CONTENTS

Midsummer Traditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

June Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Going For A Ramble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Adorable Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Home, Sweet Home: Council Houses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9

It Happened In June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

The June Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13

June People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Object Of The Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Quiz Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

June 2020

What greater gift than the love of a cat .Charles Dickens

“ ”

Front Cover: State Library Of Queensland

Copyright © 2020 Everyday Miracles Ltd T/A The Daily Sparkle ®

The longest day is a turning point in the year . It will be on 20th June . It is known as the summer solstice . Thousands will gather at Stonehenge to see the first rays of the sun. That is if it is not raining!

For thousands of years, Druids have welcomed the sun on this day . The sun gives us warmth and food . We yearn for it to return in its fullness next summer . Many places have big celebrations . In Cornwall traditional bonfires are lit.

Midsummer’s Day follows on 24th June . ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays . It is full of fun, fairies, love and make-believe .

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Midsummer Traditions

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The Cloud by Percy Bysshe Shelley

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers, From the seas and the streams; I bear light shade for the leaves when laid In their noonday dreams . From my wings are shaken the dews that waken The sweet buds every one, When rocked to rest on their mother’s breast, As she dances about the sun . I wield the flail of the lashing hail, And whiten the green plains under, And then again I dissolve it in rain, And laugh as I pass in thunder .

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June Words

Summer is a wonderful time to enjoy our countryside . Going for a good walk was a real pleasure . It might just have been a ramble with friends or family . Or maybe you put on your boots and went hiking . It was just so nice to be out in the fresh air . Of course, you got wet at times, but as you said, “It’s only water!”

The exercise was good, and when the knees got creaky, you helped each other over the stiles . You even found time to stand awhile, just taking in the glorious countryside around you . Then it was time for the sandwiches and the flask of tea!

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Going For A Ramble

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“If only they could talk!” That’s what many people say about pet animals . They make such good companions . But, they are not just good company, they also give love and affection. And in return, they love to be stroked and cared for . They become a real friend .

It is often said that the nation is divided into dog lovers and

cat lovers . It is easy to see why many people call the dog ‘man’s best friend’ . They can be so loyal and trusting . There is a real bond between dog and owner . The loyalty goes both ways .

Dogs are also energetic . They need a good walk, but that does us good. They love to sniff, run about and catch a ball . They brighten up our lives .

Adorable Pets

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Cats, on the other hand, are more independent . Yet they, too, love to be stroked . They like nothing better than curling up beside you in front of a warm fire. Cats are playful and inquisitive . They have real character .

For many people, pets start with a rabbit when they are a child . Looking after a rabbit teaches children to care for animals . Pet rabbits hop about, eating greens and pieces of carrot .

Pets can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes . Some people keep budgies . Children, especially, are fond of a hamster or a guinea pig .

Of course, life is not all about cuddles . There are the jobs that have to be done . Cleaning out a rabbit hutch or emptying a cat’s litter tray are necessary chores . Pets can be messy: it is all part of the fun!

Most of all, though, pets bring joy into people’s lives .

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Home, Sweet Home

The headline in a local paper in 1947 said it all: ‘Home, Sweet Home For Someone’ . The local council had just built its first council house after the war . They handed over the keys to the excited family . For millions of us, council housing meant a comfortable, affordable home of our own .

Council housing had got going after the Great War . Large housing estates were built in the 1930s . But there was a desperate shortage of housing again after the Second World War . The 1950s saw a building boom .

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Joan remembers the day

Brian made it happenWhen I came out of the army, I needed a job . I got taken on as a labourer . I worked as a brickie’s mate . We helped build two new estates . The houses had large gardens, and the streets were wide . There was a big push to get them built fast . But at least they were solid with plenty of room inside .

Then I met Alice, married, and we got a house on one of the estates . Me and my mate had even done the brickwork on that one, and very proud of it we were, too!

As soon as Jack was demobbed we put our name down for a council house . We were renting a terraced house . It had an outside toilet and no running hot water . By 1950, the council estates were springing up . We waited and waited . The children came along . Then, in 1952, they allocated us a three-bed semi . Brand new . It had a bathroom and a modern kitchen . I was overjoyed . I nearly wept . It was just wonderful .

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It Happened in June

Last month saw the 75th anniversary of VE-Day on 8th May 1945 . It was a time of great rejoicing for the entire nation .

Thirteen months later, there were Victory Celebrations throughout the country . These were held on 8th June 1946 . There was a vast military parade through London . It took nearly all day to go from Hyde Park to Tower Hill and back again .

There were parades in other cities too . Every schoolchild was sent a letter from King George VI . It remembered the shared hardships and dangers of war . And it looked forward to a time of peace and unity .

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Victory Celebrations, 1946

The Orient Express has been a byword for luxury and intrigue for over a hundred years . The first train left Paris on 5th June 1883 . It only went as far as Vienna . But soon the service was extended to Istanbul .

