This is the sixteenth part of a fiction serial, in 754 words. Although she rarely saw her mother, Agnes received messages about her from Peggy, whispered to her by the servant girls. She was much improved, and Mistress Peggy had her doing very small tasks that were not tiring. Sh … | Continue reading
Hard to believe it is May, with weather more like early March. Most days this week we have had to turn the central heating on, and I am still not able to wear shorts, due to chilly winds and occasional rain. More rain forecast for the coming week, though it might warm up a bit. … … | Continue reading
Mixed memes for the end of another week. | Continue reading
One of these is not a map. It’s a meme for people who don’t like maps. | Continue reading
This insightful poem was sent to me by Rachel McAlpine, an author and podcaster who also writes on Substack. https://substack.com/@rachelmcalpine?utm_source=explore_sidebar Preparing for old age is scary scarier than getting pregnant twenty thousand miles from home. Now my body h … | Continue reading
Last week we watched ‘Simply Red Night’ on BBC2 and those songs brought back some memories. Not least this soulful ballad from 1985, released as a single from their album ‘Picture Book’. Holdin’ back the years Thinkin’ of the fear I’ve had so long When somebody hears Listen to th … | Continue reading
I found this uncredited image online. Ordinary bricks painted to resemble book spines and used as edging around flowerbeds. Great idea! | Continue reading
This is the fifteenth part of a fiction serial, in 761 words. By the onset of winter, the exciting night of the feast seemed so long ago, and Agnes had heard no more talk of Francis de Beaumont. She was desperate to ask about him, but knew it was not her place to ask personal … C … | Continue reading
This is the fourteenth part of a fiction serial, in 777 words. The night before the celebratory feast, Agnes found it hard to sleep. Everyone in the castle was excited, from Lady Eleanor down to the lowest servant girl. The fairly comfortable daily routine of life there was one t … | Continue reading
Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
My good friend Antony has just returned from a short trip to Prague in the Czech Republic. He has posted some great photos on his site, and I think the keen photographers out there would enjoy seeing them. Here’s a link. Prague May 2026 | Continue reading
Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
This is the thirteenth part of a fiction serial, in 790 words. A room was prepared for Anne the wet nurse to sit with the baby, and also for her to sleep in. She would become an important part of the household until William was weaned, with servants to wait on her needs, and rece … | Continue reading
In 1966 I heard a song from Homer Banks, and decided to buy it. ‘Ain’t That A Lot of Love’ wasn’t a huge hit at the time, but it was very much my kind of soul music. Homer was a record producer, a noted songwriter, and performer. He was associated with Stax and Minit Records … Co … | Continue reading
I am old and just realized I still have so many unanswered questions. I never found out who let the dogs out, where’s the beef, how to get to Sesame Street, why Dora doesn’t just use Google Maps, why eggs are packaged in a flimsy paper carton but batteries are secured in plastic … | Continue reading
This is the twelfth part of a fiction serial, in 840 words. Ten days after Lord Ranulf visited her, Lady Eleanor began screaming during the night. It was loud enough to wake Agnes, who rushed into her lady’s room still half asleep. The young page who had been sleeping on a mat at … | Continue reading
Weather news was good overall, though one morning I had to put the heating on at 7am for a few hours. We had some nice sunny days, and one day of rain when we went out to Downham Market. Saturday was warm and sunny, but today is much cooler. —————————————————————————————– Wednesd … | Continue reading
This is the eleventh part of a fiction serial, in 759 words. When Agnes went down to find Widow Perkin and tell her about Elizabeth, the widow told her to wait back up in the corridor. Quite soon, three men arrived. Two wrapped the body in some old sackcloth to take her away, and … | Continue reading
At the bottom of my admin dashboard is a section called ‘Jetpack Newsletter’. That contains a graph about subscriber/follower numbers, which I don’t think I have ever looked at before the other day. I looked at it because the blue line showing follower numbers had dropped signifi … | Continue reading
Ten more for you today. | Continue reading
This is the tenth part of a fiction serial, in 750 words. Considering she was supposed to be the personal maid of Lady Eleanor, Agnes didn’t see much of her. She was usually called upon to wash and dress her in the morning, and to get her ready for sleep after her main meal. Her … | Continue reading
I worked my last shift for the police in London in late February, 2012. I wasn’t due to retire until my birthday on the 16th of March that year, but my mum was dying in hospital, so they turned a blind eye to the official date and told me they would cover my absence to … Continue … | Continue reading
I found a new big batch! | Continue reading
I was always a fan of Dusty Springfield. Her distinctive voice and style appealed to me a great deal. Her career had stalled by the 1980s, and then the British duo The Pet Shop boys helped to revive that by featuring her as a guest vocalist on one of their songs in 1987. ‘What Ha … | Continue reading
