Has Coronavirus turned you into a Dissectologist?
Don’t panic, being a Dissectologist is simply someone who loves doing jigsaw puzzles. Ann Evans takes a closer look at the humble jigsaw puzzle. As so many...
Coping With Coronavirus 13. Eyam & the Great Plague.
In 1665 the Plague was raging through London as it did most Summers due to cramped housing and bad drainage. But the in year of 1665 things were...
Champagne Rosé, the most elegant drink for festive moments – Meanderings through France n° 214
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny White Champagne was created in the 17th century but it was not until the second half of the 18th century...
Malta Diary In the mists of time did the Maltese Islands have an importance far exceeding their miniscule size?
It is an indisputable fact that in terms of size, being one of the world’s smallest countries, on a per square metre (or mile) comparison, the volume of historical...
Welsh Witterings: for the love of toilet roll
How, exactly, did toilet paper come to capture our headlines and attention? In the earliest days of the coronavirus health emergency, long before any thoughts of self isolation or...
Karl’s Chronicles no 27 Cameroon: The Sultans First Stand
Heralding back to 1334 and founded by Prince Nchare Yen, who came from the Tikar tribe. The Bamun Empire established its first and brief capital at Njimom, twenty kilometres...
“Isolation…that’s the name of the game!”
IAIN ROBERTSON Donning his best gold lame jacket, stage smile and sparkling teeth, Iain Robertson reflects on a government enforced staycation, at home, along with pretty much the rest...
Coping With Coronavirus 8. False Alarms.
Another clear, sunny day without a cloud or contrails in the sky. And the roads are silent. Our lungs must be healthier without the pollution! Coronavirus is a contagious...
The Mightiest Empire Of All Time Fell Because Of A Bug – It’s Something To Think About Heavily, Then Plan, Prepare And Pray
– How Pandemics Have Changed Societies Throughout History By Don Boys, for All News Pipeline One of the most obvious effects that major diseases have had on the world is...
Malta Diary. Is this The Apocalypse or have we been through it all before?
Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Cholera, Black Plague – the Maltese Islands have suffered all these before … and survived This is a bad, sad, sorrowful and morose time...
Harry’s Ramblings Chuff Chuff to Eastbourne
by Harry Pope I use the expression chuff chuff because in the old days of steam railways that was the sound made as the steam exited the chimney on...
Mumbai Memoir 122- The duality of a city like Mumbai!
When tourists visit any world-famous city, they are taken to the historical corners of the town or to the famous tourist spots by the tour guides. The visitors innocently...
Coping with Coronavirus 2. Natural Resources Around Us.
Daughter Rana & little Isabella Messaged us this morning. It made me even more unhappy as I couldn’t hug and kiss them. I know that we’re supposed to stay...
MALTA DIARY: The tiny island of Filfla – magical and mystical
The Maltese archipelago consists of five separate islands, Malta the main island and vastly over-populated, Gozo the sister island suitably populated, Comino virtually uninhabited and the two uninhabited minor...
Karl’s Chronicles Article 25 Cameroon: Open Enclosure
The vast, secretive Equatorial forests are home to an eclectic family of animals. Antelope, elephants, buffalo, pangolin, bongo, drill, numerous species of monkeys and abundant birdlife. An aged eco-system...
British Motor Museum acquires a unique Triumph TR2 prototype
Photos courtesy of the British Motor Museum Ann Evans reports on a Triumph TR2 prototype, secured with £250K National Heritage Memorial Fund grant. A unique, record-breaking Triumph TR2...
The “Invalides”, a witness of French history since 1670 – Meanderings through France n° 211
ByAnnick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny We all know the “Invalides” museum for being the place where Napoléon’s tomb is, but this huge place has much more to...
Worth going the extra mile to this Swiss Alpine village
By Ann Mealor The traditional Swiss village of Adelboden is found at the end of the Engstligen valley in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps. From December...
Malta Diary As we were – lost and gone forever – memories of Malta in my childhood
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Take a good look at the above picture – a picture that tells not...
Normandy cider, fit for demanding connoisseurs – Meanderings through France n° 210
By Annick Dournes For many people Normandy is synonymous with white and black cows, Camembert cheese, half-timbered houses and … apples! It’s a long-term love story...
