Hobbies
Owning a Shotgun
A puffin on here has written a series on firearms and their technology up to the 20th century, but what about owning a firearm in the modern day in the UK? What are the laws [more…]
Hobbies
19th Century
A Bear’s Diary – Part 21
August 28th, 1810 (August 16th O.S.). Finally we are through the strait between Asia and America. After our long sojourn in a region where the chart shows only pictures of sea monsters, we are again [more…]
Arts
Postcard from Lille, Part 15
As with America, I went back and forward, back and forward to the Philippine Islands for about five years, but will tell the tale as one continuous story, in situ over there, perhaps including an [more…]
Arts
Project Mower Refurb
It is the Easter holidays. The Missus is at work for the day, so I’m not being dragged around the shops, the kids are revising/ generally avoiding dad. I’ve pottered for a day or so [more…]
19th Century
A Bear’s Diary – Part 20
June 13th, 1810 (June 1st O.S.). We have left Novaya Zemlya, to general relief, and are sailing down the west side of the island to resume our eastward course. No one enjoyed our sojourn in [more…]
Arts
Postcard from Lille, Part 14
“Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking we are just commencing our approach into Kai Tak international airport in Hong Kong, the weather is fine, during the approach we’ll have Kowloon City on the [more…]
19th Century
A Bear’s Diary – Part 19
March 29th, 1810 (March 17th O.S.). We have good news brought by one of the Count’s agents returning from St Petersburg. A suitable ship has been found and purchased, and is now on her long [more…]
Arts
Postcard from Lille, Part 13
Over chai in the subcontinent, balut in the tropics or roast swan in an Oxbridge refectory the topic of conversation might turn to ‘given the chance, would you kill baby Hitler?’ In Latin this would [more…]
19th Century
A Bear’s Diary – Part 18
December 22nd, 1809 (December 10th O.S.). Count Bagarov has taken Fred’s advice about using a bomb ship to penetrate the North-East Passage, and has sent one of his agents to St Petersburg to try to [more…]