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The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric
The Bridge over the Drina showing the meeting place at the Kapia half way across Ivo Andric standing by the Bridge over the Drina...


On Mortality
We are all passing into the darkness, that twilight zone, where death is approaching.


Covid-19: a brush with death
I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to all the staff at Kings College Hospital London, without whose care I would not be here today.
Recent Posts


On the paradox of being English
T he “Unite the Kingdom” rally, led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson on September 13, 2025, in London, drew over 110,000 participants, making it one of the largest right-wing demonstrations in recent UK history. The event focused on anti-immigration and nationalist themes, with supporters waving English and British flags and chanting slogans like “send them home.” Clashes erupted with police and counter-protesters, resulting in 26 officers injured and 25 arrests. The rall


The Treorchy of my youth and dreams
I am English, born in 1945 in the North Western London suburb of Greenford. I was a 'baby boomer' born in March of that year, as the defeat of Germany was becoming increasingly inevitable. My parents would tell me of the terror of the 'buzz bombs' launched across the channel in the Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France, and the buzz of their engines was timed to cut out over London. The most terrifying bit was when their engines cut out . a A few seconds after that, there w


On Friendship
I have been reading Hisham Matar's excellent book, "My Friends." It is a novel about Khaled, a Libyan exile living in London, and his...

Reflections


The Tragedy of Shylock in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice
The excellent historie of the Merchaunte of Venyse!


Beethoven's Eroica and Me
The Eroica was the first piece of music which really got through to my uncertain, adolescent self.


Inkwell Serenade
Dedicated to the memory of my oldest friend, Tony Smith (Sept 1944 - Dec 2022).
Reflections

Music


Beethoven's Eroica and Me
The Eroica was the first piece of music which really got through to my uncertain, adolescent self.


Benjamin Britten: The War Requiem
Britten’s War Requiem is about the tragedy and futility of war.


Sibelius and the Mystery of the Forests
Sibelius and the Development of Finnish Nationalism.
Music

Portrait of a Place


Memories of a place: Salthouse Norfolk
Holt is still my ‘place to go to’ in Norfolk, and I have grown to know and love the north Norfolk coastline.
Portrait of a Place
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