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Articles from Bruno Blackstone | Selfgrowth.com
- The Pendle Witch Trials - Their 400th Anniversary - by Submitted on Mar 22, 2012 from Bruno BlackstoneSalem might be famous for its witch trials but there was an equally shocking case some eighty years earlier in the heart of England. 2012 marks the four hundredth anniversary of the Pendle Witch trials held in 1612. Many events have been planned to mark the date but what was it all ...
Views: 748 - Enjoying Nature All Around Us - by Submitted on Mar 07, 2012 from Bruno BlackstoneMany of us who delight in the great outdoors do so partly as a result of flora and fauna that we see there. Wildlife is, after all, all around us and I think it is especially entertaining when one has to go no further than one’s own home to spot it. We live in a remote locale in the centre of ...
Views: 1409 - Wildlife Surrounding Us - by Submitted on Mar 07, 2012 from Bruno BlackstoneMany of us who delight in the great outdoors do so partly as a result of flora and fauna that we see there. Wildlife is, after all, all around us and I think it is especially entertaining when one has to go no further than one’s own home to spot it. We live in a remote locale in the centre of ...
Views: 821 - When We Were Very Young…(We Didn’t Know About Computer Games!) - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2012 from Bruno BlackstoneNot long ago I was calling on a good friend while he was baby sitting his grandkids who were staying for a few days. They had brought a variety of things to keep theirselves occupied (and out of Grandad’s hair!). Apart from the old favourites of books, board games and puzzles they had ...
Views: 830 - Where there’s muck there’s grass! - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2012 from Bruno BlackstoneIn a preceding article I outlined how experiening a series of guided rammbles gave me an interest in wild flowers. Having begun to learn a little more about grasslands I was amazed to hear that our wild flowers were effectively under threat and this in turn was affecting the wildlife ...
Views: 930 - Rambling and the European Financial Crisis - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2012 from Bruno BlackstoneWalking for fun is the most well-liked leisure time activity in The UK by far. According to data from the United Kingdom government 16% of individuals do it every week, compared with 11% who head over to the gym. Maybe staying and being in the country side is linked with success and the “upper ...
Views: 477 - Where there is muck there’s not as many wild flowers! - by Submitted on Mar 06, 2012 from Bruno BlackstoneMy regular readers will know that I adore being in the outdoors and furthermore anything to do with the natural world. Especially I like to recognise the wildlife I come across whilst hiking, hence I rarely go out without my binoculars. Last year, for a variety of reasons, I had an exceptional ...
Views: 749 - Why Camping Excursions Make Ideal Holidays for Young Ones - by Submitted on Mar 06, 2012 from Bruno BlackstoneUncovering a suitable holiday to please all of the members of the family is often quite a complex job. More years ago than I care to mention when my children were still young I was always reluctant to take them to another country, and did not do so until they were both young adults. I knew how ...
Views: 754 - A Night In A Bare Mountain! - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2012 from Bruno BlackstoneQuite a few years ago when I was a much younger guy it was my pleasure (!) to organise an outward bound style adventure for a number of kids aged between about ten and fifteen. The idea was relatively simple, I was to drive one minibus load of them with my then girlfriend (now wife) driving ...
Views: 852 - How the Swiss Put an Essential Item on Your Camping Gear Checklist. - by Submitted on Jan 16, 2012 from Bruno BlackstoneWhilst, during your next camping break, you look for your useful pen-knife or multi-tool, take a moment to remember the trip it followed to become an essential item on a rambler's camping gear list. Throughout the 1880s the Swiss Armed service wanted a twin purpose device that would be issued ...
Views: 936 - How a planned wildlife ramble turned out to be a search for thrills. - by Submitted on Jan 14, 2012 from Bruno BlackstoneJust lately I did a little favour for a good old friend of mine; he had promised to take care of his two grandchildren for a day, completely forgetting that he had a clinic appointment to keep. As the appointment was simply a follow-up one and wasn't going to be long I volunteered to look after ...
