Category: Languages & Literatures (Page 1 of 4)

Evacuees Spanish Civil War -Tortosa.

April 14, 2021 / Rosie Reay

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One of the highlights of this year’s programme is the forced exile by this unpleasant, unwelcomed Civil War, the evacuated route, those Tortoisins followed away from the bloodiest, most horrific bombing cascaded on them by the Italian fascist aircraft they did endure on April 15, 1938. Twenty tons of bombs fell from the skies, more than in Guernica -the Basque country, on good Friday. Later sadly referred to as Blood Friday.

[Aside: There is so much about my immigrant, beloved Catalonian homeland of seventeen years, that I do not know the history about. Through my writings, readings and research I endeavour to resolve and share it with you, my readers. I apologize profusely for ignoring these facts purely because they were written in Catalan. And why shouldn’t they be? It is their language- it is up to me to conquer and understand it.]

Starting today a week of exhibitions, conferences, book presentations have been coordinated by the Tortosa City council for the second year running. (The covid restriction guidelines have been applied accordingly. )

Wednesday 14th, at 7 pm, A Week of Historical Memory from 14 to 19 April. ‘Displaced people from Tortosa, rooted in Vic’ will take place, which aims to follow the path taken by the Tortosa community that settled in the capital of Osona. “We know that many people from the city had to take refuge in Vic, and that is why we will have the dissertation of the Osona historian Xavier Cateura,
Thursday 15, the Marcel·lí Domingo library reading club will focus on the renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning comic ‘Maus’, which narrates with illustrations the torment of the Jewish community in Nazi Germany. The event, at 7 pm, has limited access due to the covid measures and a place must be reserved at bmd@tortosa.cat or at 977 445 566.
Later, at 7.30 pm, in the didactic classroom of the Museu de Tortosa, The second Petjades Awards will be presented, which recognize the research work on historical memory carried out by students at Terres de l’Ebre high schools.
The following Friday at 6 pm sharp in the Marcel·lí Domingo library (necessary to reserve space due to limited capacity), the in-person presentation of Víctor Amela’s book ‘Ens robar la joventut‘ {‘We steal the youth.’}
Lastly, on Saturday at 12 noon, the inauguration of the exhibition ‘Persecuted and Saved’ (‘Perseguits i salvats’)will take place, organized by Amics i Amigues de l’Ebre at the Museu de l’Ebre. A sample that revisits the journey of the evacuees, through the escape routes of exiles during the Civil War. These same tracks later served the Jewish arrival from their persecution, during World War II.

Ernest Hemingway

There is a fathom of written works out there to delve into and immerse yourself for never-ending hours in history, stories, well-written journalism and biographies. The man I am partial to is Ernest Hemingway. – the more I read his writings the more I want to know. Despite what some may feel that the Civil War is boring to hear about, he was here in Tortosa reporting on thises horrors -read his works!

A Week of Historical Memory from 14 to 19 April.

Councilor Dolors Bel emphasized that “it is important to know our history and delve into what has happened to our environment, to our ancestors”, (“és important conèixer la nostra història i aprofundir en el que ha passat amb el nostre entorn, amb els nostres avantpassats”)

Tortosa remembers!

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ASTRA ZENECA – a brighter name for a brighter solution

November 12, 2020 / Rosie Reay

Covid-19 Vaccine

Forthcoming vaccine out of Europe as a cure for Covid-19. A giant step forward in the right direction.

Do you ever pause and wonder how linguistic, international naming consultants come up with such awe-inspiring and memorable names?

Product Naming

Naming a great product brand and company names are not achieved by merely throwing random names into the magician’s hat and saying, “white rabbits” and hoping thé name hops across the polished boardroom table. Naming is a carefully crafted process with many years of in-depth knowledge, long hours of study and research into the etymology of word origin related to thoughts and ideas. These are usually requested by directives within the prospective Naming worksheet (hopefully supporting company documentation on product details/corporate images is forthcoming). However, with Start-ups, they may/may not have the marketing knowledge.

Company Naming

This Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pharmaceutical company’s impressive name came about from a massive merger, of not only 2 great companies, but by design, they co-joined two historic names in the bio-medicinal industry. “AstraZeneca” is a made-up name, formulated by a Naming/Banding agency directed to discover a unique name, trademark free, which began with the first and last letter of our English alphabet letter. Furthermore, phonology must ensure memorability in the customer’s minds, while morphology consisted of no greater than three syllables and without an insulting innuendo in any language.

