Travel: Among the Irish Faeries and Norse Gods

Many years ago, I went hiking in Ireland in Glendalough I saw some magical landscapes. Ireland has a beautiful soft light in the summer. The diffused sunlight is speckled with clouds that pass over the vast valleys and mountain-sides. It’s possible to sit there all day and just watch the way the light travels overContinue reading “Travel: Among the Irish Faeries and Norse Gods”

The Pros and Cons of Moving to Aotearoa New Zealand 2021 Edition

Every country has its shadow side, dark secrets, embarrassing problems and PR nightmares that governments attempt to sweep under the rug and hush-up. Here are New Zealand’s. I’m doing this so that people who have this idealised, naïve view of New Zealand as some sort of Utopia actually come here knowing what to really expect,Continue reading “The Pros and Cons of Moving to Aotearoa New Zealand 2021 Edition”

Words and Music: Stases & Neist Point on the Isle of Skye

[I will write a poem about a place that I’ve been each week with music to match] Neist Point on the Isle of Skye Swirling batons of time Erasing thoughts and hushing life and death On a clear day you can see all the way to Iceland it’s said In any case there to theContinue reading “Words and Music: Stases & Neist Point on the Isle of Skye”

I Saw Your Name on a Wall [Short story]

Soundtrack for story – Hear playlist I saw your name on a wall. I paused and couldn’t look away. It was a busy day in our cathedral to capitalism, our hive of activity where there was a lot of people milling around but mostly they were seated, with headsets on like train drivers of theContinue reading “I Saw Your Name on a Wall [Short story]”

Weirdly…I am getting almost no likes on my posts nowadays?!

I’ve been doing it regularly as usual and making each post high quality. I’ve been getting the same amount of traffic but hardly no likes or comments. I know you all aren’t ignoring me, because on Twitter I seem to get a lot of feedback from people saying that they like these posts. Anyway ifContinue reading “Weirdly…I am getting almost no likes on my posts nowadays?!”

Travel: Roaming in the gloaming in the land of soft colours and dramatic firmaments

Around ten years ago, I had the best trip of my life when I went to the Isle of Skye, Scotland with the Polish bear. We cozied up in the most comfortable little croft in all of the Scottish isles. Located in Borreraig, the farthest point of the Isle of Skye and as far awayContinue reading “Travel: Roaming in the gloaming in the land of soft colours and dramatic firmaments”

On silence and idleness

“Happiness is in the quiet, ordinary things. A table, a chair, a book with a paper-knife stuck between the pages. And the petal falling from the rose, and the light flickering as we sit silent.” Virginia Woolf, The Waves Time Moves Slow by Bad Bad Good “Nothing thicker than a knife’s blade separates happiness fromContinue reading “On silence and idleness”

Mind-expanding books that opened up the world to me as a teenager #Booktag

Some books help you as a teenager to move beyond the claustrophobic and limited world you were born into. We can’t help where we were born or who our family is. However, when we are young, if we read the right books, we may just be able to transcend challenging beginnings and see the worldContinue reading “Mind-expanding books that opened up the world to me as a teenager #Booktag”

Travel: Wellington from city to wild coasts

Watch my video of the journey Wellington is unusual and amazing in that you can walk along the beach for 10 km and go from being in the middle of the city to being in a really remote and wind-swept marine sanctuary. There aren’t many other places in the world you can do that. Here’sContinue reading “Travel: Wellington from city to wild coasts”

Travel: The ancient moorish town of Conil De La Frontera, Andalucia

At least 7 years ago now, I WWOOFED in Andalucia, helping out with cleaning and cooking at an Andalucian B&B villa just outside of Vejer De La Frontera.The work was far from easy although I did happen to live in a mountainside cabin (cheap fibro, but yet still my own for a wee while). I loved the location and the cabin.