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Continue reading →: The Stormwatcher by Graham Joyce
This is the last one left of Joyce’s books for me, and I took it on not expecting it to be his best, but it does bare many of the hallmarks of his writing, and is perfectly enjoyable. I am a fan of his, and consider his brand of fantasy…
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Continue reading →: Mulenesset Nature ReserveThe labradoodle (or Poodle-dor) from the French campervan shrugged off its leash and came over to say hello this morning. He was getting on fine with Roja, but the woman ran over shouting for him to come back. They had no wanted to converse yesterday, but now were forced. I…
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Continue reading →: La Chimera
Italy 2023 This is a delightful folk fable that concerns a ramshackle group of Italians in the south of Tuscany who rob graves for a living (tombaroli), specifically Etruscan tombs more than 2,000 years old in search of the treasure they were buried with. Attention focuses on an Englishman in…
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Continue reading →: Mulevika Beach
The weather has settled and is set fare for a fine week. I expected the car park I was at, Drageskaret, to get busy with it being a Sunday. It had been when I arrived late yesterday afternoon, but soon emptied. With that in mind, Roja and I left for…
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Continue reading →: Ervik Beach
In the winter of 1942-3 the Germans started building a road from Ervik to the tip of the Hovden peninsula. From here they could protect their own ships and convoys against allied aircraft attacks by placing their an anti-aircraft battery. Others are dotted around the cliffs. The road was not…
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Continue reading →: The Hare by César Aira
translated from the Spanish (Argentina) by Nick Caistor This was Aira’s first novel, and having finished it I was interested in how it went down after it was first published. It was written in 1991, translated into English by Nick Caistor, one of his regular translators, in 1997. It was…
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Continue reading →: Some Perspective..On its secluded half-moon bay Honningsvåg is a delightful village to hole up for a couple of days. The odd vehicle passes, perhaps one an hour, but almost always slows, and its occupants wave a greeting. Round the coast are the surfing beaches where a few hardy souls are on…
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Continue reading →: To Honningsvåg, Leikanger PeninsulaBy the time I left Retska island at 3 pm on Wednesday I think I had met all of the 30 of residents. I didn’t go looking for them, but I think they did for me. In the morning I wanted to get some height, but the two peaks further…
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Continue reading →: The Red Handler by Johan Harstad
translated from the Norwegian by David Smith This is billed as being the collected fiction featuring a character known as ‘the Red Handler’, a private detective, by the (fictional) author, Frode Brandeggen (1970-2014). Just over 150 pages are taken up by the fifteen Red Handler novels, with another hundred or…
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 