NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
I had to write a blog this week about the continued integrity of the Nobel Prize Committee in selecting Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan democratic …
VICARS CLOSE
Vicars Close is a dead-end street in Wells, Somerset. It is, reportedly, Europe’s oldest residential street, with the original buildings still intact. John Julius Norwich called it “that rarest of survivals, a planned …
NEVER BELIEVE
Many years ago, I was given a phrase that has served me well ever since. “Never believe anything until it is officially denied”. That sounds …
TITANIC OF THE PYRENEES
Once hailed as the “Titanic of the Pyrenees”, Canfranc International Station, in northern Spain, has been plagued by disaster, derailment and decades of abandonment. Now, …
PLAYING JAZZ TO THEIR COWS
Farmers in the U.K. are playing jazz to their cows. And, no, I am not making that up! A new soundtrack has started to …
ROBERT BURNS FAMILY FLUTE
Robert Burns family flute is a story I have not heard before, and I have been involved in staging Robert Burns Suppers for many years …
PLATYPUS DIPLOMACY
Before koalas became Australia’s animal ambassadors, the country tried platypus diplomacy. In 1943, a camouflaged ship set off from Australia to England carrying top secret …
PORTUGUESE NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY
The only remaining Portuguese narrow gauge railway line plays host to heritage trains, offering a chance to travel through the stunning Vouga Valley in a …
ROMAN CIRCUS
Many of us remember the excitement generated by the spectacle of the Roman chariot race depicted in the film Ben Hur. Some of us have …
BEWARE OF DUNG CARTS
Beware of dung carts! One day in August 1565, James Johnson got drunk. By early evening he was so intoxicated that he fell asleep in …