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3108924/astrazeneca-ceo-says-coronavirus-vaccine-could-be-ready-december

Yet, how did they originally come up with Two names👉 Astra+ Zeneca👈?

Hmm?😷👀👂🌟💢 👆💡

Zeneca was successfully formed in June 1993 by the demerger of the pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals businesses of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) into a separate company. Oct 17, 2019

Origin of zen

Zen means https://www.yourdictionary.com/zen

It is from Japanese ç¦… (zen ãœã‚“).

In Buddhism: A philosophy of calm, reminiscent of that of the Buddhist denomination. Zen focuses on awareness through the practice of meditation to become extremely relaxed and collected.

“An approach to an activity, skill, or subject that emphasizes simplicity and intuition rather than conventional thinking or fixation on goals.”

Origin of astral

Astra has deep, poignant roots in the Greek Astron, meaning ‘a star’ = /ˈastr(ə)l/; pertaining to resembling the stars and the importance of astral navigation Also one of the five Greeks gods of the “Wandering Stars” Astra-Planeta = and Astraeus (god of the dusk); their spiritual beings; an existence linking to differing psychic and paranormal phenomena- of which the actual human body is considered a counterpart.

Conclusion

The Oxford counterpart for the Covid-19 seems to be racing against the clock to out-smart Astra Zeneca, as delivering the first vaccine against this awful pandemic virus. We don’t know for 100% surety which will have a more effective cure. Yet, what I do know, is that the name Astra Zeneca does stand out in the crowd and is not in lost in all the other generic names containing “Oxford”. Their name is co-joined. It is unique. It has longevity.

Naming Alphabet Soup 101

(c)Rosie Reay and BrighterNaming

TOkyo SHIBAura Denki name changed to K I O X I A

April 26, 2020 / Rosie Reay / 0 Comments

The coined abbreviated historic founders’ name of T O S H I B A Memory announced in April 2022 their brand name change to Kioxia.

Etymology

The new name is a commingling of the parent manufacturing company’s home language of Japanese and Classical Greek, to form a smooth tone, a sleek unique global name that will ‘be heard above the herd’ of their competitors.
K i o k u is Japanese meaning memory
A x i a is Greek denoting value
End result equals K I O X I A
So how do we say it in Global English: Key-oh-koo-she-uh
Spelled out in Japanese it’s キオクシア (My thanks goes to the pronunciation guidance from a resident Japanese speaking Naming Consultant colleague.)
On their website, they have ニュース beneath the name. By merely looking at the graphic image of that word as a non-Japanese speaker I read it (with a tongue in cheek quip) as ‘equals 1 name from 2 words’.

Why the name change?

Damage limitation to a global name that incurred a massive financial disaster investment in the American nuclear reactor industry and as a result, suffered a tarnished brand image.

Now Toshiba has a complex infrastructure and a nightmare of a headache to bring all their global companies of varying names from creation or from mergers and amalgamations to all fall inline under the new and I’m sure what is going to be an eye-opener of a strong, unified umbrella shouting out Kioxia.

One of the European companies to undergo a radical name change is OCZ Storage Solutions Ltd in the UK. The OCZ part of the name flies out of American parentage originally. Yet the ‘Storage Solutions’ is very generic and to someone not in the know, it could imply any kind of general storage and not necessarily Memory. Thus, metamorphosis has seen Kioxia Technology UK Ltd emerge.

On the continent, the formerly Toshiba Memory Europe GMBH embraced their new name as Kioxia Europe GMBH

Product Branding Architecture.

The innovative new-look corporate logo of a silver Kioxia is refreshing – encircling cleverly the different and individual product colours of magenta, light green, orange, yellow, white the light blue, and black writing enhances the final touches of the brand image “Communication colours.”

The reasoning behind the colour branding is to make them highly recognizable and customer friendly so they can select and recall quickly the right product for their specific memory application solutions.

Kioxia Aim

The heritage foundations of the mature Toshiba still exists but this progressive memory technology is the new growth and the core creating uplifting choice experiences to be the world leader of ever-evolving Memory.

Under Covid-19 Conditions

More and more people are being forced under Covid-19 virus lockdown restrictions to stay safe at home and need to continue work online remotely from their normal workplace. They need a product that is reliable for their comprehensive Memory Portfolio.

