Search results

  1. Blackleaf

    The Human Shrub strikes again... with his wife the Human Shrubette

    For the last couple of months, a "human shrub", whose identity remains a mystery, has been transforming neglected public gardens by pulling out the weeds and replacing them with brightly-coloured flowers. There are rumours that the Human Shrub is a member of the Conservative Party (or maybe...
  2. Blackleaf

    Booze culture: Drinking to excess can leave you red-faced in the morning

    Everyone knows that the British like a good drink, as they have done for centuries. And it's not that weak stuff that's drunk in North America either. An incredible ten million British adults (out of an adult population of around 45 million) are currently drinking more than the recommended...
  3. Blackleaf

    E.T. find home? RSPCA struggles to find new owner for Britain's ugliest mutt

    Meet ET, Britain's ugliest dog. The unfortunate mutt is so ugly that, for the last three months, visitors to the kennels in Waltham Abbey, Essex, where he is looked after just ignore him. ET is so ugly because he is a Mexican Hairless, one of just 27 in the UK. He's so ugly he can't even...
  4. Blackleaf

    Inside the imposing interior of Britain's new £36m Supreme Court

    Here are some pictures of Britain's brand new Supreme Court, which will start work on 5th October. It will take over the judicial functions of the House of Lords, which are currently exercised by the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (Law Lords) - separating the judicial and legislative roles of the...
  5. Blackleaf

    Children flee as bus carrying them home from seaside bursts into flames

    When a group of primary school children were returning from a trip to the seaside, their journey home was more eventful than they thought it would be. They were travelling up the M3 from Weymouth in Dorset when their double-decker bus burst into flames. Pictured: Primary school children flee...
  6. Blackleaf

    English football in mourning after the death of legend Sir Bobby Robson

    English football legend Sir Bobby Robson has died aged 76. The former England player and manager battled cancer five times, and passed away on Friday. Sir Bobby was at Newcastle's St James' Park on Sunday to watch a friendly match to raise money for his cancer charity. The England and...
  7. Blackleaf

    Doctor Who named as 'most successful sci-fi show ever' by Guinness World Records

    British TV series Doctor Who has been named the most successful sci-fi show ever. It has already been awarded a Guinness record for the world's longest-running sci-fi series - it has been on our screens since 1963. The new series - Series 31 - returns in 2010, and there will be a new Doctor...
  8. Blackleaf

    Photograph: swallow flies through two-inch gap at 35 miles per hour

    He's not Biggles, but he sure is an exceptional flyer. This little swallow was photographed travelling at 35mph through a two-inch gap. The swallow is one of a pair of breeding chicks in the mountainous Angus Glens area, near Dundee, Angus. Photograph: swallow flies through two-inch gap at...
  9. Blackleaf

    The South of France?... No, it's harvest time at Britain's largest lavender farm

    One of the advantages of having plenty of rain, as Britain does, is that the land isn't blighted by scorched, yellowed grass as Southern Europe is, and we don't have parched desert areas, such as in the United States or Australia. Instead, Britain's countryside is always lush and green, and an...
  10. Blackleaf

    The Hex Factor: Estate agent wins £50,000 job as Wookey Hole witch

    An estate agent (or "realtor" as I think you say in North America) known as Carla Calamity has won the competition to work as a witch at Somerset's Wookey Hole Caves, a tourist attraction. Wookey Hole Caves (the world "Wookey" comes from the Old English "Wocig", which meant "animal trap") was...
  11. Blackleaf

    Gloriously British: UK's attempt to put a cheddar cheese into space ends in failure

    The Americans, who like things being done on a grand and glitzy scale, have put the odd man into space and even on the Moon. But the Yanks cannot beat the British at one thing - eccentricity (and cricket). Rather than putting a man, or even a monkey or a dog, into space, the British have...
  12. Blackleaf

    Armed and ready to protect One: Meet the first Sikh soldiers to guard the Queen

    The two proud young British soldiers wear their smart uniforms with pride as they go about the task of guarding their country's Head of State and the Crown Jewels. Armed with loaded rifles, it won't be a good idea to mess with these two. Signaler Simranjit Singh, 26, and Lance Corporal...
  13. Blackleaf

    England win bid to host 2015 Rugby Union World Cup and 2013 Rugby League World Cup

    The next decade is looking to be a golden one for British sport. London is hosting the 2012 Olympics, Glasgow is hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games and England is hosting the 2019 Cricket World Cup. On top of that, England is also bidding to host the 2018 Football World Cup. And...
  14. Blackleaf

    Jeremy Clarkson in new Prime Minister insult row

    Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has caused controversy by insulting Prime Minister Gordon Brown - for the second time this year. Whilst recordng an episode of the TV show, Jeremy told the audience that Brown is a "c***". Earlier this year, Jeremy called the Prime Minister a "one-eyed...
  15. Blackleaf

    Baby of the house: Tory, Chloe Smith, aged just 27, crushes Labour in Norwich North

    Gordon Brown and the Government were reeling last night after being heavily defeated again, this time in the Norwich North by-election. The Tory, Chloe Smith, received 13,591 votes. At just 27 years of age, Ms Smith will be the youngest member of the House of Commons. Labour's Chris...
  16. Blackleaf

    Queen is first monarch for centuries to watch ancient Swan Upping ceremony

    The Queen has become the first monarch for centuries to watch one of Britain's many ancient ceremonies - Swan Upping. Swan Upping is an annual ceremony in which mute swans on the River Thames are rounded up, caught, marked, and then released. Traditionally, the Monarch of the United Kingdom...
  17. Blackleaf

    60 years of the Commonwealth: Peek inside the royal travelling wardrobe

    Some of Queen Elizabeth II's exquisite dresses are go on show on Sunday to mark the summer opening of the State rooms. She wore many of the dresses during her extensive travels around the Commonwealth and the world. Also going on display are some of the strange gifts she has received on her...
  18. Blackleaf

    Prince William treks through rain for charity but winds reveal growing bald patch

    Prince William went for a trek in England's picturesque Lake District - and high winds revealed a growing bald patch on his head. The future King William V was walking up Helvellyn, England's third-highest mountain, for charity. But his growing bald patch, at the age of just 27, was very...
  19. Blackleaf

    Ploughmen, peasants and boys aged 12... The unsung heroes of Agincourt

    In October 1415, an English Army of 6000 men led by 29-year-old King Henry V met a much larger French Army of 30,000 men at Agincourt. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the English heavily defeated the French. The battle was fought in thick mud, which had a detrimental effect to the French...
  20. Blackleaf

    WWI veteran Harry Patch, known as the Last Tommy, has died aged 111

    First World War veteran Harry Patch, known as the Last Tommy, has died today aged 111. This comes just one week after another British WWI veteran, Henry Allingham, died aged 113. Harry was Britain's oldest man since Henry, also the world's oldest man, died. Harry's death means there are...