Above: a sarcophagus and a sphinx, both symbols of death, stand atop the pillars at either end of the cemetery’s western edge. My favourite place in York is the cemetery. It is not because I have a particular taphophilia – that is, an interest in cemeteries, grave markers, and the trappings of death and funeralsContinue reading “A Walk Through the Garden of Death”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
A Visit to the Suburbs
This all started because I was spreading the word about a local food market I go to in Tang Hall, a suburb of York. The name prompted comments about how ‘Tang’ has an Asian sound to it. I figured an Asian connection to an English suburb wasn’t terribly likely, but this made me think thatContinue reading “A Visit to the Suburbs”
Today is Commonwealth Day
I have written a post about the Commonwealth before, which clarified what the Commonwealth actually is, and what it does, and straightened out some incorrect assumptions about it. This year, Commonwealth Day is particularly significant, because this year is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: for seventy years, she has not only been Queen, but also HeadContinue reading “Today is Commonwealth Day”
Yes, A Platinum Jubilee is Kind of a Big Deal
Today marks the seventieth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession. She has been Queen for seventy years. Some people don’t even spend seventy years working before they retire, and yet here is our Queen, fulfilling her role as Head of State admirably, seventy years on. The Commonwealth Realms will celebrate this milestone later in theContinue reading “Yes, A Platinum Jubilee is Kind of a Big Deal”
‘Ich Dien’
On the official crest of the Prince of Wales, there is a motto: ich dien. In German, this means ‘I serve’. The history of this motto, and the ostrich feathers that accompany it, are not the point of this post. Nor is the history of the title ‘Prince of Wales’, though both are very interesting.Continue reading “‘Ich Dien’”
What is Anodyne Liniment? (and other questions)
It’s time for one last post about Anne of Green Gables, because why not. The Anne books are set in the later nineteenth century (Anne of Green Gables is roughly the late 1870s to early 1880s), and although they have a somewhat timeless feel to them, there are the occasional things that I, at least,Continue reading “What is Anodyne Liniment? (and other questions) “
Queen Anne (but not that Queen Anne)
I did a previous post about Anne of Green Gables and L.M. Montgomery’s work. That post was partially an exhortation to read some (more) of her work, and partially an opportunity to explain why the recent Anne adaptation went so terribly wrong. I’ve decided I want to talk about Anne some more. First I needContinue reading “Queen Anne (but not that Queen Anne)”
Inform and Improve
It’s the first of the month, and that is always a time to think about how to improve oneself and make a fresh start. The month in question today is July, which means it is Canada Day. This year there are calls to cancel Canada Day, and instead to think about how Canada has wrongedContinue reading “Inform and Improve”
No More Black-and-White Thinking
I would love to write a nice, calm, blog post walking you through Victoria, or pointing out some of the off-the-beaten-track stuff that I love about York, or something like that. But black-and-white thinking continues to frustrate me, so here we are. If you’ve read one of my previous posts, you’ll know about the thingContinue reading “No More Black-and-White Thinking”
Read the Book!
Have you ever read anything by L.M. Montgomery? You’ve probably heard of her work, even if you don’t recognise her name: she wrote Anne of Green Gables, along with nineteen other novels and many, many, other short stories. There has been a recent TV adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, which, I do not hesitateContinue reading “Read the Book!”
How It Was Because 