Animal facts

It is a testament to my fertile brain that I am constantly fascinated by trivia, and in particular, a few gems I have amassed about animals are listed below for your enlightenment and edification.

A duck’s quack doesn’t echo

Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds

All porcupines float in water

An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain

A study finds that if a cat falls off  the 7th floor, it has about 30% less  chance of survival than a cat that falls form the 20th floor. It supposedly takes about 8 floors for the cat to realize what’s happening , relax and correct itself

A snail can sleep for 3 years

Frank Sinatra had a dog called Ringo who had 3 gold fillings

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs, but not downstairsA 1,200-pound horse eats about seven times it’s own weight each year.

A bird requires more food in proportion to its size than a baby or a cat.

A capon is a castrated rooster.

A chameleon can move its eyes in two directions at the same time.

A chameleon’s tongue is twice the length of its body.

A chimpanzee can learn to recognize itself in a mirror, but monkeys can’t.

A Cornish game hen is really a young chicken, usually 5 to 6 weeks of age, that weighs no more than 2 pounds.

A cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.

A father Emperor penguin withstands the Antarctic cold for 60 days or more to protect his eggs, which he keeps on his feet, covered with a feathered flap. During this entire time he doesn’t eat a thing. Most father penguins lose about 25 pounds while they wait for their babies to hatch. Afterward, they feed the chicks a special liquid from their throats. When the mother penguins return to care for the young, the fathers go to sea to eat and rest. So how can they call them Happy Feet?

A father sea catfish keeps the eggs of his young in his mouth until they are ready to hatch. He will not eat until his young are born, which may take several weeks.

A female mackerel lays about 500,000 eggs at one time.

A Hindu temple dedicated to the rat goddess Karni Mata in Deshnoke, India, houses more than 20,000 rats.

A Holstein’s spots are like a fingerprint or snowflake.

No two cows have exactly the same pattern of spots.

A leech is a worm that feeds on blood. It will pierce its victim’s skin, fill itself with three to four times its own body weight in blood, and will not feed again for months. Leeches were once used by doctors to drain “bad blood” from sick patients.

A newborn kangaroo is about 1 inch in length.

A normal cow’s stomach has four compartments: the rumen, the recticulum (storage area), the omasum (where water is absorbed), and the abomasum ( the only compartment with digestive juices).

A polecat is not a cat. It is a nocturnal European weasel.

A quarter of the horses in the US died of a vast virus epidemic in 1872.

Now who the heck researches all this stuff?

Tea with Richard Branson

Call me crazy, (and I know you do), but I have a new ambition. I want to have tea with Richard Branson. I have long been an admirer of his style, his branding genius, and even his mobile phones, one of which is my proud possession, but since reading his book, “Losing my Virginity” some years ago, I have watched his escalating empire and his penchant for poking fun at the Virgin brand with great interest. On of my step-sons, Mike McCartney (aka Mike McGear) even played at his wedding many moons ago at the Manor. According to my diaries, it was in 1972,  Mike was part of a then, very successful group called The Scaffold. They had hits with Lily the Pink and Thank U Very Much.

I am currently reading Sir Richard’s latest tome: “Business Stripped Bare” which is a real page turner. With my strong conviction that humour plays such an important role in all aspects of our lives, I really love to read his take on presenting the Virgin divisions as not only sound business entities, but as a place where the staff have reason to smile. I know if I worked for Richard Branson I certainly would smile. But I digress. My latest harebrained idea is to get my organic teas on to Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Blue. Now if that isn’t far out, I don’t know what is. He has been responsible for stunts such as appearing at the launch of his mobile phone company clad only in a large (I am assured it was large) replica of a cellphone over his naughty parts, and many other diverse activities to draw attention to the Virgin brand companies.

An even earlier recollection of my awareness and admiration for him was when I visited his Virgin Records shop in Bold Street, Liverpool in early 1972. The place was a sea of hippies in various reclining positions, and a strong odor of patchouli oil, body odor and a certain other substance. I abandoned the idea of trying to seriously browse and buy something, as it wasn’t even possible to get near the cash register to pay for anything.

I particularly love his motto: “Find Good People and Set Them Free.” Can you imagine anything more exhilarating than working for a boss and a company that actually encourages the staff to pitch in ideas, to come to work with a smile, and to have fun! The world sure needs more of that attitude today.

Another amazing idea is that his Virgin Blue airline in Australia actually has their senior management work as baggage handlers from time to time so that they can experience the workload from the bottom upwards. This must create such a buzz among the regular baggage handlers. Small and big business alike can learn so much from this amazing man. And once he gets a bellyfull of Mrs. McCartneys Tea, there will be no stopping him.

