Blog bicentenary!

This is my 200th post, so it's a good opportunity to look back on what's appeared so far. Although I'd be the first to admit that the 'miscellany' title is well-advised, a few themes are emerging.

Most obviously, there's the Postman's Park series. The stories behind the plaques on the Watts Memorial, dedicated to acts of heroism by 'ordinary' people, are fascinating if melancholy. They also throw sidelights into topics as diverse as the Frost of 1895 (which makes our current cold spell look cosy by comparison), Victorian firefighting, air raids and the Silvertown explosion in World War I, and nineteenth-century pantomime.

Another major preoccupation is the history of Deptford. Some episodes, like the death of Christopher Marlowe, are fairly well-known; the conviction of the murderous Stratton brothers made legal history; while incidents of escaping tigers, flea-bitten horses and eighteenth-century gang crime are fascinating social history. Deptford even has its share of firsts - not least London's oldest surviving passenger railway station.

Then there are ghost signs - in London, Poole, Bridgwater and Brittany; other Breton curiosities such as singing rocks, dead twigs you can eat, and local legends; visits to Paris, Lyon, Tower Bridge and Open House weekend; the odd quiz...

I've met people through the London Bloggers meet-up group, attended some great events, and even won a case of wine for this post!

For me, though, what has been most enjoyable about the blog has been the contact I've had with its readers - thank you all!