125. Driving on the Left - Christina Sinclair: Salty Sam's Fun Blog for Children

July 7th, 2017

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Salty Sam’s Fun Blog for Children

Number 125

Driving on the Left

Hello Everyone

Last week, Bill and Bob met some French exchange students that were living in their next-door neighbours’ house.

These French children were curious to know why British people drive on the left-hand side of the road when the rest of Europe drives on the right, even in Gibraltar.

For the answer to this question you have to look back in history.

lt is said that when the only mode of transport on the road was horses, people tended to pass each other keeping other riders on their right side. This was because most people were right-handed and could reach for a sword to protect themselves if necessary with their right hand.

So what changed this habit?

Well, when Napoleon Bonaparte expanded his empire through Europe he insisted that his armies marched on the right and imposed this rule wherever he went.

Because he never successfully invaded Britain and was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, he never managed to impose the rule here.

Adolf Hitler was no more successful at doing this with his ‘Rechts Fahren’ (go/travel on the right) policy – imposed whenever he invaded a country during the Second World War.

There is another story that because the old London Bridge was so narrow and congested the Lord Mayor of London instructed in 1772 that all vehicles should keep to the left half of the street across it. This may have started the tradition of vehicles travelling on the left side of the road.

What a lot of people don’t know is that out of all the countries in the world about a third of them drive on the left including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, lndia, a lot of African and South East Asian countries and Caribbean islands as well.

Malta and Cyprus started driving on the left in 2008. Samoa started driving on the left in 2009 and South Sudan in 2011.

So maybe Britain is not so different; just unchanged.

Bye bye everyone – don’t forget to subscribe to my blog!

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Thank you!

And see you again next Fun Friday!

Love and kisses

Salty Sam

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www.christina-sinclair.com

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Bill and Bob’s Joke of the Week

Bill: Why did the idiot sleep under his car all night?

Bob: l don’t know. Why did the idiot sleep under his car all night?

Bill: So that he could wake up oily in the morning!

joke

Salty Sam © Christina Sinclair 2015

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material from this blog without express and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited.

Links may be used to www.christina-sinclair.com

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Picture Gallery

Napoleon

The Battle of Waterloo

A road in New Zealand

Samoa is an island in the Pacific Ocean

London Bridge

(with Traitors’ heads displayed on spikes – look at the lollypop shapes in the bottom right hand corner of the picture)

Southwark 1630

(Southwark [pronounced Sutherk] was the part of London that was south of the River Thames)

London today

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desk THE SALTY SAM NEWS DESK

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Auntie Alice has been busy knitting again this week and she has knitted Emily’s 12” doll a lovely car coat (the beret from Blog Post 117 matches the coat).

If you would like one for your doll too, then here is the pattern for you.

NEWSDESK MINIMAKE

A 12” DOLL CAR COAT

CAR COAT BACK (KNIT TWO)

Using 4mm knitting needles and green dk yarn cast on 16 stitches

(Knit 1, purl 1) repeat the last 2 stitches to the end of the row

(Purl 1, knit 1) repeat the last 2 stitches to the end of the row

Repeat these last 2 rows 19 times more (40 rows moss stitch)

CAR COAT FRONT (KNIT TWO)

Using 4mm knitting needles and green dk yarn cast on 12 stitches

(Knit 1, purl 1) repeat the last 2 stitches to the end of the row

(Purl 1, knit 1) repeat the last 2 stitches to the end of the row

Repeat these last 2 rows 19 times more (40 rows moss stitch)

CAR COAT SLEEVES (KNIT TWO)

Using 4mm knitting needles and green dk yarn cast on 18 stitches

(Knit 1, purl 1) repeat the last 2 stitches to the end of the row

(Purl 1, knit 1) repeat the last 2 stitches to the end of the row

Repeat these last 2 rows 14 times more (30 rows moss stitch)

TO MAKE UP

With right sides facing sew 1cm/½ inch up shoulders using over-sew stitches.

Turn the pieces right side out.

Fold the fronts back to make lapels and sew along the tops.

With right sides facing again use over-sew stitches to sew garment together.

Attach the tops of the sleeves to the shoulders.

Sew up under arm and side seams.

Turn right sides out.

Sew two snap fasteners to the front edge.

Decorate with four tiny buttons at the front to create a double breasted effect to the coat.

Turn back the bottom of the sleeves to make cuffs.

TIPS

Slip the first stitch of every row to make neat edges except for the first two rows to make square corners.

If moss stitch is too difficult for you then garter stitch can be used.

The coat made in white would look like a doctor’s or vet’s coat but make the sleeves 4 stitches narrower.

You could also make the coat a little longer if you wanted to.

