[ hint: it involves a swamp and a toad] Watching a doc the other night on King John, the brother of Richard the Lionheart, the crusader king. Ol’Johnny boy was known as a ruthless tyrant, of Robin Hood fame, who ruled Britain from 1199 till his death in 1216. He was the Magna Carta king, the reason for its creation, which eventually became the foundation … Continue reading How To Get Rid Of A Bad King
The one and only younger sister unit and I are in her truck a few nights ago, getting ready to get out and head over to Museum London, where her younger one was getting an award for her grade 8 Heritage Project, and we’d arrived a tad early. The niece #2 unit, the one getting the said award, is in the back, nose in her … Continue reading Tales She Told On Bristol Board
Standing on the covered porch, with that old Oak Tree for shade, awaits a woman who saw two wars, and whose ancestors bloodstain from the civil war lay in the closet in the hall. The tobacco barns off in the fields, as time went on, leaning more and more. Along dusty roads my Dad spent his youth as we drove by those places that defined … Continue reading From This Place Am I
The history geek that I am, in my spare time I can oft be found on the hunt for a new empire, epoch or otherwise to dive into, and this time it happened to be the Fall of Troy. So down I dove. The lecture I stumbled upon was from a scholar I was familiar, one Eric Cline. In 14 parts of 30 minutes each, … Continue reading You Know, Trojan Horses Fool Us All
Lost in the mists is a whole aspect of humanities past that we are only now beginning to understand, or even acknowledge. Continue reading Of Queens And Amazons
Once upon a time, in a land far away… there is a place called Grey. I can feel the sunshine on my arm, gazing out the truck window at the rolling and wild countryside, the smell of the earth, the crunching of the gravel underneath our tires as we made our way up the long drive, enchantment lay before me. I don’t recall how we … Continue reading Those Ghosts Of Grey
Few places in London have more mystique, more soul, than Guest House On The Mount. The structure of this charming “boutique hotel” was at one time a Nunnery, and on the grounds remain a few remnants of that time. The terraced lawns that grace the property feature a Mary grotto hollowed from the old roots of what looked to be a toppled Mother Oak’s roots. … Continue reading Duality And The Feminine
The Bell Tavern was where 26-year-old Martin Dromgole boarded before he was murdered in 1865 on the back yard of a home where Braida & Henry’s law offices now stand. Accused of being the father of a child out of wedlock whose birth caused the death of the young mother, Dromgole was shot by the girl’s uncle when he attended the funeral. Continue reading Dromgole & Co
Hey Mom… ok, so last week I told you about our 3x’s Great Uncle David. That’s where I started, and I have a lot more info on them. First though….did you know that Dad’s related to half of North Carolina? I kid you not. We may dominate a lot of the graveyards in Oxford County up here, but, down there if ya spit you’ll hit a cousin. Last week Lex and … Continue reading The Greatest Great
Hi Mom, I decided that maybe the best way to tell these stories I’m collecting is to tell them to you. It was for you I decided to start this research, so it seems apt that to you I should tell them to. The whole deep dive into the past helped me to cope with the loss of you, and do you know how often I’ve said to myself, … Continue reading Who Was David?
Yesterday was perfect – in every way possible. Perfect. Not too hot, not to cool. A beautiful breeze moved throughout my little abode, brushing away the winter woes. Freshly laundered bed linens hung on Grandma’s wooden cloths dryer all afternoon, soaking in the day. Last night I slumbered upon dreams of fresh summer days, and the scent of sunshine. Continue reading A Village Aglow
Last evening, once I had written my post, and settled down from yesterday’s ordeals…my sister calls… gotta listen to this song she says. [featured photo is me and Mom – c1970 – I was 3] Earlier she had done my, hit random and ask your question to the music “thang”…and this is what it gave her ~~ Coldplay’s latest album ‘Mylo Xyloto’ released in 2011 … Continue reading Living Amongst Gravestones and Ancestors
Whether the team is digging to unearth an Iron Age village, or a vanished Roman Villa, or even a Norman Castle, I’m all over it, I can’t help it, I’m hooked. I don’t recall when I saw my first episode, but I immediately became a full on fan of the show. Time Team, unlike most programs on archaeology, is not there to give you this neatly … Continue reading I Am A Time Team Addict
The Temenos Journal 