Views: 759 - How Novels Helped Social Improvement in Victorian England - by Submitted on Dec 12, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneA handful of 19th century Uk writers were in a position to see at first-hand what everyday living and working conditions were like during the Industrial Revolution, of massive significance were the increases in both the amount of manufacturing establishments and of the people prepared to labour ...
Views: 1181 - Recollections of the land and sea and how artwork helps you to enjoy your surroundings. - by Submitted on Dec 22, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneBeing a country kind of fellow I am always drawn towards magnificent landscapes in all sorts of locations. I've got a couple of particular favourites and my family already has orders (when the moment comes) to distribute my charred remains over one of them. There is a golf links next to where I ...
Views: 486 - Hay Meadows Aren't Purely For Christmas - by Submitted on Dec 22, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneThe Hay Meadow is typically connected with romantic unspoilt country side but regrettably over the last few years they have been disappearing at an alarming pace. Therefore, what basically is a meadow and why are they so crucial to protect? The word 'meadow' is strictly speaking employed to ...
Views: 430 - Looking for Ghosts in Edinburgh - by Submitted on Dec 05, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneA couple of years ago I happened to be in the glorious ancient city of Edinburgh with a lot of time to pass and in consequence I decided to search for a few interesting things to do. Not having any vehicle with me I wanted to search for things I may do walking not overly far from my lodgings. As ...
Views: 434 - Heathland Wildlife - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneMany people who like rambling do so as a result of wide variety of wildlife which it is possible to experience as they explore the outdoors. Obviously, the species that you are likely to see will be dependent on the type of the habitat in which you are hiking. One sort of habitat which is ...
Views: 1150 - Wild Plants - Their Uses Through the Years - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneWild flowers from many places have been thought for a great number of years to contain healing and other attributes. Woodland plants like Wood Avens otherwise known as Herb Bennet, have been worn as an amulet to guard the wearer. The sap from Dog’s Mercury was used as an antiseptic and was ...
Views: 882 - What’s In a Name - A Trip From Ignorance to Local Historian! - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneA little earlier this year The writer took a rail trip from my place in Yorkshire to pay a visit to my mom and dad 80 miles away. My local station was one of those minor unmanned rural stations; my destination station was just as tiny but on the outskirts of a major industrial town. As I had ...
Views: 830 - Why is it that Cows Follow Trains? - by Submitted on Dec 01, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneThere's a great movie produced in the 1950s starring Alistair Sim (possibly most famous for his portrayal of Dickens’ Scrooge) known as “Folly to be Wise”. It is set in a British army camp in the 1950’s in which a recently arrived barracks chaplain (Sim) attempts to liven the place up by staging ...
Views: 925 - Tips on how to Eat Out in Style – Or “If I Don’t Choose Someplace Great to Take My Wife, I Am a Dead Man! - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneI’m confident all of us is able to remember the film Mary Poppins, I stood in line outside the picture house with my folks when it first came out. Just as we arrived close to the front of the line the usher said the house was full – how disappointing. Mother, Dad and younger cousin went homeward ...
Views: 644 - If You Hear an Owl – Take Your Clothes Off - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneThe cuckoo's first call in Spring gives us annual news in the correspondence pages of the UK 'Times' newspaper. Supposedly from olden times the quantity of calls a cuckoo produced suggested different things whether you were actually a young person (the point when you would get hitched), a ...
Views: 1805 - Be on the lookout for Half a Dozen Crows! - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneThose who enjoy the country side cannot help observe the strange folklore linked with flora and fauna and particularly the Corvids or Crow family. A friend of mine can not rest assured unless he says “Good Morning Mr Magpie” to the very first magpie he sees every day and I have witnessed quite a ...
