If like myself you have anything like a passing history in old Anglo-Saxon history or even history itself, the works of Bede are something to behold. I always find it a bit boring I suppose that so many people think of British history as being Stonehenge, Romans, Vikings, a bonkers king who kept killing his… Continue reading Paying homage at the tomb of the Venerable Bede
Category: Culture
Open House London
Open House London has long been my favourite cultural event in London each year, despite the fact I’ve always been busy working and never got to enjoy the fun myself but it is the concept of it that I love so much. One can enjoy free access to buildings which are not usually open to… Continue reading Open House London
An example of how English has changed over 1200 years.
I found this poster earlier today and thought it was well worth sharing. The text contains a brief passage of one of the most famous Psalms and I think gives a wonderful insight to how language changes. I really don’t like the modern version, it sounds almost like it is written for people with learning… Continue reading An example of how English has changed over 1200 years.
Quotable Tennyson
Last week I posted on the birthday of Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It is little known but this Poet Laureate is actually the ninth most quoted literary figure. Whilst not in the same league as Shakespeare or perhaps as entertaining as Dr. Johnson, it is likely we all are familiar with at least some of… Continue reading Quotable Tennyson
The Knollys Rose Ceremony – Paying off a 619 year old rent
London and Britain is full of obscure ancient traditions and on Monday I bore witness to a ceremony that I did know about but never expected to see and it all has its foundations in events 619 years ago. As sometimes dirty as London is these days, in almost every way (except perhaps for air),… Continue reading The Knollys Rose Ceremony – Paying off a 619 year old rent
John Donne – A forgotten poet and his discovered manuscript.
In the long and rich history of English literature, John Donne is almost forgotten about by many today but in his time he was pioneering. Born into a Catholic family at a time when it was illegal to practice the religion in England, Donne wrote often biting satire on legal corruption, mediocre writers, pig-headed officials… Continue reading John Donne – A forgotten poet and his discovered manuscript.
When two (spaces) are better than one
I don’t know about you but there are countless things that annoy me about modern life and one of them is the slow decline into the use of a single space after a full stop or period. Until the early twentieth century, guidelines were numerous and often contradictory. There were a variety of space… Continue reading When two (spaces) are better than one
National Sickie Day – Good and stupid reasons to take a day off work.
According to national statistics the first Monday in February is the day when people are most likely to pull a sickie. One of the factors attributed to this is the first payday since Christmas, meaning people have been out celebrating all weekend with a particularly heavy one. Another theory is that people have a tendency… Continue reading National Sickie Day – Good and stupid reasons to take a day off work.
A peek inside a Medieval Book Coffer
Lot’s of people seem to think that reading on the go is a modern phenomenon using electronic devices to snatch a few minutes of solitude on a busy train to work. I must say, I just don’t get it though I accept almost everyone else does. Long before I was born, books have been inherently… Continue reading A peek inside a Medieval Book Coffer
Colette – Film Review
It has been a few weeks since I had been to the Pictures and when I got up last Wednesday, I hadn’t planned to be going again on that particular day. Christmas is a bad time to see anything good at the cinema unless your idea of good equates to something like a 10 year… Continue reading Colette – Film Review
Stephen Liddell 