MissElaineous

The Art of Reinvention: Weston-super-Mare

The Art of Reinvention: Weston-super-Mare
MrElaineous and I have taken to playing what I suspect is a very common middle-aged game: when did we last visit such-and-such location? Of course, some of our confusion stems from the pandemic. Two years were excised from our mental timeline, making precise estimates even trickier. The seaside town of Weston-super-Mare is the latest place to enter the guessing cycle.… View Post

Cotswold Bound: Bourton and Bibury

Cotswold Bound: Bourton and Bibury
One of the best things about living in Chippenham is how easy it is to get out of it. It’s a joke I’ve made before and will likely make again because it’s one that has a kernel of truth at its heart.  The mainline train station can quickly deliver you to Bristol, Bath, and London (or Swindon or Reading if… View Post

Out of Practice: The Netherlands (Day 3)

Out of Practice: The Netherlands (Day 3)
I found myself completely out of practice when it came to my family’s recent trip to the Netherlands, booking things relatively last minute and researching activities on the fly. However, one tidbit I picked up was that the Bloemencorso Bollenstreek—the annual flower parade—would finish in the town of Haarlem. This was only a 20-minute train ride from Amsterdam, and it… View Post

Out of Practice: The Netherlands (Day 2, Part 2) 

Out of Practice: The Netherlands (Day 2, Part 2) 
Our first full day in the Netherlands turned into a day of two halves. The first half was a visit to the spectacular spring garden at Keukenhof. During the second, we took advantage of our iAmsterdam City Card to visit the flight experience at This is Holland. It’s sort of hard to describe because it comes across as quite dull… View Post

Out of Practice: The Netherlands (Day 2, Part 1)

Out of Practice: The Netherlands (Day 2, Part 1)
Our first full day in Amsterdam technically started earlier in the week. Business busy-ness and being completely out of practice when it came to travelling meant that holiday planning took a backseat, and I didn’t get around to checking what was available until Monday (we travelled on Friday). The weather on Saturday looked perfect: an ideal day for visiting the… View Post

Out of Practice: The Netherlands (Day 1)

Out of Practice: The Netherlands (Day 1)
Out of practice. This phrase describes how I feel both with regards to writing a blog post and travelling in general. My business of Academic Smartcuts is fully booked, and co-trainer Dan Allwood and I have been focusing on developing new training programmes and refining old ones. This has left very little time and the headspace necessary to write. Meanwhile,… View Post

Sew What? Adventures in Research

Sew What? Adventures in Research
Every so often, MrElaineous and I decide to declutter. We get rid of DVDs that won’t be re-watched and books that won’t be re-read, sort through clothing that has seen better days, and downsize the number of knickknacks and dust-catchers scattered around the house. In general, we try to streamline our belongings to those that spark Kondian joy or which… View Post

Becoming Part of the Historic Record: Bristol City Centre

Becoming Part of the Historic Record: Bristol City Centre
This month marks twenty years since I arrived in the UK to study for a Masters degree in Archaeology for Screen Media at the University of Bristol. Running my business has kept me on my toes, so I hadn’t thought much about this anniversary until a headline on the BBC website stopped me in my tracks. “City Centre fountains to… View Post

Going from A to D(urham)

Going from A to D(urham)
I’ve always found the term “travelling for work” to be a bit of an oxymoron, or at least a contradiction of sorts. Although there is literal travel involved, in regards to moving from one place to another, it’s not exactly the type of thing that one thinks about when saying “I love to travel!” After all, many people don’t love… View Post

Sacre Bleu!

Sacre Bleu!
This French expression of surprise or dismay seemed fitting when I realised it has been well over a year since I last shared a new blog post. It’s not due to a lack of travelling or a lack of desire: I have half-written articles and random paragraphs stashed all over my hard drive, as well as a mega-outline for last… View Post

Christmas Calling

Christmas Calling
Along with black cabs, bowler hats, and cups of tea*, the traditional red British telephone box has become a symbol of the UK as well as a design icon. Its history begins nearly one hundred years ago, when a competition was held to choose the design of a telephone kiosk for London. It was won by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott;… View Post
Swindon, Wiltshire

Touch Wood: An Interview with Simon Webb

Touch Wood: An Interview with Simon Webb
George Bernard Shaw is said to have written that England and America are two countries separated by a common language, and there is perhaps more than a kernel of truth in this statement. Some are obvious: in August I wrote about how American buttermilk biscuits are nothing like British biscuits. The latter tend to be more hard cookies, perfect for… View Post

A Walk on the Wild Side (Plus Sheep)

A Walk on the Wild Side (Plus Sheep)
There are a few things you might expect to see when you go for a walk in the British countryside: Sheep? Most likely. Cows? Probable, especially in the area around Barbury Castle. Horses? Always a possibility. Intriguing architecture? Chances are good. Stunning landscapes? Guaranteed. But an elephant? Or a herd of zebra? These slightly more exotic creatures do not instantly… View Post

Musings on History

Musings on History
Like many people, over the past few weeks I have watched the events that have unfolded across the globe with a mix of emotions and questions swirling through my mind. There’s sadness. From Emmett Till to George Floyd—and the thousands of black men, women, and children killed simply because of the colour of their skin—how many lives have to be… View Post

Marlborough Magic

Marlborough Magic
Travelling is often synonymous with getting away from it all or venturing to the other side of the planet to see the new, the unfamiliar, or the exotic. However, I would also argue that some of the most eye-opening travel experiences can happen practically in our own backyards when we are willing to look at the familiar in a new… View Post
Glastonbury

THE THREE Ms OF GLASTONBURY

THE THREE Ms OF GLASTONBURY
Outside of the UK, the word “Glastonbury” is synonymous with music and mud. Within the UK, the definition is pretty similar, with the annual(ish) music festival regularly dominating headlines. Tickets for the 50th anniversary in 2020 recently sold out in under forty minutes, and even I took the time to brainstorm how litter could be reduced at future festivals after… View Post

BANKING ON IT (PART 2): AVEBURY

BANKING ON IT (PART 2): AVEBURY
[ Last week I shared Part 1 of a recent bank holiday weekend that did not go quite to plan, and this week I’m picking up with Part 2 … please consider signing up to the MissElaineous mailing list to get all blog posts as soon as they’re published. ] Although best known for its standing stones—which are considered the largest Neolithic… View Post

BANKING ON IT (PART 1): BARBURY CASTLE

BANKING ON IT (PART 1): BARBURY CASTLE
Outside of the UK, the term “bank holiday” is likely to be met with a puzzled expression. Is it a day to celebrate banks? Or a day that they’re closed? Or something completely different? After all, the UK is the country that also gave the world Boxing Day, which has nothing to do with pugilistic endeavours! The reality is the… View Post

WEIRD. WONDERFUL. WALES.

WEIRD. WONDERFUL. WALES.
Great Britain is composed of three nations: England, Wales, and Scotland. The United Kingdom adds Northern Ireland to the mix, and hence the official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The point of mentioning this terminology is that both Scotland and Northern Ireland are parts of the UK that are some distance… View Post
MissElaineous Travel Blog: Escape, Explore, Discover, Enjoy