Off to Antwerp on Wednesday, just because. Apart from researching my family tree, what should I see?

This week's effort - born in frustration with automated helplines awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/03/27/w...

This week's blog focuses on my great grandfather's half-brother John English. This little house in Curtain Road is where I believe that my great grandfather was born. awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/03/13/j...

I forgot to post this last week: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/02/27/c...

This week's blog post exploring the Despaigne family from Lille, with images from my visit last year: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/03/06/t...

This week's blog post is about my grandfather: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/02/20/a...

This week's blog: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/02/13/d...

Thomas Mallyon was an agricultural labourer from Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire and also my 3x great grandfather: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/02/07/t...

These are a few of my favourite things ... awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/01/30/t...

This week's blog post: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/01/24/s...

Final piece of my review of 2025 - awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/01/16/2...

Still at it - this week's blog post awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/01/09/2...

My review of 2025 part 2: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2026/01/02/2...

My review of 2025 starts here- awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/12/26/2...

This week's blog is a visit to Christmases past: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/12/19/c...

I'm getting fed up with this platform. The app seems to log me out every other day, and the content seems more X like every day.

This week's blog is here awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/12/12/l...

This week's blog makes for a fascinating read. My 3x grand uncle was a career criminal and was arrested over twenty times during his life. Together with his wife, Elizabeth Passingham, they were a prolific Victorian criminal couple. Read on: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/11/29/i...

In this week's blog, I explore the life of Henry Welch Apthorp, butcher of St Ives, Cambridgeshire awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/11/22/h...

I really need this weekend away in London. Work stress just melts away the further I am from it. I still have PGCE trainees to place, with some trainees having had several schools withdraw the offer of a school placement. They are so upset and I really feel for them.

My visit to Delft: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/11/14/a...

My recent trip to Rotterdam: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/11/07/a...

Food banks provide help when people need it most. But real change means ending the need for them altogether. Repost if you agree 💚

In this week's blog: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/11/01/w...

Forgot to post this yesterday - my latest blog post. It's a bit of a filler as my fireplace project isn't finished yet. And it's not the one in the photo below ( I wish!) awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/10/24/t...

I'm in the Netherlands currently, and visited beautiful Delft yesterday. I'll write about it in a future blog post. This photo was taken between the rain showers, which were pretty relentless.

A wander around Hammersmith and Chiswick awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/10/17/a...

This week's blog post #DennisSeversHouse awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/10/10/s...

Flattened by 'flu but I never miss a blog post: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/10/03/a...

I have flu 🤧🥵🥶🤒

#RIPJaneGoodall I was very sad to hear of the passing of this giant of primate biology, ecology and conservation. As a young student, I studied her work as part of a module on Mammalian Ethology. Jane Goodall was also hugely compassionate and humble. 1/2

Last week I spent a worthwhile Saturday at the #OpenCity #OpenHouseFestivalLondon2025 Here's my report: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/09/27/a...

If you work in a school, if you have any kind of influence, please consider offering to host a school placement to a trainee teacher. Better than that, to two. Paired placement students support one another and ask less questions. It also allows them to get going by team teaching.

New blog post : awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/09/19/a...

As you all know that I hold controversial opinions, here's another one - autumn is not all it's cracked up to be. Here's why: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/09/12/a...

First afternoon done. Trainees reflected on their own education journey thus far, I outlined the history of computing education and then fed them the latest context. In terms of GCSE results and access to A level, the West Mids lags behind London and the South East.

I made some sloe jam yesterday as an experiment and because someone gave me a huge bag full. I've made sloe gin, and that's lovely. But sloe jam? No, just don't.

@eurostarjustin.bsky.social Was looking for our Amsterdam flag yesterday would you believe, but found this instead - the menu from our first family trip to Avignon. I think it was the inaugural year, and when the train went to Avignon Centre. Can't remember the year but a long time ago.

Have a nice day everyone. I'm outta here.

In this week's blog post, I discuss the virtues of edible flowers, along with some truly dreadful late-night photography! awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/08/15/f...

Come on Eurostar, no coffee? Seriously? After a week of drinking strong French coffee, I'm kind of addicted. Bit of a disappointment 🙄

@seatsixtyone.bsky.social I'm the woman in seat 61 again! I didn't choose this seat and my original train was cancelled. I am allocated this one a lot!!

I haven't found any southern French ancestry yet - all of mine seems to be from the North East, Belgian border so far as my research has gone....but, you never know 😉 This is Menton again, the Hotel de Ville and fabulous gardens.

No filter! The sea is like glass. We seem to have endless scandals about sewage being released into the sea. When did we stop aspiring to this? This is France, our nearest European neighbour - I'm proud of their exacting standards, good for them.

The landscape is stunning - this was taken from the train at Eze. No wonder this is one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world - quite right too!

This is such a southern French scene. It's late afternoon in Menton. The restaurant has finished serving lunch but it's not yet dinner time. There must be hundreds of squares like this- all beautiful with real character. They come alive when the sun sets.

Sunsets in the South of France are amazing. The sun sets quite quickly but, because you can see a lot of sky, they are always impressive. I've been visiting Saint Raphael for many years, frequently on my own. It's a lovely place full of families and older people. I care about this place a great deal

Apart from the fact this is too short a glass, I adore pastis. This is the drink of the South. Sit, cool down, and take your time. Enjoy all that Vieux Nice has to offer-swallows swooping overhead, a hilltop waterfall, bustling market and beautiful terracotta, sand and sage buildings - santé!

I have a loooong wait for my Eurostar to London, so have been looking through my holiday photos to select the best,most impactful for me. Number 1 comes from L'île Sainte Marguerite, just off the coast of Cannes. Fort Royal housed prisoners detained at the King's pleasure, including Huguenot pastors

Slightly controversial post this week. A few weeks ago,I visited London Zoo. I am still conflicted about the need although I concur that some animals are less affected, or even aware of their captivity. With great apes, it is far more difficult to justify: awfulrigourswretchedpay.com/2025/08/08/a...