Month: August 2023

Otter Hunting

“Twilight over meadow and water, the eve-star shining above the hill, and Old Nog the heron crying kra-a-ark! as his slow dark wings carried him down to the estuary.” (First line, Tarka the Otter, Henry Williamson, 1927)

Do You Know the Way to … ?

“In July 2005 Pope Benedict XVI stated during an impromptu address to priests in Aosta that: “The Pope is not an oracle; he is infallible in very rare situations, as we know.” Pope John XXIII once remarked: “I am only infallible if I speak infallibly but I shall never do that, so I am not… Continue reading Do You Know the Way to … ?

A Classical Education

I prefer to use knives with bone handles at home. Like so many preferences and habits it is because that’s what we did at Barmeath.

Published
Categorised as Literature

The Chumly Test

I failed the Chumly Test when I came to live in London and mentioned Cad O’Gan Square and continue to fail it, most recently at Kenwood.

Kenwood Revisited

“Lord Mansfield received important guests here, as they admired his books and Robert Adam’s stunning decoration. Adam drew on the architecture of ancient Roman buildings and his own theories about colour to create one of the most innovative late 18th century British interiors.” (Kenwood Guide)

Shopping by Tube

Most people who live in London have walked along the Brompton Road between Harrods and Harvey Nichols; it takes about five minutes if the pavement isn’t too congested.

Published
Categorised as Art, Shopping

The Mistra Chronicles

The Shardlake historical (Tudor) whodunnits are as “compulsively gripping” (Sunday Times), “superb” (Independent), “thrilling” (Sunday Telegraph) and “compelling” (Observer) as these plaudits on the cover of Revelation (the fourth in the series) attest.

Hardship Allowances

When I was posted to Belize, in the Irish Guards, in 1973 it was officially still British Honduras. The name changed unobtrusively, at least to me, in June 1973 mid-way through my stay.

Published
Categorised as Travel