Non-Royal Toothpaste

I've been using Maclean's toothpaste for years.

Apparently it was introduced into United Kingdom in the 1930s by the Maclean's Company, which was subsequently taken over by the Beecham Group, and eventually by SKB.

Yesterday I bought a new tube of Maclean's and almost immediately noticed that the royal warrant was missing.

This warrant was a conspicuous likeness of the Prince of Wales' feathers, surmounted by the legend: By Appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales, Suppliers of Toothpaste, GSK Consumer Healthcare. Brentford, Middlesex.

Evidently another concoction is used to clean the royal gnashers now! 

Belfast Fishmongers

In 1974, there were no less than fifty-two merchants in Belfast who were classified as Fishmongers, sixteen of which were in east Belfast.

Do any readers recall J Christie of 32 Belmont Road?

How many fishmongeries are there in Belfast today?

1. Adams, T, 24 Bromley Street
2. Bon-Accord, 169 Victoria Street
3. Boyle, F, 169 Divis Street
4. Campbell, T, 332 Woodstock Road
5. Christie, J, 32 Belmont Road
6. Christie, Walter, 94 York Road
7. Coulter, J, 162 Crumlin Road
8. Crawford, John, 34 Botanic Avenue
9. Crawford, William, 239-241 Cliftonville Road
10. Crawford's, 2-4 Westland Road
11. Curran, J, 241 Grosvenor Road
12. Davey, Robertina, 849 Crumlin Road
13. Dickson, John, 122 Oldpark Road
14. Donnelly, T, 62 Knockbreda Road
15. Duffy, John, 43 Bradbury Place
16. Dungannon Stores, 145 Upper Lisburn road
17. Eagle, The, 233 North Queen Street & 171 Shankill Rd
18. Ewing, J, 32 Gilnahirk Road
19. Ewing, M & H, 124 Shankill Road
20. Ewing, Walter, 11 Oldpark Road
21. Ewing, William, 427 Lisburn road
22. Fitzsimmons & Son, 261 Upper Newtownards Road
23. Fitzsimmons, James, 431 Upper Newtownards Road
24. Frizzell, 273 Shankill Road
25. Gillespie, JH, 223 Woodstock Rd & 138 Ravenhill Rd
26. Gillespie, W, 252 Newtownards Road
27. Gilroy, George, 66-72 Ann Street
28. Hanlon, Archer, 14 Woodvale Road
29. James, H, 112 Albertbridge Road
30. Johnston, James A, 23 Castlereagh Road
31. Kingham, Thomas, 76 Shore Road
32. Larmour, A, 249 North Queen Street
33. Loughran, J & Sons, 137 Antrim Road
34. Magill, Mrs M, 183 Newtownards Road
35. Marquis, The, 91 Castle Street & 2 Marquis Street
36. Mayne, N, 393 Ormeau Road
37. Moss, R, 67 Ormeau Road
38. McAreavy's, 242 Springfield Road
39. McCrory, Edward, 146 Castlereagh Road
40. McCusker, John, 295 Grosvenor Road
41. McGonigle & Malcolm, 14 Upper Newtownards Road
42. McNeill, FG, 5 Ardoyne Road
43. Nightingale, Thomas, 79 Castlereagh Road
44. McTeggart, Mrs C, 68-78 Oxford Street
45. McVeigh, J, 83 Newtownards Road
46. O'Connor, A, 374 Crumlin Road
47. Quinn, Hugh, 68-78 Oxford Street
48. Rogan, Patrick, 792 Shore Road
49. Ross, John & Sons, 68-78 Oxford Street
50. Sawers Ltd, 24-38 Castle Street & 15 Fountain Street
51. Somerville, H, 112 Bloomfield Avenue
52. Stewart, WH, 307 Springfield Road

First published in May, 2017.

5BX Exercises

I consider myself fairly fit and able-bodied.

Until Saturday, the 21st March, I swam about one mile daily, six times a week.

I also kept physically fit in the gym twice weekly.

While I was on holiday abroad recently I walked briskly every day for, on average, about six or seven miles.

Given the extraordinary and exceptional circumstances in which we find ourselves at the moment, the intention is to follow the Royal Canadian Air Force 5BX exercise regime which was conceived about 1959.

The trusty bike had been neglected in a garden shed for far too long; in fact it had a flat tyre.

So, having acquired a new inner tube, and fitted it, I've been using the trusty two-wheeler more often.

Fortunately I am not far from shops and supermarkets, so this could prove to be a useful means of transport.

Freemen of Belfast: 1980-

HONORARY BURGESSES OF THE CITY OF BELFAST

ELECTED AND ADMITTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELFAST UNDER THE MUNICIPAL PRIVILEGE (IRELAND) ACT, 1875

Ulster Defence Regiment ~ 1980

Royal Ulster Constabulary and Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve ~ 1980

John Hewitt ~ 1983

Northern Ireland Fire Brigade ~ 1992

Northern Ireland Ambulance Service ~ 1992

The Merchant Navy ~ 2002

Lady Mary Peters LG CH DBE ~ 2012

Sir George Ivan (Van) Morrison OBE ~ 2013

Michael Longley CBE ~ 2015

Royal College of Nursing (Belfast) ~ 2016

Sir Kenneth Branagh ~ 2017

William Jefferson (Bill) Clinton ~ 2018

George John Mitchell, Jr, GBE ~ 2018

First published in August, 2012.

Freemen of Belfast: 1960-79

HONORARY BURGESSES OF THE CITY OF BELFAST

ELECTED AND ADMITTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELFAST UNDER THE MUNICIPAL PRIVILEGE (IRELAND) ACT, 1875

65  Royal Sussex Regiment ~ 1961

66  Thomas Gibson Henderson ~ 1964

67  Sir Peter Malden Studd GBE KCVO DL ~ 1971

68  Lady Studd ~ 1971

69  The Rt Hon Ralph Francis Alnwick Baron Grey of Naunton, GCMG GCVO OBE PC ~ 1972

70  The Rt Hon Esmé Mae Baroness Grey of Naunton ~ 1972

71  Ulster Division, Royal Naval Reserve ~ 1974

First published in August, 2012.