Bringing a little colour to your life each day - with six things that delight, inform and entertain.
The southernmost land mass of the British Isles are the Isles of Scilly, far out into the Atlantic Ocean off the south-western tip of Cornwall. Covered in heathland, and fringed with beautiful sandy beaches, the islands are the remnants of a large body of molten rock forming millions of years ago.
The Spanish Armada set sail in July 1588, with the mission of overthrowing the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I, and restoring Catholic rule over England. Over 100 ships were gathered with around 30,000 men onboard. The English fleet, commanded by Sir Francis Drake, was prepared to meet the attack and eventually saw off the invasion with the loss of many Spanish vessels.
The European wren delights in the bizarre scientific name of Troglodytes troglodytes, and is one of the smallest birds in the UK. It is also thought to be the most common breeding bird in the UK with 8.5 million breeding pairs.
Queen Street Mill, a former weaving mill in Harle Syke near Burnley, is the world's only surviving operational steam-driven weaving shed, with its looms intact. It is a Grade I listed building, and has been maintained as a working textile museum since it closed as a commercial proposition in 1982. After a three-year closure due to spending cuts, the mill reopened in 2019, but has also subsequently been hit by the pandemic restrictions.
Ada Lovelace, was an English mathematician and writer, who has been cited as the first computer programmer. She was the daughter of Lord Byron, the English writer and poet, whose interest in mathematics and logic was encouraged by her mother, Lady Byron, who wanted to prevent her from developing her father's perceived romanticist insanity.
The Hovercraft, or more technically, the air-cushioned vehicle (ACV), was devised by English engineer Christopher Cockerell in 1953, but took many further years to bring to fruition, as his idea was then locked away by the British Government.
Six things to delight and entertain you every day.