The Spanish Armada
The statue of Sir Francis Drake stands on Plymouth Hoe looking out to sea. Drake played bowls while waiting for the Armada. Of course he was probably waiting for the tide too. Actually there were three armadas, but we tend to focus on the first one of 1588. The 2nd...
Franz Ferdinand
Gavrilo Princip shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Sophie, on this day in 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and Gavirilo Princip was a Bosnian Serb nationalist. The assassination triggered a series of...
Pub Signs
I saw this unusual pub sign in Falmouth today. Apparently there was a prison called Pennycomequick in Plymouth. Pen y cwm coet means the head of a wooded valley in Cornish, and that would fit quite well with the pub’s location. The unusual pub sign made me think about...
Galileo and Infallibility
The church forced Galileo to recant his heresy, on this day in 1633. Galileo believed that the Earth revolved around the Sun. Whereas the church believed that the Sun revolves around the Earth. Galileo plays a major role in my second book, Fire and Earth. When I...
Farriers
I posted recently about my ancestor Elias Standen who was a sergeant farrier at the battle of Waterloo. I didn’t know very much about Farriers, so had to do some research. Farriers are skilled professionals who play an essential role in maintaining the health and...
Waterloo
The Duke of Wellington and Field Marshall von Blücher defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, on this day in 1815. My 3rd great-grandfather, Elias Standen was there. He was a sergeant-farrier with the Royal Horse Artillery. I’ve posted about him before. The battle began at...
Military Intelligence and Tactics
Military intelligence and tactics are vital. I mentioned The Ship Inn in a recent post. It possesses the most magnificent stained glass window. The banner in the window says “Ye Shippes of Fowey Haven preparing to welcome ye Armada.” The Ship Inn also displays a...
Finn Barr and Fowey
I love exploring old buildings. Since I discovered that my 10th great-granduncle was Sir Anthony Standen, an Elizabethan spy, I try and imagine him in those spaces. Claire and I have moored our sailing boat in Fowey Harbour. Two old building caught my attention. The...
Fate
Fate pivots on such small things. For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost. Well for the want of a rope, the course of history might have been very different. I saw this sign in Plymouth yesterday. John Howland fell overboard from the Mayflower on passage to America....
The Spanish Armada
The statue of Sir Francis Drake stands on Plymouth Hoe looking out to sea. Drake played bowls while waiting for the Armada. Of course he was probably waiting for the tide too. Actually there were three armadas, but we tend to focus on the first one of 1588. The 2nd...
Franz Ferdinand
Gavrilo Princip shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Sophie, on this day in 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and Gavirilo Princip was a Bosnian Serb nationalist. The assassination triggered a series of...
Pub Signs
I saw this unusual pub sign in Falmouth today. Apparently there was a prison called Pennycomequick in Plymouth. Pen y cwm coet means the head of a wooded valley in Cornish, and that would fit quite well with the pub’s location. The unusual pub sign made me think about...
Galileo and Infallibility
The church forced Galileo to recant his heresy, on this day in 1633. Galileo believed that the Earth revolved around the Sun. Whereas the church believed that the Sun revolves around the Earth. Galileo plays a major role in my second book, Fire and Earth. When I...
Farriers
I posted recently about my ancestor Elias Standen who was a sergeant farrier at the battle of Waterloo. I didn’t know very much about Farriers, so had to do some research. Farriers are skilled professionals who play an essential role in maintaining the health and...
Waterloo
The Duke of Wellington and Field Marshall von Blücher defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, on this day in 1815. My 3rd great-grandfather, Elias Standen was there. He was a sergeant-farrier with the Royal Horse Artillery. I’ve posted about him before. The battle began at...
Military Intelligence and Tactics
Military intelligence and tactics are vital. I mentioned The Ship Inn in a recent post. It possesses the most magnificent stained glass window. The banner in the window says “Ye Shippes of Fowey Haven preparing to welcome ye Armada.” The Ship Inn also displays a...
Finn Barr and Fowey
I love exploring old buildings. Since I discovered that my 10th great-granduncle was Sir Anthony Standen, an Elizabethan spy, I try and imagine him in those spaces. Claire and I have moored our sailing boat in Fowey Harbour. Two old building caught my attention. The...
Fate
Fate pivots on such small things. For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost. Well for the want of a rope, the course of history might have been very different. I saw this sign in Plymouth yesterday. John Howland fell overboard from the Mayflower on passage to America....