Neil Thompson

September 16, 2023September 16, 2023

The Royal Berkshire Hospital “Building on its Heritage”, Heritage Open Days 2023

Now here’s somewhere I HAVE been before, although sometimes I wish I hadn’t. At the Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) our family has had children born, major and minor operations and various appointments attended. The people there have been great and the building, well, it looks like a hospital. Except that is for what is now …

Continue reading “The Royal Berkshire Hospital “Building on its Heritage”, Heritage Open Days 2023”

September 14, 2023September 14, 2023

Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64 Eyes of the Storm, National Portrait Gallery, London

It was with some trepidation this morning that I entered the National Portrait Gallery to see an exhibition of photographs taken by Paul McCartney. Would going to a Paul McCartney photographic exhibition be a bit like going to a Linda McCartney pop concert? The photos in question cover a relatively short but important period in …

Continue reading “Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64 Eyes of the Storm, National Portrait Gallery, London”

September 10, 2023September 10, 2023

Rediscovering Our Forgotten Heritage, Heritage Open Days 2023

It is time once again for one of my favourite events of the year – Heritage Open Days when places that would normally be shut to the public throw open their doors. I have been to some great places over the years (you can read about those here) and have an interesting few lined up …

Continue reading “Rediscovering Our Forgotten Heritage, Heritage Open Days 2023”

August 24, 2023August 24, 2023

12 Rules to Live by

Watching Annika on TV last night, starring the always excellent Nicola Walker, mention was made of the 12 rules that author Robert Louis Stevenson lived by. I looked these up and thought that they were still pertinent today so here they are. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

August 21, 2023August 21, 2023

Thames Path – Day Two – Greenwich to The London Eye

Much earlier start today as we were able to leave the hotel at 8:30 and immediately get started. This had the advantage of missing the hotter part of the day and it was quieter too. This leg was initially not overly interesting as you tried to navigate around all the converted warehouses which went right …

Continue reading “Thames Path – Day Two – Greenwich to The London Eye”

August 20, 2023August 20, 2023

Thames Path – Day One – Woolwich to Greenwich

A couple of months ago we were out with friends and one of whom was describing how he was walking along the Thames Path and how relaxing and enjoyable he had found it. Helen and I thought that this sounded like a great idea and so set about planning our own journey. It turns out …

Continue reading “Thames Path – Day One – Woolwich to Greenwich”

August 18, 2023August 18, 2023

Big Ben Tour, London

This was the second of my two trips around Parliament today. The first, The State Apartments Of Speaker’s House Tour I completed in the morning and at 3 pm I joined 11 others to climb the 334 steps up to Big Ben. The tower, officially called the Elizabeth Tower after it was renamined from the …

Continue reading “Big Ben Tour, London”

August 18, 2023August 18, 2023

The State Apartments Of Speaker’s House Tour, London

This is the first of two trips I took around different parts of the Palace of Westminster, probably better known as the Houses of Parliament, today. I have been around the chambers of government and the lords previously and visited the house for PMQs. Today, it was a couple of new areas that they have …

Continue reading “The State Apartments Of Speaker’s House Tour, London”

August 17, 2023September 9, 2023

Securing my Healthy Future

Having written about securing my digital future this post is all about securing my own personal future. I don’t know whether it is the retirement, the arrival of the grandkids or a combination of the two but I have been thinking more and more about how I can ensure a long, healthy future. You might …

Continue reading “Securing my Healthy Future”

July 29, 2023September 9, 2023

Securing my Digital Future

Back in September 2022 I visited the Berkshire Record Office as part of the Heritage Open Days and was shown how important records are preserved and restored. At the end of the post, I wondered how future digital records might similarly be stored in future. I found myself pondering this once more when I was …

Continue reading “Securing my Digital Future”