This is a guest post from Gavin Marriott, who lives in New Zealand. I was brought up with the belief that anything belonging to someone else was theirs AND they must have worked hard to get that item. Yes, I could be envious over the years and yes, I was aware that luck often got … | Continue reading
This is the ninth part of a fiction serial, in 825 words. A boy came with water, and two plates of food. Agnes crouched by Elizabeth’s bed and poured a little water from the jug onto the feverish girl’s lips. But she just turned her head away. It was obvious that she was not goin … | Continue reading
You might remember that I recently had a struggle with the backup freezer that lives in our outside building we call ‘the shed’. Old Man versus Freezer We had intended to just replace it with a new one, but I am so tired of the constant waste of electrical goods being dumped in l … | Continue reading
This is a new word to me, and I only saw it for the first time yesterday. Read the definition, it’s a great word! I would like to get there. | Continue reading
This is the eighth part of a fiction serial, in 791 words. The bathing by old seamstress might have been on the rough side, but it left Agnes feeling fresh and happy. That happiness was increased ten times when the old woman fitted her into a purple dress long enough to cover her … | Continue reading
Michigan-born artist Kurt Wenner is the master of 3-D illusion in street art. As the inventor of 3D pavement art, Kurt Wenner’s interactive creations are a global phenomenon. Kurt is a true pioneer in visual perception and illusion. He uses classicism and geometry to design his a … | Continue reading
There was no serial episode posted yesterday, and I wasn’t able to view and comment on some of your posts. Unusually for my fast, fibre-optic broadband, I experienced a lot of ‘lag’, and some frustration with my connection. But it must have been a PC issue, as the wi-fi was worki … | Continue reading
Today is a public holiday in Britain. So of course it is cloudy and only 11C/51F *Disclaimer* I am not responsible for any errors in these images. | Continue reading
I have posted about my love for trees previously. Here are two more I found today. A 3,500 year old Olive Tree on the island of Crete, Greece. A Cypress Tree in Tomdoorah National Park, Iran. Recorded to be 4,852 years old. | Continue reading
This is the seventh part of a fiction serial, in 776 words. The death of the lord brought great consternation. Agnes had no comprehension of the repercussions of a nobleman dying, but as Peggy was cooking just half of the food as the dinner for the guests would not be going ahead … | Continue reading
Well we had a taste of summer this week, with sunny weather and temperatures up to 23C/73F. That broke last night with overnight rain, and today is forecast for cloud and 15C/59F. But it was good while it lasted, so I’m not complaining. —————————————————————————————– We didn’t ha … | Continue reading
Today’s Sunday School lesson is ancient history. | Continue reading
This is the sixth part of a fiction serial, in 838 words. The routine soon became familiar to Agnes, and she found her body filling out and feeling stronger as the weeks went by and the weather improved. Regular hard work and good food put some colour in her cheeks, and she start … | Continue reading
Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
Found online. Credit to Unfiltered @quotesdaily THE WORLD GOES TO SCHOOL DIFFERENTLY: 1. Finland: No major exams until the final year of high school. Teachers are highly educated and respected. Consistently one of the best education systems in the world. 2. Japan: Students clean … | Continue reading
This is the fifth part of a fiction serial, in 786 words. When Agnes got back from feeding the animals she was ready to drop. Fatigue had set in after a long, tiring day, and she had started to panic about missing any distribution of food. But Mistress Peggy was waiting for her. … | Continue reading
I loved watching Astaire and Rogers when I was young, (still do) and although I was never able to learn to dance properly, I appreciated the skill. As I got older, I heard about the Argentine Tango, and once I got my first laptop I was able to watch videos of it. TV shows like … … | Continue reading
Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
This is the fourth part of a fiction serial, in 764 words. It was so hot back inside the building that Agnes could feel it on her face as she went through the half-door. The fires were roaring and she could hear the fat spitting on the flames as it dripped down from the roasting … | Continue reading
Keep an eye on the sky tonight for witches on flying brooms! Walpurgis Night (April 30–May 1) is a traditional European festival marking the end of winter and the start of spring, often celebrated with bonfires, music, and dancing. Known as Hexennacht (Witches’ Night), it origina … | Continue reading
Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
This is the third part of a fiction serial, in 784 words. It was comfortable enough on the straw-filled sacks, and the damp shawl had soon dried out enough to use as a bedcover. But Agnes had not been prepared for the noises around the castle at night. Guard-changes resulted in t … | Continue reading