Westwood Manor, Newts, and a Virginal
On Wednesday Claire and I visited Westwood Manor, a nearby National Trust property. King Ethelred II (the Unready) granted the land to his thegn, Alfnoth in AD983. For three centuries three families lived on the manor: Culverhouse (1434 - 1500), Horton (1518 -1609)...
Time and Space
I want to talk about time and space, but I’m not going to try and reconcile quantum theory with relativity. I’m interested, but incapable. My cousin Bill and his wife Sue are over from Canada, and we gave them a tour of Oxford and Bath. Bill’s knee was giving him some...
Red Herrings – Devil May Care 2023 – DNA
DNA is part of what makes us who we are, and DNA analysis is an important part of crime detection now. Talking of which, I have just finished reading the latest edition of Red Herrings, the bulletin of the Crime Writers Association. As usual, several nuggets caught my...
Does Government “Do God?” – Forced and Coercive Marriages – Cinderella
Colin Bloom led a review into government’s relationship with religious faiths. The government recently published his report Does government ‘do God?’ Bloom divides the population into true believers, non-believers, and make-believers. The clarity of the first two...
Racism vs(?) Antisemitism
Is there a difference between anti-semitism and racism? The Labour Party have suspended Diane Abbot as an MP following her comments in a letter to the Observer. She wrote that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people “undoubtedly experience prejudice", which she said is...
Seven Best Quotes on Writing
Why seven best quotes on writing? My publicist Brian Feinblum posted some advice on blog posts for selling books today. He says you have to have a catchy title like seven best, 6 ways to, 9 benefits of, etc. I thought I’d try following his advice, so here goes. I’ve...
Vikings and the Irish
Brian Boru defeated the Vikings in Ireland on this day in 1014 at the Battle of Clontarf. It must have been quite a battle because all the leaders died. It wasn’t simply a battle between the Irish and the Vikings, because the Vikings were allied to the Irish king of...
Bullying and Parliament
Dominic Raab has been found to have engaged in bullying as a minister and has resigned. He seems to have some issues with the definition of bullying. As a writer, I always reach for the Oxford English Dictionary when a definition is required. The OED says that a bully...
Scientists of Sir Anthony Standen’s Lifetime
I don’t claim that this is an exhaustive list of scientists contemporary with Sir Anthony Standen. It’s more of a tasting menu, with each scientist chosen because they relate to the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures in some way. The place to start must be Galileo...
Westwood Manor, Newts, and a Virginal
On Wednesday Claire and I visited Westwood Manor, a nearby National Trust property. King Ethelred II (the Unready) granted the land to his thegn, Alfnoth in AD983. For three centuries three families lived on the manor: Culverhouse (1434 - 1500), Horton (1518 -1609)...
Time and Space
I want to talk about time and space, but I’m not going to try and reconcile quantum theory with relativity. I’m interested, but incapable. My cousin Bill and his wife Sue are over from Canada, and we gave them a tour of Oxford and Bath. Bill’s knee was giving him some...
Red Herrings – Devil May Care 2023 – DNA
DNA is part of what makes us who we are, and DNA analysis is an important part of crime detection now. Talking of which, I have just finished reading the latest edition of Red Herrings, the bulletin of the Crime Writers Association. As usual, several nuggets caught my...
Does Government “Do God?” – Forced and Coercive Marriages – Cinderella
Colin Bloom led a review into government’s relationship with religious faiths. The government recently published his report Does government ‘do God?’ Bloom divides the population into true believers, non-believers, and make-believers. The clarity of the first two...
Racism vs(?) Antisemitism
Is there a difference between anti-semitism and racism? The Labour Party have suspended Diane Abbot as an MP following her comments in a letter to the Observer. She wrote that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people “undoubtedly experience prejudice", which she said is...
Seven Best Quotes on Writing
Why seven best quotes on writing? My publicist Brian Feinblum posted some advice on blog posts for selling books today. He says you have to have a catchy title like seven best, 6 ways to, 9 benefits of, etc. I thought I’d try following his advice, so here goes. I’ve...
Vikings and the Irish
Brian Boru defeated the Vikings in Ireland on this day in 1014 at the Battle of Clontarf. It must have been quite a battle because all the leaders died. It wasn’t simply a battle between the Irish and the Vikings, because the Vikings were allied to the Irish king of...
Bullying and Parliament
Dominic Raab has been found to have engaged in bullying as a minister and has resigned. He seems to have some issues with the definition of bullying. As a writer, I always reach for the Oxford English Dictionary when a definition is required. The OED says that a bully...
Scientists of Sir Anthony Standen’s Lifetime
I don’t claim that this is an exhaustive list of scientists contemporary with Sir Anthony Standen. It’s more of a tasting menu, with each scientist chosen because they relate to the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures in some way. The place to start must be Galileo...