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  • 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…

  • Theatre trips -April to June

    Theatre trips -April to June

    By Christine Swan In April. I returned to Southwark for my next theatrical foray. More precisely, I watched the musical Lifeline at the Southwark Elephant, in Elephant and Castle. I knew this to be…

  • Jane Vincent – The Other Woman

    Jane Vincent – The Other Woman

    by Christine Swan Daniel Crudgington married twice in his lifetime that I know of. He was transported to New South Wales in 1834, aged just nineteen. He was granted his certificate of freedom and…

  • A quarter year of theatre trips – January to March 2026

    A quarter year of theatre trips – January to March 2026

    By Christine Swan I love the theatre. I love London. Combining the two for a weekend is sheer bliss. My job is hectic and doesn’t fit into the working week. I have always had…

  • A week on a hot planet

    A week on a hot planet

    By Christine Swan In a week that saw both daytime and nighttime temperature records smashed in the UK, we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves. I make no apologies for this…

  • Thoughts on a social media ban

    Thoughts on a social media ban

    By Christine Swan I don’t often write about my day job in the blog, but I felt compelled to write down my feelings and reactions to the announcement of a ban on under sixteen…