Kioxia is so dedicated to expanding their new brand and customer needs they have continued manufacturing at two plants in Japan: Yokkaichi Plant and Kitakama Plant even while the Japanese government extended the State of Emergency across the whole country.

October 2019 they formally altered the company name but all the marketing and opening out globally was planned for April 2020, and they tried not to succumb to the Covid-19 pandemic as a deterrent to their evolving new Memory businesses. Yet their care and safety to those employees on the production lines have been increased, monitored, tested, and is paramount to the Corporation of Kioxia.

Change in the historic “Book & Rose Festival” day.

April 24, 2020 / Rosie Reay / 0 Comments

No, El Dia del Llibre is not cancelled in 2020, merely moved forward to July 23rd after the Covid-19 virus lockdown is lifted, (even if social distancing must still be strictly adhered to), the show must go on! I for one would love to see the national dance of Catalonia, Sardana, performed in Barcelona’s Plaça Sant Jaume or even to attend one of the bars where they have 24-hour Readathon (if a lady of my age can stay awake that long. Hmm!)

Sant Jordi’s Importance to the Catalans

23rd of April is known as Sant Jordi’s fiesta day throughout Spain, but he is the patron saint of Catalonia. The Catalans’ attitude towards this romantic celebration of giving books (El Dia del Llibre)and roses (El Dia de la Rosa) on this special feast day is of unwavering importance to each and every one of them. The gift of roses has dated back to medieval times as a romantic gesture. Yet, it was only a lover of all literature Barcelona bookseller who in 1923 started promoting this bookselling day in esteem remembrance of some of our greatest writers in Shakespeare the Bard and Miguel Cervantes, who both deceased on this same day.

The legends of Sant Jordi slaying the dragon and saving the princess (Montblanc, Medieval festival, Catalonia- except cancelled this year) have been written about in many children’s books in as many languages. I have often favoured to use them in tutoring materials for youngsters. Today, I still delight in reading them myself.

However, in March Catalan News reported that “the Som cooperative and the Mortensen agency launched the #LlibreriesObertes campaign“. This is an innovative way to assist the booksellers who would suffer an untold financial loss during this crisis where they normally sell over 800,000 books on this one day. Thus, this scheme allows us during the virus isolation period to order and pre-paid (the money is forward immediately to the bookshops to keep them afloat) for the books of our choice and post-lockdown we can pop along and pick them up. These co-operatives were encouraging the people to come out on their balconies and read out loud from a chosen book today. How cool is that?

The Florists who make the lion share of their income on Sant Jordi’s day were also encouraging people to order their flowers online and to decorate their balconies still in the celebration of this feast.

2020, 23rd April-Barcelona to Terres del Ebre

So how did you spend this day?

I was delighted to wake up to see some awesome and cleverly crafted cartoons being shared with me across both Facebook and WhatsApp. They were so clever and so depicted the times we live in under this pandemic. I think these cartoonists justly deserve praise and airing to those who did not see them. They say a picture speaks a thousand words – well, these did speak to me as a voracious reader.

Then another writer/artist friend of mine Nuria Vives who usually resides on the outskirts of the Ebro Delta sent me a deserted street photo of Barcelona – a view from her Mums apartment. This crossroads junction (Arago’ Street) would pre-shutdown be hustling and bustling and full of people on the street celebrating El Dia del Llibre. Furthermore, knowing my obsession with books shared a quotation/drawing from “one of the most beautiful books I have read,” by Antoine de Saint Exupery, l’auteur aussi des dessins – The little Prince. So I look forward to reading both the English and French versions.

A young romantic couple sent me a lovely photo of themselves with a cheery message, “Much love from Jesus, El Canalet, “Jaume and Fressia. Due to the closure of businesses in Barcelona they have returned to spend isolation in the countryside, just outside Tortosa. They are fortunate to now have a garden/land to walk about in, unlike many confined to their apartments with or without balconies back in the capital. Yet, I’m sure they would have preferred to have been able to celebrate Sant Jordi’s day in the traditional Catalan way if we were virus-free. At least they are thankfully safe!