Gotta go now, the nice man with the padded van is here… Maybe he would like a nice cup of tea?

The Ingleside Inn, Palm Springs

One of my most favourite places in the entire world is The Ingleside Inn. It has the old world charm and laid back atmosphere of bygone days, when service was service, and I can’t think of a better place to be planning to celebrate my 80th birthday in November of 2009 (if God spares me).

Mel Haber, the owner, is the most fascinating man, and if you don’t believe me, you should read his books. The latest one, Palm Springs a la Carte, chronicles his life from early childhood in Brooklyn, to his foray into the world of hospitality, including night clubs and the legendary location, The Ingleside Inn.

His previous book: “Bedtime Stories” is on the night stand in every room and is an absolute must. One of Mel’s most charming features is that he doesn’t try to whitewash his image, when he makes a boo boo he can laugh at himself, sometimes at great cost! He has met his share of con artists over the years.

His restaurant, Melvyn’s has played host to countless celebrities, movie stars, wannabe movie stars, politicians, businessmen and women, what Mel calls the Caviar Crowd! Any evening or Sunday afternoon in the bar, it is a great place to people watch. Sunday afternoons are a delight, with music and a wee dance floor for the able bodied to get up and boogie.

Every time I take a sojourn at The Ingleside I feel like I have stepped back in time to the days when gracious living was the norm. Last time I stayed there, I had just re-drafted my Last Will & Testament and had three perfect strangers witness my signature  at the bar. Yes, it’s that kind of place!

I recently sent Mel some of my newly launched organic teas, and he kindly responded with a signed picture which I will treasure.

To name drop a little further, Frank Sinatra held his pre wedding dinner to Barbara Marx at Melvyn’s. The guest list of the hotel and restaurant reads like a Who’s Who of the entire planet. Debbie Reynolds was married there, and in fact you can see a picture of her which she signed: “Everyone should get married here at least once” Mel remembers how delighted he was when Liza Minelli asked him if she could get up and sing. His memories range from the hilarious to the tragic, but he has managed to overcome the tough times, and believes in paying it forward with his contributions to the Angel View Crippled Children’s Foundation for over twenty five years.  He is truly a Prince among men! (If you read this Mel, it should at least earn me a glass of your excellent Chardonnay next time we meet).

The wonder of Woolworth’s

I was saddened to learn that one of Britain’s favourite stores, Woolworth, is about to close the doors of its approximately 200 stores, starting today in Liverpool on 28th Decembert 2008. They opened their first store tere in 1909 and it was then known as the threepence and sixpence stores, with all items priced at those rates. A pair of silk stockings cost one shilling! (sixpence per leg).

My organic teas on Cable TV

Today, 6th January, 2009, I had the pleasure of filming an interview for Time Warner Cable, to talk about my tea, and have a little afternoon tea with Sharon Schoenberg, Producer for SoCal News.  She was very interested in the varieties, all of which we tried out after the interview. Alan, her Cameraman is a tea fan also, and we tucked in to tea and comestibles after the segment was in the can. My dear friend Don Dale had baked some delectable pastries, blueberry muffins, and fruit bread, added to which were cookies made by Ruth, some fruits and berries, the regular cucumber sandwiches, and a beautiful array of goodies. A rattling good time was had by all. I can’t wait to see it on TV which should happen in a couple of weeks or so when they have edited it.  Sharon said we should make it an annual affair, every January, and I will hopefully be around to keep her to that!! Meantime, I am putting a cloth over the bathroom scale for a day or two.

Bye Bye Woollies, January 2009

Monday, January 9th 2009. Sadly, today sees the final closure of Woolworth’s stores.  I have many fond memories, but one that sticks in my mind is of taking Paul & Linda’s daughters, Mary McCartney and Stella McCartney to the branch on Telegraph Road in Heswall on the Wirral Peninsula in what was then known as Cheshire. That was when we lived at Rembrandt, the house that Paul bought for his father.

Sometimes, when Paul and Linda came stay, along with the children and an assortment of pets, they would need to sleep late after working in the studios into the night, and to keep the house quiet, Ruth and I would take the kids out for walks, or shopping. One day, Stella was in my arms, being carried around the store as she was too small to see the counters, kept asking me to buy her “fokkits.” I puzzled until she espied what she wanted and pointed excitedly to it. It was chocolate. (“Fokkits” to her). Thus appeased, she then wanted “peggins”. We trailed around the shop, counter after counter, asking her “is this what you want.” She kept shaking her head vigorously until she spied a counter that had children’s gloves and mittens. “Yes, yes, me want peggins” she shouted excitedly. So I bought her a little pair of woollen gloves and she was happy. To this day, Ruth and I always refer to gloves as “peggins.” I guess the now famous Fashion Designer Stella McCartney had aspirations towards the fashion world even at that early age.

