Hello, Last weekend marked the anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare in 1564, so today we thought we'd share a whimsical video from the BBC. It looks at a few of the popular misconceptions about British and American English and reveals some words which are as at home in the plays of Shakespeare as in…
Hello, Although we are still in the middle of some dark and difficult times, it feels as if there is hope on the horizon. In Wales (where the weather is famously rainy), there is a saying about better times to come, Daw eto haul ar fryn, which means 'the sun will shine again on the…
Hello, First of all, a big thank you to The Patternistas for the wonderful image which tops today's post. It's been appearing on billboards and poster sites locally to cheer us up. Does life feel 'familiar, yet strangely new' where you are? It was how Ian Skelly, who presents on Radio 3 in the UK, described being…
You don't know how strong they are until you put them in hot water." Today's Friday Food for Thought is by Eleanor Roosevelt, American writer and civil rights campaigner, who was born on this day in 1884. Did you know? The use of tea bags is said to date back to 1908 when Thomas Sullivan,…
Our book recommendation for October is The Real Jane Austen: A life in small things, by Paula Byrne. Divided into chapters dealing with different items such as 'The East Indian Shawl', 'The Topaz Crosses', and 'The Box of Letters', it is a fascinating, readable and original exploration of the life of Jane Austen and the…