Last Orders

Towards the end of the last century, on a boozy night in an Edinburgh pub, it became apparent from the … Continue reading Last Orders

memoir, russia, trains

Chutney

Head down, nose in a book, I didn’t see the impact as the window shattered and the shards of glass … Continue reading Chutney

birds, Iona, the sea

Eilean Chalbha

Just off the north end of Iona lies a forbidding looking skerry of black rock; Eilean Chalbha, or Calf Island … Continue reading Eilean Chalbha

Gardens, memoir, spring

Benchmark

All of a sudden, April has gone and May is upon us. The equinox is already a month passed and … Continue reading Benchmark

Ely, spring, The Fens

Cow Parsley Bank

Spring builds like a wave, slowly at first, gathering pace. Shivering snowdrops raise their heads, followed by crocuses and swathes … Continue reading Cow Parsley Bank

spring, The Fens, walking

Siren Song: Coda

Some years ago, I was being shown around the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. A colleague, and my guide for … Continue reading Siren Song: Coda

birds, The Fens, walking

Whistling in the Dark

Under a dun November sky I park up beneath some trees and walk the hundred or so yards to the … Continue reading Whistling in the Dark

Ely, The Fens, walking

The Clayway

A sleepless night and the annual confusion that follows the end of British Summer Time has left me roaming around … Continue reading The Clayway

Cricket, Moon, Time

Lunatic

The moon is waxing gibbous in the bluest of blue skies on this, the hottest day of the year, and … Continue reading Lunatic

Nature, Sanctuary, Secret Gardens

Lifecycle

We’re into June and the first real heat of the year. After the rains of May, and now this sudden … Continue reading Lifecycle