culture
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Sad to say, when I lived in a country cottage, the only things I ever found in the garden were broken clay pipes (a lot!) and fragments of pottery and china, of which blue and white were by far the main colour. Did I find one coin, let alone 63? Well, a well-worn penny…
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I know there are different ways of spelling one word…especially when it comes to the British/US versions (we’re separated by the same language, right?) but sometimes I come across a word that I have only ever seen spelled one way, yet it suddenly pops up with an extra “s”. In this instance the word is…
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When I read this article, I thought I must have written it in my sleep, because it opens with a very accurate description of me as a seven-year-old. Horse mad, but at the same time I was actually terrified of them. Oh well, there’s no accounting for folk. Anyway, I hadn’t heard of this 1996…
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Reblogged from A Medieval Potpourri sparkypus.com THE ANCIENT OAK TREE KNOWN AS THE ‘ELIZABETH’ OAK. With thanks to Spitalfieldlife for this photo. In the words of Sir John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, Richard III’s loyal friend, I get as ‘wode as a Wilde bullok‘ when I read yet another tedious reference to Henry VIII…
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Learning the details of one particular 15th-century man’s life isn’t always an easy matter. One such man whose existence is known in some depth is one John (Jankyn) Smith of Bury St Edmunds. He was very important to his home town, where he is still remembered now. To read about Jankyn, you’ll find a…
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REBLOGGED FROM sparkypus.com A Medieval Pot Pourri A nice example of a medieval bed. Note the commode next to the bed complete with a lock! The side curtains are shown this way in most illustrations. I thought they may have been bunched up into some type of bag but it has been suggested to me that…
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Recently while perusing a book of folklore, I came across this traditional rhyme- I had a little nut tree, Nothing could it bear But a silver nutmeg and a golden pear; The king of Spain’s daughter Came to visit me; And all for the sake of my little nut tree. Apparently, this rhyme is supposed…
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Right, so has Nero been as hard-done-by through history as our Richard III? After first pointing out that Richard was lied about and denounced by his enemies and killers, and that he still has supporters even now, this article certainly wonders about Nero’s legacy. It’s said that Nero’s ambitious mother manipulated him on to the…
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Here’s an interesting link to an article about how the medieval Tsars spent Christmas in Moscow. I know we grizzle about the British weather, but I’d rather be here any time than be turned to ice in Russia!
The New Murrey and Blue blog 