Bulls

 

Ok last week I wrote about cows, so this week I will write about bulls.

Bulls are powerful, muscular, and often larger than cows, with thicker bones, larger feet, and a muscular neck, which they use to fight for dominance within a herd. They have a "mane" of curlier, woolly hair on their neck and head, and a hump on their shoulders. 

They have large, bony heads with protective ridges over the eyes and the hair on their bodies is generally shorter.

They typically weigh significantly more than cows of the same breed. Their horns are thicker and shorter than those of cows in horned cattle. Some breeds have horns that curve outward from the centre in a flat arc, while others have horns that curve upwards in a lyre shape. The horns are unbranched and are not shed annually. 

They can be unpredictable and aggressive, which can pose a risk to those who work closely with them. They are intelligent and can learn quickly, and have long-term memory, and can tell people apart. 

They weigh up to 997 kilos or 2200 pounds, although there are some breeds, like the Chianina, can reach up to 1.8 meters (5 ft 11 in) at the shoulder and weigh up to 1,280 kg (2,820 lb). 

Like most mammals, bulls are red-green colour blind.

They become fertile around the age of seven months. 

The phrase "like a bull in a china shop" describes someone acting clumsily and causing damage, and while bulls can be unpredictable and strong, they don't inherently go "crazy" in shops; the phrase is a metaphor, not a literal description of bull behaviour. 

 

England

 

This week I am looking at the country of England, last year I wrote about the United Kingdom of which England is part.

The area now known as England has a long history, with evidence of human presence dating back over 800,000 years, with stone tools and footprints discovered at Happisburgh in Norfolk. 

Though the Kingdom of England, as a unified entity, emerged in the late 9th century and existed until 1707 when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. 

The Romans invaded and occupied the area in AD 43, leaving a significant impact on the region's culture and infrastructure. After the Romans left in the 5th century, the area was inhabited by various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. 

The Kingdom of England emerged in the late 9th century as various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were unified under a single ruler. 

The Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland were united under one monarch in 1603, and in 1707, they formally merged to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Kingdom of Great Britain existed from 1707 to 1801, when it merged with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 

England's population is estimated to be around 56.5 million, representing about 84.3% of the total UK population. 

The dominant religion in England is Christianity, with the Church of England being the established state church, although it represents less than half of the population, with a growing number of people identifying as non-religious. 

Other religions include Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Buddhism. There is also an increase in the number of people identifying as non-religious.

Besides the Church of England, other Christian traditions include Roman Catholicism, Methodism, Presbyterianism, Mormonism, and Baptists. 

The current Prime Minster is Keir Starmer elections are held when the prime minster calls for one. As the ability to request a dissolution of parliament and call a general election lies with the prime minister. This means that a prime minister can effectively announce an election at a time of their choosing.

 

If the prime minister does not call an election earlier, then parliament would be automatically dissolved “the beginning of the day that is the fifth anniversary of the day on which it first met”, with the election being held 25 working days after that date. This means the latest date for the next general election will be 21 August 2029.

The legal age to drink, vote or marry is 18, although until 2023 you could legally marry as young as 16 with your parents’ consent.

The law also expands the offence of forced marriage to make it illegal to arrange for a child under 18 to marry, regardless of whether force or coercion is used. 

Adults who facilitate underage marriages can face up to seven years in prison. 

The law change aims to protect vulnerable children from being forced into marriage and to address the damaging impact of child marriage. 

The legal minimum age to work is 13 years old, but with restrictions, and young people can work full-time once they reach the minimum school leaving age which is 16.

The legal age to join the British Armed Forces is 16, but with parental consent, and those under 18 will be considered junior soldiers until they turn 18, at which point they can become regular soldiers. 

If you're under 17 years and 6 months old, you'll start your Army career at the Army Foundation College, Harrogate, as a Junior Soldier. You can become a regular soldier at 18 years old. 

You can start your application when you're 15 years and 7 months old, but you won't be able to go to the assessment centre until you're at least 15 years and 9 months old. 

Those who sign on when 16 or 17 must serve until they are 22. However, a soldier cannot be deployed to the front line until they are aged 18. 

In England, you can start receiving the state pension, at the age of 66, but it is set to rise to 67 by 2028 and to 68 from 2044. 

Ok that’s enough for this post, I may do a part two looking at other stuff about the country.

 

 

Week 14 of 2025

 

I slept straight through the night again waking only when the alarm went off at 5am.

Tim has a long day ahead of him it will around midnight before he gets home.

I slept all night, there is no rain this morning, just nice and cool at the moment. The temp is 20C with a top of 22C expected.

