That Time I Got So Skinny So Fast I Was Afraid I Had Cancer

For most of my adult life I’ve had sit-down jobs. In fact, for almost a decade I worked as a customer service representative in a call centre, which meant that I was basically tied to a desk for 90% of my work day, not counting the hour I spent sitting down to eat my lunch,

Christmas With J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father Christmas Letters — A Pilgrim in Narnia

My little 2015 piece on J.R.R. Tolkien’s funny and endearing Father Christmas Letters has had quite a spin around the internet this week. I cannot think of a better Christmas note for you, dear readers of A Pilgrim in Narnia, than to touch this up a bit and send it back out. I have come […]

Some Lost Christmas Traditions from Brittany — Bonjour From Brittany

The folk customs and traditions regarding the celebration of Christmas differ from region to region in France, as elsewhere, and those in Brittany were once quite distinctive. Some Lost Christmas Traditions from Brittany — Bonjour From Brittany

Thousands gathered at Stonehenge to celebrate the annual winter solstice. — Stonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

Crowds came together for the biggest gathering at Stonehenge since the pandemic began. Thousands of people gathered at Stonehenge on Wednesday morning to celebrate the annual winter solstice. The event, which marks the first sunrise after the longest night of the year, saw 2,500 people visit the World Heritage site in Salisbury – the largest gathering at […]

Reblog or Repost? Is There a Difference?

Recently I was asked by a fellow WordPress blogger to remove my reblog of one of their posts. Of course I had no problem doing so; I simply apologised and deleted it, making a note to not reblog them in the future. That would have normally been the end of it, but for something else

Retrospective: The Fellowship of the Ring 20th Anniversary — In Their Own League

By Joan Amenn “A wizard is never late… nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.” -Gandalf the Grey The twentieth anniversary of “The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001) arrives this weekend, precisely on time for its fans to start their annual viewing marathon of the trilogy as a whole. Evaluated on […]

Stonehenge’s Builders May Have Feasted on Mince Pies and Sweet Treats — Stonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

Excavations near the iconic English monument revealed traces of fruits and nuts. Excavation work has been led by English Heritage at Durrington Walls, Wiltshire Durrington Walls was inhabited by the builders of Stonehenge in about 2,500 BC Evidence suggests traces of hazelnuts, sloes, apples and other fruits at the site  NEOLITHIC MINCE PIE RECIPE: Download open fire mince […]

Medieval Monday: The Labors of December — Allison D. Reid

In the cold days of December, the fields were finally quiet, with the ground too frozen to work. Animals were taken care of, to ensure they would not only survive the harsh months to come, but that they would be healthy on spring’s arrival. After all, they would be needed to work. In bad weather, […]

Beer Review: Hardywood’s Bourbon Barrel GBS (Gingerbread Stout) — The Tap Takeover

Name: Bourbon Barrel GBS Brewing Company: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery Location: Richmond, VA Style: Stout – Imperial / Double Milk ABV: 11.5% An outstanding Stout that practically sings Christmas songs when you drink it. From the Hardywood Park Craft Brewery’s landing page for the beer: Hardywood Gingerbread Stout, described by BeerAdvocate as “freagin’ Christmas in […]

Christkindlesmarkt

If I ever get to visit Germany before I die, it will probably either be for Oktoberfest in München (Munich) or for the Christkindlesmarkt in Nürnberg (Nuremberg). Since it’s nearly Christmas I’ll be talking about the latter in this post. For those who don’t know, the Christkindlesmarkt is a Christmas Market named for the Christkind,