Jigsaw 1

A is for Architecture

Architecture accounts for the way a building looks. It is the design and appearance of the building. A piece of architecture could be a house, a library, a bank or something like a bridge or a monument. There are many styles of architecture: Classical, Romanesque, Gothic etc., each relating to a particular period of time.

Many people criticise the architecture of today as being too plain and not having anything beautiful about it. Such people inevitably look back to the past, as it was then, they consider, that buildings of aesthetic significance were built. A famous architect of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was Inigo Jones. Visiting Italy early in his career, he was influenced by the styles he found abroad and brought them back to England. He was particularly influenced by Palladio. Built in the classical style, the Banqueting House, Whitehall, London, was probably his best work. The Queen's House, Greenwich, is based on an Italian villa style but the effect is quite original. He also designed the first London square, Covent Garden, but only a part of this survives, rebuilt later by other architects.

B is for Balalaika

A Balalaika is a musical instrument from Russia. Like the guitar the 2, 3 or 4 strings are plucked, but the body of the instrument is triangular.

C is for Cathedral

A cathedral is the principal church of a diocese. It gets its name from the 'cathedra' or bishop's throne that all cathedrals used to contain, and some still do. St. Paul's cathedral in London was built from around 1675 to 1710 by Sir Christopher Wren. It was rebuilt after the great fire of London. The main feature of St. Paul's is the dome with its stone-built lantern. The famous 'Whispering Gallery' is at the base of the dome. If St. Paul's is a renaissance building on a Gothic plan, York Minster is pure Gothic with a West Front, that combines the Decorated and the Perpendicular styles. One of the cathedral's most notable features is its medieval glass. The 'Five Sisters' window is truly delightful, illuminating the North Transept and retaining as it does the original glazing of the thirteenth century.

A cathedral of a different style is that of Durham. It is a Norman cathedral; its architecture Early English. Built on a superb site, overlooking the river Wear, it is simply inspirational. Its two magnificent western towers are strong and substantial, as is the central one, a huge bulwark against northern weather in any century. The nave, choir and transepts are for the most part of the eleventh century and are all Norman. In one of the transepts are nine bays and this is called the 'Chapel of the Nine Altars'. Durham cathedral is the burial place of St. Cuthbert, and has been for years a place of pilgrimage.

Unlike Durham which has no spire, Salibury cathedral has the tallest spire in the country (404 feet). But like Durham, its architecture is Early English. Norwich belongs to the group of cathedrals that have a spire, as does Chichester and Rochester. Norwich cathedral's finest feature however, is probably its West Front. A large Perpendicular window just about fills the side of the building. Of all the cathedrals of England, it is Exeter that shows the most regular uniformity of architectural style. The roof which is beautifully vaulted stretches from end to end unbroken, and it is truly magnificent in proportion and in attention to detail. The many cathedrals of England are testament to a rich tradition of the people's belief in God, and they have become part of the lasting fabric of England's cultural and ecclesiastical past.

D is for Deltiology

Deltiology is the study and collecting of postcards. A cheap and rewarding hobby for a lot of people is the collecting of postcards. They become not only a souvenir, but a record of places you have visited throughout your life. Why not start a collection next time you go away for the day, and remember to keep all those postcards you receive from people through the post.

E is for Earth

Of all the planets in the solar system the earth is the only one that it would seem can support life. This is because it combines a supply of water with an oxygen and nitrogen-based atmosphere and meteorological conditions that can support an extended range of plant and animal life. The science of plate tectonics concerns the study of the moving plates that make up the earth's crust. These continually moving plates have shaped the nature of the world we see today. Where the plates have come up against each other many millions of years ago they have created huge mountain ranges and the geography of the world as we know it today. From one land mass on the face of the earth, volcanic movement has meant the continents have drifted apart and formed the countries of the world. Today, of course, the movement of the earth's plates is much more restrained, but they are still responsible for earthquakes and other volcanic activity.

Water covers two-thirds of the world's surface. It is a great life-giver. Without water nothing living on the earth could survive. The world's atmosphere however, plays almost as equal a part in giving life to the planet. Conservationists are worried that because the world is losing its rain forests and at the same time is releasing all kinds of gases into the atmosphere that the earth's temperature will rise with drastic effects. This is due to the 'greenhouse effect'. Carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere trapping the heat of the sun which can then not escape. Signs that global temperatures are rising is a noticeable thawing of ice shelves in the Antarctic. If this trend continues weather patterns all over the world will change. For Britain it would mean hotter weather and possibly coastal flooding.

