Today in History: December 9th

 Hello Gentle Readers. Lets time drive into the future remembering to Stop at Red, be ready at Amber and Go Go Go into history.

1868: The worlds first set of traffic lights are installed in London. They used gas lamps with coloured flame.

1916: Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas is born.

1960. The first episode of Coronation Street airs in the UK. It is the longest running TV soap in the world.

1979. Smallpox disease is officially made extinct.

#december9 #todayinhistory #smallpox #coronationstreet #kirkdouglas #trafficlights

Slang!

 Hello Gentle Readers

Its been a while. Busy at school and at home.

I recently did a seminar about slang for Learn with Thomson's. I wrote a short passage with lots of slang terms.

The text is below. How many slang terms can you find.

Blimey!
I'm not taking the MIckey but the other day I bought a dodgy motor that cost me an arm and a leg. I think it was a knock-off and it cost me all my dough. In fact I paid 2 grand for it.

It broke down in the middle of knowhere. Its winter so it wss brass monkeys outside.

I called a garage and had to wait for a grease monkey to turn up and fix it. He took a butchers at it, shook his head and asked if I was born yesterday because I had bought a hunk of junk.

I was gutted and cheesed off because I had bought a complete lemon.

When I spoke to her indoors she called me a numpty and an eejit. I was black zffronted because I have always considered myself a bit of a brain box.

It just goes to show that if you think your God's gift or the bees knees all it takes is one stupid decision and everyone looks at you and says "Tough titties!"

#learnwiththomsons #slang

Today in History: November 10th

 Hello gentle readers. I am spending a few days at home, not by choice. So lets develop the symptoms of time as we take the history test.

1483: Founder of the protestant reformation Martin Luther is born.

1871: Stanley meets Livingstone near Lake Tanganika with the phrase 'Dr. Livingstone, I presume?'

1925: Welsh acting legend Richard Burton is born 

1982: Leonid Brezhnev. 4th Leader of the Soviet Union dies.

1983: Bill Gates introduces Windows 1.0

1989: West German civilians stsrt ripping down the Berlin wall.

#todayinhistory #november10 #berlinwall #windows1.0 #brezhnev #richardburton #martinluther #stanleyandlivingstone

Putting the accent on wrong

 Hello Gentle Readers

Below is a screenshot of an Instagram post I made earlier...enjoy

#learn_with_thomsons

From a friend in Armenia

 Hello all. I want to share my friends post from Armenia. As you know we left there in the sumner. 

You may be aware of the terrible situation in Artsakh but Covid has made it worse.

Here is her post. I have not edited in any way.

I live in Yerevan, Armenia.  When the pandemic began last March cases of Covid 19 slowly rose from two digit numbers to three and at their highest last July were at an average of 450 new cases per day.  People were worried then, as that number seemed high, but there were plenty of hospital beds available, and the weather was nice so we all just did our best to stay safe and remained upbeat about the situation.

Fast forward to November.  Armenia is at war.  Hospital beds are no longer available; the majority of them taken by wounded soldiers.  In the bomb shelters in the war torn area about three hours north of Yerevan, people huddle together in basements for hours in large groups trying to stay safe from the bombs that drop above them.  Covid is spreading there, at an alarming rate. 

80,000 of those refugees have made their way to Yerevan and a lot of Covid cases arrived with them.  Illness continues to spread quickly throughout the city.  Currently, local schools are on a month long holiday to help stop the numbers from climbing.  (My school is still open)

Daily, new cases continue to bounce between 2,300 and 2,900 per day.  Death counts, previously around 3 to 5 per day in the summer, have jumped to 20 to 25 new deaths daily.  A phone app tells me that around 650 people in Yerevan need a hospital bed every day due to Covid and usually only around 300 beds are available.  Ranks already thinned by the need for doctors and nurses at the war front, local hospitals are also short of help as employees become sick with Covid.  Supplies and medicines are often unavailable.  It’s difficult to find vitamins, particularly Vitamin D in the pharmacies.

