Category A-Zchallenge
A musical interlude – Dartington Hall #atozchallenge
When I was about nine (or possibly ten), my family and I went on holiday to Devon. We camped, hiked and played on the beach. At some point during the fortnight, my parents took us to a concert in the evening and I had my one and only experience of listening live to James Galway […]
The tale of two Medieval houses #atozchallenge
Some houses change over time, others don’t. Before the days of listed buildings (protection orders on historical buildings), owners simply added, removed and did what they pleased to keep the exterior and interior of their home functional and maintained. Theses days, you can’t just simply knock down an outside wall of a Medieval listed building […]
RM 47, Foreign Office – the secret house – #atozchallenge
Once upon a time, this house was known by various designations: Station X, London Signals Intelligence Centre, HMS Pembroke (a navy designation because there were supposedly WRENs posted there) and as a postal address it was listed as Room 47, Foreign Office, or sometimes simply B.P. Where is this place? Located near the modern town […]
Athelhampton and the incident of the sausage – #atozchallenge
So I begin this year’s A-Z challenge. One letter each day and on the theme of Great Houses of Britain. Today it’s A for Athelhampton House (Dorchester, Dorset), which I visited a several years ago and has a link to a family member. More on that in a bit. The great hall was built in […]
A-Z blogging challenge – theme reveal 2018
Welcome to this year’s theme reveal for the A-Z blogging challenge. After the previous year’s cathedrals and abbeys, I decided to continue the theme of historical places of the British Isles. With the success of Downton Abbey and The Crown on TV, it would be easy to pick the stately homes of Chatsworth, Blenheim Palace […]
A-to-Z and the book
I’ve signed up again! Yes, the A to Z blogging challenge beckons and I’ve succumbed. Already, I’m wondering what I’ve let myself in for and if I really can deliver a post a day when I’ve hardly posted anything for months. Why? Because I’ve been super busy working on my book and finally it is […]
A to Z challenge – reflections
This has been my third year of A-Zing. In no particular order, my thoughts in reflection… Time – oh to have buckets more of it. As usual I failed to plan everything up front or schedule enough posts in advance leaving myself a pitiful amount of time to read other people’s. It should be said, […]
ZigZag – the finer details of cathedral architecture. #atozchallenge
The last day of the A to Z blogging challenge is here! Congratulations to everyone who took part. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. I’ve had so much to read, and still to read, as I continue to explore new blogs. As for my Z? Take a look at this picture. […]
York Minster – a church of many lives #atozchallenge
The end of the challenge is drawing near and I’m transporting myself to York for what most be one of the most famous cathedrals, if only because it keeps bouncing back from near destruction. The first church on the site dates back to 627AD and was built in wood, as would have been most churches […]
X – the Crossing point. #atozchallenge
Following my theme of abbeys and cathedrals, my X is less about the letter and more about the shape. Most churches in the UK have the layout of the cross, known as the cruciform – cross-shaped. The eastern end points to the centre of the Christian world, as it was in ancient times – Jerusalem. […]
The Quiet Writer 