A close friend and another prolific reader, Araceli who hales from the Tortosa area, shared my sentiments indeed when she posted today quoting Oscar Wilde “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”

I smiled to myself as I’ve started re-reading one of my favourite books (in English) of a well-known author from Catalonia: Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind while I was sitting on my finca admiring my roses coming into bloom.

Well, while the likes of Araceli and myself await the libraries re-opening or personally pouring over umpteen bookstalls (now 23rd July, 2020) and finally hand-picking an armful of literary geniuses that we have not read, we will merely make-do with what we have in-house. (Charles Dickens and Shakespeare I’ve read several times and will again.) Yes, my soul-sister as you rightly say we will never be deprived of our love of literature, no matter how strange the confinements were on this Saint George’s day.

Aside: I look forward to you sharing your experiences and photographs in my Comments .

April 23rd in World History:

1154 Damascus surrenders to Sultan Nur ad-Din van Aleppo
1229 Ferdinand 111 of Castile conquers Cáceres
1343 St.George’s Night Uprising in Estonia
1348 1st English order of knighthood founded (Order of the Garter)
1456 Sant Jordi (Saint George) became the patron saint of Catalonia,
1504 King Maximillan 1 route troops to Bavaria
1616 simultaneous deaths of Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare
1926 El Dia del Llibre (The Day of the Book) officially declared
1988 ‘Pa de Sant Jordi‘ culinary tradition for April 23rd was created by master baker Eduard Cresp at La Feca Balmes in Barcelona
In 1995, UNESCO adopted 23 April as WORLD BOOK DAY

(c) Tales from the Ebro River Valley: RosieReay

Ebro Valley crop circles cultivation- Camarles style.

April 19, 2020 / Rosie Reay / 0 Comments

Crop circles mysteries have baffled us over the history of time. We have marvelled in their beauty, their mysteries, legends of ominous satanic work at large, questionable hoaxers, climatic changes, studied by the intellectual professors, Crop circle (s) are preserved in stunning photographs until the end of time or even aliens landing (fringe theorists) and working their ‘butts off’ through the night while farmers slept.

Liz Crichton (started her project around 2017) gave thanks in 2018 saying: ”And still our wonderful crop circles keep producing! #abundance #gratitude”. Now wait a minute, Ayrshire tatties grown by a Scottish lassie relocated to the countryside in Camarles, Terres del Ebre? I’m awfully impressed as the climatic conditions could not be at more opposite extremes. I for one will hint for a specimen from next harvest to try one ‘lonely’ plant to propagate. After all, I was not nicknamed by my brother as Spud, when I was no more than knee-high to a grasshopper, for nothing!

So how does Liz still do it in 2020? Here is what was relayed to me as I lamented about my rock hard Spanish soil ideal for olive plantation, but vegetables-really?

“Crop circles – without a doubt!”

Take all your composting materials, cuttings, weeds, food compost waste twigs etc., and gradually layer the inside any size circle that is manageable for you to reach a circumference of 4 metres and a depth of 25cm. The tougher twigs /cuttings go on the bottom. Create a thick layer and stamp it down under your boot(advisable to wear on the el campo), then fill up the rest with mixed layers (any old way works). Finally, tramp it down again and water it.

Once it has created a kind of dense vegetation mat you can immediately pour over a whole 70-litre bag of compost on top and plant in either seeds or plugs of anything that grows upwards i.e. lettuce, chard, spinach and so on.

In the 2nd year (or winter) top the circles up with another bag of your compost material and you can grow deep plants, like potatoes, carrots beetroot or even parsnips, as by then your initial compost material will be turning into soil in your crop circle. It is important to line the edges of your wire with the drying grass or weeds to save the new compost or precious water flowing away.

After the 2nd year, you can remove the encircled wire meshing and spread the compost and dig into your ground. It will now be soil down to a depth of 6″ (15.24cm) because of the worm activity and water( you can hand water if irrigation is not doable) that has nourished below your circles!

End of crop circle year 2: **Ayrshire potatoes**

“This year I’ve used a light sprinkling of 15/15/15 feed to once a week with great results!”

“Mind you, I talk to them as well!” quipped Liz Crichton, “and I always ask before I pick and use www.moonandgarden.com“. The Moon & Garden is guided by the moon’s influence. Avery nifty application (French, English, Spanish, Italian, German and Dutch) as your coordinator to optimize your daily ‘best to do’ organic gardening by using biodynamics to use earth’s energy of the sun and moon enhanced with your personalized recording of Calendar, Gallery and action Alarms.