Today is Saturday and I had to go to the hospital for some blood work.  I could have gone earlier in the week, but I waited for the weekend to be one of the first at the hospital when the lab opened at 9:00 to avoid as many people as possible.  I went first to the insurance desk to pick up my paperwork and thought it odd that only one woman was working there. Usually there are six.

Masks are mandatory here by government law.  The woman helping me wasn’t wearing a mask, but when she saw that I was, she put hers on too.   

I was the only patient at that moment, but the hallways were crowded with people outside this office area.  Most of them didn’t have masks on either.  I noticed that two workers in another department nearby, had their masks around their chins and they were speaking in hushed tones, heads together, leaning into one another, as if sharing a secret. I looked at them, starred actually, and when they saw me looking, they first looked around to see if there were any other employees who might be watching them, and noting none, ignored me and went back to their conversation without putting their masks on.

Thirty minutes went by.  I had been assured that all the paperwork was done, but this woman couldn’t find mine.  She made five phone calls, asked me to speak with another doctor on the phone for approval, and finally, I’d had enough.  I told her, politely, that I came this morning because I was assured on Thursday that the paperwork had been sent, that everything was approved and that I would only have to wait 5 minutes.  What was the issue?  Did I need to call the manager of my insurance company to help?

She became flustered.  I said, “Look, I’m not angry with you, and I can see that you’re working hard to figure this out, but obviously there is a problem and I want to help fix it as quickly as possible.” I felt trapped, at risk, wishing to get out of this hospital as quickly as possible to minimize my risk of catching Covid.  There were no windows, no ventilation.  How could I possibly protect myself from illness in this situation?

That’s when the woman put the papers and the phone down, took a deep breath, looked me in the eye and said, “I’m trying to help, but I don’t work for your insurance company.  I don’t know what to do.  Your insurance person isn’t here.  The other five people who are supposed to be at work this morning are all out sick with Covid.  I have to do all their work for all the insurance companies today alone.”

That’s when the reality of 2,500 new Covid cases per day hit me. She was the last person standing.  What will happen when she gets sick too?  And knowing this, why aren’t these people wearing masks and following procedures to keep themselves safe?  

We’ve been lucky.  At our school we have 58 employees and so far, only three currently active cases.  Those numbers were nerve wracking enough for me.  But here in this one hospital department five sixths of the employees were sick with Covid.

We finally got the paperwork figured out and I went down the hallway to the lab.  I had to push my way through the numbers of mask-less people in the hallway waiting to see their doctors.  I felt frightened as I made my way there with people sneezing, blowing their noses and speaking with each other without distancing as I made my way down the hall.  What were they thinking?  Why aren’t they wearing masks in a hospital where they know people are here because they are sick?

Finally I reached the lab, and opened the door.  Inside a room the size of a small office were four workers in a closed, non ventilated room.  None of them had masks on.  They were sitting enjoying coffee together.  I wondered how long they’d been there.  Covid is transferred from one person to another in infected droplets of water vapor that can linger in the air for hours in a non ventilated space.  If there had been a window in the room, I would have opened it. There was none.

I asked if anyone spoke English.   No one answered.  Assuming that they didn’t understand English, and since I can’t speak Armenian, I pointed to my mask and gestured for them to put theirs on.  They clearly didn’t want to.  One of them even held up their coffee cup as if to say, “Hey lady, we’re drinking coffee here, we don’t need to wear a mask for you.”  They looked at one another to see if one of the others would go first and put their mask back on.  I stood and waited, then when no one complied, I touched my mask again and said in my best teacher voice, “Masks. NOW.”  Everyone put their masks on.  Their hostility was palpable.  I smiled and thanked them, got the blood work done and raced outside.

This happened at a HOSPITAL - one of the best in the city!

I can’t catch Covid.  I just can’t.  How is a person supposed to protect themselves from getting sick when the city is in the middle of a pandemic and people won’t comply with government regulations?  Right now I personally know thirteen people who are sick with Covid, and I’m a foreigner who doesn’t know many people.

