Ruth Elizabeth Stiff
Bio
History and knowledge, especially about the Earth, are my passions. I enjoy putting my thoughts to paper and I always try to encourage self-motivation and love for life. LIVE AND LOVE LIFE!
Stories (958)
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The Medieval Era
So many of us faintly remember this period of time from our school days. We learnt the names and dates of Kings and Queens for our history exams, and found the ‘info’ comes in handy for the odd pub quiz. For me personally, being so interested and fascinated by history, I couldn’t wait to start this Era --- but where to start? When I got out my history books, this time in history seemed endless --- but I found myself reading for hours --- my husband has never seen me so quiet!
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in FYI
I Love Cats
When I was about 15 years old and doing my CSE and O level exams (GCSE’s to you younger ones), my parents sat me down “for a chat.” I thought “Oh no, what have I done now?” as any typical teenager would say. “No matter what your exam results will be, mum and I know that you have done your best,” (yes, I did actually study for these exams) “here is a gift to say well done and that we are proud of you.” And they put into my lap a tiny, black and white kitten. I fell in love with cats!
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in Petlife
Irena Sendler
“We all have to ask ourselves, “what would I have done?”” Many of us may never have heard of this woman but, fortunately, her bravery during World War Two is recorded within the pages of history. A Polish humanitarian, social worker and nurse, Irena helped to save Jewish childrens lives from the ‘Holocaust’ (concentration camps). Her unselfishness is an example to us all.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in FYI
Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria was a beautiful 15 year old Princess who married a much older Prince. Moving to a new country, she had to learn a new language, a new way of life and practised her faith amongst ‘infidels.’ This Queen showed courage, as well as intelligence, during a very difficult period within the English history.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in FYI
King Charles I
We know Charles I as the King who lost his head (literally), but I wonder how many of us know his life story. What sort of a man was he? How was he raised? Why didn’t he give into Parliament to save his own head? It is true to say, we will never have another King like Charles I!
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in FYI
Jane Austen The Novelist
Jane Austen is known as a novelist, but for me she was also an historian. Her novels go deep into detail about how life was at the end of the 18th Century --- for the British landed gentry. The plots within her novels explore how women were, how they thought and their dependence on marriage in order to get some sort of social standing and economic security. Jane questions the ‘sensibility’ of this Century and her use if biting irony, along with her realism, humour and social commentary, have earned her acclaim among critics, scholars and popular audiences. Her novels are part “of the transition to 19th Century literary realism.”
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in Education
"The Lady with the Lamp"
We know her as “The Lady with the Lamp.” Florence Nightingale can be called ‘the mother of nursing’ as she did so much within her life-time to change nursing to the standards, the very high standards, which we see today. Her life is an interesting one.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in Viva
Medical Practice Through History
“Medical Practice” has improved and changed through the centuries. Today, an unborn baby can survive outside of the womb and go on to live a healthy life. We are fighting cancer and winning! All through history, we have been interested in health and how we can live longer, curing ailments and surviving pandemics --- why, we’re even ‘fighting’ coronavirus today. So, what was “Medical Practices” like in the years gone by? What did the doctor do? (If you could afford one). What were the hospitals like? Where do we start?
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in Longevity
VICKY
Looking around, I was enchanted by the décor that surrounded me. Late Victorian in design and colour, I could almost hear the late actresses singing in their beautiful flowing dresses, in full make-up and acting as they sang. Standing at the front of the stage, it was amazing to see how large this old building was. The auditorium could sit two thousand people. Even the seats still looked late Victorian and the lamps still had their original glass shades, but surely now electricity had been installed.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in Futurism
The Healing Properties of Herbs
The Earth provides us with everything to sustain life. Herbs are a Natural way of building our bodies up and even healing most ailments. In fact, most medicines we take today have herbs in them. Over the centuries, ‘wise’ men and women, known as healers, knew well the healing properties of these herbs, and the knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in Longevity
Going Into Domestic Service
Very few have them today, whereas in the 19th Century, one and a half million people worked as them (1 in 4 worked as one). I am talking about “Servants.” Today, we seem fascinated about this subject = how the maid lived? How old was the kitchen maid? What did the footman actually do? I personally have always been interested because my grandmother worked as a maid “in a big house” and I remember her trying to teach me how to serve dinner: “always serve on the left and pick up on the right.”
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in Journal
King George VI
Our dear Queen’s (Elizabeth II) father, this King served our country through the Second World War. Unexpectedly becoming King after King Edward VIII abdicated, George VI became a conscientious and dedicated King, working hard to adapt to the role he was “suddenly thrown into.” With the support of his wife, Elizabeth, being reserved in nature with a deep religious belief, George VI overcame hardships --- both physical and political --- to become the King we admire today.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in The Swamp
