It’s a new soundtrackI could dance to this beat forevermoreThe lights are so brightBut they never blind meWelcome to New YorkIt’s been waiting for you (Taylor Swift – ‘Welcome to New York’) The word ‘nickname’, which I had assumed was a modern term, turns out to be from the Middle English phrase ‘an eke name’, … Read more
26-29 September 2025, New Camaldoli Hermitage, near Big Sur, California I think that Christian retreats are – essentially – of two sorts. There’s the ‘tidying up the garden’ sort, which usually involves a bit of spiritual dead-heading, perhaps some sweeping up, pruning and edging, and – if you’re lucky – some seasonal planting. These are … Read more
25 September 2025 at Hong Kong Airport, about to head East One of the earliest, greatest films ever made was ‘Around The World In 80 Days,’ based on Jules Verne’s novel of the same title, in which David Niven played Phileas Fogg. In 1956 it won the Oscar as that year’s best picture. Astonishingly, it … Read more
20-21 September, Borobudur, Indonesia It is, roughly, seven and a half thousand miles from the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua in Italy to the Temple of Borobudur in Java: two treasures of world heritage, seven and a half thousand miles and five and a half centuries apart. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The former I visited … Read more