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.