Daffodils in the hedgerow in Tamar ValleyPhoto:Tony Atkin ‘Daffy-down-dilly is new come to town, with a yellow petticoat, and a green gown.’ A traditional nursery rhyme recorded in Songs for the Nursery, 1805 Daffy-down-dilly, is an old name for the daffodil dating back to 1500’s. Other ancient English names for the flower were affodil, affodilly,…
The Middle Ages are having a bit of a moment, at least in the UK. This is a boon for me, as I am writing a “Plantagenet novel” covering the rough half century from 1352 to 1403. In January, I went to a day conference on Women of the Wars of the Roses,…
Five years ago, almost to the day, in March 2020, the pandemic had taken hold and daily life as we knew it was turned upside down. Everyone scrambled to find ways of keeping in touch, since meeting up in person was out of the question, and plans that had been made had to be abandoned….
At the start of the second world war, the government realised that the Royal Air Force (RAF) would play a pivotal role in defending Britain. The German air force, the Luftwaffe, had been devastatingly successful in invading first Poland then progressing through Europe. Fighter planes harried troops, provided intelligence and protected the heavier bombers. These…
by Deborah Swift During WW2 the government did its best to suppress the British Union of Fascists (BUF), but MI5’s effort to prevent fascist activities was hampered by the government’s advisory committee on internment. This advisory committee consisted of members who were influential in society, friends of aristocrats and the upper classes. They were there…
At last the younger generation had a voice. They didn’t have to follow in the drab footsteps of their elders. Those of us who remember the Sixties – Flower Power, Women’s Lib – will recognise the thrill, the exhilaration. Moga 1928 in ‘beach pyjama’ style Youth power This was Japan’s Jazz Age – the age of…
Reviewed by Stephanie Williams I must have been about thirteen when my imagination was first captured by Akhenaten, the legendary pharaoh who brought the revolutionary idea of one god to Egypt in the fourteenth century BCE. His wife, rumoured to be his sister, was even more romantic: the beautiful, powerful and mysterious Nefertiti. Bust of Nefertiti, Nofretete…
Twelve or so years ago, I started a creative writing class in Cheddar, where I live. I tried out several venues, one of which was a house owned by the Parish Council, named Hannah More Cottage. It’s a pleasant looking old cottage with whitewashed walls, small windows and a pretty garden: the roof used to…
Inside Harrogate Library, at the start of March,a new display was put up, decorated with small flags and badges, and arranged by the Local Studies group. As I studied the labels, printed images and photocopied extracts, the story seemed like a glimpse an exciting Edwardian detective adventure. Secret meetings? Foreign infiltrators? Concealed figures hurrying across…
Some years ago the BBC ran an advert for the 6 Nations Rugby tournament which was pulled following some complaints, and then proceeded to go viral! The punchline was – ‘It’s not who you want to win, but who you want to lose.’ No prizes for guessing the answers the Scots, Irish and…