I have these conversations all the time.  People think herd immunity is a year away.  It is not.  They think there will be a vaccine soon.  Maybe.  They think masks don’t work.  They do. Some people I know still doubt that this is a “real” illness.  They don’t even flinch when I tell them that I lost my father to Covid last spring.  “He must have been sick with something else,” they say. He wasn’t.  Three people have actually told me that if I’m not healthy enough to withstand Covid, then it is a “natural selection process” where maybe nature is telling me it’s my time to die. They actually said this!  I had a hard time containing my anger when confronted with that sentence, and yet I also know, nothing I could say would likely change their minds.  Some people don’t take Covid seriously until it touches them personally.

I realize that there are just as many people around me who are helpful and kind, who wear masks, who do care for others and care for me; who understand science, and who play by the rules.  I just didn’t happen to meet them today; but it begs the question, what are we going to do?  How are we going to contain this pandemic?  When will it all end?

For my part, I’m going home to “turtle”.  I will not come out of my safe little shell of an apartment until work on Monday.  A dear friend who is very sick with Covid at the moment said to me on the phone this week, “People don’t understand how awful this illness really is.  I’m so sick.  I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

She asked me to stay safe, and I will try.  But how?

#armenia #covid19

Top 10: Greatest Horror Movies of all time.

 Happy Halloween Gentle Readers.

Yes the 31st of October is just around the corner and whether you dress up and welcome the holiday or hide under the covers and turn off the lights to make the trick or treaters run away, you might love these movies.

If you like my choice, or not, please comment.

My Top 10 in no particular order is

The Shining (1980)

Kubrics reimagining of Stephen Kings novel has a remarkable performance from Jack Nicholson.

The Exorcist 1973

Linda Blair shone in this incredibly scary Oscar nominated film.

Psycho 1960

Hitchcock's Masterpiece. Often copied, never equalled.

Alien 1979

Ridley Scotts atmospheric monster movie redefined sci-fi and horror.

28 days later 2002

Completely redefined the Zombie movie. Great acting too, especially by Christopher Ecclestone.

The Silence of the Lambs 1990

Oscars galore for this truly terrifying character study.

The Fly 1988

Cronenbergs ultimate body shocker sees Jeff Goldblum transform with gut wrenching agony.

The Omen 1976

Hollywood Royalty take on the Anti-Christ.

Scream 1996

Wes Craven homage to the slasher flick is still scary.

Event Horizon 1997

A personal favourite of mine. Scsry and suspenseful. 2001 on amphetamines.

Please feel free to comment on my choices. To watch the trailers switch to web version and scroll down.

#top10 #horrormovies #halloween

Today in History: 29th October

 Hello Gentle Readers, lets dip out brushes in the paint box of history and dab furiously on the canvas of time.

1618: Sir Walter Raliegh is beheaded for conspiring against King James I.

1863: The International Red Cross is founded at a meeting of 18 countries in Geneva.

1929: Black Tuesday. The Wall Street Crash starts the Great Depression.

1942: Bob Ross, artist is born.

1986: The final stretch of the M25 orbital motorway around London is opened by Margaret Thatcher 

2012: Hurricane Sandy makes landfall in New Jersey.

2015: China officially ends the 'One child policy'.

#china #sandy #m25 #blacktuesday #29thoctober #todayinhistory #bobross #walterraliegh #redcross

Cotswolds Adventure

 Hello Gentle Readers

On Sunday, we took a short drive to visit the beautiful Cotswolds in southern England. Please enjoy our video.

Remember to switch to the web version to view it.

#bourtononthewater #cotswolds #thomsonsworld

Learn with Thomsons

Hello Gentle Readers

As you may be aware, Lena and I started our own little online language school while we were still in Armenia called Learn with Thomsons.

Now we are in the UK, we are pushing our language, Business and Humanities learning service even more.

