THE LONDON CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS 2025

Last Sunday saw London celebrating The Chinese New Year, an event I haven't been to

for quite a few years now. 

And marking the Year of the Snake, the colourful Parade made it's way up Charing

Cross Road and on to Shaftsbury Avenue. And it was after the Parade that many headed

for the chaotically crowded Chinatown to watch the Dragon dances.

There was also a few events going on in Dean Street Soho as well as Leicester Square, and

not forgetting a huge gathering in Trafalgar Square.

Of course my intention for getting out so early on a Sunday morning was to create a

video of the event, above, and as featured on my Youtube page, something that I hope

will now replace a blog that I recently terminated.

London Chinatown Twitter Page 

London Chinatown Chinese Association

Facebook Page

Chinatown Instagram

EPIC?....NAY, ALMOST BIBLICAL!

We Brits don't always get it right when it comes to putting on Opening Ceremonies.

The 2012 London Olympic Opening Ceremony springs to mind, the one directed

by Danny Boyle and considered a hit and miss affair, although the collaboration

between Daniel Craig and The Queen was popular.

But it was in this video above that we pulled out all the stops for the opening of

The Millennium Dome on New Year's Eve 1999. Of course I never saw this

until I got home later that Millennium night as I was down by the Thames watching

39 tonnes of fireworks taking off into the Party night sky.

And it's here that we see a group of well rehearsed children charge down

a narrow stage only to tug onto a long pulley that releases and brings down

all the outer wall coverings which then exposes the immense size of the

Dome structure.

But what intarnation was that thundering epic music played in the

background? Was it specially composed for this event? It certainly

had a greatness about it. It sounded like music for a Roman Emperor as he

enters the Gladiator's Arena flanked by a hundred gold chariots.  It might

have even eclipsed Mahler's almighty climax of his Eighth Symphony.

Sadly the Millenium Dome was a failed project and lost many backers a lot

of money. And it wasn't until June 2007 that it re-opened as a new structure

that we now know as The 02 Arena.

AS THE SOUND OF THIS VIDEO IS ONLY COMING OUT OF YOUR LEFT SPEAKER

ON YOUR PHONE OR LAPTOP, IT'S BEST TO JUST SLIGHTLY PULL OUT THE

HEADPHONE PLUG TO YOUR PLAYER THEN THE SOUND WILL COME OUT OF BOTH

HEADPHONES.

AND ONLY THEN WILL YOU APPRECIATE WHY I WENT TO THE TROUBLE OF

POSTING UP THIS VIDEO.

ORIGINAL VIDEO KINDLY UPLOADED BY LeMaitre Events

CORNWALL.....And She's Right

When the 2020 Lockdown began and many were cooped up in their homes, I think that's when

the Youtube Reactors phenomenon began, with many of them based in The U.S. And they all seemed

fascinated by British culture including food, drink, music, history, tv shows and interesting places

to see in the U.K.

And one of those Youtube reactors that I occasionally look in on is Island Girl from Anchorage

Alaska. And it's in this video above that she sees St Ives Cornwall for the first time on video. And

what a wonderful reaction she gives. And the St Ives part is just at the start which I've set up

at just 10 minutes into the video. So no need to watch the rest of the video after St Ives if you choose to.

Of course Island Girl loves British tv Comedy from the archives and just the other day I must have

had a sore jaw from watching her loud boisterous laughing, and particularly after she reacted

to several tv episodes of 'Love Thy Neighbour.'

Unfortunately there weren't any trips to Cornwall for me last year but I've managed to get a booking

for this coming Summer in early June, hoping that we should get some early Summer weather.

ISLAND GIRLZ HAVE FLOW YOUTUBE CHANNEL

ORIGINAL CORNWALL VIDEO FOOTAGE BY CJ EXPLORES

CHRISTMAS 2024

So for a change I was able to celebrate Christmas 2024 unlike the previous one in 2023

which I bypassed altogether due to having my Bladder operation just days after Christmas

Day 2023. In fact that whole non festive week I was zombified on anti-biotic tablets in

preparation for that Bladder procedure as they had detected an infection in me.

________________________

So thanks to a generous neighbour in my road I was lucky to have a real potted Christmas

tree this year. They left it outside our front door last Spring so I've been nurturing it all year, 

even re-potting it. But once December the 1st came I quickly brought it upstairs to my room before

someone was tempted to walk off with it.

I was hoping to get this now well belated post up well before Christmas Eve but unfortunately I

was so occupied finalizing and ending my other blog after deciding that I'd had enough of it. After all

I spent most of last year fretting and wondering why none off my regular blog readers and visitors

came forward with messages of concern after revealing my cancer scare. Nor were there even

any messages of encouragement to continue with that blog. So in just a few weeks I'll be

dismantling it for good. It will certainly free up my time.

My 2024/25  Medical Updates..

In 2024 I had one Operation to clear out the cancerous tumour growths in the Bladder.

Followed by two separate Operations to remove large Kidney Stones. And that first Kidney

Stone removal was a bigger procedure that required two and a half stay over days in the Hospital.

And not long after that I had to go back in again to have a Stent removed which they left in after

that Kidney Operation.

And throughout the year I had endless visits to the Hospital for regular pre-assessment

appointments. It's something you go through before having Operations under general anesthesia.

And not forgetting several CT Scans that I had to undergo.

And finally in February and March I'll be starting the dreaded BCG Bladder Treatment. Something

I am not looking forward to. It's already been postponed twice for various reasons. Once where

I didn't agree to having it done on the other side of London.

So all in all I like to think that I'm halfway through my medical journey. But getting through

the BCG Bladder treatment isn't going to be easy. It's something that has to be done or I simply

ain't going to be here soon. So I've got no choice. 

Above: My little Oscar cabinet. I wasn't sure what wording to paint on that clapperboard. 

It might have been Orson Welles and Citizen Kane or even Hitchcock's Vertigo.

But in the end I went for John Ford's classic The Quiet Man.

Above is my new treasured statue/bust of the Maestro Giuseppe Verdi. It's something

I've been looking for for sometime now. I had been scouring one or two antique shops in

Portobello Road only to be told that I'd have more luck searching on e-bay. And sure enough

that's where I found one, but sold from The U.S costing around £50 but twice that amount to

post it to me here in London. It's just over a foot tall at 33cms and is actually quite heavy.

Thankfully it arrived at my front door well packed and still in one piece.

 Below

Below is my not so very large kitchen area where I wash, cook and prepare meals. And I imagine

that not many would be able to cope with such a small space. But it suits me fine and I'm so used

to it.

But it did need a clean up and makeover in time for Christmas.