Bloomsbury is one of my very favourite parts of London. I’m a little biased as I spent four years studying at SOAS, a college in the University of London during the 1990’s and in recent years have been spending quite a lot of time doing guided tours such as my Sherlock Walk or my Bloomsbury… Continue reading Bloomsbury – The Literary Heart of London
Category: Culture
Queuing by the numbers
There are few things more British than queuing or Standing In Line as it is called in some places. It’s often said that we will stand behind a queue of one and I’ve seen that quite a few times. It’s one of those characteristics like a stiff upper lip, a pot of tea, talking about… Continue reading Queuing by the numbers
Up Helly Aa – The Modern Day Viking Festival
This coming Tuesday sees one of the most spectacular event of the British cultural calendar though it is a long from most people in the British Isles. It is known as Up Helly Aa and takes place in the town of Lerwick in the Shetland Islands. I’ve always wanted to go to the Shetlands, partly… Continue reading Up Helly Aa – The Modern Day Viking Festival
Why has 2016 seen so many celebrity deaths?
It was back in early spring that it was said that 2016 was obviously being written by Game of Thrones writer, George RR Martin. The number of famous people who have died in 2016 is almost too big to recall. It’s safe to say that whatever it was that consituted our broader culture as… Continue reading Why has 2016 seen so many celebrity deaths?
Apricity – The Warmth of Winter Sun
It’s freezing cold outside this morning. At 8.30am the garden is still minus 10C or 10F, the garden is covered in frost and ice and a pale blue stretches across the horizon with a very weak and watery like pale yellow sun is poking up above the horizon. Funnily enough the weather in NW Scotland… Continue reading Apricity – The Warmth of Winter Sun
Arrival – Movie Review
It’s a long time since I wrote a film review adn that is partly because I’ve been too busy to watch many and those that I have seen, have not really been worth the effort to write about but Arrival is definitely something very different. Last Sunday afternoon I had spent several hours of it… Continue reading Arrival – Movie Review
The Great Scone Debate – How to say it, how to eat it!
Never let it be said that I don’t tackle even the toughest subjects on my blog. Tpday it’s one of those questions that have divided people through the ages, even more so than Brexit, Turmp Vs Clinton or brown sauce and red sauce. It is of course, how do you pronounce that most English of… Continue reading The Great Scone Debate – How to say it, how to eat it!
The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace – Benedictus
Do you ever have a situation where you hear a piece of music and don’t know what it is? Perhaps you hear a new song on the radio that you like the sound of but miss the introduction at the beginning or annoyingly the presenter doesn’t credit it at the end. It’s hard enough when… Continue reading The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace – Benedictus
Friday the 13th – Why is 13 the unlucky number?
The fear of the number 13 or even Friday the 13th even has a name, Paraskevidekatriaphobia – from the Greek words paraskeví (meaning ‘Friday’), and dekatreís (meaning ‘thirteen’). The fear of the number 13 itself is called Triskaidekaphobia. Partly this is due to the number 12 being seen as being a good number; a number of… Continue reading Friday the 13th – Why is 13 the unlucky number?
The Worst Restorations Ever
The U.K. is covered in old buildings and ruins. Deciding which to fully or partially restore, which to manage to prevent further degradation and which to let disintegrate away is a complicated process depending on the structures uniqueness and importance to history and the arts as well as expense. The rules are very strict and… Continue reading The Worst Restorations Ever
Stephen Liddell 