As schools are once again threatened with lockdowns and online learning due to Covid-19, our service may allow school pupils and other learners to access help.

We can offer English and Russian language learning to children and adults. 

We can also offer Business Studies, Geography, Humanities tuition and Homework help to GCSE/IGCSE and A level students in the UK and abroad.

Our rates are reasonable and you can contact us on Instagram, Facebook or comment here on the blog to get more information.

https://www.instagram.com/learn_with_thomsons/

#Learn_with_thomsons 

You Tube: Campbell Park, Milton Keynes

 Here you are Gentle viewers. Our latest video. Please like, subscribe and ring the bell.

Don't forget to switch to the web version to see the video.

#thomsonsworld #youtube #campbellpark

You Tube: Bletchley Park

 Hello gentle viewers

Its been a while since I put up a new Thomsons World You Tube video.

Here is the latest. Enjoy.

If you cant see the video, scroll down and cluck on the "Web version' button.

#thomsonsworld #youtube #bletchleypark

Today in History: 4th October

 Hello there Gentle Readers lets get on board the choo choo of time and enter the tunnel of history.

1226: St Francis of Assisi dies.

1582: Pope Gregory introduces the Gregorian calendar. This is the calendar most of the world still uses.

1883: The Orient Express makes its first journey.

1895: Silent movie legend Buster Keaton is born.

1957: Sputnik 1 becomes the first man-made object to orbit the planet.

#todayinhistory #october4 #stfrancis #orientexpress #gregorian #busterkeaton #sputnik

Armenia, Azerbaijan some background

Hello Gentle Readers

I have taken the liberty of including in this post the writing of a good Armenian friend Mariam Ghazaryan. 

At the present time, Mariam's country, my former home, has come under attack from the forces of Azerbaijan and mercenaries hired by President Erdogan of Turkey.

Please read the text carefully. Dont dismiss it out of hand or believe everything that is written. Do your own checks into the facts.

Armenia wants peace, Armenia wants and needs your support. For too long Armenia has been ignored by the global commumity.

Ex colleagues and friends who Lena and I worked with in Yerevan have had husbands, brothers and sons called up to defend their homeland. Remember that when you read her text below.

Important Facts. 

1. Azerbaijan admitted, they started the war. They attacked both Armenia and Artsakh on Sunday.

2. Erdogan sent thousands of terrorists from Free Syrian Army to fight against Armenia and Artsakh with a salary of $1500 per month.

3. There is no doubt Turkey convinced Aliyev to attack Armenia & Artsakh. Their "komandos" division is fighting against our army. Turkish F-16 hit Armenian SU-25 in the territory of the Republic of Armenia. Turkey is sending more military assistance to Azerbaijan right now without consulting with NATO. Azerbaijan is not in the NATO alliance. Is it legal, is it ok for Turkey to get involved in other conflicts?

Turkey announced about full support to #Azerbaijan

4. Donald Trump supports Erdogan.

5. The drones bombing the civilians (schools, apartment buildings far from the military bases) have been active since Sunday.

6. Many civilians have been killed including children.

7. Terrorist mercenaries fighting for Azerbaijan are raping women and plunder stores, impose Shariah laws in Azerbaijani villages. They are extremely disappointed they are supporting Shia Moslems, they had thought they were going to help Turkey. They encourage the others not to come and fight in Azerbaijan as they fighting is too intense and too many have died the first day (about 80).

8. Social media in Azerbaijan has been banned since Sunday. The population in Azerbaijan doesn't want to fight for Artsakh, a land which doesn't belong to them. Many people got arrested as they said they don't want a war with Armenia.

9. Azerbaijan deploys not only mercenaries but other ethnic minorities living in Azerbaijan such as Talish, Avar, etc. got killed. These ethnic minorities are extremely unhappy to go and fight for a place like Artsakh and they have protests from time to time. For the dictator, Aliyev, it is quite convenient to send them to fight and die in Artsakh. No minorities, no problems.