Views: 1367 - Tales Of The Bleak Midwinter – The Benefit of a respectable Walking Outerjacket (Even for the Northern Chap)! - by Submitted on Nov 21, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneSimilar to most English people, I was caught unprepared by the cold winter weather of 2009. I will keep in mind Dec. 17th particularly well because, untypical for me, I was ill prepared for the weather and the happenings of that day. I had enjoyed the morning rambling, it was chilly and the very ...
Views: 887 - Ben Nevis Challenge - by Submitted on Nov 20, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneThere’s a charity dear to my heart and so I made the decision it was about time I did some thing to raise money on their behalf. I log on to their web site and identify they have a number of challenges, the one which looks to fit the bill for me is the Ben Nevis Challenge. Following some thought ...
Views: 861 - Walking the Dog - Which Breed Would Suit You Best? - by Submitted on Nov 19, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneIn this article Bruno Blackstone examines the many different breeds of dogs and considers how a person's preferred exercise may effect the choice of breed. There is a place near to where I live that is very popular with dog walkers, it is a combination of woods, flat paths, fields and a river ...
Views: 689 - Why do some people stick coins into trees? - by Submitted on Nov 13, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneIt happened to be a wonderfully bright day last Sunday and therefore my family and I went trekking to a really nice locale close to Morecambe Bay known as Arnside Knott. Once we started our descent a female rambler adjacent to to us called out “I have got one”. In all honesty I did not know ...
Views: 4042 - A Short History of the Cocktail - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneNobody appears to know in what way the name ‘cocktail’ came to be synonymous to a beverage that's a mixture of ingredients (at least one of which being alcohol based!). The very first recorded reference in writing would seem to have been around 1862 at which time a bartender’s guidebook was ...
Views: 627 - Chocolate – From Mesoamerican Beverages to Multi-Million Pound Market - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneChocolate, the actual word itself appears – well chocolatey! A handful of people rarely ever touch it, their palfry consumption more than made up for through the chocoholics within us. However, how did chocolate come across from the Mesoamerican peoples who nurtured the cacao tree, to the ...
Views: 948 - Picking out Binoculars to Spot Birds Whilst Walking - by Submitted on Nov 05, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneSeeing our feathered friends whilst on your outdoor walk genuinely is a fascinating thing to do, there will likely be a number of unique birds to experience and recognise. A few birds are well-known and simple to see, others are rarer and more challenging to name. Some species of birds are so ...
Views: 756 - The Yorkshire Three Peaks - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneI purchased some new outdoor kit just lately and in consequence decided I wanted to justify my expenditure by creating myself a challenge, I pick on the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the challenge being to ascend the three tallest hills in Yorkshire - Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent. Typically ...
Views: 833 - Guide to Outdoor Photography - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneA brilliant strategy to enrich your strolling outing is to take a camera along with you, it certainly can make you watch your natural environment more whilst you look for some thing to capture on film. We have charming country side and an abundance of wildlife in this region so you can’t go far ...
Views: 547 - Love Flora and fauna? Some handy info concerning the best way to entice a variety of birds to your garden. - by Submitted on Oct 31, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneDespite the fact that I enjoy the countryside I am additionally not averse to a bit of wildlife spotting in my own garden; last month my spouse and I remained transfixed as a stoat moved its family, 1 baby at a time, to a place less than 6 feet from where we both were sitting. After having ...
Views: 488 - What exactly is Team Bonding Experience? Or Whatever Happened to the ‘Company Outing’? - by Submitted on Nov 02, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneIt appears to be the done thing these days that what used to be called a ‘company outing’ is currently called a team building day. As a result as an alternative to passing the time with our fellow workers sitting around in the sunshine chatting and perhaps having several wine or a meal, now we ...
Views: 1880 - The Tale of a Damaged Ankle - A Cautinary journal about the perils of the wrong footwear - by Submitted on Oct 30, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneBBA (Before Broken Ankle): I have an active daily life and value trekking and road cycling, getting out into the great country side is one of my favorite activities. Day 1: Enjoyed a charming ramble with my companion and our pet dog - Tess, sporting my brand new wellingtons because there had ...
