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.

Before Magpie became known as the little sail maker, he was a climbing boy in London. Climbing boys were the young apprentices of chimney sweeps. As early as age four to six, they were forced to climb up and clean

The fictitious Dr. Leander Braden received his medical training at the University of Edinburgh and took to the sea after losing his wife and infant son. Although a physician, he was a rare commodity in the Royal Navy. For the

The novelist Jane Austen had two seafaring brothers, Francis and the younger Charles. Francis in particular had a most distinguished naval career. Many of the personal details I ascribed to the fictitious Fly are true to the real Francis Austen

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. Historical Background – Brass Monkey Historical Background

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.

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

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 certain