However, this is not a new-fangled idea amongst the traditional farmers in this valley. When we first moved to our Finca (2005), Partida de San Bernabe’, our neighbours aka. vecinos, came across to see what small vegetable plants for sewing I had just proudly bought. (I say proudly as my run of Spanish verbiage was almost non-existant!) He muttered away through his toothless grin in Catalan -no normal, no no- HIs wife explained in Spanish that I must only plant according to the moon cycle as his grandfathers had always done –Siempre– I considered myself rightly told off!

(c)Tales from the Ebro River Valley: RosieReay

Bingo: Building That Bridge Back Home

November 24, 2013 / Rosie Reay / 0 Comments

Which road will you take?

One of the biggest and most contentious scenarios anyone will have about living abroad, it’s the difficulty in dealing with a living situation that might not be as comfortable as what they’ve grown accustomed to. It’s not just a change of location; it’s also a change in culture, of contacts, and for all intents and purposes, of an entire way of life. No matter where people might move and no matter what the reason, finding the best way to adjust should be the first goal of anyone living abroad.

Here are some things to take into consideration for people planning, or thinking about, living abroad;

Make Use of Modern Technology
It probably goes without saying that with more and more people moving away from their country of origin in order for business reasons, it becomes even more important to keep contact with friends and family back home. Yet it’s surprising how many people still feel estranged despite how much modern technology has changed our lives. iPhone users can use Facetime to get in touch with relatives no matter where they are, while Skype is a great option for those without a smartphone.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so many other websites and apps have been bridging people effectively ever since they’ve been launched. While it might not be as good as actually interacting with friends in person, it’s all a matter of taking the initiative and making use of the tools that people have at their disposal to make expat life more comfortable.

Turn The Old Into Something New
Because people can only take so much of their old homes and lives with them abroad, it’s important to find new ways to enjoy old things. Even for something that’s rooted in so much history as community bingo, simply finding a room to go to online with old friends over the weekend can work wonders, especially with chat functionality enabled on some providers.

“I get the privilege of meeting so many different people from so many backgrounds and I see so many lives changed with huge wins!” Ellie, a Chat Moderator for Betfair Bingo, stated. A strong community, no matter where people end up, is what can make or break an experience entirely.

Move Outside the Expat Bubble
It becomes easy to gravitate towards something that’s pleasant and familiar, but when Englishmen are afraid of talking to anyone that isn’t an Englishman, or when an American expat family will only eat at McDonalds or other US-themed restaurants, it only makes it more difficult to adjust in the long run.

The modern day nomad will always have the problem of being neither here nor there, but the solution isn’t to create an insular life. Celebrate what makes the new location unique and special, get to know the people, and build a home wherever life might take you.

Costa Woman online – something for every woman living in Spain.

November 27, 2012 / Rosie Reay / 0 Comments

In order to spread the word the Welcome on this site says it all: “Costa Women is a social community and business networking group for women living in Spain to share friendship, support and provide knowledge about living in this vibrant country.”

There are so many different groups already in operation from Writers to Green fingers and so on. On the other hand why not join up and form a group that is prevalent to you. You will definitely receive support and will make many new friends and colleagues.

This is a wonderful platform for networking your own interests and business, then going onto to hook up with them on Twitter, (@rosiereay), Facebook and LinkedIn.

You also receive a monthly newsletter and you can advertise and promote local events fiestas and write abut anything, not sordid nor derogatory prose. I’ve homed in on other members blogs and have found empathy and friendship with ladies in other parts of Spain. It is so interesting to see how other people live their lives and become part of their environment. It amazes me daily as I continually marvel at finding out something new or learning about somewhere else.

Yet, you don’t leave behind your old friends as once you are a member you can invite them to join. It is brilliant!

Rosie Reay from Catalonia, Costa Daurada would love to see more people from our comargue on there. It is not just for the charming and delightful ladies of the southern costas. You may even find friends on there you know already.

My two new books out just in time for Xmas

November 27, 2011 / Rosie Reay / 0 Comments

My publisher has been busy so now my new kid’s novel Has Anyone Seen Kelvyn? is out in both eBook/Kindle and print version. May take a while to trickle up on Amazon or other bookstores, but I have print copies if you want one, or you can order them from www.FodenPress.com.

