Hope springs eternalOn a gaudy neon streetNot that I care at all Such a muddy line betweenThe things you wantAnd the things you have to do Friday 16 July 2026 Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Above: In Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland On the way to Konstanz, 15 km away, to get my teeth cleaned upon the… Continue reading Place your bets
Category: Tradition
Synod
Above: Holy Trinity Cathedral, Tbilisi, Georgia Wednesday 15 July 2026 Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Violent wind. Heavy rain. Hailstones. Nothing about the weather yesterday did I have any control over. Above: Weather Wizard (Mark Mardon) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. We readily speak of acts of God. Earthquakes. Floods. Lightning. Events beyond human control.… Continue reading Synod
Deep harbour
Wednesday 15 July 2026 Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Rain and hail has made the decision to remain inside a wise one today. Emotionally I am feeling very similar to how I felt on my first day of travelling in Georgia. The question: So, what do I do now? I have made job applications both in… Continue reading Deep harbour
To Batumi and beyond
Monday 13 July 2026 Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland I am caught between two systems that operate on completely different assumptions about time and responsibility. On one side is my wife. She values clarity, planning and decisions. To her, “I don’t know yet” sounds like something that ought to be solved by asking harder, following up… Continue reading To Batumi and beyond
The road to the border
Sunday 12 July 2026 Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Above: Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland I sit at my laptop and I write. About places I have known, conversations I have heard and people I have observed in the hope that my own experiences are rich enough material. It is only 0900 but I have been up… Continue reading The road to the border
The dream weaver’s visit
Friday 8 July 2026 Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Day Three of my exile from Georgia and I am still finding topics for the blog about the journey to Georgia… Above: Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Sunday 10 May 2026 Rize, Rize Province, Türkiye Mountain Shores, Part Three I wandered down towards the beach. Beach? Sorry, no.… Continue reading The dream weaver’s visit
What’s in a name?
Tuesday 7 July 2026 Sighnaghi, Signagi Municipality, Kakheti, Georgia Above: Sighnaghi, Signagi Municipality, Kakheti, Georgia In four hours I ride to Tbilisi Airport to catch my 0600 flight to Zürich. Above: Tbilisi International Airport, Tbilisi, Georgia Above: Zürich, Canton Zürich, Switzerland I will miss travelling – been doing this since 10 May – and my… Continue reading What’s in a name?
A cup of tea
Sighnaghi, Signagi Municipality, Kakheti, Georgia Tuesday 7 July 2026 My last full day in Georgia (for now) and here I am writing about my last full day in Türkiye (back then). Better late than never, I suppose. Above: Sighnaghi Town Hall Mountain Slopes, Part One Rize, Rize Province, Türkiye Sunday 10 May 2026 Rize is linked… Continue reading A cup of tea
The big chill / The last station
Above: Lev Tolstoy railway station, Russia Wednesday 7 December 2025 Ankara, Türkiye Above: Ankara in winter “We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.” Kahlil Gibran Above: Lebanese-American writer Kahlil Gibran (1883 – 1931) I sit in my room on a December evening in Ankara with the windows open to… Continue reading The big chill / The last station
A cacophony of sax and violins?
Sunday 7 December 2025 There is a familiar joke — one that sounds almost like a mondegreen (a misunderstood or misinterpreted word or phrase resulting from a mishearing of the lyrics of a song) — That people don’t want “sex and violence” in schools, but everyone loves “sax and violins”. It is a playful pun, yes, but it captures something surprisingly… Continue reading A cacophony of sax and violins?