Views: 909 - Which Indulgence Therapy Will I Choose? - by Submitted on Oct 30, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneThere is no doubt that the spa break business is bouyant, put ‘spa break’ into Yahoo and google and you shall get countless of results. Even during these hard days we can not get enough of indulging ourselves with a quick holiday to pamper ourselves. Perhaps you planning a hen (or stag) ...
Views: 818 - Matching Food to Wine - by Submitted on Oct 21, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneThere genuinely are a numerous varieties of wines available in the market, put together with the written matter, devices and countless jargon this can be very difficult to establish exactly where to start out with the whole thing. Some folks come across a tipple they like and don't change, ...
Views: 715 - Ten Top Tips on How you can Choose Walking Trousers - by Submitted on Oct 21, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneThere's a particularly old yarn which We have adjusted to suit my purposes that is as follows. “You are walking to the stores on a beautiful sunny day to search for some walking and hiking outside clothing. However, you are not sure of the shortest route and you meet the ghosts of Winston ...
Views: 1178 - Advice with regard to Choosing Walking Boots - by Submitted on Oct 21, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneThere is a potentially perplexing range of boots for hiking available for the consumer to pick from. Having said that, making the proper decision is really critical as actually the primary item of clothing to assure a rambler's optimum trekking pleasure is the footwear. The right boots will ...
Views: 951 - There must be fifty ways to find your lover; or the musings from a forty-something unromantic! - by Submitted on Oct 21, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneA handful of years ago whilst off on a business trip I found myself eating on my todd at a peaceful small bistro in some unknown city. As the bistro was quite tiny, the tables ended up being rather near to each other and as a result it was relatively simple to hear dialogue at the neighbouring ...
Views: 437 - WALKING POLES - What Benefit Do They Have To Help Hiking? - by Submitted on Oct 22, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneA significant stage within Human evolution was the moment our ancestors initially stood up, the way in which people use our upper limbs as well as the hands especially is what has stimulated our intelligence to develop in the way it has. Sad to say, walking vertically has taken its toll on the ...
Views: 1487 - The Diary of a Broken Ankle - A True Story Highlighting the Importance of the Correct Footwear Whilst Outdoors - by Submitted on Oct 29, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneThe article is a true account of the experiences of the daughter of a friend who suffered a severe ankle injury as a result of not wearing the correct boots whilst walking. Diary of a Broken Ankle BBA (Before Broken Ankle): I have an active lifestyle and enjoy walking and cycling, getting ...
Views: 5501(1 vote) - Walking to see wildlife – how to experience flora and fauna as you enjoy the countryside - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneFor many of us the most enjoyable part of walking is seeing the various plants and animals along the way. In this article the author suggests how to maximise your wildlife spotting chances If we stop to think for a moment about the many types wildlife that surround us all we will quickly ...
Views: 856(1 vote) - How to Backpack. Advice on Choosing a Backpack, Day Pack or Rucksack for Walking to ensure maximum comfort and minimise back problems - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneWalking backpacks come in many different shapes and sizes. Each rucksack is specific to a certain activity or pursuit. When looking for a rucksack the first question is what activity you intend to use the backpack for. Are you going on an afternoon walk, or a walking holiday? To help you ...
Views: 1210 - The way to get the most out of camping. - by Submitted on Oct 22, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneCamping definitely is a very good way to relax and bond with the great outdoors, whatever age you are and regardless of whether you are on your own, a family, a couple or a group of pals in search of a break there is a camping break to suit you. Lately there are numerous camp sites, tents and ...
Views: 1641(1 vote) - The Way To Decide On a GPS or SATNAV Right for Walkers - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2011 from Bruno BlackstoneWhat is Sat nav? The Global Positioning System (GPS) is really a satellite-based navigation system (hence they're in addition referred to as SAT NAV) made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was initially created for armed service ...
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