Landschlacht, Switzerland, 4 January 2017 Outside my window, upon the streets of this wee hamlet, the snow remains. Beneath the snow nature sleeps, awaiting the resurrection of spring. Yet life continues nonetheless… Cows and sheep graze beneath the snow for succulent grass. Birds continue their happy carefree melodies. Humans scurry and hurry about, seeking sustenance… Continue reading The Last Sigh
The fashionable dead
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 3 January 2017 The scene outside my window seems worlds apart and away for the world I am about to describe…for the streets here in this wee Swiss hamlet by the Lake of Constance are covered in snow both magical and mysterious. You could spend days explaining to me the science behind snowfall… Continue reading The fashionable dead
Take me back to Constantinople
Romanshorn, Switzerland, 2 January 2017 Slow start to the day and to the week finds us, the wife and I, having a late breakfast, then walking along the shores of the Lake of Constance. Here at least it has been a green Christmas season. In fact, yesterday´s Sonntag Zeitung remarks that Switzerland had never seen a… Continue reading Take me back to Constantinople
The Assassin´s Resolution
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 2 January 2017 “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.“(Mahatma Gandhi)(1869 – 1948) “Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)(1749 – 1832) “The best way to predict the future is… Continue reading The Assassin´s Resolution
Fireworks in the fog
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, 1 January 2017 Fireworks in the fog. As we stood on Schlossberg overlooking the city this morning many things sprang to mind. Another year survived. Considering the grimness of 2016, to be still standing at its end feels like an accomplishment in itself.… The best barometer of a person’s alcohol consumption… Continue reading Fireworks in the fog
Canada Slim and a Matter of Perspective
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 30 December 2016 There are many things that are unpleasant about getting older: diminishing senses, unflattering changes to one´s body, memory lapses, acquisition of a world-weariness… But for myself, especially in 2016, it has been the loss of one’s heroes. Yet another musical legend passed away over Christmas: George Michael, age 53. Famous for… Continue reading Canada Slim and a Matter of Perspective
Canada Slim and Last Year´s Man
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 19 December 2016 Now, Belgians love a good celebration, but a big night in the Belgian boozers often leads to mornings of regret and grim reflection. Being the chaste daughter of an English curate, nights in a bar were probably not part of Charlotte Bronte´s story, but her unrequited love for a married… Continue reading Canada Slim and Last Year´s Man
Canada Slim and the Days Confused
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 19 December 2016 Time changes a place. A place changes a person. I think back to the little town of Lachute, Quebec, Canada, where I went to high school. Many of the people I remember and much of what I knew is gone. “Progress” has arrived in the form of shopping malls and… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Days Confused
Canada Slim and the Teacher’s Travels
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 14 December 2016 They are beloved by everyone from misunderstood teens and fools for love to the serious-minded middle-aged and those of a critical bent. Now the Bronte sisters are taking centre stage again as the bicentary of Charlotte´s birth (born 21 April 1814) brings a host of events at their Yorkshire home… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Teacher’s Travels
Wooden soldiers and little books
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 8 December 2016 Oh, what a lucky man I am! As much as I complain at times about teaching there are also great moments that I also must share… As regular readers of the gobbledygook I produce know, I have… along with Cambridge Certificate courses, business and technical English courses… conversation courses. In… Continue reading Wooden soldiers and little books