Sharing "A Bit About Britain"

I think most of you who regularly read my blog have probably figured out that I'm a bit of an Anglophile.  There are several British blogs that I follow, and I really look forward to reading their posts and seeing images of beautiful Britain.

Today I'd like to introduce you to Mike, who authors the blog, A Bit About Britain.  Mike lives and works in England and writing his blog is one of his hobbies.  I discovered A Bit About Britain a year or more ago, and I really enjoy Mike's posts.  The dry British sense of humor that my husband and I enjoyed when we were there comes through in Mike's writing.  My family can tell you that I'm not one of those people who is silently amused.  When I'm reading something funny, everyone knows it because I laugh out loud.  Many of Mike's posts are laugh-out-loud funny, and of course I had to share them with my husband.  (See "A Visit to Scotney Castle" -- beautiful castle and very funny post).

I was very taken with Mike's most recent post (probably because I had just returned from the coast) and after reading it, I decided that I really need to share this with some of my readers.  I know I'm not the only one of my fellow bloggers to have visited England, so I thought you might enjoy this blog.  Mike writes about almost every region of Britain, including Scotland and Wales.  His posts contain current photographs of all these wonderful places, but he also shares their history with us.  For history geeks buffs like me, that's a win/win situation.  ;)

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These pictures are from Mike's current post, Souter Lighthouse.  The post preceding Souter Lighthouse was on Balliol College at Oxford University, and featured some beautiful photos and a brief history of the college, including some of the many famous people who attended Balliol College.  One of the pieces I really enjoyed from A Bit About Britain is titled, "How the Norman Invasion Shaped British History."  Since the Norman Invasion of 1066 has long been a subject of fascination to me, this one definitely caught my eye.  The post is informative, humorous, and thought-provoking, and includes an image of a segment of the Bayeux Tapestry.  Yep folks, I've just got to get myself back across the Pond for another visit.  :)

Reading Mike's blog is a bit like having an online tour guide that you can e-mail if you have questions about any of the sites he writes about.  When I visit somewhere for the first time, I always have tons of questions because I just want to know about things.  When I visited England with my husband 15 years ago, he was there on a project for work.  One of his co-workers at the English facility, Keith, ate lunch with us on Monday through Friday, since he and my husband were working together.  Keith was a wealth of information, and he was very accommodating about all my questions, though he probably felt like nicknaming me "Mrs. Question Box."  ;)  At the pub, I asked, "What are those brass things on the walls?" (horse brass, BTW), what was that building we passed earlier, how old is it, what's the name of that flower, what kind of bird is that?..." you get the picture.  :)  I didn't know if we'd be coming back soon, if ever, and I wanted to take in everything I could.   

A Bit About Britain covers a variety of topics, so there's probably something here for everyone.  I don't think you'll find anything about Kate Middleton and her latest fashion choices; I imagine Mike figures the celebrity websites have covered that already.  I'm not being snide in the least, because I'm a big fan of Kate, William, and the darling little ones.  I think they're a lovely family, and I do love Kate's fashion sense.  :-D  What you will find in this blog, however, are plenty of castles, abbey ruins, grand manor houses, cathedrals and churches, as well as museums, pubs, etc.

You'll find information about famous characters/legends that have been immortalized in books and movies.  One of my favorite posts was, "In Search of Robin Hood," and I also enjoyed some of the posts about King Arthur, such as "Pendragon Castle."    In "Dawn of Empire," you can read about the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, another character who has always fascinated me.  There's also a post about Rosslyn Chapel, the church featured in Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code."

I do hope you'll visit "A Bit About Britain," where I bet you'll find something to peak your interest.  Many thanks to Mike, who kindly agreed to be featured at House at Forest Manor.  Thanks to all of you for stopping by today and for continuing to read my blog.  You're much appreciated!

Denise

***I received no financial compensation for writing this post.  Just had fun sharing!***