It turned out to be a warm day, I went and did some shopping at Woolies, cost me $62.

We have had showers on and off all day.

Tim wet up my new smart watch so we will see how that compares with the pedometer I wear on my waist band.

Steps:9,105 pedometer over 13hrs

 3,877 watch over 4hrs

I slept straight through the night again waking only when the alarm went off at 5am.

Had to wake Jess to wake Sam whose phone was going straight to voicemail.

Around 2pm Sam rang to see if I could get Sue to pick her up from Charlestown and bring her home, so I did, and she did after some rigmarole trying to explain where she would be picked up from.

It turned out to be a warm day. I am wearing the new smart watch Tim bought me, it counts my steps better less guessing on my part.

Steps 6,669

DAWSON’S BIRTHDAY HE IS 26 TODAY

I slept straight through the night again waking only when the alarm went off at 5am.

Tim said he has been awake since either 1am or 3am I don’t remember what he said.

Sue took me to the podiatrist; all is good with my feet. Sue asked her opinion about Sue’s ingrown toenail on her big toe. She was so concerned that when telling Sue cost to have it removed would be $100 and Sue said she didn’t have the money right now so it would have to wait. She said she would do it for a reduced fee while Sue was there. She ended up treating both big toes for only $20.

I told Sue needs to see her GP about getting a care plan, so she doesn’t have to pay to see the podiatrist. Sue made an appointment for Friday 11 at 9am.

Steps:8,088

I slept straight through the night again waking only once to pee. I am very restless this morning.

I went with Sue while she had her mammogram, on our way home we called in and saw Dave at work.

I wore the new dress I got from Millers that I didn’t order or pay for, it looked nice on.

I am having a bad with my body moving so much, by 4pm I was so exhausted and worn out.

Didn’t do much today

Steps:5,845

I slept straight through the night again waking only once to pee. I am having a better morning then yesterday.

My left arm is very sore this morning I should have got Tim to help me put the shoulder brace on.

I have had a better day then yesterday haven’t done much as my motivation is here and there.

It got as high as 27C, and I had to change into shorts.

Steps: 7,673

I had another good night sleeping straight through although I have woken with a headache, I did remember to get Tim to put my shoulder brace on before he left for work.

It has been another warm day, thankfully I have been good with my body shaking very little till around 1pm when it increased.

I was having a water ice block when it went down wrong causing me to have a bad coughing fit, how annoying.

Steps:6,529

I had another good night sleeping straight through although I woke with a runny nose and have a headache.

I had a nice hot shower.

It has been another warm day; Tim is off this weekend. Temp reached 27C but didn’t turn the air con on.

This evening Tim has had too much to drink and is annoying a baby bird, he keeps picking it up and it has been squawking in distress and I keep telling him to leave it alone. If he was sober, he wouldn’t be doing it.

Steps:7,959

Anthem of the United Kingdom

 

This week’s national anthem is Northern Ireland’s which because the country is part of the United Kingdom they use "God Save the King" as its national anthem, but at the Commonwealth Games, "Londonderry Air" (also known as "Danny Boy") is used as the Northern Irish team's victory anthem. 

When Northern Irish players compete alongside players from the Republic of Ireland as one team, they all sing "Ireland's Call". 

The anthem "God Save the King" has a history dating back to the 18th century, with the first published version of the lyrics and tune appearing in 1745, though the origins of both are somewhat obscure. 

The song was first publicly performed in London in 1745, and by the beginning of the 19th century, it had become known as the national anthem. 

The origin of both the words and music is unclear, with the anonymous song appearing in Gentleman's Magazine in 1745 and the tune appearing around the same time in an anthology called Thesaurus Musicus. 

Some possible composers and lyricists suggested including John Bull, Thomas Ravenscroft, Henry Purcell, and Henry Carey, but the authorship remains disputed. 

The song's first performance in 1745 coincided with the Jacobite rebellion, and it was sung in support of King George II. 

The melody of "God Save the King" has been used for national anthems in other countries, like the national anthem of Liechtenstein, "Oben am jungen Rhein". 

The lyrics were originally "God save great George our king," but were later changed to "God save our gracious king" to accommodate the names of later monarchs like William IV and Victoria. 

Since 2003, "God Save the King", considered an all-inclusive anthem for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as other countries within the Commonwealth, has been dropped from the Commonwealth Games. In 2006, English winners heard Elgar's “Pomp and Circumstance”, usually known as "Land of Hope and Glory", but after a poll conducted prior to the 2010 Games, "Jerusalem" was adopted as England's new Commonwealth Games anthem.

The words of the National Anthem are as follows:

God save our gracious King!

