Chiaroscuro

Yesterday was only my third visit to the Prado but it was the most rewarding as I didn’t wander around aimlessly but concentrated for an hour on just a handful of pictures in the galleries by the main entrance at the top of a double flight of steps.

Can Eight Sheep Make a Difference?

I abhor the brutal and cruel campaign of murder and kidnapping waged by terrorist members of Hamas against the civilian population in Israel.

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Autumn in Madrid

In Valencia in 2016 I saw Joaquín Sorolla‘s pictures for the first time. In March this year I saw more of his work at The Royal Academy in London.

Ptarmigan and Psillies

Earlier this year Penguin Random House (PRH) reprinted a couple of books by PG Wodehouse redacting some words in general use when the books were written but that have now become offensive to some people. Not to me, as it happens.

A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery

‘Begin at the beginning,’ the King said gravely. And ‘go on till you come to the end; and then stop.’ (Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll)

Travels with My Otter

A reader, John Tuffin, recommended Douglas Botting’s biography of Gavin Maxwell when there was an ottery post in August.

The Big Shave

Yesterday, on a rainy Saturday afternoon in London, I went to see Martin Scorsese’s latest at the very comfy cinema within the Riverside Studios.

From Jefferson to Blinken

We live in a democracy, others, poor things, live in totalitarian states governed by Fascists, Communists and the rest.

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