Polar Power

I started writing here eleven years ago. I thought I might be bored not having to get up and go to work. Strange, because I always had a range of interests beyond my job.

Chinatown

Old signage like this is a reminder of how swiftly cities change. Actually if they don’t adapt they become fossilised tourist attractions or worse.

How the Brigadier Lost His Ear

I think it’s time to reassess Conan Doyle’s Brigadier Gerard stories. I last read them more than half a century ago. Now I find them both funnier and much more interesting.

The Finnish Boys

Sometimes ignorance makes me chicken out of something but then I find out. Earlier this year, in the forest cemetery outside Tallinn, I saw a memorial to “The Finnish Boys”.

Published
Categorised as History

Man in White Suit

When I saw a man dressed like this at the forest cemetery in Estonia I thought maybe he was a forensic policeman gathering evidence. This seemed unlikely so I filed the matter in a bulky folder labelled Unsolved Mysteries.