19th Century
Every Picture Tells a Story
Puffins, Puffins, pay attention, please. Free time is over, so put away your things and we are going to have a nice story, so gather over here, make a circle on the floor all around [more…]
France
Arts
Confessions of a campsite courier, Part 2
Je vous parle d’un temps Que les moins de vingt ans Ne peuvent pas connaître ….. C’est là qu’on s’est connu Moi qui criait famine Et toi qui posais nue….. Charles Aznavour – La Bohème [more…]
Arts
Confessions of a campsite courier, Part 1
Background For some of you, the title of this piece has probably resurrected memories of certain quality films from the 1970’s. Here, however, I have used the word “confessions” mainly for alliterative purposes. Not that [more…]
Arts
In Cathar Country, Part Two
Introduction Although the castles in the Aude department of France are now referred to collectively as ‘Cathar Castles,’ the term is misleading in that while their sites may once have provided refuge for Cathars fleeing [more…]
Arts
In Cathar Country, Part One
Introduction In the comments to my recent article about the Conques Tympanum quite a few readers made reference to ‘Cathar Country’ so, as I have pictures from my trips to the region I thought an [more…]
Arts
The Conques Tympanum Decoded
Introduction Back in the 1990s while returning from a jaunt into Cathar Country in our VW camper, quite by chance we made an overnight stop in the ancient village of Conques in the Aveyron region [more…]
20th Century
The Desert War – July 1940
Now we reach the 80th anniversary of July 1940 in the Desert War. Slim pickings in Libya and Egypt this month, both sides were gearing up for battle but the Navies were kept on their [more…]
Arts
The Great Escape, Part Two
A sickening, plastic sounding, crunch. Check self – fine. Look around for any obvious danger – none. Smell for petrol – none. The area wasn’t notably busy, some people across the road were looking over [more…]
Engineering
Le Château de Guédelon
Introduction I suppose it is only natural when confronted by an ancient architectural marvel such as a Roman aqueduct or a mediæval cathedral to stare in wonder and to ask oneself, ‘How on earth did [more…]