History
Defining beauty
On a recent museum trip – I saw images from the Qajar dynasty in Persia – the period from 1795 -1925. The display focused on the women of that period.
My attention was caught by description of the beautiful women of the Qajar court – paragons of beauty with a thick monobrow and moustache.

There are paintings and a few very rare photographs of the Qajar women showing very different ideas of beauty
Today’s women use cosmetics to highlight curved lips or long lashes. The Qajar women would paint on a moustache if they were not lucky enough to possess one naturally.
This got me to thinking about how things change – and particularly how our perception of beauty changes. Continue reading
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Bright shiny things…
As part of my ongoing love affair with museums, I recently lost myself for a few hours in the fabulous Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar.
The building is a work of art in itself – a beautiful collection of lines and shapes and angles on the outside and modern bright spaces on the inside.
I love the British Museum and its is eclectic collection of bits from all over the world. This was very different. This museum is devoted to a single culture, giving a much greater insight into its diversity and depth. Continue reading
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Concrete and Cybermen
Architecture can be brutal.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a remarkable opportunity to deep into the bowels of two fabulous buildings – the Haywood Galley and the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre.
I’ve been to both many times before, for concerts and exhibitions. Both are now closed for refurbishment – and we had an opportunity to join a tour, with two National Trust experts to tell us all about these iconic buildings.
I was in for quite a surprise. Continue reading
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Becoming 'the great'
I’ve have been wondering… How do you get to be called ‘the great’?
Presumably, someone else has to give you the title because taking it for yourself would be a bit vain (although I’ll bet there were a few who did).
I understand Alexander the Great – after all, he conquered most of the known world.
The Great Khan – otherwise known as Genghis Khan let a bloody rampage across most of the known world and murdered millions.
I’m starting to see a pattern here. Continue reading
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In praise of horses

No surprises that this is one of my favourite horse-related icons – the Cowboy. He pops up in the books I write too.
My mother used to say that the very first word I spoke wasn’t Mummy or Daddy – it was horsey. I am entirely willing to believe her.
Like most young girls, I loved horses. But in my case, it was a love affair I never grew out of.
Circumstances over the years changed the nature of my relationship with horses, but I’ve never lost that first great love, as evidenced by the fact that of all the books I’ve written, only one does not include horses. For that one, I had to go to Antarctica.
With all that in mind, it won’t surprise you to know that on my recent trip to Melbourne, I spent a lovely afternoon exploring the National Gallery of Victoria’s exhibition entitled – you guessed it – The Horse. Continue reading
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A sudden diversion in time
It had to happen one day.
Regular readers of this blog know I am a bit of a history buff and spend as much time as I can climbing over ruined castles, old abbeys, stone age forts and the like wherever I find them.
I have always said I am not a big fan of historical fiction… but slowly more and more historical reads have somehow found their way on to my bookshelf and into my e-readers.
So, I guess it’s time to fess up…. This morning I found myself doing some serious historical writing research. It was before breakfast too! Continue reading
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Wool seen from the other side
It will come as no surprise to regular visitors to this blog, but for those who don’t know – I am a knitter. I enjoy it so much, I made the heroine of my latest novel a knitter so she could share my hobby.
I find knitting relaxing. It helps with the RSI after all day using a computer keyboard and I get a real thrill when I finish a project, particularly if someone says it looks nice.
And let’s not forget I am Australian. For a very long time it was said Australia rides on the sheep’s back. The wool industry has always been an important part of rural Australian life.
But for an Australian, the wool industry had always conjured up vast sweeping outback paddocks littered with thousands of sheep. And shearing sheds stripping the wool for export.
In UK, however, the story is somewhat different, as I found out in a visit to the National Wool Museum in Wales. Continue reading
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A very big hole in the ground
I like holes in the ground. The bigger the better! Whether it’s a cave or a mine, I like going underground, even more so when there’s a sense of history attached.
My most recent underground adventure was at the National Mining Museum in Wales – otherwise known as Big Pit – where I was guilty of an ‘ooops’ that was just a little bit dangerous… sorry folks. Continue reading
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Industrial Archaeology

The iconic balance tower at Blaenavon – when it was built, the owner was chided for wasting money on attractive design rather than pure functionality.
I recently travelled back in time about 200 years – into the heart of the industrial revolution.
I explored the coal pits and the iron works and the factories that were part of that amazing period of history.
I found it fascinating, inspiring and in many ways very moving. It was a story of great innovation and invention – but more than that it was the story of a people of steadfast determination and also of their great suffering.
My journey started in 1787 – with the building of the great ironworks at Blaenavon in South Wales. Continue reading
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A secret revealed…
Accolades are pouring in for the movie The Imitation Game – featuring an amazing performance by Benedict Cumberbatch as the Enigma code-breaker Alan Turing.
The movie has served to focus attention on Turing and his work at the secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. It’s also served to highlight the injustice of the treatment he received when he was convicted for what was then a crime – being homosexual.
Recently I visited Bletchley Park – that was before the movie publicity began, and my knowledge of what happened there was pretty sketchy.
The old saying is right – truth is sometimes much stranger – much better – than fiction. Continue reading
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