Category Archives: Uncategorized

It was pouring with rain today, too wet to do anything outsider or much inside, so I treated myself to some downtime researching how Australian newspapers reported the abdication of Nicholas II. Of course, Nicholas II was not the only … Continue reading →

In Beechworth, we have a park known as Queen Victoria Park. As some of the streets round about have Crimean war names  I always sort of just assumed that it was laid out in the 1850’s just as Beechworth was … Continue reading →

Way back in 2012 I wrote about the story that Lenin spoke English with a Dublin accent. At the time I was mildly incredulous, but in a comment Dara O’Rourke suggested that I follow up the story of Roddy Connolly, … Continue reading →

Ever since I first visited Turkey twenty years ago I’ve been aware that the Ottoman empire’s role in the first world war is something, with the exception of Gallipoli, we tend to ignore in the English speaking world, tending, understandably, … Continue reading →

Beechworth started out a grazing community, but with the discovery of gold in 1852 the town suddenly exploded acquiring banks, a post office and doubtless pubs. But there’s another little monument up a back road celebrating the first Congregationalist service … Continue reading →

While we were in Byron there was an online spat about a documentary that apparently suggested that Greek craftsmen may have worked on the terracotta army in Xian. I’ll say apparently as I havn’t seen the documentary, but something that … Continue reading →

Eureka Pioneers memorial, Eureka NSW Earlier this year, we’d moved to Beechworth in Victoria. While we’re pretty content with things in general, we decided we needed to do some remodelling of our house plus a modest extension and a new … Continue reading →

Well, we’ve had two unrelated stories that hint at there having been more contact between Rome and contemporary cultures in China, Korea and Japan. Personally I tend to dismiss this. Roman mirrors and glass have previously turned up in graves … Continue reading →

Some time ago I read a novel set in Moscow during the Russian civil war which mentioned people drinking carrot tea – something I had not come across before. Google was not much help – the most I could turn … Continue reading →

Almost a year since I started with Ernesta Drinker Bullitt’s Uncensored Diary from the Central Empires, I finally got around to reading my Indian print on demand copy, and if you are interested in such things it was worth the … Continue reading →