10. In less than one day thousands of Armenian volunteers expressed desire to go to the frontline including young girls and women. 13-14 year-old boys argue with their parents that they can't go to fight. WE WILL ALL DEFEND OUR MOTHERLAND!

11. Martial law is announced in #Armenia and men aged 18-55 can't leave Armenia. But nobody wants to leave Armenia! Even more the Armenians from France, the USA, Syria and Lebanon are trying to find a way to go and fight for Artsakh. Hundreds of them are on their way.

12. Since Sunday everyone is collecting clothes, food, medicine, loading them into trucks sending it all to Artsakh. We are united like never before. Every single individual in Armenia is helping Artsakh.

13. A pregnant woman was injured by the Azeries but she is safe now and gave birth to a boy named Monte.

14. Armenia received no support or help from other countries

15. This conflict with the density of fire has been unprecedented in the history of the region

And finally "At the end we'll remember not the words of our enemy, but the silence of our friends" ;)

ABOUT ARTSAKH

First off the name of the region is Artsakh, NOT Nagorno Karabakh.

Second off it is a historic Armenian territory which Joseph Stalin had made a part of Soviet Azerbaijan in 1921. 

Note* Azerbaijan is a new country created in 1918 and the name of historic Iranian region of Azerbaijan was appropriated by them (like Macedonia).

In 1991 the Soviet Union stopped to exist and all the countries declared their independence from the USSR which doesn't exist any more. Hence, Artsakh can't be a part of Soviet Azerbaijan.

Third off, Artsakh has never ever been a part of the independent Republic of  Azerbaijan neither in 1918-1920 (it was  governed by the Armenian National Council), nor since 1991.

The people of Artsakh have their human right for self-determination and they chose to join mother Armenia in 1988.

As a response to their peaceful protests (asking Kremlin to let them join the Armenian SSR) the Armenians were massacred in Sumgait industrial town in Azerbaijan. In 1990 in Baku there were pogroms and the Armenians were attacked, massacred and finally they had to leave the city which they had built. They became refugees going to the USA, Russia, and Armenia but life was tough here after 1988 earthquake and during the war, so most of them left Armenia. Armenia unlike Azerbaijan is not mentioning anything about those people. I do remember them, their poverty, sadness of loss of their home, job. Baku had no doctors left after the deportation of the Armenians as the doctors there were all Armenian.

The war broke out in 1991 when Azerbaijan started the deportation of the Armenian population of Artsakh. My both great grandmothers had to leave their homes in Gandzak (Gyanja) Northern Artsakh where they were born, their ancestors were born...

Azerbaijan lost the war in 1994.

Artsakh was 76.4 % Armenian populated before the war

Azerbaijan is a loser country. They had mercenaries from Afghanistan, Chechnya and many other places... But many of them left the battlefield as they realized it was not a religious conflicts. The Armenians were simply defending their families and ancestral homes.

Azerbaijan doesn't need Artsakh. For the dictator president Ilham Aliyev Artsakh is a matter or principle, pride. Besides he needs to feed his population extremely discontent of him, with lies, with an illusion of an enemy.

Most importantly Armenia didn't start this new war. Armenia was attacked by Azerbaijan under the strong influence of Turkey (ISIS).

The innocent population is suffering badly as today the Turkish-Azeri army was shelling the civilians in the cities of Stepanakert, Martakert... and numerous villages.

A child with her grandmother was killed.

Where is the world? How long are we going to bear the "cancer" of this planet named Turkey?!

Oh, I forgot to mention Turkey didn't exist until the 11th century. This is when they appeared, they massacred the Armenians, the Greeks, the Assyrians. They appropriated their culture, they turned churches into mosques (remember Hagia Sophia?).

I am attaching the photo of Ptolemy World Map (circa 150A.D.).

In our region there is the huge kingdom of  Armenia, the Georgian Kingdoms and Caucasian Albania, a Christian kingdom which stopped to exist as they converted to Islam and lost their identity.

