So many children’s bedrooms up and down the UK and around the world must look similar to this one, in our home. In the recent celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the BBC drama series Doctor Who, the question has been posed: why do you think Doctor Who is so popular? Since everyone in ourContinue reading “Why So Many of Us Love Doctor Who”
Category Archives: UK
A Review of JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy
I’m a great admirer of JK Rowling both as an author, and on a personal level. So when I knew she’d published her first adult novel, I was keen to read it. When I began to read The Casual Vacancy several months ago, I found it a struggle to get through the unrelenting nastiness ofContinue reading “A Review of JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy”
The Dream of William Morris at Broadway Tower in the Cotswolds
My dream, wrote the designer William Morris, is a dream of what has never been… and therefore, since, the world is alive, and moving yet, my hope is the greater that it one day will be… dreams have before now come about of things so good… we scarcely think of them more than the daylight,Continue reading “The Dream of William Morris at Broadway Tower in the Cotswolds”
Cutty Sark Uplifted and Renewed – Fantastic Transformation
It’s been twelve years since I last visited the Cutty Sark at Greenwich – and what a fantastic transformation. Greenwich and its neighbouring Woolwich in south London are part of my family background, and so this area has been familiar to me from childhood. This made my return to view the Cutty Sark even moreContinue reading “Cutty Sark Uplifted and Renewed – Fantastic Transformation”
And You Will Be Like a Watered Garden…
A well-watered garden is a powerful image of creativity, abundance, fruitfulness. When asked to describe or picture heaven, I often see it as a garden. The Prophet Isaiah, wrote these words: And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will beContinue reading “And You Will Be Like a Watered Garden…”
Sacred Spaces in the English Landscape and Places of Inspiration: Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral
Throughout the English landscape there’s evidence that our ancestors shaped the land, to conform to their own mythological landscape. I’ve written before about sacred spaces. In that article, I looked at some renowned locations in England where people have felt they’re in touch with something bigger than themselves – a sense of the numinous. AllContinue reading “Sacred Spaces in the English Landscape and Places of Inspiration: Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral”
Book Review: Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton
Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion came into my hands the other day, recommended by a friend. The book was published by Penguin in 2012. I’ve now finished the book and given it a rating on Goodreads & Amazon of 3 out of 5 stars Review: Initially, this book heldContinue reading “Book Review: Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton”
Flowers for John Clare, Poet of Rural England: ‘The Peasant Poet’
This weekend my daughter and I visited family members in Northborough and attended the John Clare Festival in Helpston, Northamptonshire. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing in the community celebrations of John Clare (1793-1864), their local poet. JOHN CLARE was born in Helpston in 1793 and deeply loved the natural world. During his life he wrote bothContinue reading “Flowers for John Clare, Poet of Rural England: ‘The Peasant Poet’”
Gazing Out to Sea: The Beauty of the English Coastline
I recently visited Beachy Head, East Sussex, with a friend and my two teenage children. As we walked along the cliftop, we all agreed: Where in the world could we go that’s more beautiful than this? Beachy Head, together with the Seven Sisters Country Park and Birling Gap are all protected by The National Trust and theyContinue reading “Gazing Out to Sea: The Beauty of the English Coastline”
A Golden Field, a Short Life That Touched Many Hearts, and a Poignant Moment in a Country Churchyard
This photo was taken on Milverton Hill, Leamington Spa between St James’s Church Old Milverton and the Saxon Mill, Warwick. At about 4.30pm on Friday 7 June I walked with my two teenage children through the churchyard to reach this field. A late summer afternoon in the English countryside is such a quiet, luminous, poignant time. And it’s one of theContinue reading “A Golden Field, a Short Life That Touched Many Hearts, and a Poignant Moment in a Country Churchyard”
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