Whilst preparing for a tour tomorrow to the Natural History Museum in London, I thought I should do a reconnaisance sortie as well as a bit of research. The museum is a work of art and shows what value Victorians placed on education. Amethysts were used as charms by the ancient Greeks to… Continue reading The Tale of the Cursed Amethyst at the Natural History Museum in London
Category: Life
How do you like your tea?
We are often labelled a nation of animal lovers, gardeners, shopkeepers, queue-ers, weather-watchers, good manners and apologising etc etc but surely there are few things that we are better known for than for our love of a good cup of tea. I don’t drink coffee, I don’t even like the smell. All those stupid and ever… Continue reading How do you like your tea?
Spencer Perceval – The only British Prime Minister to be killed in office
It is said that the more things change, the more they say the same. This is perhaps never more true than in May 1812. Britain was in turmoil. Social and political unrest spread had spread across the country, as old economic models clash with new technologies, and the spectre of global trade tariffs loom large.… Continue reading Spencer Perceval – The only British Prime Minister to be killed in office
Petrichor – The sweet smell of falling rain.
It’s a sensation most of us familiar with though if you’re living in much of the Northern Hemisphere then like me, it might not be one you’ve been familiar with recently. The sweet smell of rain or Petrichor. The name was first coined by two Australian scientists Isabel Joy Bear and Richard Thomas in… Continue reading Petrichor – The sweet smell of falling rain.
Imprisoned childen, phone zombies… do you ever feel like you’re living on another planet?
Whilst walking to the cinema this week in the never-ending heatwave, it occurred to me that something wasn’t quite right. The weather was perfect, the schools are on holiday and yet I didn’t see a single person as I walked the 15 minutes to the cinema at 10.30am on a weekday morning. I couldn’t and… Continue reading Imprisoned childen, phone zombies… do you ever feel like you’re living on another planet?
The Gumball 3000 London to Tokyo 2018
Yesterday when I was giving one of my tours round London, I stumbled across an unexpected sight. A collection of over 100 souped up cars all ready to take place in the Gumball 3000. It wasn’t a total surprise as I seem to come across this event every summer in London, even though the startingn… Continue reading The Gumball 3000 London to Tokyo 2018
Washington Old Hall – The Ancestral Home of George Washington
A few weeks ago when I was walking along Hadrians Wall, I took the opportunity to make a few deviations along the way. One such side-trip was to the ancestral home of George Washington in the aptly named old village of Washington. Washington lies between the large cities of Newcastle Upon Tyne and Sunderland and… Continue reading Washington Old Hall – The Ancestral Home of George Washington
Alice Ayres – A Victorian Heroine
A few weeks ago I wrote on Postmans Park – The Memorial To Heroic Self-Sacrifice and I’d taken it upon myself to look some of the names whose valour has been memorialised her. At random I picked the unassuming sounding Alice Ayres. I picked Alice in particular because I’m familiar with Union Street in Borough, it… Continue reading Alice Ayres – A Victorian Heroine
Buffy The Vampire Slayer! – Don’t ruin the legacy with a remake.
Like several other people trying to forget about big issues in the world, this weekend allowed some of us to become pre-occupied with a small one…. they want to remake Buffy The Vampire Slayer! At its heart was Buffy – a Californian teenager who goes to high school during the day and fights vampires at… Continue reading Buffy The Vampire Slayer! – Don’t ruin the legacy with a remake.
Thomas Harrison – Executed whilst cheerful!
Whilst walking around the City of London earlier this week, I came across a sign that I had seen several times before. It had always made me smile, perhaps a little perversely given the circumstances but also as I admired the steadfastness of Major General Harrison… whoever he might have been. I’d always vowed to… Continue reading Thomas Harrison – Executed whilst cheerful!
Stephen Liddell 