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.…
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…
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”,…
Hearts of oak
We pass them by with barely a thought, yet they’ve been here far longer than any of us. They'll be here long after we’ve gone. The mighty oaks. “Uh oh,…
UFOs, Aliens and the Mowing Devil
Going through the lockdown box-set options, I considered, for a brief second, starting again with the "X Files". Better sense prevailed (namely "Spooks"), but the thought stuck in my mind.…
For the benefit of Mister Kite….
…..there will be a show tonight - on trampoline. The Hendersons will all be there, Late of Pablo Fanque’s fair - What a scene! Another lyric for the baby…
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
I am a true baby boomer. I grew up with the sound of the best popular music ever, as the background to my teenage life. Heavy-rock, prog-rock, glam-rock, blues -…
A tale of suspense
With the summer sun at its peak, following the recent solstice, I thought I would introduce a hint of the shadows into the proceedings. After all, a touch of the…
Young Americans
In case it has passed you by in all the chaos, 2020 is an anniversary year - the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower in 1620 from Plymouth…
Tales of the Ostrich
I’ve now written over a dozen posts for my living-history blog. So it’s time. “Time for what?”, you may ask. Well, any amateur historian worth their salt has to tackle…
Dress code
It’s behind you! A fond Christmas memory of my London childhood was the annual trek westwards to the Golders Green Hippodrome, to see the pantomime. Why we didn’t go to…