Golden History

It's been a long tradition in the music industry to present to musical artists discs of various denomination to recognise sales. But where did this all start?

The original gold record awards were presented to artists by their own record companies to publicise the achievement of 1,000,000 sales. The first of these was awarded by RCA to Glenn Miller in February 1942, celebrating 1,200,000 sales of "Chattanooga Choo Choo". Another example of a company award is the gold record awarded to Elvis Presley in 1956 for 1,000,000 sales of the single "Don't Be Cruel." The first gold record for an LP was awarded by RCA to Harry Belafonte in 1957 for the album Calypso (1956), the first album to sell over 1,000,000 copies. Awards were introduced at the industry level in 1958 with the RIAA's Gold Award Program. 1958 was also the year that the first classical LP went platinum, pianist Van Cliburn's RCA recording of his cold-war prise winning Tchaikovsky performance.

We at Rubberduckz.co.uk have recently introduced a fantastic gift idea based on the Gold Disc presented in the record industry. Our replica Personalised Mounted Gold and Platinum Discs are identical to the awards received by successful bands and artists. The Unique and Personalised Replica Discs are framed with a selection of mount colours. Enter your own personal message for the dedication plate to make your disc a LIMITED EDITION OF ONE.

Pick a song and artist of your choice to be printed on the centre of the disc. Maybe the No.1 song from the day you were born a first dance at a wedding or to commemorate a wedding or maybe a special song from a special time in your life. Available now from Rubberduckz.co.uk.
(thanks to - wikipedia)

Tartan Times

Tartan is without doubt the most recognisable symbol of Scotland and designs vary through many different colours. Tartan has also created a great deal of romantic fabrication, controversy and speculation into its origins, name, history and usage as a Clan or Family form of identification.

Did you know:

Tartan patterns are called "setts"; the sett being the complete pattern and a length of tartan is made by repeating the pattern or sett over and over again.

The Celts for many thousands of years are known to have woven chequered or striped cloth and a few of these ancient samples have been found across Europe and Scandinavia. It is believed that the introduction of this form of weaving came to the West of Northern Britain with the Iron age Celtic Scoti (Scots) from Ireland in the 5 ^– 6^th c. BC.

Early Romans talked of the Celtic tribes wearing bright striped clothing - there was no word at that time for chequered. One of the earliest examples of tartan found in Scotland dates back to the 3rd century AD.

The word Tartan we use today has also caused speculation and confusion as one camp says it comes from the Irish word - tarsna - crosswise and/or the Scottish Gaelic tarsuinn – across. The Gaelic word for Tartan has always been – breachdan - the most accepted probability for the name comes from the French tiretaine which was a wool/linen mixture.

One of the first recorded mentions of Tartan was in 1538 when King James V purchased "three ells of Heland Tartans" for his wife to wear.

In 18^th Century Scotland each area or community grouping would have, as one of its artisans, a weaver. He - they were invariably men - would no doubt produce the same tartan for those around him and that tartan would initially become what we now call a District Tartan - one worn by individuals living in close geographical proximity such as glen or strath. By its very nature, that community would be one huge extended family that soon became identified by its tartan which it wore.

A great boost to tartan came from Queen Victoria and her Consort, Prince Albert. They fell in love with Balmoral - the Royal residence on Deeside in Scotland - and with tartan and all things Highland. Prince Albert designed the now world famous Balmoral tartan and they bedecked room after room with it, further consolidating the Victorians' romanticised view of the 'noble' Highlander.

GENTLEMEN - THE TARTAN Here's to it! The fighting sheen of it, The yellow, the green of it, The white, the blue of it, The swing, the hue of it, The dark, the red of it, Every thread of it. The fair have sighed for it, The brave have died for it, Foemen sought for it, Heroes fought for it. Honour the name of it, Drink to the fame of it - THE TARTAN. (Murdoch Maclean)

Over the last fifty years or so tartan has developed into a multi-million pound industry dominated by a few large mills. Today tartan holds a unique place in the annuals of textile history and has come to symbolise, along with the kilt and bagpipes, the cultural identity of the whole Scottish nation.   In recognition of Tartan and it's colourful vibrant design we at Rubberduckz.co.uk have introduced a range of fabulous Tartan design Zippo style Petrol Lighters. With 7 designs to choose from including the famous royal Stewart and MacDonald Clan Tartan. Our Tartan Lighters make a fabulous Father's Day or Birthday Gift.

 

Thanks to scotshistoryonline.co.uk

 

 

OH NO! NOT MORE SNOW?

OH NO! NOT MORE SNOW? 

More snow is forecast across the middle of the UK today and into the weekend. Although you might think that it’s a little bit late for the white stuff don’t feel too hard done by.

The UK gets on average 33 days of snow fall or sleet a year.  Most of this is snow falling on higher ground where temperatures are lower. The snow sticks on the ground a lot less often with an average of only 16.6 days a year.

Did you know that on 2 June 1975 snow showers forced the abandonment of several cricket matches across the country? The snowiest winter of the twentieth century in the United Kingdom was 1947. Between 22 January and 17 March snow fell every day somewhere in the country. The most disastrous avalanche in the United Kingdom occurred in Lewes, East Sussex on 27 December 1836. Several houses were destroyed.

