Arts
Time for the old tin foil hat again
I do so hope you have all got your tin foil hats ready, I am seldom without mine. Whenever I look at YouTube over the past few weeks there are loads of videos about Sumerian [more…]
History
19th Century
The Scrapbook of Sherlock Holmes, 4/6: The Fulham Poltergeist. Part 2 of 2
Following Holmes’s instructions, the next afternoon I visited the Fulham Road. At its east end, where it forms the boundary between Kensington and Chelsea, it is lined with the white stuccoed houses of the moderately [more…]
20th Century
A History of Pop Music – Albums 1962
Featured Album: The Beach Boys – Surfin Safari Before I start with the article, I would like to raise a concern. Over the last few weeks there have been several comments about how bad some [more…]
19th Century
The Scrapbook of Sherlock Holmes, 4/6: The Fulham Poltergeist. Part 1 of 2
Holmes had often lightly mocked me for my belief in the supernatural. ‘I cannot but suppose,’ he said, ‘that any apparent manifestation of mystical forces will, if subjected to rigorous scrutiny, yield a perfectly rational [more…]
20th Century
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 – Grand Final Night
Huzzah! Let joy be unconfined! It’s Grand Final Night! So please be welcome to the 2026 festival of flamboyance and flounce that we all know and love as the Eurovision Song Contest. This time we’re [more…]
20th Century
Fabulously Flamboyant Friday: The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest Preview
Let joy be unconfined – It’s that most wonderful time of year – again… EUROVISION!!! Welcome back my friends, to the flamboyance that never ends, as Fabulously Flamboyant Friday glides effortlessly across the neatly trimmed [more…]
19th Century
Joseph Swan: The Man Who Actually Invented the Lightbulb
A Sunderland chemist beat Edison by a year, accidentally invented synthetic fabric, lit up the world’s first electrically-powered street, and still got written out of history. It’s time to set the record straight. If you [more…]
19th Century
The Scrapbook of Sherlock Holmes, 3/6: The Purloined Pincushion. Part 2 of 2
The following morning, as we were digesting a formidable breakfast of kidneys and bacon sent up by the admirable Mrs Hudson, Holmes was again amusing himself with his violin. After his usual discordant improvisation he [more…]
20th Century
A History of Pop Music – Albums 1961
Featured Album: Runaway with Del Shannon This is a series of articles looking at albums from 1960 to whatever year we end up in. I will select a featured album for each year and the [more…]