Category: Culture

U and Non-U

U, or should I say you, might think I am off my trolley with this blog title or maybe my carefully worded prose has finally given way to text-speak.  However U and Non-U is actually a book title from the 1950’s written by a legendary aristocrat Nancy Mitford that was all the rage amongst certain… Continue reading U and Non-U

My tribute to James Horner – Movie composer extraordinaire

I was sad to hear last night about the death of composer and musician James Horner who died as a result of the crash of solo plane he was flying.  Despite being only 61 years of age, James Horner has a grand back catalogue of music to his name.  It’s fair to say that he… Continue reading My tribute to James Horner – Movie composer extraordinaire

Yours sincerely – The Story of Valedictions

Like myself, you might not have been sure what exactly a Valediction is but you probably use them almost every day.   Valedictions are those sign-offs that we use at the bottom of emails and even letters, should anyone remember what one of those are and whilst they may appear innocuous enough, they actually have… Continue reading Yours sincerely – The Story of Valedictions

Beauty & The Beast – Double Standards in Ancient Greece

Standards of beauty have always changed through the years and from country to country.  What is fashionable in one time and place may not be in the other.  Whilst today is most Western countries it is considered trendy to sport a glowing sun tan, a few centuries ago being as white as a ghost was… Continue reading Beauty & The Beast – Double Standards in Ancient Greece

Cultural Vandalism – The destruction of priceless monuments by ISIS / ISIL

One of my most popular blog posts that I have ever written was on the ongoing  destruction of historic Mecca by Saudi Arabia and whilst one day soon I hope to write more on the topic, I thought for now it was important to write about some of the destruction of priceless artifacts that is… Continue reading Cultural Vandalism – The destruction of priceless monuments by ISIS / ISIL

Sintra – The Jewel in the crown of Lisbon

Having spent all day on the Friday sight-seeing around Lisbon we were eagerly awaiting Saturday, our second day in Portugal and our only full day. As there is so much to see in Lisbon I had planned to spend the second day in some of the many museums and galleries but then we thought about… Continue reading Sintra – The Jewel in the crown of Lisbon

Mr Turner, the movie and the man.

I’m always a big fan of the longer movie.  I enjoy getting into a story I can get my teeth into and that doesn’t necessarily revolve around car chases and fast cutting shooting and fighting.  A small part of me also thinks that with the high prices at the cinema, that longer films give me… Continue reading Mr Turner, the movie and the man.

A day out at Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral

This week I’ve  had the pleasure of giving two guided tours to Bruce and Heidi from Denver, Colorado.  They are a really nice couple and extremely interested in their history and all things British.  Our walking tour of London was at times in danger of becoming a swimming tour of London and as it has… Continue reading A day out at Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral

Languages with no vowels

Hv y vr wndrd abt vwls? Or should I say, have you ever wondered about vowels? We use them all the time and they make up the first words that we learn at school.  Nearly all our words have vowels except for some short ones like “dry” or “sky” or “hymn” and those languages that… Continue reading Languages with no vowels