It’s been fifteen years since Lady Diana, the former Princess of Wales died in a hideous car wreck in the tunnels of Paris, pursued by paparazzi, and trying to outrun them for a moment of privacy. I didn’t read every single report that came out of that event, but one I did read has stuck […]
Candle in the Wind (Diana, 1997) Read More »
Cleopatra, the seventh and most famous queen of ancient Egypt, and the last of the pharaohs, committed suicide on this day in 30 B.C. She was remarkable for more than her famed beauty. Her dynasty which died with her, the Ptolemies, took over the rule of Egypt once Alexander the Great’s influence had receded.
Cleopatra, Seventh Queen of Egypt Read More »
If you’re not a super hot fan of history, or a nerd like me, you may never have wondered where the eras like “ancient” and “medieval” and “modern” officially start and stop — or even if they have official points in time where you can stick a pin and say “there, that’s where it changes
It’s Julia Templeton’s birthday today. If you’re feeling mischievous, you should stop by her Facebook page and wish her well. You can even tell her I sent you. Why am I making a fuss of another person’s birthday? 1) I’ve done this every year now for about seven years. 2) Julie is my former co-writer
Happy Birthday, Julia – and Co-Writers everywhere. Read More »
When Dances With Wolves first came out in 1990, I watched it. Once. I resisted the lure of the movie because a) everyone was raving about it, b) it was Kevin Costner and everyone was raving about him and he was just so full of himself in those days, and c) everyone “discovered” the movie
Pulse Pause Moment – Dances With Wolves Read More »
I saw the first episode of the first season of Downton Abbey way back in May 2011, when I was visiting Australia. And I watched it with ad breaks. Maybe that coloured my viewing experience, because I never got back to the show until the last few weeks. I kept hearing about the series, here
Pulse Pause Moment – When You Know You’re Going To Die Read More »
VE Day – Victory in Europe Day – marks the end of the European hostilities of World War II. The Japanese would take another three months to surrender. While there are huge numbers of monuments dedicated to ensuring we never forget the wars and battles we have fought, it seems odd that we don’t celebrate
VE Day – 67 years ago. Read More »
I’m almost afraid to mention Shakespeare. There is a whole generation of readers out there, including my kids, who had Shakespeare in Love shoved down their throats in English class at highschool. They studied the movie and everything to do with Shakespeare for ten very long weeks, to the point where none of them now
Shakespearean Sonnets Read More »
Today, 198 years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as emperor of France and was shipped off to the island of Elba off the coast of France. In fact, he managed to escape less than a year later, and went on to reclaim power and lead one of the most infamous battles in history: The Battle of
The Abdication Of Bonaparte And The Count of Monte Cristo Read More »
As I’m quietly and steadily working my way through Blood Stone, and the weekend started out with an empty email in-tray, and nothing moving on Facebook or anywhere else, I thought this was going to be one of those bulletins where I would have nothing to report, except for progress. But Sunday, which is usually
Working Notes – What’s Up Round Up: In The Mail, Too. Read More »