Long live our noble King!

God save the King!

Send him victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us,

God save the King.

Thy choicest gifts in store

On him be pleased to pour,

Long may he reign.

May he defend our laws,

And ever give us cause,

To sing with heart and voice,

God save the King.

 

New Posts

 

Hi everyone, there was no post yesterday due to me going with Sue to her mammogram appointment after which I was in a terrible state, with my body moving uncontrollably. I ended up feeling exhausted and worn out

Anyway, here are this week’s links:

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/04/am-i-nerd.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-no-joking-hodgepodge.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/04/tuesdays-4.html

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2025/03/stuff-i-did-during-week.html

 

Cattle

 

This week is the first of hooved animals, I am starting with cattle.

Cattle are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus Bos. Mature female cattle are called cows, and mature male cattle are bulls.

There are over 1000 breeds of cattle that are recognised worldwide, some of which adapted to the local climate, others which were bred by humans for specialised uses.

The natural lifespan of a cow is 15-20 years; however, the dairy industry rarely allows cows to live past age five.

Cows typically thrive on a diet primarily consisting of high-quality forage, such as fresh grass or good-quality hay. These fibrous plant materials provide essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. In some cases, cows may also be fed grains, silage, or supplemental feeds for specific nutritional needs.

Cows are smart, social animals. They have a rich repertoire of communication that includes moos, grunts, bellows and even non-verbal signals such as tail position.

A cow is pregnant for around nine months (or 279 to 292 days). The gestation length varies depending on several factors, such as the breed of the cow and the sex of the calf. While cows are typically monotocous (giving birth to one calf), twinning can occur, with rates varying between 2-5%.  Twin birth is a result of multiple ovulations, being more common in dairy rather than in beef cattle. Calves could be monozygous or dizygous, with the same or of different sexes.

Cows are surprisingly good swimmers and can swim for several miles, if necessary, sometimes even as part of normal farming practices. 

Cows can doze lightly while standing, they need to lie down to achieve deep, REM sleep, they need only around 4 hours sleep at a time. 

They also have good night vision, but not as good as humans, and they are better adapted to low-light conditions than humans. They have a higher concentration of rod photoreceptor cells in their eyes, which are more sensitive to light than cone photoreceptor cells. 

Cows run when they are startled by something, like all animals and most humans. They may run when they are happy, like when dinnertime hits. Did you know that cows can jump, too? Just not over the moon like in fairytales.

Cows will often come when their name is called. They even differentiate between the voices of the person calling their name and sometimes they ignore you – just like a stubborn teenager trying to avoid a job they don't like. Don't be fooled – they hear just fine! Like many animals (and people) cows follow their nose.

Northern Ireland

 

So here we are at the start of another week, this week’s country is Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland that is variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland.

The official currency is the pound sterling, Bank of England notes are the only banknotes that are legal tender in England and Wales. Scottish, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and Manx banknotes are not legal tender in England and Wales. However, they are not illegal under English law and creditors and traders may accept them if they so choose.

Northern Ireland remains separate from the Republic of Ireland because after the Irish War of Independence and the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, the Government of Ireland Act 1920 partitioned the island, with the six northeastern counties (predominantly Protestant and Unionist) remaining part of the United Kingdom, while the rest became the Irish Free State (later the Republic of Ireland). 

The main difference between Ireland and Northern Ireland is that Ireland is a sovereign, independent country, while Northern Ireland is a constituent country within the United Kingdom. 

Citizens of Northern Ireland can choose to be either British or Irish citizens. 

The population is 1.9 million, the capital is Belfast and the official language is English. Although since 2022 Irish has also be recognised as an official language.

Their only official flag is the Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom.

Christianity is the largest religion, with Catholics and Protestants (including those from other Christian backgrounds) comprising the majority of the population. While the Catholic share of the population has overtaken the Protestant share, neither group constitutes a majority.

Belfast has a long history of riots between Catholics and Protestants. Beginning in 1835 there have been at least 15 major riots in Belfast, the most violent ones taking place in 1864, 1886 and 1921.

A series of riots known as "The Troubles," stemmed from deep-seated sectarian tensions between Catholics (nationalists) and Protestants (unionists) over Northern Ireland's status and treatment of the Catholic minority, erupting into violence from the late 1960s to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

In the 21st century, Northern Ireland has seen a resurgence of violence and riots, particularly in 2021, stemming from issues like Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, with loyalist groups engaging in protests that escalated into civil unrest.

Northern Ireland is generally a very safe place to visit, with a low crime rate and a welcoming atmosphere, making it a safe destination for tourists.