Today there are over six billion people living on the face of the earth. If the earth's resources are effectively managed there is room for everybody, but there must be an end to pollution. As well as global warming there is the depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere that protects people on earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. It is depleted by noxious chemicals being released in the atmosphere. Caring about the environment and effectively managing the ecology of our planet is essential as time goes on. We ignore such issues at our peril.

F is for Farouche

Someone who is farouche is difficult to talk to, unresponsive and shy. The term 'wallflower' is often applied to someone quiet or farouche. The opposite of a farouche person is someone who is sociable, communicative and outgoing.

G is for Graphology

Graphology is the study of handwriting to find out about the character of a person. It first started in the schools of Paris and it was Abbe Michon who gave the study of handwriting its name. In Germany Ludwig Klages had a big influence on how the art of Graphology developed. He considered that natural rhythms in writing were indicative of lively thought and feeling. Klages, who was influenced by the great philosopher Nietzsche, contrasted very controlled writing (the Apollonian) to a freer style of writing (the Dionysian) and in turn compared these to lifestyles. Apollonian people were for the most part intellectuals who led very ordered lives, whereas the Dionysians were more physical and more interested in enjoying themselves. Graphologists have formulated various ways of interpreting handwriting and certain generalizations are accepted as telling something of a person's character. For example leftward loops shows attachment to the past and possibly the person is mother fixated. Straight downstrokes shows that a person is concerned with the present and wants to get on with things as they are, a practical person. More cursive writing on the other hand shows ambition and is forward-looking, not stuck in the here and now. Pressure of the pen against the page is telling. Strong pressure of the pen on the paper shows agression, whereas weak pressure shows timidity. Handwriting that is harmonious goes hand in hand with a life that is well-balanced and tempered with perspicacity. Sincerity, co-operation and openness are shown in handwriting by spontaneity and a certain degree of simplification. Creativity is indicated by freedom of movement in the writing. If you were to make a study of handwriting perhaps you would understand those teacher's comments more than the teacher would want you to.

H is for Horticulture

Horticulture is the science of growing things; commonly referred to as 'gardening' it is a very popular hobby in Britain and it is true that anybody can take it up and expect a fairly high degree of success. If you are a beginner you can start by sowing some seeds for colour in the summer garden, or by taking cuttings of already established plants. If you decide to sow some seeds all you will need is a seed tray or plant pot, some seed sowing compost that you can buy at the garden centre, and a sunny window-sill. Fill your seed tray with compost, water it in and level the surface. Next sprinkle on the seeds and then cover with a bit more compost. Cover the tray with a sheet of plastic and maybe some newspaper to shade it. Leave in the sun for a couple of weeks in the month of March and soon you will have little seedlings peeping out of the compost. When the seedlings have two good leaves they should be 'pricked out' into small pots to be grown on. They can then be put in their positions in the garden early in May. If you do not want to grow seeds in this way, why not put seed directly into your garden border. A good plant to try is Nasturtium. It is easy to grow and a riot of colour in the summer. There are many packets of seed for sale in all good gardening shops and some of the big chain stores and they usually have a colourful picture of the plant on the packet so you know what you are buying. Wild flower collections are particularly easy to grow. If you do not have time to grow geraniums or bizzy lizzies from seed on a window-sill, why not take cuttings from established plants. Cuttings can be taken in the spring and summer. Be careful with scissors. Take a cutting of about three inches from a non-flowering shoot, dip the end in hormone rooting powder, then stick the cutting in the compost around the edge of a three-inch plastic flower pot. Put about three cuttings to a pot. Then cover the pot with a plastic bag to hold in the moisture. Cuttings should root within three to four weeks. If you would like to grow bulbs for the spring you could plant up a tub. Find a tub of about twelve inches in diameter, put some broken pieces of clay flowerpot in the base and then fill with some potting compost from the garden center. You could choose either polyanthus or winter-flowering pansies as your plants, and for the bulbs any of the dwarf varieties of tulips or daffodils would do. A good dwarf tulip is 'Red Riding Hood' and a reliable dwarf daffodil is 'Tete-a-Tete'. You could also use chionodoxia, a beautiful small blue flower, snowdrops or crocus or hyacinth. Hyacinths have big spears with a wonderful fragrance. There is a whole host of flowers and bulbs to grow and once some people get the gardening bug they cannot stop !

I is for Iconography

Iconography is a way of describing a subject by drawings. It is concerned with art and the study of art. An illustrator could also be called an iconographer. An icon is an image of something or someone, hence we refer to a famous pop star or other well-known person as an icon. Princess Diana was one of the most famous icons of the twentieth century.

