Thank you Easter Bunny, BOK BOK!

Easter has always been a favorite holiday of mine. It arrived with candy, a treasure hunt of eggs and in this picture from the 1970's- a large stuffed bunny!


Even my favorite commercial on TV was the Cadbury Bunny. Oh, how I love my creme eggs which are only available this time of year (another reason to be excited for Easter.) However in the UK- Cadbury Creme Eggs are on the shelves year round.

Anyway- since the Cadbury eggs aren't an Easter exclusive in the UK- they didn't have the Cadbury Bunny commercials.
Ha- and in searching for an old commercial to post here, I realize in my mind I'd merged the M&M "thank you Easter Bunny" commercial with the Cadbury bunny. No wonder people in London had no idea what I was talking about when I imitated the commercial, "Thank you Easter Bunny! Bok Bok!" But then I got used to saying things people who spoke English didn't understand.
I thought maybe I was on to something considering the Cadbury buyout in 2010- but again, upon looking it up, Kraft bought Cadbury. Why did I think it was Hershey? ***here is an update - since my newly purchased Creme Egg says Hershey on it... I checked in with Wikipedia. Here is what whomever says:
Creme Eggs are produced by Cadbury UK in the United Kingdom and by Cadbury Adams in Canada. They are sold by Kraft Foods in all markets except the USA, where the Hershey Company has the local marketing rights.
ANYWAY...
Here is the M&M commercial-
And here is an old Cadbury Bunny commercial. Still love it.


Going back not quite so far in Easter bunny history, here is an old blog post I wrote at News 12 Connecticut. From 2004 through like 2008 photographer Lori Golias and I took our pic with the bunny at the various Connecticut malls to use in our weekly "What's Going On" report.

This pic to the left is from Stamford Town Center, but the others are at Westfield Trumbull.
Wouldn't you know it the first mall I go to in London is a WESTFIELD?

Yes, I checked. Same company. There is also a Westfield in STRATFORD- Stratford, East London. It's near the new Olympic stadium. You will probably hear quite a bit about Stratford late this summer during the Olympics.
I just think it's funny- Westfield Trumbull is in Trumbull, CT.
Westfield Connecticut Post Mall is in Milford, CT.
and Westfield Stratford is in Stratford, East London. (For people not familiar with Connecticut, Stratford, CT is between Trumbull and Milford.)

TX Independence Day Ties with London

Because New York City reporter in London is originally from Texas...

March 2, 2012 marks 176 years of Texas Independence from Mexico.

The Convention of 1836 declared that freedom. The same year, The Republic of Texas fostered ties with London, Paris and Washington, D.C. by establishing legations (a form of embassy) in each place.
In London, Texas history is marked by libations.
You can enjoy a margarita at the Texas Embassy Cantina near the site of the 1836-1845 legation. (It was closed when the Republic became a state. Supposedly the British Empire supported keeping it independent, offering to guarantee its borders.)
The cantina is just off Trafalgar Square.
The actual Texas Legation in London was in a building that was also home to a wine merchant’s firm. “Berry Brothers and Rudd” is still there on St. James street and has been since 1698.


These are pictures from “Texas Embassy.” It’s just off Trafalgar Square on Cockspur street. Have some chili then head to the National Portrait Gallery for a free drawing lesson. (Drawing- of people, not guns.)

The signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836 by 60 delegates happened in a place called Washington, now known as “Washington-on-the-Brazos” or the Birthplace of Texas. It’s between Brenham and Navasota, (uhhh, okay, north of Houston.)


According to the Star of the Republic Museum, in the 1830’s the fledgling village also had marriages, divorces, lawsuits, balls, horse races, was a hub for medical practices, land offices, hotels and TAVERNS.

















Today, (March 2, 2012) is the dedication of a monument tracing the heritage of the six flags that have flown over Texas. It’s located along Highway 105 in August Horst City park in Navasota.

I went to SMU in Dallas, and attended SMU-In-London’s summer International Communications Program back in 1995. So I found my flag at the London Texas Embassy.

CHEERS! To Texas History?

Sorry Walter

Home in Texas visiting Willie, Wanda and Willamena, I almost feel I owe you (and your agent and lawyer) some money.
While spending an enjoyable evening reading your 1996 book "A Reporter's Life - Walter Cronkite," picked up for a buck at my favorite family run chain "Half Price Books," I notice on the inside flap of my hardcover edition "FPT U.S.A. $26.95 Canada $35.00."

This realization at least curbed my lingering laughter over the use of " babushkas" on the first page of chapter 1.
People in Connecticut know how my former tv news weather cohort Paul Piorek uses the same word on the air (in the winter.) And how for more than eight years he had me repeating "babushka alert" six times by 6:00am.
He used it to mean large warm hat, or scarf, or something.
But then one day on air Paul said a viewer called and told him babushka meant grandmother and we envisioned wrapping a grandmother around your head and probably said silly incoherent stuff on TV.

Would I actually owe money if I reproduce Walter's babushka sentence?

Well right there, first page, after using the word babushkas, Walter has "grandmothers" in parenthethis.

Already the book is worth double the dollar. Plus our Texas connection and that Walter worked for CBS and I'm freelancing in London at CBS---- and add the fact his book incited a blog post- and more to follow: the font in the front flap had two lines though the dollar sign. Typing this up on my iPad I can only get one line through. For all I know that could be a different currency and one day it could mess someone up on Ebay.

And why list Canada? Why the different price? We don't list the conversion of price for other countries we border.
Living in London I was told America didn't trade with Canada (England's commonwealth.)
Oh I stood up for America's vast dealings with Canada- how I used to walk across the Buffalo border and buy stuffed moose (stuffed dog toy moose- another blog post.)
But then I started thinking. What are the stipulations and dealings and why would an intelligent successful person believe America doesn't trade with Canada. Does "trade" mean the same thing in UK as it does in US? The word "arrest" has a very different meaning in England versus America.
It's something to be aware of- so we won't jump to attack words or defend the way we understand a system. Maybe neither is wrong. Or right.

Also made me think- I have no idea what America really trades or what the tax implications are- despite the fact I sat next to a man from 530 am to 9 every day for years- who basically lived and worked on the Canadian border his prior job. (I seem to know everything else about him- including how he broke a fast with a ring-ding while keeping score at a high school hockey match-)
So I can research and I'll ask my former colleague.
Another blog.
So thank you Walter.
And I'm only on page 1.
There are 384 pages.
Readers of my blog might ask Walter and his cronies for retribution if this pace continues. I just peeped at page 384 to write the previous sentence. It's a poignant page. See you there.