Category Archives: Uncategorized

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 →

       Some time ago  I wrote about the slightly unusual provenance of the Beechworth gun. Well there’s another Krupp 75mm gun close by in Chiltern, and as you can see from the photograph, it was one purchased directly … Continue reading →

When you have an old wooden house, as we do, you don’t really have an old house. Unlike a brick house, like the 1860’s terrace we had in England, wooden houses have boards replaced, floors relaid, possibly several times in … Continue reading →

As I’ve said elsewhere, I’m currently reading Judith Flanders’ book on the Victorian creation of crime and crime fiction, and I came across a reference to a sprawling nineteenth century three volume novel, Not Proven, by Christina Broun Cameron, which … Continue reading →

To Wangaratta, to see Bell Shakespeare’s production of Othello. When we lived in Canberra, visits by Bell Shakespeare were must do dates in the calendar, so when we found that they were coming to Wangaratta for a single night, it … Continue reading →

I like detective stories. Always have, always will. In fact I have a deep affection for those set in medieval or classical times, even though I know they’re complete bollocks. Not the point, it’s a way to chill out, to … Continue reading →