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Continue reading →: The Blue Fox by Sjón
translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb The Blue Fox consists of two different, but connected, narrative strands. The book opens in 1883 with the Reverend Baldur hunting the elusive blue fox, a rare and valuable prey. Their contest, his for a valuable pelt, hers for her life, takes on…
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Continue reading →: The Skin Chairs by Barbara Comyns
I’m a big fan of Comyns and having read everything of hers that is in print, I am now on a mission to seek out and read those that are not, such as this. I managed to find a secondhand copy at a reasonable price, I don’t think the bookstore…
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Continue reading →: The High Life on the Island of VannøyI had a couple of day on the beach at Sandsletta but as the weekend approached it was getting busier with Norwegians in their motorhomes coming from Tromso, just an hour away. Also, I had exhausted the walking possible from that part of the island. The island has some excellent…
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Continue reading →: The Gospel Singer by Harry Crews
These days Crews’s influence on storytelling is more widely acknowledged than when he was alive. It may seem surprising for a middle aged white man whose work is fraught with racism and a masculinity so toxic it sometime bypasses misogyny and goes straight into violence. During his life (1935-2012) Crews…
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Continue reading →: The Island of VannaThe camp up above the road tunnel at Sørskaret was a good one and I did consider staying a few days, but it is hardly wild, being just 15 kilometres from Tromso. Most visitors are locals that come for a run or a walk, a dog walk, or a bike…
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Continue reading →: Hillesøya Island then into the mountainsTwo splendid outings today after an early start. I had taken the ferry between Brensholmen and Bottnham (Senja) in 2016 during my bikepacking trip, but in a southerly direction. It was raining and cold, and there were few people around. Right now, we are in a fine spell of weather,…
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Continue reading →: The Segla – Hesten RidgeOn Sunday the various forecasts I use had all predicted a fine day, but the cloud didn’t listen, and refused to budge. Mid-morning we took on a hike to see the Monk of Senja, a rock that resembles a hooded monk. There is a child-friendly sign that hints at supernatural…
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Continue reading →: A Gradual RevealFor two days now the magnificent peaks of Senja have been under wraps, concealed by low cloud and mist. As I write the sky is clearing for a fine week. Those peaks are starting to show themselves, and as the cloud ascends and disappears the gradual reveal is special indeed.…
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Continue reading →: The first of the five Fingers of SenjaLeaving the island of Bjarkøya I continued on the long way round to get to the island of Senja, by way of the islands of Grytøya, Rolla and Andørja. Small as Grytøya is, it is a mountaineer’s paradise, but the hiking is at a low level, above 300 metres, and…
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Continue reading →: Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval
translated from the Norwegian by Marjam Idriss Biology student Jo arrives into an English university town where the only accommodation she can find is a flatshare in a former brewery warehouse., with no permanent walls, and where every sound is amplified. With the introduction Hval has created an atmosphere of…
To live more widely
supera superiora sequi
SafeReturnDoubtful is my alias.
Where is Andy?
I was so much older then…
Quote of the Week
Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, who was sitting in a tree, ‘What road do I take?’ The cat asked, ‘Where do you want to go?’ ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it really doesn’t matter, does it?’
Lewis Carroll
Safe Return Doubtful 