Category Archives: History

Laos – a Potted History


Laos is a landlocked country squeezed between China, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia; it has a small population of about seven million yet it’s almost the same size as the UK.      A 50,000 year old skull was found recently; the oldest … Continue reading

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Roland Garros


Inspiration has many sources for my weekly scribbling’s; the impending French Grand Slam tennis tournament lead my dear wife Katherine to mention she needed some facts to Twitter out as part of her job at William Hill. So quicker than … Continue reading

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The Secret Diary


Until the age of seven my life was a bit of a blur; I don’t mean I can’t’ remember much, it really was blurry as I was diagnosed with myopia, severe short sightedness of minus 6. Looking through photo albums … Continue reading

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King Leopold II of Belgium


Whilst much of Europe was busy colonising the rest of the world in the 19th century, Belgium was left out and their future King, Leopold II, surmised the key to wealth and influence was to annexe foreign lands. Leopold asked … Continue reading

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Jerez de la Frontera


As newlyweds last autumn we tried to explore Jerez de la Frontera; non-stop rain however meant that we only managed the Tio Pepe Bodega and a couple of tapas bars before soggily driving away. So a return visit was on … Continue reading

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Guernica


The town of Gernika (Basque spelling) is strategically important as 2 main roads intersect there with links to the port town of Bermeo and the Basque capital Bilbao. The river also becomes deep enough for trading boats to navigate the … Continue reading

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Pompeii


Pompeii was founded 2700 years ago by the Osci tribe. The next few hundred years saw the Phoenicians, Etruscans and then the Samnites in occupation. Around 400BC the Romans took control fortifying it in the process. The Appian Way passes … Continue reading

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Watch out watch out


I remember getting my first bike aged 4; a red and blue machine with stabilisers. I grew out of it quickly but money was tight so I had to walk until my 8th birthday. Then I got my next one … Continue reading

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The Pot and the Kettle


The Islas Chafarinas are three small islands located just 3.5km off the coast of Morocco, they have been occupied by the Spanish since 1847 with the only residents being a 190 strong military garrison. There used to be a colony … Continue reading

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Hiding behind the shadow of the rock


The Spanish government, the Partido Popular is mired in a huge corruption scandal; on Thursday 1st August after months of denials PM Rajoy admitted to Parliament that he was personally guilty, but only of over-trusting the ex-party treasurer Luis Barcenas. … Continue reading

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