Before air travel, the Orient Express was the most elegant way to travel across Europe . Today, it is used as a luxury cruise train from Paris to Venice .

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The Orient Express

Most train travel was a far cry from the luxury of the Orient Express . In the 19th century, Britain’s railways got rid of Second Class . That left First Class and Third Class . Third Class sounded very inferior . So, on 3rd June 1956, British Railways scrapped Third Class .

But they didn’t scrap the carriages . They just renamed Third Class as Second Class!

The End Of Third Class

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The June Quiz1 . Which animal is called ‘man’s best friend’?

2 . What sort of animal is a tabby?

3 . Is the summer solstice the longest or the shortest day?

4 . In which county is Stonehenge? Hampshire or Wiltshire

5 . Who wrote ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’?

6 . VE-Day was on 8th May 1945 . The Victory Celebrations were on 8th June 1946 . How many months later were the Victory Celebrations?

7 . Which king wrote to all schoolchildren in June 1946? George V, Edward VIII or George VI

8 . The Orient Express runs from the capital of France . What is the capital of France?

9 . The Orient Express originally ran to Vienna . In which country is Vienna?

10 . Then it ran all the way to Istanbul . In which country is Istanbul?

11 . Now The Orient Express runs to Venice . In which country is Venice?

12 . In 1956, what did Third Class on British Railways change into?

13 . Terriers, spaniels and poodles are all types of what?

14 . A crossbred dog is called a m _ _ g _ _ _

15 . Manx, Persian and Siamese are all types of what?

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16 . Which actress was on the radio in ‘Educating Archie’? Beryl Reid or Thora Hird

17 . Which actor starred in both ‘Marriage Lines’ and ‘Ever Decreasing Circles’? Michael Crawford or Richard Briers

18 . Prunella Scales was in ‘Fawlty Towers’ . Was her husband called Basil Fawlty or Norman Fawlty?

19 . Penelope Wilton was in the TV series ‘D _ _ n _ _ n Abbey’

20 . Do you wear a rucksack round your waist or on your back?

21 . A group of ramblers walk for four hours . Their average speed is three miles an hour . How far do they walk?

22. Alan sets off on a hike with a map and a co _ pa _ _

23 . He also has a f _ _ sk and some s _ _ _ w _ _ _ es

24. When council houses were first built, were they to rent or to buy?

25 . Alan lives in a three-bed semi . What does ‘semi’ stand for?

26 . Which of cats, dogs or rabbits live in a hutch?

27 . Is the Orient in the east or the west?

28 . Who took dogs for walkies on television? Mary Whitehouse or Barbara Woodhouse

29 . In which month of the year is Midsummer’s Day?

30 . How many words can you make from the letters in ‘Ramble’? Examples: bear, lamb, male

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June People

Prunella Scales

Prunella Scales has made us smile, and often laugh out loud . She was perfect in the television comedy ‘Marriage Lines’ with Richard Briers . Then she played the wife of the manic Basil in ‘Fawlty Towers’ .

She was born on 22nd June 1932 . She has been a bright star on the stage and on television .

Beryl Reid

Beryl Reid started out in music hall . She had a marvellous gift both as a comic and a character actor .

She was born in Manchester on 17th June 1919 . She was on radio in ‘Educating Archie’ . She won awards for her theatre work, and for her television and film screen roles.

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Penelope Wilton

Penelope Wilton has also starred with Richard Briers . This time in ‘Ever Decreasing Circles’ . An accomplished stage actress, she then came to fame in the popular period drama ‘Downton Abbey’ . She was born on 3rd June 1946 .

This month, three wonderful actresses who have graced our television screens

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1 . Dog2 . Cat3 . Longest day4 . Wiltshire5 . William Shakespeare6 . 13 months7 . King George VI8 . Paris9 . Austria10 . Turkey

11 . Italy12 . Second Class13 . Dog14 . Mongrel15 . Cat16 . Beryl Reid17 . Richard Briers18 . Basil Fawlty19 . Downton Abbey20 . On your back21 . 12 miles

22 . Compass23 . Flask . . . Sandwiches24 . To rent25 . Semi-detached house26 . Rabbits27 . East28 . Barbara Woodhouse29 . June30 . Various

The June Quiz Answers

When people went rambling or hiking, first they packed their haversack . It would contain sandwiches and a flask. In it would also go a map and a compass . Haversacks were made of canvas which didn’t keep the rain out very well .

Nowadays, most people call them rucksacks . They are bigger and more comfortable on your back . They’re usually made of lighter, synthetic material . But they still contain the essentials for a day out in the countryside .

Object of the Month

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ENQUIRIES0800 228 9698

info@dailysparkle.co.uk • www.dailysparkle.co.uk

Copyright © 2020 Everyday Miracles Ltd T/A The Daily Sparkle ®

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