Simply Thimbles

Hi all, Most people will be aware that man first landed on the moon in 1969. What might not be so well known is that the world's first supersonic flight was also in 1969. Supersonic means faster than the speed of sound which at around 768 miles per hour, is pretty quick. Although not as quick as 7 miles per second which is the speed Apollo 11 had to travel to escape Earth's gravitational field. 1969 was definitely the year for speed. Up until 1 st October 1969, flights had been subsonic, meaning that they were slower than the speed of sound. Concorde's first supersonic flight meant people could now travel across the globe in a fraction of the time. Concorde was a collaborative project between the UK and France and was heralded as a triumph in modern engineering. The planes were operated by Air France and British Airways. The name was chosen to reflect the partnership between the two countries. The words “Concorde” in French and “Concord” in English, ...

Hi there, These guys are the characters from Dad's Army, a British TV comedy from the 1970s.  It was a sit-com about the Home Guard during the Second World War. Originally called Local Defence Volunteers, the Home Guard was made up of men who were either too young or too old to enlist. Most were too old. Hence the nick-name Dad's Army.  Their job was to defend the home front against possible invasion. In the early days, the Local Defence volunteers had to wait for equipment as the regular army had priority.  This is where most of the more comic moments of the TV series came from.  The never-ending enthusiasm to invent ways of hindering an invasion using whatever tools they had to hand.  The re-runs are still popular today.  An everlasting tribute to the real band of Dads and Grandads, all of them volunteers, who watched over and protected our coastline and homes. Dad's Army is and always will be one of my all time favourite comedies.  Which is...

Hi there, Ironing has never been one of my favourite pastimes. I know it's something that has to be done but I always put it off. Usually because I've found something better to do. There is a pile of washing waiting for me right now, nicely stacked in the airing cupboard, waiting patiently. It's going to be there a long time, or at least until I run out of other clothes. I'd honestly rather de-ice the freezer than pick up an iron. I'm not alone. I know lots of people who hate ironing and find it a boring chore.  Why is that? Why is it such a chore? Is it because it hurts when you accidentally iron your fingers as well as that tricky hem that just will not lie flat? It never ceases to amaze me that we can fly across the globe, we've even sent man to the moon and yet, after all this time, we are still ironing clothes. These days ironing is easy. With fabric conditioners, modern fabrics and hi-tech modern irons, it really is a breeze compared to wha...