This is the third book in The Chimona Chronicles series and as the cover gives you a hint, involves some travels down the Okanagan Valley in B.C. Canada. We have already heard that adults are enjoying it as much as kids, just like before.

And when they read it to the younger set, they can once again follow along with the illustrations. For the first time, my brother Geoph is the illustrator. He has maintained the style from the earlier books, plus he likes to sneak in little details.. so look carefully at the pictures.

I look forward to finishing book 4 (and maybe even 5) next year, even as I start putting together adult stories too.

Talking of which, my editor Kyra Dawson has put together a great new online writer’s guild called Scriborium – a gathering place for independent writers. Here we are sharing hints and knowledge and publicity and feedback for all the guild members. And on top of all that, she pulled together seven of us to cooperate on writing an anthology of short stories. Since it was her idea, she got to pick the theme and genre this year: Horror or Paranormal, with a Christmas angle.

At first this was a real challenge for me since I really do not like horror stories. But as a professional writer I thought I can do anything if I put my mind to it. Of course my story in the book is very local – and set here in the Ebro valley. Some of you may even know the actual location – and many of the characters are only thinly disguised family members. I hope you enjoy Christmas Reunion at Villa El Figueral. Mine is the third story in A Very Scary Christmas – A Scriborium Short Story Anthology. It is already out in ebook/kindle format, as well as print. See www.fodenpress.com or contact me. But these stories are definitely not for very young children!

P.S. Contact me after Christmas if you have friends or family who would like to stay for a self catering holiday at the newly renovated and enlarged real El Figueral right on the Ebro river itself.

Almeria vs Barcelona last night results = 0 – 3 and more!!

February 3, 2011 / Rosie Reay / 0 Comments

Away from home and don’t have TV satellite to pick up your national or local football matches. Worry not! The internet has a solution, as always, the lifeline of any Expat .

I found a lovely site where you can watch all the highlights of the exciting Copa del Rey matches

http://football-highlight.com/en/spain/copa-del-rey/2011-02-02-almeria-barcelona.html

2011-02-02 Almeria – Barcelona 0-3

Copa Del Rey: Almeria Barcelona Highlights

However, Expats you can pour over football highlights from around the world. The Germans can see their beloved Bundesliga. (Deutschland über alles, perhaps). The crazy Brits who think of Football before food or beer (well, maybe?) can argue late into the night about the Champions League and English Premier League (EPL).

There is more. Ladies Football where I’m not sure whether the men will admit it, but I’ve seen the men watching these matches (or the legs) with amusement but also amazement at the little women’s skills.

It seems to covers most countries around the world and loads of South American matches too:- !

2011-02-02 Besiktas – Gaziantep BB 5-0

Turkish Cup: Besiktas Gaziantep BB Highlights

I didn’t even know that Turkish played football so seriously. I mean what would I know, I am only a woman.

2011-02-02 Rangers Glasgow – Hearts 1-0

Scottish Premier League: Rangers Glasgow Hearts Highlights

Another brilliant feature of this site is they update Live Score every two minutes

http://football-highlight.com/en/live-score

Aside:-

Rosie Reay Catalan Vocab / Phrases: football = futbol; football club = club de futbol; footballer = futbolista; football field = camp de futbol; football game = am partit de futbol; inside football five-a-side = futbol sala; football crazy = futboler(-a)

Do you know some exciting (clean) football expressions to shout during the match or to celebrate or commiserate afterwards with? Please drop me a line . I’d love to learn them too.

Amusing Bar name in Ferreries – Tortosa

January 17, 2011 / Rosie Reay / 1 Comment

Driving through the quieter streets in Ferreries -Tortosa to save time and avoid the slow moving traffic, a signpost caught the corner of my eye, Bar Gravy.

Never! Who would name a bar after the famous British salsa called gravy?

I had to go around the block again just to make sure I had read it right. Yes, a tiny little bar with a faded notice above it, in large print announced the drinking hole as Bar Gravy.

I’ve heard of Oxo, Bovril or Bistro spread over the traditional British style Roast Sunday dinner and they have never caused me amusement as this bar signature did.

Do you go in and ask for a pint of gravy please ?

When I tried to Google it, all that came up was the actress Claudia Gravy : es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Gravy

This has flickered across my thought pattern all afternoon. I am just going to have to go and check it out. I will definitely take my camera along with me.