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  • Theatre trips July to September

    Theatre trips July to September

    By Christine Swan As autumn draws in, I reflect on the extraordinary summer that has recently passed. Warm weather and sunshine was in abundance, which was conducive to outdoor theatre performances, which I enjoyed…

  • William Humphrey – Keeper of horses

    William Humphrey – Keeper of horses

    By Christine Swan When I began to publish this blog, I made the decision to tell everybody’s story, despite how unremarkable they may appear. William was my great great grandfather, so I have a…

  • Open House Festival 2026 – the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich

    Open House Festival 2026 – the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich

    By Christine Swan I decided to visit Greenwich as my participation in Open City’s Open House Festival. My second port of call was the Old Royal Naval College, now inhabited by The University of…

  • Open House Festival 2026 – A visit to the Fan Museum

    Open House Festival 2026 – A visit to the Fan Museum

    By Christine Swan Is there anything more elegant than a fan? A beautiful accessory to hide your blushes, and an elegant companion to cool you on a hot day. This summer, there were many…

  • The Ragged School Museum in Mile End

    The Ragged School Museum in Mile End

    By Christine Swan During my last trip to the East End, I once again planned to visit some areas that I had previously missed. After a lifetime in teaching, the Ragged School Museum is…

  • Experiencing Shakespeare’s Globe

    Experiencing Shakespeare’s Globe

    By Christine Swan Although I have now returned to work and the weather is turning its back on the summer, I still have plenty of stories to tell of my holidays. Before the end…

  • Saint Paul de Vence – a visual feast

    Saint Paul de Vence – a visual feast

    By Christine Swan During my recent holiday in France, I decided to revisit St Paul de Vence, a place that I last went to over a decade ago. It is not too difficult to…

  • A trip to Cimiez

    A trip to Cimiez

    By Christine Swan I had tried to walk to Cimiez in a previous holiday. Foolishly, I had not appreciated that what appeared to be a short distance on a map, was in fact, a…

  • A brief stopover in Paris

    A brief stopover in Paris

    By Christine Swan I adore Paris. That will not be a surprise to any visitor to this amazing city. For this reason, when planning my summer holiday, I chose to have a one night…

  • La Vie en Rose

    La Vie en Rose

    By Christine Swan There are so many things I love about France, it isn’t any wonder that I am drawn back every year. I love every part of France, but tend to be drawn…

  • A day trip to Birmingham

    A day trip to Birmingham

    By Christine Swan My car is now twenty years old. MOT day is always rather stressful but last week, we journeyed a few junctions up the M5 motorway to Birmingham, and I gritted my…

  • The illegitimates

    The illegitimates

    By Christine Swan One of the biggest challenges faced by genealogists is that of researching ancestors where you only know half of the story. I recently read an article in Who Do You Think…