The debonair Basil Marigold's

Continuing the Science Fiction theme, and how at times it can become Science fact. An interesting news story came in about the plans for Europa. One of Jupiter's moon's. This moon is quite exciting for Science fiction fans because as we all know it took a centre stage in Arthur C Clark's, Space Odyssey series of novels. For when Jupiter is devoured by the black Monoliths and transformed in the new star Lucifer, this is then for the benefit of Europa.  Arthur C Clark picked Europa for good reason. It is the very reason that scientists are now looking towards this moon with an increasing interest. The interest is in its geology, especially its surface and what may be underneath. Covered by a sheet of thick ice scientist are under the impression that beneath this exists a very deep ocean. Oceans being a great generator of potential life, simple organisms perhaps. This theory, near on follows from the thoughts of Arthur C Clark, when a space craft crash lands on Europa, havi

I have mentioned this before but I am even more now convinced that man's greatest invention, which may have more impact than we can imagine. Is a small, distant object that is beyond our eyes but not our technology.  The creation is Voyager 1. The NASA launched satellite that has now spent 35 years hurtling away from our, tiny blue planet, which must now look like a tiny blue dot. The news is exciting, in that there is a distinct possibility that this tiny explorer may well have broken through to the other side. If this story is confirmed then this satellite be the first man made object to leave our solar system. Quite a momentous moment in the history of our civilisation as we reach beyond our home into a new one, who knows what valuable information will be sent back? We do know that the radio signal takes 16 hours to get back to us here, on Earth. The life of Voyager is only believed to be able to hold out for another decade or so. It will be a sad moment when the powe

So, my wife's friend has just celebrated her 40th Birthday. She has now moved to a place called, Nantwich. A town in Cheshire. I have never been to Nantwich, and have rarely been this way in the UK. I did however, begin my University career at Keele, which is in the area but apart from this I haven't made my way here often. So it was all a surprise really. It's a nice little town, about 12,000 souls. Parts of it indicate a fairly high amount of these souls are pretty wealthy, more so in the outlying rural villages I imagine. For instance, in my town there are neither 'Aga' cooking range shops nor a large amount of designer menswear shops and lots of 'Holistic' healing clinics. That is not to say Nantwich is uber posh. I imagine that there are other towns and villages that are far more Cheshire set than Nantwich. It does though, have a very nice town centre. In fact, strangely it seems to have two, seperate and distinct town centres. The first and most attr

...or the evolution of the spud! One of my favourite vegetables, of a non human variety, is the Potato. The Potato, often forgotten, was once seen as a most radical discovery by the British explorer, Sir Walter Raleigh (who previously had discovered the pedal bicycle), and bought triumphant from the new world, along with a long forgotten leaf, called, Tobacco. How the mighty potato rose to become such a noble food, named after Kings no less. Formed to be perfect, the potato has been a design classic, so much so that some people's faces have actually evolved to resemble the mighty potato, my son for example. However, the glory of the potato, long glistening is now being tarnished; Here below is the pure form of Potato; The classic form; In this format the potato just, is. The Jacket potato. Simple, elegant, unable to be improved on.... ...EXCEPT IF YOU ARE MAN!... ...In the deepest, most evil parts of man's mind, nothing can remain the same. There must always be tink

..As I trolled through a book shop so my eyes came across the book below. I was reminded of the a previous post where I discussed some legendary rulers who's tombs may be lost to us forever. Now, it seems I have not been the only one to ponder this, although I haven't written a novel about it.  This is the Novel, written by Sean Hemingway, a grandson of Ernest Hemingway (and if you need to ask who that was, then I fear for you). However, The premise seemed interesting. At least before I started reading it. I am not far into it seems to be unfolding as an almost dumbed down version of a book written by Dan Brown. How does he introduce the Idea of Alexander's tomb? easy, one of the characters introduces herself by explaining she had a previous life as a tomb robber and by seeing a statuette in a museum that she had seen in her previous life, in the tomb of Alexander, this then triggers her memory of being trapped inside his tomb, betrayed by her fellow tomb robbers! (I ki

Due, in no small part to the emergence of King Richard. My mind has moved onto those figures, mainly leaders, whose discovery of their burial sites would make Richard look like a small fish in comparison. In no particular order. King Alfred King of Wessex and arguably, one of the most important Kings that was involved in the forging of an English realm. Known to be buried in Winchester, the Wessex capital. Originally in the old minster and then transferred to the new minster, Hyde Abbey. With the dissolution of the monasteries and the associated chaos the monastery was destroyed and the graves remained and then became lost and it seems only rediscovered with the building of a prison over the site which involved moving or damaging burial plots. This now means we do not know where Alfred's last resting place is. Also, more importantly how would we be able to identify the remains if we do discover skeletons, etc. Although there does appear to be some kind of  project in this are

After 500 or so years, we now know that the last English king to die in battle, on the losing side, having been betrayed by his allies in a nondescript Leicestershire field, has been found. Under a social services car park in a city in the east midlands. Richard, seemingly tossed unceremoniously into an ill-fitting grave, one fit for a man who didn't win, as is the way of history, lay for 500 years the last Plantagenet monarch; Richard the Third, the usurper, depending on who you believe. And if you thought that political spin and counter-spin was a 21st Century innovation then please familiarise yourself with the politics and in fighting of the war of the roses and see that the English are past masters of the art. One of Shakespeare's greatest royal villains lay undisturbed under 4 foot of concrete and earth, the last in the line of a dynasty that spawned some of England's most celebrated monarch's; Edward I, Henry V, Richard the Lionheart, Edward III. Just some of th