Awards and inspiration edition

This weeks theme is awards and inspiration which is something that helps keep ourselves motivated through these difficult times.

Hot off the press and due to be launched yesterday (Thursday) is Mwaka Mudenda aged twenty-five Blue Peter presenter number 39 in that inspiration children's magazine shows Sixty-one and bit years history.

Found in the BBC's sports department, she makes her debut from home like the current duo Lindsey and Richie with her first challenge which will be a first in these changed times, restoring the presenter numbers back to three which to was prior to the 2010's.

As I still love watching the show, not least for being LB, for many years I'm looking forward to that.

This leads us to the following:

One inspiration by common consent has been Captain Tom Moore now aged 100, a WW2 veteran who raised over Thirty-three million pounds by doing 100 laps before he reached that centenary for the NHS.

Some indication of his impact is he inspired young children, some with disabilities to raise funds too and others overseas and also for his calming philosophical approach  to dealing with the Covid-19 crisis.

Recently he was the recipient of a Blue Peter Gold Badge award put forward by Georgia and Benji, his grand children seen pictured and presented due to current restrictions remotely by presenter Lindsey Russell who described him as "a beacon of light".

Street artist "Banksy", an anonymous character whose art just appears on walls was also in the news this last week. 

He left if that was the right word a peace of work in Southampton general hospital  saying he hoped it would brighten up the lives of the staff and patients there and after the Covid-19 infection it could be auctioned off with the funds going to NHS charities.

Entitled "Game Changer", it features a boy playing with a basket of superhero dolls, but instead of grabbing Spiderman or Batman, he is playing with the doll of a nurse with a superhero cloak.

Many have been inspired by the dedication of our Nurses and other clinical staff dealing with Covid-19 patients seeing them as real life heroes rather those in our comics, tv or cinema screens.

It is a both a touching act of generosity on his part and also a touching depiction of a boy at play.

There we have it on the as ever looking backwards and going forward LB blog, the inspiring, the inspirational and the enduring source for all we truly need.

Stamps and awards

It's a Friday so after updating my Wordpress back ups and doing my usual scouting blog  on here - link at the top - I'm writing this weeks blog.

Stamp collecting always was a thing with me but in connection with another interest of mine that does tie into alb age regression life with me I received a small parcel that contained the following unfranked stamps that I thought so interesting I'd write something  about them.
Going from the left we have a stamp commemorating the "The Most Ancient Nobel ORDER of the THISTLE Tencentury of the Revival, Middle right one female authors Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre and the European Assembly Elections from 1979!
By when this gets printed paws crossed Automattic Inc should be running Tumblr assuming my tumblrs are still up and intact rather than Yahoo/Verizon /Oath Holdings Inc so we'll see what their plans are for that place we use are.

On Thursdays Blue Peter a new Badge (right) was launched to tie in with BBC Music Day on Sept 26 by the British singer Ed Sheeran and the show featured an appearance by Sir Paul McCartney.
Sir Paul said "Music was really important to me growing up and I hope this badge will inspire more kids to get into it."
The badge will be awarded to boys and girls from five to fifteen years of age who
*  Writing in to Blue Peter saying how the enjoy MAKING music
*  Ask a parent, grandparent or teacher about their musical memories
*  Tell Blue Peter their top three songs of all time
As someone who played music at school and enjoys musical performance I think this is a good idea especially for those who may find academic interests hard going.

While I'm not so sure he should have what suggests to someone brought up when I was a ash tray on that table, I am happy to have reverted very much to looking like the eternal schoolboy in so many ways I am with a minimal adult role and presenting openly the way I am simply because vast chunks of what I need to function as an adult simple are not there and all else leads to assuming far more than I capable of.  
Summer has passed with heavy showers earlier on in the week so it's as well I have new waterproof jackets for when I'm out that do look good with my usual uniform on.

Blue Peter Part III - Specials and Badges

Yes, you do have to pinch yourself that I am writing this in 2019 not typewriting it and attaching to a big folder as I would of done in the 1970's and 80's when we didn't have computers but had a manual typewriter but this is about....

Blue Peter, my favourite all time show that I still watch on Thursdays and that is that!

Going way back in time when I first started watching it, it was groundbreaking  for a lot of things not least a one off special where then presenter Valerie Singleton, went on safari with no less than HRH The Princess Anne who as a young boy I was also aware of to Kenya where the Save The Children Fund which she was patron of were doing work with orphaned children.

The program originally went out on Easter Sunday April 11th 1971 as a one off having been filmed in February and created quite a stir but was reshown on Monday June 7th after the regular show.

The Radio Times page for that re-run is shown above.

Her Highness was widely praised her understanding of the issues and observations at the same time the show itself revealed a serious side, showing how children in less fortunate places lived and what could be done to help.

Later on that year a mini all colour book was issued that chronicled the visit and obvious friendship between Valerie and Princess Anne and that is my original copy

It was that edition that was the start point of Valerie's move into being a roving reporter for the Special Assignments series as Lesley Judd joined Blue Peter in 1972, a way of maintaining a connection with the shows audience while looking more at people and places around the world.

The show is also know for its iconic badges that children (and sometimes adults) earn that were introduced in 1963 based on a design by the late Tony Hart.

This is a black backed genuine one of mine from 2012 with the pin set in plastic to avoid any holes in little people occurring followed by tears whereas in my day it was said "It'll learn him to be more careful"!

Every so often a special badge is issued usually for marking a period of being on the air and this genuine one of mine comes from 2008  and is the 50th Anniversary Gold one only available that year. 

I do deliberate use the phrase Genuine One because there are a good number of what at best can be called replicas and at worst fakes around cheaply cast which detracts from the very notion these badges were never bought for fringe benefits but were earned by children (and a few adults) for genuine effort, abilities and endeavours.