J is for Jewels

Jewels or precious stones have been in demand for making jewellery for generations. The science of gems is called gemmology. In more recent years there have been moves to find good quality substitutes for the real thing. One such is the simulated form of diamond called diamonique. Real diamonds on the other hand can be of tremendous value. Several things determine the value of a diamond: cut, weight and colour amongst them. Surprisingly, only twenty per cent of all diamonds are appropriate for use in jewellery. The majority are used as industrial diamonds. These diamonds drill, cut and grind, as there is nothing as hard as a real diamond. Countries in the world which produce diamonds are Russia, South Africa and Namibia. Diamonds are also mined in Australia.

Cutting diamonds ready for their setting in rings etc., is a highly specialized business. Facets are produced with a steel disc smeared with powdered diamond and oil. The facets are cut in such a calculated way that light is continually refracted back inside the crystal and thrown back out. Great brilliance is achieved in this way. The crown jewels are probably the most famous collection of jewels in the world. They consist of two royal sceptres, the jewelled state sword, the two orbs, the Imperial state crown and the state crown of Queen Mary. The great Koh-I-Noor diamond is among the treasures and one of the crowns contains 2,818 diamonds, 300 pearls and other assorted gems. A 74 facet pear-shaped diamond called The Star of Africa is in the royal sceptre. It is the largest cut diamond and is 530.2 carats.

K is for Kleptomania

Kleptomania is an urge to steal things, often things that are not really wanted by the person who is stealing them. It is as if it were a compulsive thing. People who are kleptomaniacs can be helped by doctors who specialize in psychology or problems of the mind, as it is widely recognized today as being something of a mental aberration.

L is for Lexicography

Lexicography is the art of compiling a dictionary. Hence the word lexicon is a synonym (different word, same meaning) for dictionary. A lexicon is especially a dictionary of ancient Greek, Arabic or Hebrew.

M is for Manuscript

Some of the first surviving manuscripts to be written were done by monks or scribes in the seventh century. The great civilizations of Egypt of course embraced literature in its many guises many centuries before this, when texts were written in hieroglyphics on papyrus, but hardly anything survives. Books written in Latin, including the Lindisfarne Gospels, are ornately decorated and belong to a group of works known as illuminated manuscripts. As well as being ornamented with birds and animals there is an imaginative use of colour, often green or yellow, and this is outlined with pink dots. Another book to have survived from around the same time is the Book of Kells. It is unclear whether the book was written in Ireland or in fact England or Scotland. Because of fear of attack the monks moved the book around, hence the confusion about its origin. However, it is a work of great complexity and the monks who worked on it were gifted artists and intellectuals.

Early manuscripts were written on vellum, which is just another word for parchment; made from animal skin such as cow or sheep, or possibly goatskin or deer, it was a long and complicated process to achieve a suitable surface for writing on. Paper was invented in China in the second century AD, but it was not until the fifteenth century that paper was a common material for books in England.

It was about the fifteenth century that some of the most beautifully illustrated books of all time were written: the Books of Hours. Written for the wealthy, they were an aid to prayer. One of the most widely known Book of Hours is the 'Tres Riches Heures' made for the Duc de Berry. It was three brothers from Holland, the Limbourg brothers, who produced it. Full of rich detail it gives a vivid calendar of the changing seasons. The illustrations are particularly arresting because of the use of gold leaf. Gold is used for the religious images because the most precious of metals is seen to be most akin to God. Other Books of Hours include the 'Belles Heures' and the 'Petit Heures', as well as the 'Hastings Hours' produced for William Lord Hastings in about 1480. John Bourdichon of Tours is responsible for the 'Hours of Anne of Brittany'. A splendid work, the artist's skill is evident in the wonderful borders which are liberally filled with flowers. Calligraphy, or the art of beautiful handwriting, is as much a part of the book writer's skill as the matchless illuminations. Nothing as beautiful or as rich as the Books of Hours has been produced in any subsequent century.

N is for Novel

Many novels have been written in the last three or four centuries. From Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels' and Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe' to the blockbuster novels of today by the likes of Barbara Taylor Bradford (A Woman of Substance) Virginia Andrews (Flowers in the Attic) or Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code). Novel writing began because people have always liked telling a story, and there has always been a public to enjoy reading. With the introduction of the printing press novel production came into its own. Epic novels like 'Tom Jones' by Henry Fielding told of adventure and intrigue and of course romance. Whilst novels like 'Vanity Fair' by William Makepeace Thackeray were loaded with irony and censure.