Monthly Archives: July 2017

I’ve just had my DNA tested

Posted on July 31, 2017 by

I’ve always wanted to have my DNA tested and short of getting myself arrested, it seemed the best way to do this was to pay for one of those home-delivery kits. It must be said that I know quite a … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

They Called It Passchendaele​

Posted on July 29, 2017 by

For the last three years or so, I have been post occasional extracts from my WW1 concise history book Lest We Forget, published by Endeavour Press of London. July 31st marks the centennial of yet another of the landmark actions … Continue reading →

Posted in history, writing, WW1 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Do’s and Dont’s when you meet The Queen

Posted on July 26, 2017 by

If you are ever fortunate or indeed unfortunate enough to meet The Queen then there are certain protocols that are expected.   Indeed when meeting any royal, there are rules about who can speak first, where to look, what to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool Britannia, Life, News | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Prince Eustace and Joffrey

Posted on July 24, 2017 by

Once again, much of the television watching world is gripped by the latest installments of Game of Thrones.  Not myself sadly as I don’t have access to the channel that broadcasts it in the U.K. so face another long and … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, Popular Culture, television | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Predicting the weather with Old Wives Tales

Posted on July 20, 2017 by

Most of us are familiar with Old Wives Tales, traditional pearls of wisdom from sources lost through the ages but seemingly tapping into an eternal truth that is only revealed to older married women whose only qualification is a lifetime … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

My new tour – Sacred, Secret, Gardens of London

Posted on July 18, 2017 by

One of the joys of doing walking tours around London is that I often come across new areas, secret oasis almost, in the midst of one the largest and busiest cities in the world.  I find that my tourists often … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool Britannia, history, Life, London, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Missing Mam, 4 years on.

Posted on July 17, 2017 by

It’s now well over 4 years since I unexpectedly lost my mother and though I would very much like to say things have settled into a new normal, they really haven’t.  Or if they have then the new normal really … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Opinion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

15 of the best war films of all time.

Posted on July 15, 2017 by

It’s only a week now until the release of my most anticipated film of the year, Dunkirk. Despite being pivotal to the entire WW2, the brave and often selfless actions of the British Expeditionary Force and allied French and Belgian … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, Movies and Films | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Do Accents Hold You Back?

Posted on July 13, 2017 by

 As George Bernhard Shaw commented, ‘It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him.Hello madam, how do you do? or alternatively Aye up Hello madam, how do you do? or … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, Life, Opinion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The story of the first Black Man in the British Army

Posted on July 10, 2017 by

A few weeks in a new episode of Dr Who, there was something of a story about one of the characters in that weeks episode.  It involved a platoon of Victorian British soldiers who ended up working on some alien … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments