Looking through the veiled window, Which way will the nightingale go? Will it be up, will it be down? Do not fret, do not drown. Rest on the oak tree’s branch, and sing Your beautiful song, for the delicate spring, And whilst we pant and fight, Desperately trying to save our plight, I sit and listen, […]
Culture
Why A Writer Should Be Locked Up
As a writer, you’ve got no excuse not to write – unless you have four toddlers crawling around your living room, creating havoc. I suppose that I can be forgiven for not writing because it really is a hobby. I’m spending most of my time cancelling appointments and worrying about the rest of humanity. But […]
Reflections (2) – Lockdown
LOCKDOWN A particle so small, shaped like a crown. A disease threatening to bring us down. And yet, in the distance, I find hope, a brilliance. I will march on into the daylight, I will endure and fight. Togetherness from you, is what I need, And on your love and compassion, I feed. The […]
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Outside World
Little did we know that being enclosed within the confines of our kitchens and living rooms, we would miss a wonderful world out there. Don’t you just? My thoughts go out to those in complete lockdown. As for the rest of us who still manage to get out and about, beware – our time could […]
The Power Of Books
The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village. […]
Coronavirus – Ethics And Rationality In Decision-Making
Implementation of restrictions in various European countries has made me realise to what extent we all took things for granted. Gone are the days where we could eat out, go to the cinema, or visit a museum, without thinking twice about it. But the coronavirus outbreak has also cast a shadow over my dental practice. […]
City Will Have To Be United For Once
Let us leave the murky politics and dubious finances out of this, and concentrate on what really matters – you, the Manchester City supporter. It is you who pays on a weekly basis, to watch and support players who earn more in a week that you will earn in a lifetime. We can take it […]
Who Needs A Family When You’ve Got Friends? Oh, Sorry – I Ain’t Got Those Either!
It’s a real curse, isn’t it. Family, I mean. Harry and Meghan have my deepest sympathy because I know exactly how they feel. Here’s a royal saga that I can easily relate to. Only for me, it was the other way around. Instead of leaving my family, it’s my family who left me! You just […]
City Past And Present – Hello Or Hola?
This may be a controversial post for some, an unreadable one for others. Insults may fly out of Facebook. But don’t worry, I’m tough and, in any case, my present involvement in Facebook is very limited so that the chances are, I won’t read your comment anyway. I found it interesting to compare yesterday’s City […]
Claude Lévi-Strauss – Father Christmas Burned as a Heretic
On December 24th 1951, a group of Catholic clergymen hanged and set on fire a Father Christmas effigy in front of at least 250 children in Dijon, France. Following the incident, the late French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss wrote an article entitled “Le Père Noël supplicié” (“The tortured Father Christmas”) in the literary journal “Les Temps […]