So it’s not all that uncommon to see a white Easter, we suggest that you turn up the heating and put the sun lotion back in in the cupboard. Put the kettle on and make yourself a nice brew, maybe treat yourself to a nice new teapot or mug we have lots to choose from at Rubberduckz.co.uk. I know that link was a bit tenuous but it’s late and I’m desperate.

Do you know your doggy?

We have been living alongside our canine friends for around 15,000 years.

But do you really know your pooch?

If you have cancer, diabetes, or epilepsy, your dog might be the first to know. Studies have shown that dogs can be trained to sniff out cancers of the lung, breast, skin, bladder and prostate. Researchers suspect the canines are picking up on extraordinarily faint scents given off by the abnormal cells.

Dogs can be as smart as 2-year-old children, according to research. Border collies are the top dogs in the intelligence category, with some in the breed capable of understanding up to 200 words.

Do dogs feel envy? Recent studies have found that when dogs saw other dogs getting treats for a trick they'd been performing unrewarded, the unrewarded dogs became agitated, scratching themselves and avoiding the gaze of the rewarded dogs. They also stopped doing the trick much faster than if they were alone and not getting a reward.

Or guilt? When dog owners thought their dogs had eaten a forbidden treat and reprimanded them, the pooches looked just as "guilty" regardless of whether or not they had actually eaten the treat. In fact, dogs who were wrongly accused of snack-snatching often looked more guilty than dogs who had really eaten the treat. Turns out those soulful eyes don't reflect any soul-searching, after all.

Dogs are the most diverse animals around, did you know that the skull of Pekingese is as different to that of a Collie as a cat’s skull is to that of a walrus's?

And finally, if you want to make new friends get a dog. Research has proven that people who walk dogs have 3 times more social interactions than those who didn’t.

So owning a dog has more benefits than you think. So how can we repay the favour? We at Rubberduckz.co.uk have a fantastic range of Personalised Pet Bowls and Pet Place Mats which make fantastic Gifts for Pets all year round and will make your doggy feel extra special.

(Thanks to "livescience.com")

It's that time of year again

Spring is in the air and all over the country keen sports men and women are polishing their nine iron and dreaming of that perfect drive. Golf is played by millions of men and women of all ages worldwide.

Here are some amazing facts:

- The chances of making two holes-in-one in a round of golf are one in 67 million

- There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball

- The first golf balls were made of thin leather stuffed with feathers. Tightly-packed feathers made     balls that flew the farthest. Feather balls were used until 1848.

- The youngest golfer to shoot a hole-in-one was Coby Orr, who was five years old at the time. It happened in Littleton, Colorado, in 1975.

- 22.8% of golfers are women

- Golf was banned in Scotland from 1457 to 1502 to ensure citizens wouldn't waste time when preparing for an English invasion

- There's a long-standing myth that the word "golf" is an acronym of Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden. Which is amusing, but unfortunately complete rubbish. The word actually stems from original 15th Century spellings that included "gouf", "goulf", "goiff" and "gouff" (indecisive lot, 15th Century Scots).

And the last word goes to that fine gentleman Winston Churchill who stated "It is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose." Sir Winston had obviously had a bad experience.

Love or loath the game we all know a golfer and we at rubberduckz.co.uk have just added some great golfing gift ideas that would make a great Father's Day presents, Birthday gifts or even as a unusual Retirement gift.

(source-intotherough.com)

Daffodil v Leek

Today is St David's but do we wear a Daffodil or a Leek?

According to legend, St David advised the Britons on the eve of a battle with the Saxons, to wear leeks in their caps so as to easily distinguish friend from foe. This helped to secure a great victory. Today Welsh people around the world wear leeks on St David's Day. It is also a surviving tradition that soldiers in the Welsh regiments eat a raw leek on St David's Day.

The Welsh for leek (the original national emblem) is Cenhinen, while the Welsh for daffodil is Cenhinen Pedr. Over the years they became confused until the daffodil was adopted as a second emblem.

So it seems that the Leek came first although I'm sure most people would prefer to wear a daffodil on their lapel rather than pinning a vegetable to their jacket.

If your looking for a gift for the Welsh patriot in your life have a look at our Welsh Flag and Dragon Cufflinks or our Cymru Pewter Tankard ideal as a Birthday Gift or Father's Day present.

Wedding Superstitions

Even the most loved up couples get a bit twitchy when the big day approaches. Here is a list of popular Wedding Superstitions. Worth thinking about or no more than fantasy?

-Snow on your wedding day is a sign of fertility and prosperity.

-Walking is thought to be the best way of getting to church, as there's more chance of spotting lucky omens such as: seeing a rainbow, having the sun shine, and meeting a black cat or a chimney sweep.

-Wear gold earrings on your wedding day to ensure wedded bliss.

-Put marigolds in your wedding bouquet to keep your true love.

-Speak wedding vows on the upward strokes of the clock hands and you'll work well together in marriage.

-An engagement ring purchased on a Tuesday will guarantee a marriage filled with peace and contentment.

-Burning the mistletoe on Twelfth Night ensures marriage for those who have kissed beneath it.

We hope your wedding day is a fantastic success without the need to put rubber gloves in the flowers. But to ensure that the best day of your life is extra special take a look at rubberduckz.co.uk, we have a fantastic range of wedding presents many of these personalised gifts.