Neanderthal
I’ve been fascinated by the genetic research into the presence of Neanderthal genes in modern humans over the past few years. Neanderthals …
I made a film
I’ve been busy. I’ve got a camera and I’m going to use it. I made a film here in Orkney for a …
It’s a carefully laid trap
Each of these seats is a carefully laid trap. It’s a system which has evolved to take €18 off each tourist who …
Scala Contarini del Bovolo
Six floors, eighty steps, 28 metres and €9. That’s the spiral staircase named after snails, ‘del Bovolo’, in Venice. The Palazzo was …
The gondoliers
Gondoliers in Venice appear to earn a top salary of €100,000. For that I’d expect some adherence to uniform standards. We saw …
Bridge of Sightseers
A tale of two bridges. One is the Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs, built in 1600. It’s the bridge between …
Pink lamps
It’s a foggy early morning in Venezia and the low cloud gives an eerie feel to the place as we wander around …
Asymmetric Gondolas
On a recent trip to Venezia (Venice) I was fascinated to see that gondolas lean. They all have one side much larger …
“From the age of five I was taught how to torture, mutilate, and kill.”
From the age of five I was taught how to torture, mutilate and kill. I was instructed how to inflict the maximum …
Adult Human female – the sequel
I was delighted when someone commented on my blog post Adult Human female with a thoughtful and opinion-filled reply. In my original …
The Enchanted Shirt
I’ve enjoyed John Hay’s poem, The Enchanted Shirt ever since I bought a slim volume of his poetry, Pike County Ballads, printed …
Equivalents for the Megaliths
Paul Nash’s painting, Equivalents for the Megaliths, from 1935, is in Tate Britain, and I was thrilled to get a close look at it.
Poundshop Tolkien or Game of Thrones knock-off?
The Premier Inn haven’t cleaned my room properly again. They’ve left someone else’s book next to my bed, which appears to be …
The Magpie’s Box
We were at Tate Britain in London a month or so ago when my eye was drawn to this exhibit, mainly because …
“Girls are not much better either”
I’m briefly stuck in the 1970s, before I get back to jellying a salad in the 1940s, because I’m fascinated by this …
Adult Human female
I was at the Natural History Museum in London a month ago when I saw the skeleton of an adult human female. …
Three Old Women
I’ve always wanted to go to Hampstead Heath. No, not because it’s the busiest gay cruising site in the UK, possibly the …
The ultimate Babylonian Lion jigsaw
If you’ve ever received an unwanted jigsaw for Christmas, it may well have been one of those ‘ultimate most difficult jigsaw ever’ …
Egyptian Ibis mummy
The British Museum is full of curiosities. Here’s the Easter-egg-like sarcophagus of an Ibis mummy. It’s made of gilded wood and bronze …
Cat Mum
I love all the plunder in the British Museum. Some of the debate about returning treasures is so emotive it’s difficult to …
Like a fish needs a bicycle
I remember hearing the phrase “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle” many years ago. The standard response …
A teeth-chattering experience
Previously in Rome, I tried a bike-sharing scheme. It wasn’t the success I had hoped for: Similar bike schemes have failed in …
A modern ancient art
Rome has many modern examples of a very ancient art; graffiti. I have no idea what this is all about: He’s got …
Giordano Bruno, the Librorum Prohibitorum and the Field of Flowers
I generally don’t have heroes. People are too fallible and too human to admire uncritically. Sometimes I make an exception, though. Giordano …
Briscola
When the weather is fine, and after having their coffee and reading the local Rome paper, the older men at my favourite …
Dogs, dogs and more dogs
Walking through Trastevere in Rome I see a group of dogs tied to a railing. They’re such a perfect group I risk …
Graffiti
It’s not often you hear the singular of graffiti which is graffito. Perhaps that’s because one graffito attracts another. Graffiti actually means …
Little St Peters
Sampietrini are the tiny cobbles used in historic areas of Rome. They’re particularly common in my favourite area, Trastevere. They’re great because …
An oculus on a spandrel and silver in the river
The light this morning is fabulous. I ought to get out and experience Rome as it wakes. Walking down the river Tevere, …
1940s Onion Soup – just onions and water
As part of living a wilder life I’m enjoying getting some different perspectives. That includes listening to people who have completely different …