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Interested in the origins of the word “Grog?” Well … there was once an Admiral Edward Vernon (1684-1757) in the Royal Navy and he was well known for two things: wearing warm jackets made of grogram cloth (which is a

Admiralty House in Whitehall, London, (1788) was the official residence of First Lords of the Admiralty until 1964. In more recent times, Winston Churchill lived here while serving his two terms as First Lord. Further Reading: Admiralty House – General

Admiralty House, Halifax Nova Scotia – October 2013 Perusing old naval documents with care and white gloves! Note: Admiralty House once served as the official residence of the admiral commanding the North American Station of the Royal Navy. In it’s official role

Somerset House (1776) is situated between the Strand and the River Thames in central London. It is presently a centre for culture and the arts, but once housed the Navy Office and Admiralty officials who worked in the South Wing.

Chawton Cottage, Hampshire, England – September 2011Jane Austen’s literary home. It was in this cottage that she finished working on Sense & Sensibility (1811) and Pride & Prejudice (1813).In Come Looking for Me, Emily reads Sense & Sensibility to Gus Walby

Rules Restaurant in Maiden Lane (Covent Garden) was once an oyster bar opened in 1798 by Thomas Rule. It made several appearances in Downton Abbey and is mentioned in Cheryl’s upcoming Book #3.

 Cheryl spent eight days at sea, crossing the Atlantic from Ft. Lauderdale to Lisbon, Portugal (April 2 – 10). The ship weighed 113,000 tons and barely rocked when hit with stormy waves, but it was an opportunity to experience

Okay … and then there’s the expression “Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey” brought to you by popular demand as so often during my speaking engagements I’m asked about this one! So … the expression originates

While researching … it astounded me to learn that so many of the words & expressions we use today take their origins from life on the sea. For example … “Son of a Gun.” Today this expression signifies affectionate regard

During the Age of Sail … life for those on the sea was brutal and precarious. A battle injury such as the loss of a limb or being cut in two by grapeshot was the “third” greatest cause of death.