Giving Blood

Giving Up

Christiana Spens | London Magazine | 28th March 2024

Lenten memoir. "I booked us into an intriguing B&B in a Victorian house, and we were greeted by a Russian Orthodox Priest. The walls were decorated with icons and antiques, a large gong by the foot of the stairs and shrines and candles at every turn. The Priest wore long black robes and a bright smile and showed us to our room. ‘Does this place even have plug sockets?’ my son asked" (1,700 words)

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Genius And Blood

Tony Morley | Big Think | 28th March 2024

Prior to industrialisation, artificial light was ruinously expensive. In 14C Britain, the cost equivalent of running ten modern bulbs for seven hours would be over £40,000. A candlelit house was a sign of extreme wealth because of the labour involved in making candles. Lamps filled with whale oil were the first reliable and safely portable light source, but the fuel was still costly to procure (1,700 words)