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…
Horse whisperers
The lockdown weather has been so glorious (up until now), that I thought we should really get outside for a long, virtual hike, away from this madness. Somewhere rolling and…
Liberties with statues
So, have you ever heard of Harry Havelock and Charlie Napier? I thought not. Actually they, or rather their statues, occupy the south plinths in Trafalgar Square. Tourists and…
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…
To the fallen
The evidence of absence Archaeologists and historians use a term which I like - “the evidence of absence”, as opposed to an absence of evidence. My posts are about the…
The wreck of the Hesperus
Whenever I recall my maternal grandparents - which I do often, with great affection - I can hear their voices in my head. In my memory, their accents are like…
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 …
“Invicta”
This blog is dedicated to my friend KW - a Maid of Kent, rather than a Kentish Maid. South of the river...... When I have reason to leave my home …