Turkey wants to continue its genocidal policy of the annihilation of the Armenian people.

#armenia #artsakh #azerbaijan #turkey

Erdogan's folly.

 From a friend

Just when the World War I started, #Turkey🇹🇷  started the #Armenian Genocide. When the Soviets entered #Armenia 🇦🇲, through negotiations with Turkey, Stalin passed the 95% Armenian populated province of #NagornoKarabakh with Armenian Christian heritage dating back 4th century to #Azerbaijan🇦🇿, Turkey satellite state. 

When there was an earthquake in #Armenia in 1988, #Azerbaijan started ethnic cleansing of Armenians with firm defense response. 

Now when there is pandemic, #Turkey sends 4000 Syrian jihadist fighters to join Azeris to attack the people in #NagornoKarabakh. 

What they don’t understand, what they will never understand is that in the times when we are at our lowest, be it earthquake or pandemic, we get united as never before. As a result of Turkey-Azerbaijan duo joint attack yesterday, death toll in Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was 31, while 200 wounded, including civilians, yet through #Armenian defense operations #Azerbaijan and #Turkey lost 20 UAV, 3 helicopters, 30 tank and infantry fighting vehicles, 81 jihadist fighters, 397 wounded. 

This is what happens when a democratic state deals with dictatorship sultanate duo where the presidency is passed from father to son. 

#ՀԱՂԹԵԼՈՒԵՆՔ #StopTurkey #StopErdogan

By Hovsep Patvakanyan

Today in History 24th September

Yes Gentle Reader our 14 days of torture are almost over so lets step from the brutal hell of quarantine history into the sun dappled heaven of outside time.

1890: The Mormon church renounces polygamy

1936: Muppet creator Jim Henson is born.

1948: The Honda motor company is founded.

1991: Dr Seuss dies.

2015: Over 1000 people are killed in a stampede at the Hajj in Mecca.

#mormons #honda #meccahajj #todayinhistory #september24 #drseuss #jimhenson

Top 10 Cool english phrases and their origins

Hello Gentle Readers

I found these phrases and their origins and thought I would share them with you.

1. In the 1400s a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb.

Hence we have 'the rule of thumb.'

2. Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...

Ladies Forbidden'... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

3. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David,

Hearts - Charlemagne,

Clubs -Alexander the Great,

Diamonds - Julius Caesar

4. In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... 'goodnight, sleep tight.'

5. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink.

Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

6. In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts...

So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.'

It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's'

7. Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service.

'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.

8. In 1696, William III of England introduced a property tax that required those living in houses with more than six windows to pay a levy. In order to avoid the tax, house owners would brick up all windows except six. (The Window Tax lasted until 1851, and older houses with bricked-up windows are still a common sight in the U.K.) As the bricked-up windows prevented some rooms from receiving any sunlight, the tax was referred to as “daylight robbery”!

9. Bite the bullet

Meaning: To accept something difficult or unpleasant

Origin: In the olden days, when doctors were short on anesthesia or time during a battle, they would ask the patient to bite down on a bullet to distract from the pain. The first recorded use of the phrase was in 1891 in The Light that Failed.

10. Caught red-handed

Meaning: To be caught in the act of doing something wrong

Origin: This originates from an old English law that ordered any person to be punished for butchering an animal that wasn’t his own. The only way the person could be convicted is if he was caught with the animal’s blood still on his hands.

Now, there you have the origin of these phrases.

Interesting isn’t it!! 📷

Today in History: 16th September

Greetings Gentle Readers.

Lets lock the doors and windows of time and self-isolate/quarantine for 14 days.

1620: The Pilgrims set sail for America on the Mayflower.

1908: The General Motor company is founded.

1925: Blues guitarist B.B. King is born.

1956: Magician David Copperfield is born.

1976: Armenian champion Swimmer Sharvarsh Karapetyan rescues 20 people from drowning after a trolleybus crashes into a Yerevan reservoir.

1977: Rock singer Mark Bolan dies.

