Free will means that even in the most totalitarian regime, individuals keep within their hearts and minds their secret thoughts and views: but with ingenuity they will find a way of expressing it. When Private Eye editor and TV personality Ian Hislop stepped out of his Private Eye offices – as shown on video atContinue reading “Ian Hislop’s Search for Dissent: ‘I Object’ Exhibition at the British Museum – Brilliant and Cheeky Tribute to the Spirit of Independent Thought”
Category Archives: SC Skillman
The British Library and the Anglo Saxon Kingdoms
Recently I found myself in the British Library in London, and among the large number of visitors who had flocked there to see the exhibition on The Anglo Saxon Kingdoms. There displayed for us to see were certain treasures of the age before the Norman Conquest. Here were the magnificent original illuminated manuscripts, the highlyContinue reading “The British Library and the Anglo Saxon Kingdoms”
The Museum of London, Docklands: a Beguiling Talk About the Social History of the English Pub
The English pub is such a well-loved institution. I know when I lived in Australia for four years, this wonderful institution was much prized for its almost legendary status amongst the Australians, even if they did think we British are a bit weird to go around drinking warm beer all the time. And at theContinue reading “The Museum of London, Docklands: a Beguiling Talk About the Social History of the English Pub”
The National Portrait Gallery, London: a Cloud of Masters and Witnesses
At the National Portrait Gallery recently, as I wandered through the Victorian and Twentieth Century and Contemporary Galleries, I realised that I was surrounded by all the most amazing people who have moved or inspired me or touched my heart, during my lifetime. The people whose faces I gazed at included preRaphaelite artists John WaterhouseContinue reading “The National Portrait Gallery, London: a Cloud of Masters and Witnesses”
London Stories, a Rich and Complex Tapestry
I’ve just spent a week in London, near the Tower, and my mind is full of London stories… stories of many different aspects of life in the city. First of all, I think of the tales we were told on the walk from Whitechapel tube station, the Hidden East End walk, led by one of LondonContinue reading “London Stories, a Rich and Complex Tapestry”
Book Review: Out of the Forest by Gregory P. Smith
Over Christmas a biography came to me which is one of the most compelling and moving accounts I have ever read. Out of the Forest (published by Penguin Australia) is the memoir of a man who spent ten years living as an alcoholic drug-crazed recluse high in the New South Wales forest, (with occasional forays downContinue reading “Book Review: Out of the Forest by Gregory P. Smith”
The Virgin Birth and the Power of the Supernatural Truths in the Christian Faith
The Christian faith rests on the awesome truth of several supernatural events – the Virgin Birth, the Incarnation, the Transfiguration, the Resurrection and the Ascension – and last year, I watched again “The Nativity”, the TV mini series first broadcast by the BBC at Christmas 2010. I remember the series had a strong impression onContinue reading “The Virgin Birth and the Power of the Supernatural Truths in the Christian Faith”
Christmas Market at Shakespeare’s School on Saturday 8th December 2018
I’m looking forward to being part of the Christmas Market at King Edward VI School in Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday 8th December 2018 from 12.30-3.30pm. This was the school where Shakespeare studied in the famous Schoolroom between the years 1571 and 1578. So he won’t be at there in person but he may well be inContinue reading “Christmas Market at Shakespeare’s School on Saturday 8th December 2018”
Stoneleigh Abbey – a Glorious Restoration and a Fascinating Historical Tour
We recently made another visit to Stoneleigh Abbey, very near where we live in Warwick: a stately home that has been beautifully restored since it was devastated by fire in 1960. Originally home to an order of Cistercian monks granted land by Henry II in 1145, this later evolved into a gracious seventeenth century residence,Continue reading “Stoneleigh Abbey – a Glorious Restoration and a Fascinating Historical Tour”
Inspiration and Encouragement for Those Currently Trying To Beat the Target of 50,000 words in a Month with Nanowrimo 2018
The first time I ever heard of Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) I was incredulous; I thought it a crazy idea. How on earth do you write a novel in a month? Then, as I investigated further, I realised that it’s actually a handy motivational tool to get that first draft of your novel written.Continue reading “Inspiration and Encouragement for Those Currently Trying To Beat the Target of 50,000 words in a Month with Nanowrimo 2018”
scskillman.com 