Hunting the wren – the hunt begins
Why are we here? Everyone has a blog in them - a subject that intrigues them, perplexes them, excites them and keeps them awake at night on the odd occasion.…
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Hunting the wren – the hunt begins
Hymn to Her
My next post was going to be about the legacy of nasty Normans, and the wrongs they inflicted on those poor Anglo-Saxons. But Norman/Saxon tensions have been around for a…
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Hymn to Her
Calendar Girl
I wish you all belated Easter greetings. This time last year I was posting about sacred chickens, pagan hares and Easter - or rather Eostre’s - bunnies. This time around,…
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Calendar Girl
Rosie the rivetter
It’s National Women’s month, and International Women’s Day has just passed. So I thought it a good time to turn an eye upon women’s place in the world of work.…
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Rosie the rivetter
Surely, Templars?
Everyone likes a good conspiracy theory, so I thought we’d start off with some fun. In 1982, a ‘non-fiction’ book was published with the title The Holy Blood and the…
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Surely, Templars?
Keep the home fires burning – please!
Here’s another post about the first world war. It’s such a compelling period to study: it’s so close in time to us, yet it’s slowly receding into “proper” history. My…
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Keep the home fires burning – please!
The Watkins Path
I do love a good walk. And as an amateur historian, I love the ancient paths and tracks that cover these islands. Not only the Roman roads which criss-cross…
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The Watkins Path
Quizzing the Wren
I have spent Lockdown 2020 writing about all that wonderful history hiding in plain sight. There were 25 posts in all. Here are a few snatches of conversation from…
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Quizzing the Wren
Now bring us some figgy pudding
Well, we’ve already started the big count-down to Christmas Day. We’re opening the little windows on our Advent calendars day by day, and - especially this year - dreaming of…
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Now bring us some figgy pudding
Essex Bad Boys: Richard Rich
What would you call a man who betrayed all who helped him when first starting out in life, and who dropped his friends at the first whiff of trouble? Who…
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Essex Bad Boys: Richard Rich
A drop o’ Nelson’s blood
A short while ago, my son, who is in foreign parts, as they say, started winging me snatches of sea shanties over the internet. “Listen to this one, mum”,…
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A drop o’ Nelson’s blood
Street Life
Following my recent musings on crop circles, JP, a friend who takes an occasional interest in my posts, took me to task. “ Why are you writing all this boring…
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Street Life