#september16 #todayinhistory #marcbolan #sharvarshkarapetyan #davidcopperfield #bbking #gmc #mayflower

Quarantine: 5 days in

Hello Gentle Readers.

Its been 5 days since we returned to the UK and quarantine has been pretty uneventful.

Thank whoever that our house has a garden that we can sit in. We have Sainsburys delivering food and Amazon delivering almost everything else.

Yes it can be annoying that life is so close by and we cannot be part of it but we have each other and good helpful neighbours.

We need to buy a car, get Robert registered with a school and survive the next 9 days

Wish us luck.

#quarantineintheUK

Welcome to Buckingham

Hello Gentle Readers

Well Quarantine has begun. We arrived in the UK on Friday and luckily we moved into our new home straight away.

Number 1

Our 'Garden'.

 Buckingham is a nice little town and we have moved into a sweet little cottage not far from the town centre where there are banks, shops, pubs and cafes. Although as we cant go anywhere til the 25th so we might as well be on the moon.

We met our neighbours, Helen and Alex, and they are very nice. We will have to buy a few things to make it more like home but we have time.

We have ordered new sim cards and ordered food from Sainsburys for delivery.

I will keep you updated. See you all soon.

#quarantine #buckingham

Phase 4

Hello Gentle Readers.

Welcome to phase 4 of the blog. After globe trotting since 2012, I have through no fault of my own, decided to return to the UK, the land of my birth and blog about what it means to be British in the age of the BBC thats Brexit and Boris and Covid.

Robert in our new lounge

Buckingham Gaol

I will also write about Robert and Lena as they adapt to life in the UK.

As I have been away for so long maybe  my new experiences will be worth sharing.

So here goes, 14 days of quarantine, a new house, buying a car, my new job and Roberts new school.

There will be lots to write about.

#ascotsmaninbuckingham

I hate the 'New Blogger'

Hello Gentle Reader

Blogger wants me to change and I do not like it. They have introduced a new version with a new interface and I genuinely think its a load of crap.

The new version

The Blogger I like is easy to use and annotate, plus its easier to share posts or for you guys, to find them.

The new interface is confusing and its difficult to use. I like Blogger and I dont mind using it but keep the "Legacy Blogger" version as well. Give us the choice.

The older 'Good' version

#blogger #legacyversion

Leaving Armenia

Hello Gentle Readers.

In August 2019, Robert, Lena and I arrived in Yerevan for the start of a new adventure for our family.
After 2 unhappy years in China we were determined to make a success of our new start. We were starting at a new school with high hopes and big aspirations.

Armenia offered a beautiful rich culture, amazing scenery and we had heard amazing things about the food and the warmth of the people. I am glad to say we found all these things and much more.

We seemed to fit in well. People welcomed us and very quickly we fell in love with this awesome country.

Even in the midst of Corona virus fever we had found a place we could call home.

Leaving was not our choice. Circumstances conspired against us and sadly, although we signed new contracts, we had our contracts cancelled due to the COVID effect.

We are heading now to the United Kingdom. I have been offered a job in Milton Keynes.

Lena will work online building our online school and Robert will go to an English state primary school.

We will miss Armenia. This beautiful place is imprinted on our souls and I promise  we will return.

#armenia

Today in History 9th September

Hello Gentle readers. Lets dip our fingers in the spicy bucket of history and lick the time from our fingers.

1087: William the Conquerer dies.

1543: Mary Queen of Scots, then just 9 months old, is crowned in Sterling.

1791: Washington D.C. is named after George Washington.

1828: Russian author Leo Tolstoy is born.

1890: Founder of KFC, Colonel Sanders is born.

1948: Kim Il- sung announces the establishment of the Peoples Republic (North) Korea.

1976: Chinese leader Mao Zedong dies.

2015: Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest serving UK monarch.

#queenelizabethii #maozedong #colonelsanders #northkorea #washingtondc #maryqueenofscots #williamtheconquerer #tolstoy #september9 #todayinhistory