Malta Diary “We may not die of the coronavirus but may well die of all the anxiety caused by reports about it”
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: It has been a week of wholesale panic, mixing together a weekend of Carnival, Ash...
Karl’s Chronicles. Article 23 Sao Tome: If These Walls Could Talk
Sao Tome, though a capital falls drastically short of being credited a city as we would know it. A third the size of Eastbourne and where the entire island...
Cook while you Work; Ironed Sandwiches
I discovered an old recipe for Ironed Sandwiches. Fascinated, I had to try it! This was obviously originally invented when women used to heat up their flat irons to...
Malta Diary Entering the Lenten period – a time for sackcloth and ashes? It used to be – but no longer … memories of the past
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Today is Ash Wednesday. Carnival activities of boisterous merriment came to an abrupt end at midnight...
Karl’s Chronicles Article 22 Sao Tome & Principe: After Chocolate
In the first of this two-part article, we explored the Portuguese arrival to Sao Tome & Principe and the import of both coffee and cacao from South America, chiefly...
Harry’s Ramblings. Lecturing accuracy
I have recently lectured on the P&O ship Oceana, giving seven talks over a 14 day period. The first four talks had already been previously written and presented, the...
Malta Diary Ruts hewn in stone surfaces part of the National Heritage of the Maltese Islands Used for planting grape vines and olive trees since prehistoric times
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Malta and Gozo have a Superintendance for National Heritage, a Government entity that at surface...
Karl’s Chronicles Article 21 Sao Tome & Principe: Chocolate Before
Tumbling down over cobbled stones in the humid murkiness of dense hillside forest, one could be rightly forgiven for not seeing the wood for the trees. Mesmerized by torpedo...
Mumbai Memoir 120- Orissa Diary Part 2- Arabian Sea to Bay of Bengal!
Around 8:15pm, after a very fulfilling visit to the Sun temple at Konark, I decided to leave for Puri the same evening. Since I had to attend an urgent...
A city-break in Paris side by side with Napoleon
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny When Napoleon took power as France First Consul in 1799 he already knew that he wanted Paris to become the most beautiful...
Steve’s Sojourns: The Azores, Portugal’s Atlantic gem.
Put quite simply the Azores are stunning. I had never visited before and I guess like most people I only knew about them from the weather forecast with the...
Malta Diary Maltese blood in the US Washington White House? Could well be! Maltese diaspora rootin’ ‘n tootin’ for Pete Buttigieg
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Most of the world has now heard of Pete Buttigieg, the Democrat striving to win...
Charles Rennie Mackintosh house to be extended.
Photos courtesy of 78 Derngate and Rob Tysall Changes coming to the famous Charles Rennie Mackintosh house, 78 Derngate, Ann Evans reports. Following on from...
Karl’s Chronicles. Article 20 Ghana: House of Three Colours
A plump lizard lay just behind a python, all coiled up like rope down at the harbour. In front walked a contented crocodile, tail in the air with a...
A real feel of Elizabethan splendour
By Ann Mealor Taking the time to read up just a little about the history of Billesley Manor will reap genuine reward. This 16th century Elizabethan manor house in...
Go off the beaten tracks, go to Oman with Al Nahda Hotels (Part three) – World Meanderings (n°80)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Photos ©Frederic de Poligny & Annick Dournes Back to Oman to continue our discovery of this incredibly varied country set...
Malta Diary Carnival – time to let your hair down or is it just an excuse for wanton revelry? To be correct or incorrect – that is the question nowadays
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: In a couple of weeks’ time Malta and Gozo will be celebrating their Carnival weekend –...
78 Derngate
Photos by Rob Tysall, Tysall’s Photography Tucked away in Northampton is a gem of a house that is totally unique. Ann Evans goes along to visit 78 Derngate. ...
Rachel´s Wanderings in Spain 15 El Caminito del Rey – The King´s Walkway
Once known as the world´s most dangerous walkway, the caminito – which means little walkway – and it was little. The old path was built as a narrow path...
Beachy Head
by Harry Pope Nature has her own way of weeding out the weakest, but sometimes people have to be protected from themselves for their own good. Eastbourne’s Beachy Head...