February 2019. This is an update of a piece I wrote in 2010. Charles Darwin, Shrewsbury’s most famous son, was born in 1809 in this handsome border outpost within an almost circular loop of the River Severn. I took the train to one “England’s finest Tudor towns” and one of England’s most appealing day trip and… Continue reading
Rotterdam’s revival – how direct London trains will boost Holland’s second city
Jan 2019 update. Eurostar is to start a third daily direct service from London to Rotterdam and Amsterdam on 11 June, 2019. The existing two services a day have been selling well since they were introduced through the Channel Tunnel on 4 April, 2018. Fares on the high-speed rail service will continue to start at £35 one way, with… Continue reading
Carpe Diem – how to have a good day, every day
“There are many different ways to interpret the two words that have touched so many aspects of human culture. So many people know what they mean in Latin, and yet don’t apply them often enough in their everyday lives.” This is the time for good intentions, clean slates, things to do purposefully listed, firm resolution…. Continue reading
In the house where Dylan Thomas set “A Child’s Christmas in Wales”
This is the time to think of Christmas books. Dickens started our passion, but who has time for the whole of Pickwick Papers, unless you just read the snowy, seasonal scenes? A Christmas Carol is a possibility, but, weighed down with Victorian sentimentality, it lends itself to cinematic or theatrical adaptation rather then a comfy read in… Continue reading
Writing Aylesbury out of a children’s classic: how important are real places in literature?
When The Story of Holly and Ivy was first published, it was set in the Buckinghamshire market town of Aylesbury. In later editions the location was switched to the made-up Appleton. Has the book lost something as a result? “And where does your grandmother live?” asks a gentleman in the train compartment. “In Aylesbury”, answers Ivy. “Yes,… Continue reading
Non stop Bach is the spirit of my Christmas
Eight days from 12:00 AM (New York time) December 24th, 2018, to December 31st, WKCR (89.9 FM and wkcr.org) will dedicate all broadcasting to the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. https://www.cc-seas.columbia.edu/wkcr/node/21295 Many of us have a Christmas tradition, a favourite film, or a meal or a gathering in the pub with friends, the local… Continue reading