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…
Easter bunnies and Eostre’s hares
I wish you all a belated Happy Easter, during this dreadful time of lockdowns and bad news. Easter bunnies We were all sad not to have our usual bounty of …
Swan songs
Here's a riddle - what connects Saint Bride's church in Fleet Street with a happy arrival some time after the wedding? The answer is perhaps not what you think. The…
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.…