We often find our summers disappointing, but spare a thought for our ancestors, still reeling from the end of the Napoleonic wars and subjected in 1816 to constant icy rain, frosts in July, failed crops and waves of disease. They could have no idea of the true cause, an Indonesian volcano. The fascinating though grim truth about The Year Without a Summer is balanced by the story of that year's astonishing creativity, from the creation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to Turner's dramatic sunsets.
Views: 60 | Enquiries: 0I'm a retired secondary school teacher with more than ten years recent experience in adult learning. My main subject until this recent period was English Literature, but my talks now include topics in social history and - a popular choice - the history of food. Both face-to-face and online I like to keep things informative and entertaining - an advantage of visiting local groups is that I can incorporate some local history and even bring food samples. Some recent talks: 'Tea with Mr Darcy', '1816, The Year Without a Summer', and 'Satire and Syllabub'.
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