Eartha Kitt

The world said goodbye on Christmas Day to the great Eartha Kitt, at the age of 81. She was an iconic figure, who always had a great sense of humour about herself, and when I heard the news, I remembered that only the day before, I had just been in a local restaurant which was playing her rendition of Santa Baby over the air. Her history is an amazing one, and she was truly the epitome of a survivor, having lived through the rigours of racism. Her talent will live on.

My Christmas 2008 indulgences

As we are a family of movie addicts, Ruth and Martin gave me several wonderful DVDs for Christmas, and I have spent Boxing Day and today, Saturday 27th December, indulging myself watching some of them. I was fascinated by “Burn After Reading” a Coen Brothers movie, starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand,  John Malkovitch, Tilda Swinton and Richard Jenkins. I was intrigued at how the characters all seemed to come from different spheres, running from physical fitness to spy tactics, to sex addiction, and it took me a little time before I could figure how they all came together in the most interesting and black comedic way. I recommend it as a good watch to anyone with a sense of humour. Brad Pitt is really funny as the dorky guy from the fitness center who gets in the middle of a plot between the CIA and the Russians.

Then on a more regal note, I received a beautiful copy of Majesty, The Royal Family at Work, which is a fabulous BBC 5 part series, covering over 4,000 official engagements, ranging from the State Opening of Parliament to visits with schoolchildren, Her Majesty’s visit with George W. Bush in the United States, and lots more footage of Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry. I watched this on Christmas Day after seeing the Queen’s Christmas Broadcast on youtube.com. Ah, the wonders of technology. Made me feel quite homesick.

I have not yet tackled the 3 series of Anthony Bourdain’s food related international travels, which will be quite a treat. We are looking forward to meeting him at an event in February 2009 when he is appearing at a UCLA related show, for which we have prepared an Internet promotional campaign. It is also a possibility that they will be serving Mrs. McCartney’s Teas at that event at a hotel in Los Angeles.

Then on a sillier side, I enjoyed Mad Money with Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes, a fun romp which also stars Ted Danson, Christopher McDonald, Roger Cross and Stephen Root. This one is all about chasing your dreams, beating the system and ultimately paying the price!

The old phrase “and so to bed” now has a new meaning for me. At the end of a busy day, my retirement to my bed includes the luxury of wonderful movies, and the warmth of my lovely golden babies, Thelma and Louise.

We have recently been adopted by a new pet – a large black and grey stripey male, whom Ruth has christened Gray Davis (because he is grey, and Gray Davis was our Governor before the Gubernator, Arnold Schwarzenegger). It has been interesting getting them to blend, (the cats, not the Governors), but we seem to have settled into a routine, where when it is night time (and pretty cold recently), Grey goes upstairs and settles under Ruth and Martin’s bed, while Thelma and Louise stay downstairs with me in the rear of the house. I have also been cat sitting for two neighbours who are on vacation, Tuffy for my friend Jeri Markwell, and Nikki for Tim and Don who are away in Puerto Vallarta. So my life is pretty heavily involved right how with cat foot, cat litter, cat toys, eye drops, medication, etc. etc. I may just qualify for my Semi-Veterinarian status in a short time.

Amazing statistics on the Internet

I have just discovered an interesting site: http://www.statbrain.com/www.onzin.com/

It can help you discover how many hits various sites are receiving, and I was very pleased to find that www.mrsmccartneysteas was doing well. It is way beyond me, how all this works, but nevertheless, it does, and I would strongly recommend any readers to take a look and see what they can find out about their sites and others of interest. Here’s looking at you kid!

Afternoon Tea in the Playa

Cantelini’s/Salerno Beach at 193 Culver Boulevard in Playa del Rey is now serving Mrs McCartney’s teas in the afternoons and early evenings. This is one of our favorite watering holes and is very close (some say too close) to our McCartney Media offices. I was delighted to deliver my second order to them recently. They display my little red English phone box cards on the tables. This is the first of what I hope will be many places to sip a cuppa, a trend which is growing by leaps and bounds in the Tea Shoppes of Southern California. It has also been my pleasure to ship out numerous packages to folks for Holiday gifts, as many of my friends and colleagues find it a novel way to ask folks to have a drink, without any danger of being breathalyzed!