Last Saturday I managed to bag a small ambition that I had wanted to do for decades, experience a real life opera and I managed to do so in one of the very finest venues in the world, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. I always like live theatre but for all sorts… Continue reading Going to my first Opera at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
Category: Culture
50 sayings that are off to the knackers yard!
A few years ago I wrote a book called My New Book – Straight from the Horse’s Mouth : 100 Idioms, their Meanings and Origins which always sells quite by my standards, especially at Christmas. Words and sayings have been such a rich source of our culture and often inspired by history, even if it is… Continue reading 50 sayings that are off to the knackers yard!
My Top 10 Movies of 2021
As with 2020 it’s been a weird year for film-goers. I only managed to go at all because Cineworld gave me a free annual pass. I definitely made the most of it and went to see dozens of films just as I did in 2020. I very much believe that if you like culture, arts… Continue reading My Top 10 Movies of 2021
The Englishman who invented an American fast-food icon
Everyone loves a hotdog don’t they? I know I used to eat a lot of them though I’ve not had any for about 20 years, partly that’s because it is hard to get gluten free hotdog bread rolls and partly as I prefer actual sausages in bread rolls. Nevertheless, hotdogs can be a fast and… Continue reading The Englishman who invented an American fast-food icon
The Festival of Bells 2021
A few weekends ago, I was out early in London, practicing a walk along some of the ghostly lanes and secret passageways that make up the old Roman City and I didn’t know that my day would be hijacked but not this time by a ghost (for I have a photo of two I met… Continue reading The Festival of Bells 2021
I just watched the last year of Game of Thrones and loved it!
It’s taken me a Iittle time, well around two years but I finally got round to watching the last year of Game of Thrones. I actually watched the final two years of Game of Thrones in a week as I couldn’t remember if I had watched the penultimate series until I was around five episodes… Continue reading I just watched the last year of Game of Thrones and loved it!
Living in a Slow Glass World
It’s been a rather surreal few weeks where I live, in an increasingly surreal year. It has been extremely dense fog for the most part as I write this for almost 2 weeks. It reminds me a little of the famous pea-soup fogs of old London in the Victorian times or 1950’s or indeed it… Continue reading Living in a Slow Glass World
Penny for the Guy and other forgotten Guy Fawkes Night traditions.
Before we go anywhere, have you read my old post Remember, Remember The 5th Of November which explains all the glorious goings on behind Bonfire Night / Guy Fawkes Night or simple Fireworks night. If not, please do 🙂 and come back here afterwards. Bonfire night has changed a lot even from when I was little. … Continue reading Penny for the Guy and other forgotten Guy Fawkes Night traditions.
My first Virtual 360 Degree Video Tour of London
For the last few months I have been busy working out a vague plan to push my Ye Olde England Tours business forward. How can you be a tour guide and make any money whatsoever without there being any tourists? A few people around the world have done the odd live tour using their phone… Continue reading My first Virtual 360 Degree Video Tour of London
There’s something about Persian door-knockers!
One of the things I like about travel is encountering different ideas and customs. I really like noticing the differences. Even in the U.K. there are huge variations in buildings, landscapes, foods, accents and even customs. Whilst others delight in the homogenisation of things, especially in Europe, there is nothing that I dislike more. Things… Continue reading There’s something about Persian door-knockers!
Stephen Liddell 