This week I am guest blogging at the excellent Political Idealist website which covers political, news and current affairs both in the U.K. and around the world. The Political Idealist is run by the very talented Jack H. G. Darrant who takes a healthy interest in environmentalism and British democracy, you may also have read… Continue reading Must Sunday be like every other shopping day?
Month: August 2012
Bank Holiday Monday(s)
First of all thank-you to everyone who liked my blogs last week when I was away. I’m glad they were appreciated and I really enjoyed following up on the people who ‘liked’ me. Monday is a Bank Holiday in England, our last one until the Christmas period. Until the 1830’s we had over 30 bank… Continue reading Bank Holiday Monday(s)
A day out in Cockermouth
Due to the all night storm our plans to go for another day in the mountains was quickly forgotten in place of a visit to the picturesque town of Cockermouth. Cockermouth sits at the meeting point of 3 rivers and below 2 large lakes and is currently most famous in the U.K for being devastated… Continue reading A day out in Cockermouth
A seaside jaunt
Thursday was forecast to be a wet day so we decided to take the car in case we had to shelter. Bizarrely for a wet day we decided to go to the coast, happily for us not only did the sun shine for us but we saw some real neat places through the day. Our… Continue reading A seaside jaunt
A lakeside walk
Following the culture and forests of the last few days yesterday we decided to do a nice steady lakeside walk. We decided to go to Wast Water which is much less touristic than other lakes with no villages, paddle-steamers or through roads to distract us. I have been carrying an injury the last few weeks… Continue reading A lakeside walk
A trip to the manor
One of the most popular ideas about Britain and England in particular is that it is covered in stately homes. While this is true over 1,000 of these houses have been lost just since WW2. This was due to many factors including ‘Death Duty’ taxes but also by changing societal roles. Until WW1 most ordinary… Continue reading A trip to the manor
Castles and Churches
Day 2 of our holiday in The Lakes started with a visit to Egremont Castle which happens to be 2 minutes walk from where we are staying. Situated in the pretty small town of Egremont the castle like many others was built by The Normans but sadly this one is quite ruined. Many parts of… Continue reading Castles and Churches
A day in the country
Today my blog by necessity be a little different. Partly this is due to my writing this on a little iPod but equally because I am at the beginning of a weeks holiday in the Lake District. The Lakes are in the large county of Cumbria 325 miles northwest of London. It is a haven… Continue reading A day in the country
Summertime childhood nostalgia
Most people have happy memories of their childhood even if it were not an entirely happy one and for many people it is summer time that they look back with fondness. I remember a lot of my summers with happiness, even the boring the ones. Our family didn’t do summer holidays or even day trips… Continue reading Summertime childhood nostalgia
London 2012 – Shaken not stirred!
So the first week of the Olympic Games is almost complete and it’s been a lot of fun. The opening ceremony wasn’t a total embarrassment and bits of it were quite spectacular and it went a small way to show just how varied and slightly mad we all are here. I especially liked the sequences of rural… Continue reading London 2012 – Shaken not stirred!