Category Archives: Blather

Why I pay the subscription

I am sitting in the reading room of the London Library, a place to which I often retreat when I have an afternoon in London. The room where laptops are encouraged is lined with reference works in various languages, and … Continue reading

Posted in Blather | 4 Comments

Displacement activity

In the last week I have been trying to start up a potentially important web site; get two, perhaps three, long radio programmes going; write two columns; review Rowan Williams’ book on Dostoevski; organise a page of collected reviews for … Continue reading

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Lost knowledge

Of which British 20th Century figure was its said by an American onlooker that his misfortune was that “He was born a Roman and died an Italian”? It could have been Churchill or possibly Keynes, though I think that Keynes … Continue reading

Posted in Blather, British politics | 1 Comment

Nature notes

I went out for a long, new walk yesterday — after living here for nearly twelve years there was still a path out of town past the football ground that I had never explored and that I only discovered by … Continue reading

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A wonderful tombstone

I was emptying my camera card today and came across these two pictures: front and back of a gravestone in Strethall Church (which itself is rather wonderful, dating back to around 900AD). Here is the Major-General’s daughter: And this is … Continue reading

Posted in Blather, Travel notes | 3 Comments

That speech

I swear I heard Obama say that the essence of America was “Hoping for a better future round the bend”.

Posted in Blather, USA | Comments Off on That speech

She’s done the research

“The Sandoz acid was the Cadillac of drugs. The Owsley acid was a Mercedes with two flat tyres. It was a bumpy ride…” Carolyn “Mountain Girl” Garcia, from a podcast Q&A session with an audience I found on my disk, … Continue reading

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Bloody Nokia

I just bought — well, changed my contract to — a Nokia 6220: a very flashy phone with a nice camera, a GPS receiver, and in fact everything you could possibly want in a phone — except one tiny thing: … Continue reading

Posted in Blather, Net stories, Software | 10 Comments

Tour dates

I will be performing on the radio tonight, when the Viking slavery programme that Louise and I made is featured on Radio Four’s Pick of the Week: this would be your chance to learn why every smart Ukrainian family would … Continue reading

Posted in Blather, Journalism, Sweden | 1 Comment

Gone Fishing

I’m off to the photograph in the header for three weeks and I don’t plan to post anything until August the 6th or 7th. Have a wonderful summer, all of you.

Posted in Blather, Housekeeping, Sweden | 1 Comment