The Hershey Company recently banned the import of British chocolate into the United States. This draconian move has outraged a large contingency of chocoholics across the globe. The prohibition feels like a personal attack upon those who love their Cadbury’s Flakes and Yorkie bars. The reason for this emotional response is simple – our comfort…
This week’s East Coast blizzard dumped up to three feet of snow across New England. In my part of Connecticut we got off relatively lightly with only a foot of snow falling overnight. As anyone without a snow blower will tell you, that is still quite a large amount of snow to shovel from a…
This week I took my four-month-old Yorkshire Terrier Boudicca (aka Boo) for her first puppy swimming lesson. It may surprise you to know that not all dogs swim the first time they encounter water. Even a Labrador puppy may panic the first time they fall into a pool or pond, with disastrous results. Therefore, I decided…
Each January, members of the Screen Actors Guild have the opportunity of voting for their fellow performers to receive a SAG Award. One of the industry’s most prized honors, the voting system allows guild members to cast a ballot for the best acting and stunt performances in the preceding year’s films. It’s both a privilege…
Every year I make New Year’s resolutions. I’ve even managed to keep my resolutions going throughout the year providing I define a maximum of three goals. The only rule is that the goals must be quantifiable, so that I can assess my progress as I go. If I choose more than three, I inevitably lose…
At the start of Victoria’s reign, Christmas was barely celebrated outside of church services. This changed after the Queen’s marriage to German-born Prince Albert. Albert brought to England many of the holiday traditions of his native land. A fashion for decorated Christmas trees was launched by the publication of an illustration in 1848 of the…
The Yorkshire Terrier is a Victorian canine breed developed in my home county of Yorkshire. In the mid-nineteenth century, mill workers bred a small, energetic dog to combat the rats that ran rampant in the cotton and wool mills. The Yorkshire Terrier’s long, silky coat and bright, inquisitive character led to the breed becoming popular…
During the Victorian age there was a surge of interest in the Celtic queen Boudicca. Boudicca led a British uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire in A.D. 60 or 61. Boudicca’s name means “victorious,” or Victoria, and Queen Victoria was keen to associate herself with her heroic namesake. Queen Victoria’s Poet Laureate,…