It started on the inside of an old book. An inscription personalises a book and raises questions. One question was; ‘Who was GPT and who was LWT?’ A quick browse through the book was followed by a detailed and complete reading. This was the story of Stalag 383 – a German Prisoner’s of War camp for Non-Commissioned Officers. Most of the prisoners were British soldiers … Continue reading The most interesting search for G.P.T.
I bumped into a Doctoral candidate from China, today, at the International Society for Stem Cell Research. Min Dai was only twenty four but he knew when enough was enough and after three days of sitting in a conference he was quite willing to have a rest. I was just walking along the South Bank and there he was looking at the cormorants on the … Continue reading Western Philosophy
Winter has dragged the sun further around the bay to the north to set, now, behind the bridge. You cannot easily see the bridge from here, but earlier I stood beneath it to make sure it was still there. And wild pelargonium spread along the river’s edge. But that was earlier and now the water in the bay if flat like molten silver. Except for … Continue reading It will be cold tonight.
If it were war I would have my rifle. And my commander would tell me to be careful. “Make sure there is no damage – No collateral damage – But remove them.” ‘Remove’ is not a loaded word, It is not emotive. Neither is ‘collateral’ an emotive word. And I would take my rifle and ‘remove’ them. And if a child died at my hand … Continue reading The Watchers on the Tower
William got the bus at Spencer Street. He could have taken a train then transferred to a local bus, then changed at Horsham and then taken another bus but this way it was just one bus all the way, maybe a bit less comfortable but cheaper and there were more stops and he got off and took photographs. “Where are you going?” the woman next … Continue reading You can never go home!
It has taken me a lot of time to learn, and although I have tried to put my mind to the differences, I have to go with the reactions. For example, my story about Marley, who couldn’t live with his wife gone prompted a reaction from three people, but my photos of cockatoos received five times the reaction. So I suppose if I need my … Continue reading Album
The Australian Brolga (Antigone rubicunda) is a member of the crane family of large, long-legged and long-necked birds. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. The fact that the Brolga is named for Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus might have something to do with their beauty or their haughty stance or their nobility and loyalty to their mate. The brolga is native to Australia – … Continue reading Brolga
Marley, as I have already mentioned died when he was relatively old but I think the process began much earlier than that. Back then boys from farms were often sent off to boarding school. I was one of them and there I met my two life long mates, Ian and Warwick. And Marley. Marley was the boarding-house master, had returned from the war in Europe, … Continue reading Marley – part three.
Marley’s death, occurring as it did at the height of the football final series, happening in the particular way it happened and given the likelihood that it was definitely a once in a lifetime phenomenon for everybody who was involved and presenting at the particular time on the clock that it did, would have been less noteworthy, less of an inconvenience and less tragic if it … Continue reading Marley’s death – part two.
It is morning and, as the sun crawls slowly, I am still sleeping, fitful and struggling like the sun, ’til suddenly, frightfully, the screech of two hundred white cockatoos wakes the neighbourhood. They race across the rooftops and land, squabbling, in a tall cypress. They strip tender tips from the branches. The neighbours on both sides of the tree rush to the roadway, pyjamas hitched … Continue reading The white cockatoo.
