One of the things about doing tours in London is that in a way it is both my office and indeed my stage and tours can be variable and incorporate whatever it is we come across in addition to my vague plans for the day. Yesterday (Sunday) we happened across the annual Punch and Judy… Continue reading Covent Garden May Fayre & Puppet Festival – Celebrating the 360th Birthday of Punch and Judy
Category: Life
Going to my first Opera at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
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.
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!
Visiting the State Apartments at Speaker’s House at the Palace of Westminster
Two weeks ago I wrote a post on how I randomly met Jeremy Corbyn on the London Underground. I met him when I was on my way into Parliament, not as a guide myself this time but as a tourist or at least I wasn’t actively working. I was one of the first group of… Continue reading Visiting the State Apartments at Speaker’s House at the Palace of Westminster
The Queen’s Green Canopy
Last week when I was out and about in London I passed through the Embankment Gardens as I do quite often. It’s one of the most beautiful parks in Westminster and always full of blooming flowers, well kept lawns, water features and in the summer, much needed shady trees. I’ve written before about London named… Continue reading The Queen’s Green Canopy
The death and resurrection of Margorie McCall
If you’re anything like me then there is nothing that quite tickles your fancy like a historic ‘resurrection’ story. This one took place in Ireland in 1705 when after succumbing to a fever Margorie McCall was hastily buried to prevent the spread of whatever had sent her to her maker. Margorie was buried with… Continue reading The death and resurrection of Margorie McCall
Meeting Jeremy Corbyn
I’ve had the pleasure to meet several MPs during my 26 months of being Excluded and indeed before then in my work as a tour guide. And also one MP who was particularly condescending and dismissive but more about him later. On Monday this week I was on my way to Parliament for something altogether… Continue reading Meeting Jeremy Corbyn
Ernest Shackleton and the Third Man (an Angel)
Not long after after starting my blog, I once wrote on The Angel of Mons an event dating back to WW1 which often captures the imagination of those who know if it. A very contemporary event to this happened to Ernest Shackleton who I have written about last week, South Georgia might not seem a very… Continue reading Ernest Shackleton and the Third Man (an Angel)
The Quest for a relic from a journey of Discovery by Ernest Shackleton.
A few days ago I posted on the discovery of Endurance, a ship used by the legendary Ernest Shackleton during the last great Age of Discovery. Whilst it may be forever difficult to visit that vessel, there is a small part of the last ship that Shackleton sailed on that is easier to visit, if… Continue reading The Quest for a relic from a journey of Discovery by Ernest Shackleton.
Spring has sprung
As the saying goes, it is often darkest before the dawn. It seems strange that just a few weeks ago my garden had been ruined by hurricane strength winds with fences snapped and blown over, furniture blown away and containers flattened. For something like a week now, spring has sprung, at least temporarily so. The… Continue reading Spring has sprung
Stephen Liddell 