Baltis followed the crowd of other initiates down the cobbled path. They were wearing their charcoal-grey academic robes, just like he was. The twin suns were bearing down on them, and he was sweating heavily beneath the folds of cloth. “Come along,” their guide said, an older man with grey hair and a pinched face.… Continue reading Siren
Month: July 2020
The History Of Medieval Football
Football has been around a long, long time. Henry VIII ordered a pair of custom-made football boots which would have cost £1,300 in modern money. (source: cnn.com) It evolved from a very simple game known to us as 'mob football' (though they probably just called it 'ball'), which emerged in the early Middle Ages and… Continue reading The History Of Medieval Football
On Having A Crush
Yeah, so I had a crush. That sh*t can throw you. I thought I'd write about this a little bit. Because when crushes appear in the media, 99% of the time it's a teenage crush: maybe their first love interest, and usually there's no real conflict involved. Yes, maybe they have another love interest, or… Continue reading On Having A Crush
Sex Positivity (Possibly Sensitive)
This is quite a personal blog post. If you don't want to read it, that's fine, and if you bail half-way through, I won't mind. But it's something I really need to talk about. I recently discovered that 'sex positivity' exists. When I googled it, it was like a light turned on in my head,… Continue reading Sex Positivity (Possibly Sensitive)
Why Aren’t Eggs Called Ayrenn?
In 1476, the first book printed by a machine appeared in England. It was a copy of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, and it was printed by William Caxton, who brought the printing press to England from the continent. At the time, English varied dramatically across the British Isles. Even between different English regions, dialects… Continue reading Why Aren’t Eggs Called Ayrenn?
The Centuries-Old Spice Blend We Don’t Use Anymore
This one's a bit of an assumption on my part - but I'm pretty confident in it. I watch a brilliant YouTube channel called Townsends. They're a group of historical re-enactors who make videos about American cookery in the 1700s. It's an interesting time to explore - much of the food is exactly the same… Continue reading The Centuries-Old Spice Blend We Don’t Use Anymore
Our Alphabet Sucks, We Need A New One
This post is meant to be taken in jest! The English language is a mess, isn't it? It's all mixed up, made up of words from all different languages. Sometimes the same letters in the same order don't make the same sound, to the despair of second-language learners. The Americans knew it was a mess… Continue reading Our Alphabet Sucks, We Need A New One
Is Neuschwanstein Castle… Actually A Castle?
I recently did a silly, off-the-cuff tweet that actually got some traction: I asked people what their favourite castles were. I got some obvious ones, like the castle from Beauty and the Beast and the Disney castle. And a few conventionally awesome ones, like Leeds and Warwick castles, both of which are stunning. But the… Continue reading Is Neuschwanstein Castle… Actually A Castle?
Review: House of Treason by Robert Hutchinson
I bought House of Treason in a small bookshop in North Wales. I was drawn to it by the gorgeous cover, which was designed by David Wardle - who has since designed many beautiful covers for both fiction and non-fiction books. (I was also tempted by the reduced price sticker.) What a pretty cover! It… Continue reading Review: House of Treason by Robert Hutchinson
A Minecraft Tale
In the past I've enjoyed reading AARs (After-Action Reports). They're blog write-ups of someone's playthrough of a game. Sometimes they're even more fun than actually playing. They add a bit of story to the game, a bit of extra imagination. I played Minecraft again, so here's a little AAR for you. I woke up on… Continue reading A Minecraft Tale
Dewi Hargreaves 