Are you a town mouse or a country mouse? Personally I choose the bustle and activity of city life over that in the country, although I can see the benefits that the latter offers. A bit of peace and quiet would be welcome sometimes, I admit.
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Having spent the first half of August on an expedition cruise in Svalbard, I spent much of the second half wanting to return! But any return will have to wait, and meanwhile within a week of getting home we were off again, on our annual trip to Yorkshire.
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Our June heatwaves stretched into the first half of July before more normal London summer weather returned: warm but not hot, and with the odd day of rain. But whatever the weather, we found plenty of opportunities to get out and about. Although we didn’t leave London during this particular month.
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Back in the ninth century AD King Alfred the Great made Winchester the capital of England. The city remained influential through the medieval period, thanks to its cathedral and royal connections, before eventually being eclipsed by London. Even today it remains a beautiful and historic city. It also holds a special place in the hearts of many lovers of English literature, mine included, as the final resting place of Jane Austen.
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London has enjoyed one of the sunniest and hottest Junes I can remember. Although ‘enjoyed’ is stretching a point for anyone travelling on the Tube in thirty degree temperatures, as most of the lines aren’t (yet) air conditioned.
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Very many people have had their say about what constitutes creativity. Most focus on a degree of rule-breaking and risk-taking. In this post I want to share some of the creative people I’ve featured previously, bringing examples of their fascinating and unusual work together into this single post.
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Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever seen one? Maybe not, but there is one sort of ‘ghost’ we can all see: the ghost sign. I’m not a dedicated ghost sign hunter, but I do like to spot them and always take a photo when I do.
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May in England has been marvellous this year! Lots of warm sunshine and almost no rain. Not so great for farmers and gardeners perhaps, but wonderful for getting out and about. Our parks have been full of picnicking families, ball games and even sunbathers!
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Robins are the friendliest of our wild birds, or at least they are friendly to us. They are fiercely territorial and will aggressively defend their domain against other robins, but we invade it they seem positively pleased to see us. The little chap above joined us on a recent walk around the London Wetlands Centre.
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Today London is a huge metropolis, but it wasn’t always so, of course. It started as a small Roman settlement on the north bank of the River Thames, Londinium. In 200 AD a wall was built, surrounding and protecting the city. Over the centuries it grew and grew, but that Roman town remained at its heart, the original City of London.
