This post is my contribution to the Nautical Blog Hop, organised by Helen Hollick. Please do not miss out on all the other posts on this blog hop – right at the bottom of this post you will find a list of all participants. Further to this, why not participate in my little give-away – […]
Most of the time, I wander around entirely unaware of my age. Okay, so of course I know how old I am – I’m not senile yet – but mostly I put myself in a vague age bracket that could be denominated “middle-aged”, with a mental qualification that I am of course still a very
There has, apparently, been an upsurge over the latter years in trips to Gambia. Now why is that interesting? Well, it’s not your normal little holiday trip, no, the people who go to Gambia very often go to scratch one particular itch, namely their need for sex. The majority of these tourists are middle-aged European
“If I had two heads, I would gladly give him one,” Christina of Denmark is supposed to have quipped, when Henry VIII was proposed as a future bridegroom. This particular young woman had no desire to end up as one of the English king’s discarded wives – especially not as so many of them ended
Christina of Denmark – an exiled princess who never came home Read More »
We see very little of the reality that surrounds us – at least, most sane people do. Had the brain not been selective in what we register – whether through our eyes or our nose or our ears – we’d all be sitting huddled in a corner of a dark room, our brain cells permanently
“Honey, could you clean out the garage today?” says wife over breakfast. “No, ” says husband. “I have other plans.” Oh dear. there went that cosy breakfast down the drain… Obviously, this is a relatively new marriage, as the man has as yet not cottoned on to how female communication works.The wife isn’t asking him
Vanity is not one of the seven deadly sins. Fortunately, one might add, as this is a sin most of us are guilty of – on a rather regular basis. No? This doesn’t apply to you? Ha! Double ha! As to vanity not being a deadly sin, it does at times hover uncomfortably close to
In 1496, Princess Juana of Castilla, daughter of their most Catholic majesties Fernando and Isabel, married Philip the Beautiful, son of Maximilan I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, scion of the Hapsburg dynasty. At the time of her marriage, Juana was not expected to inherit the combined kingdoms of Aragón and Castilla. She had
Of inbreeding, royal marriages and their ultimate consequence Read More »
Sometime late in July, the quality of the sunlight changes. As the fields stand ready for harvest, as the fruit trees begin to dip and bow under ripening fruit, the days grow shorter and more golden. Early March sunlight is sharp and clear, like beams filtered through a crystal glass. In April, the light acquires
… is of course impossible. But in general we seem to think we can save time, sort of like putting it in a bank for later use. In particular, we put off trying to realise our dreams. “When I retire I will…” (paint masterpieces, write novels, walk around the Black Sea, learn to play the