Recent Trips
Labyrinth
The Ashmolean’s Labyrinth exhibition is full of hidden treasures
Firefighters
The Firefighters statue near St Pauls Cathedral is a moving tribute to the bravery of this emergency service
Lewes Castle
Lewes Castle is a striking reminder of the town’s medieval heritage
Destinations
Visiting Hope Gap
From the beach you can see the Seven Sisters stretching all the way from Cuckmere Haven to Beachy Head.
Getting to know Macon
Mâcon We have been staying in the small city of Mâcon in southern Burgundy. Just down the road from our AirBnB, in Place de la Barre, is a statue of two workers carrying a huge basket of grapes. It was made by Pierre Alexandre Morlon. The sign under the statue...
Along the Birmingham Canals
We walked along the Birmingham Canals where graffitti artists have made their mark in technicolor
Visiting Soubes
We drove to Soubes in Languedoc for our annual holiday in the south of France.
Beaches
The hot springs at Polichnitou are a staggering 46 degrees C
Hot Springs
The hot springs at Polichnitou are a staggering 46 degrees C
Cave Paintings
Hidden deep inside caves, art from 15,000 years ago and even earlier
Porto
At the mouth of the Douro river, the gateway to a world of food, wine and vibrant culture.
Iceland
Far enough north to see the aurora borealis, you can bathe outside in the coldest winter
Haw Par Villas
A slice of madness in the business-focused Southeast Asian financial capital Singapore
People and Events
Snowdrops
Spring is around the corner when the snowdrops blossom
Halloween
The Celtic festival of Samhain is a highlight of the pagan year
Totensonntag
November 17 in Germany is a national day of mourning for everyone who has died in war or as a result of tyranny. The "national day of the dead" is respected across Germany as a stiller tag -- a day of quiet where it's not okay to play loud music and where, in some...
Diwali
Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is the Hindu festival of lights. The festival celebrates the victory of light over darkness and symbolically, of good over evil. Diwali is an autumn festival in the northern hemisphere, and isassociated with firework displays as well...
Festival of Saint Nicholas
The Christian festival of Saint Nicholas is observed on December 6 throughout western Europe and in some eastern European countries including Romania and Hungary. Saint Nicholas is the prototype for Santa Claus, and he has for centuries been associated with being a...
Krampusnacht
As a child, I remember the Krampus in Bischofstetten, my home village in Austria. He was a scary figure. On Krampusnacht, on 5th December, the Eve of the Feast of St Nicholas, we would get to meet him. Oma and Opa, my grandparents, had a hayloft with recesses stained...
Burbura
People across the Levantine Middle East eat a heavily-scented porridge called Burbura on 4th December, to celebrate the feast of St Barbara. The Eid al-Burbura is celebrated in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine, as well as parts of Russia and Turkey. The...
A simple breakfast
Muesli, skyr and blackberries. Couldn't be simpler and couldn't be better.
Day of the Tiger
International Tiger Day is an annual celebration that aims to raise awareness of the precarious position of tigers in their habitats, and the need for efforts to conserve tigers in their natural environment. Tiger Day started in 2010 when the Saint Petersburg Tiger...
Saint Anne’s Day
Saint Anne is a saint celebrated in both Christianity and Islam. Apocryphal writings in both religions say that Anne was the mother of Mary and therefore the grandmother of Jesus, although she is not mentioned by name in either the Muslim holy book The Quran or the...
Sustainability
Bluebells
The bluebells are out again in Sussex but they won’t last forever
On A Serious Note
Despite growing public concern, carbon emissions continue to rise. My book on Sustainable Transitions in Energy reflects the need to go electric.
New energy
How energy is produced and how it is used are about to change forever
