“For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci Regular readers will know – even though we’re often told that travel is about the journey not the destination – that I’m not ... Read more »
Human life is short. Short when compared to the lifespan of our species. Short against the existence of our world, our planet. And a mere blip in the vastness of universe. But to us humans, the time we have is everything. We have this one chance to live, to love, to learn, to cry, to ... Read more »
To write a believable world of fantasy, in which the characters, through all their endeavours and relationships, their fights and friendships, feel real and believable to the reader takes an author who understands real people in the real world. I often find inspiration about real life in the words of J R R Tolkien, including ... Read more »
“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” So said Anatole France, a French poet, journalist and novelist whose literary career spanned more than 50 years from the mid 19th century through to the 1920s. I think sometimes about these words. I don’t know if I believe mankind ever had ... Read more »
I’m a believer in the adage that you have to make your own fortune. Of course, luck plays a huge part, as do the circumstances you are born into, not to mention the opportunities that you have access to. I am not so daft that I don’t realise how much easier it is for some ... Read more »
Time to pay respects to my home town once again. I love to travel and see the world, and sometimes I feel like I don’t want to come home because the trip is so wonderful. But when I settle back into London, I realise I have missed it in so many ways. Yes, there are ... Read more »
Of course, most of us have commitments and practical limitations that mean we can’t spend all our waking hours chasing our dreams – the need to work a job to pay the bills, the desire to spend time with our friends and families, the prioritisation of raising a family or establishing a career (or both)… ... Read more »
Aah, safari! It’s making me a little antsy to realise that it’s been a good few years since our last safaris to Kenya and Tanzania, and even longer since we visited Botswana, another of our favourite safari destinations. There’s something so utterly compelling about visiting a place full of wildlife and flora, observing birds and ... Read more »
I love that feeling when you’ve settled into your seat on the plane (or train or boat, for that matter) and the last few minutes tick down to departure time. Finally, you’re off! All the weeks of planning are done. You’ve handed over anything important at work, and your out of office message is on. ... Read more »
This is probably my single favourite quote of all time and has been for most of my adult life. I’ve been reluctant to include it in this little series of mine, worried I wouldn’t do it justice or be able to express why I find it so incredibly powerful. I decided in the end that ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]