History
Mires, moats and manors
How could any true traveller ignore the lure of a name like Thorne Waste? It could be the title of a Brontë novel, or the kind of place the Hound of the Baskervilles was locked [more…]
Hobbies
Collecting
Going For Gold – Part 6
Previous articles in this series have focused heavily on coins. This time I take a look at the history of bullion, ingots and bars for a change. What is Bullion? Claude de Bullion, became the [more…]
Computing
Welcome to Dingleberry
It isn’t my fault, honest, you may recall a certain nameless puffin of this parish who has a thing for shunting and the associated models who some time ago started to make a small model [more…]
Arts
Gardening & Walking In A Pandemic (Panacea For Mind & Body)
A quiet time in the greenhouse just now, the frosts just keep coming and I’m loathe to put the tomatoes, as healthy as they seem to be, in the cold frame just yet. I have [more…]
Cooking
Knives and keeping them sharp
So.. we’ve discussed my obsession with Japanese knives (see: An introduction to Japanese knives) and there were lots of lovely comments, but one came through most – how to keep a knife sharp! This article [more…]
Animals
Larry’s Diary, Week Eighty Nine
Monday Another week and another Monday morning but this is a holiday and there are not many in the office today. Bozzie has one of his good suits on so I guess he’s doing another [more…]
Hobbies
Crossword No. 166
First correct entry out of ‘the hat’ wins a GP mug. Email entries to me by 6.00 pm Sunday, subject ‘Crossword’. Contact here on email Winner of Crossword 165 and a GP mug Rick (Do [more…]
18th Century
A Walk in the Past
Ey-up miduks, as they say here in my adopted city. This ramble all started with a day off. A Friday, to be precise. It was no particular Friday, and there was no particular reason for [more…]
History
Mancs, Marx and Mill Towns
More notes from 45 years of cycling If you are following this series, you will know that my kind of curiosity is one that is still making money, or at least providing a public service [more…]