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Quick Quiz

There are a few differences in the use of words amongst English speaking countries; for example a ‘shooter’ in British’ English is slang for a gun but in American English it means a person who is shooting a gun.

Can you translate these words into American English?

Beginners:-

flat
sweets
bill
crisps
pavement
cupboard
biscuit
receptionist
nappy
wash up
curtains
a rubber
autumn
trousers
petrol
cinema
holiday
lorry
return ticket
mackintosh

lntermediate:-

television aerial
pram
banknote
to grill
candy floss
cul-de-sac
chest of drawers
aubergine
ground floor
caretaker
spanner
dummy
postal code
waist coat
car bonnet
tap
drawing pin
cloakroom
pillar box
off licence

Advanced:-

hair slide
funny bone
bottom drawer
Welsh dresser
haberdashery
icing sugar
estate agent
push chair
spring onion
plus fours
bank holiday
settee
box room
truncheon
tadpole
state school
net curtains
cattle grid
noughts and crosses
garden

And then these words into Australian English?

vest
banger (sausage)
afternoon
flip flops
ambulance man (or woman)
a pepper
builder’s truck
university
sandwich
chickens

Also…

a football pitch is rectangular

BLOW MY FOGHORN!!!

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weekend

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lt’s the Weekend!

HOW TO KNlT MY CABLE JUMPER

Last week on Blog Post 124 there was a pattern for a scarf with a cable pattern on it.

This is a pattern for a jumper with cables on it to get even more practice.

It fits the Salty Sam toy.

SAM’S CABLE JUMPER FRONT (KNIT 1)

Using 3½mm knitting needles and dk yarn cast on 52 stitches

K3 (p2 k3) repeat these last 2 stitches until the last 3 stitches k3

P3 (k2 p2) repeat these last 2 stitches until the last 3 stitches p3

Repeat the last 6 rows 3 times (8 rows of rib)

Change to 4mm knitting needles

K18 p1 k4 p1 k4 p1 k4 p1 k18

P18 k1 p4 k1 p4 k1 p4 k1 p18

Repeat the last 2 rows twice

K18 p1 put the next 2 stitches on a cable needle and put behind or in front of your knitting (keep this choice the same for the rest of the jumper – whichever you find easiest) knit the next 2 stitches and then the 2 stitches from the cable needle

p1 k4 p1 put next 2 sts on a cable needle and put behind or in front of your knitting (keep this choice the same for the rest of the jumper) knit the next 2 stitches and then the 2 stitches from the cable needle

p1 k18

p18 k1 p4 k1 p4 k1 p4 k1 p18

K18 p1 k4 p1 k4 p1 k4 p1 k18

P18 k1 p4 k1 p4 k1 p4 k1 p18

Repeat the last 2 rows twice

K18 p1 k4 p1 put the next 2 stitches on a cable needle and put behind or in front of your knitting (keep this choice the same for the rest of the jumper) knit the next 2 stitches and then the 2 stitches from the cable needle

P1 k4 p1 k18

Repeat the last 16 rows twice

Cast off 10 stitches k8 p1 k4 p1 k4 p1 k4 p1 k18

Cast off 10 stitches p8 k1 p4 k1 p4 k1 p4 k1 p8 (32sts)

Change to 3½mm knitting needles

K3 (p2 k2) repeat last 4 stitches to last 3 stitches k3

P3 (k2 p2) repeat last 4 stitches to last 3 stitches p3

Repeat these 2 rows 3 times (8 rows of ribbing)

Cast loosely rib-wise

SAM’S CABLE JUMPER BACK (KNIT 1)

Knit the back in the same way as the front using stocking stitch or the cable design again

SAM’S CABLE JUMPER SLEEVES (KNIT 2)

Using 3½mm knitting needles and dk yarn cast on 40 sts

K3 (p2 k2) repeat these last 4 stitches until the last 3 stitches k3

P3 ( k2 p2) repeat these last 2 stitches until the last 3 stitches p3

Repeat the last 2 rows 3 times (8 rows of ribbing)

Change to 4mm knitting needles

Stocking stitch 30 rows and cast off loosely

TO MAKE UP

Sew up the right shoulder seam but the left only 1cm up from the shoulder side (not neck side) with right sides facing.

Then fold the sleeves in half lengthways in order to find the centre. Match this centre up to the shoulder seam and sew across the top of the sleeves. Then sew under sleeve and side seams.

Using sewing thread, sew a snap fastener to the outside corners of the collar – this will then turn over to hide the snap fastener.

TIP

If you are a knitting newbie, it is not advisable to knit with black or a very dark coloured yarn because it is not so easy to see where you are or what you have done.