelly durian a reader suggested that a Thai bean sa-taw which grows primarily in the South deserves a mention. It looks rather like a broad bean but is also known as the "stinking bean" owing to its potential of causing flatulence amongst its consumers.
Despite this reputation culinary experts have a high regard for this bean and it is a regular ingredient in some of the more exotic dishes at fancy restaurants. It is probably not a good idea to consume durian and sa-taw on the same day. That could prove quite a challenge even for the hardiest stomach.
Predictably wrong
I have been keeping a rather low profile this week after having earlier assured my Chaiyaphum neighbours that France would definitely win the World Cup. My street cred in the village has taken bit of a dip.
However, I was in good company with my rotten predictions. Moo Deng, Thailand's celebrity pygmy hippopotamus was equally wayward in her World Cup forecasts. Given the choice of two juicy watermelons representing the finalists she headed straight for the one with the Argentine flag. At least Moo Deng has an excuse in that she's only two years old.
In future I will adhere to the wise advice of playwright Eugene Ionesco that "you can only predict things after they have happened".
