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Continue reading →: Un Amor by Sara Mesa
translated from the Spanish by Katie Whittemore I’ve enjoyed one from Mesa before, Four by Four, and read another, Among the Hedges, which I didn’t get on with so well. In this, she is again in her best form. Its a character driven book rather than plot driven. Seeking a…
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Continue reading →: Into Switzerland
At the moment the weather plays a more significant role in daily life than it does at other times of year. It’s dark just after 5 pm, and if there isn’t much sun in the day, the temperature will remain around zero. I had two days of sun in southern…
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Continue reading →: Into Siberia: George Kennan’s Epic Journey Through the Brutal, Frozen Heart of Russia by Gregory J. Wallance
This story, of an American explorer in nineteenth century Siberia, ranks among the great adventure stories, and from Wallace’s pen it is a thrilling tale of a harrowing journey, bringing to the world’s attention some of the most despicable human rights abuses. So fascinated he was by travel and wild…
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Continue reading →: Another section of the Via di FrancescaOn a fine cold day here in southern Tuscany Roja and I took on another section of the Via di Francesca (St Francis’ Way) this morning. It’s similar weather across mainland Europe at the moment, high pressure in, and an easterly air flow. It got up to about 15C under…
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Continue reading →: Into TuscanyThe lake at Piediluco is home to Italy’s National Rowing Federation, and this morning the Paralympic team was training, along with their Romanian counterparts. It was a fine cold morning, just above zero when Roja and I took our morning walk along the Via di Francesca, which at this point…
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Continue reading →: A short section of the Via di FrancescoOne of the reasons I stopped at Piediluco was that it is on the La Via di Francesco, or the St Francis’ Way. There’s actually a Cicerone guide book dedicated to it, a 550 kilometre long distance pilgrimage trail that runs from Florence to Assisi. This morning Roja and I…
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Continue reading →: Film Festival – last days
Anatomy of a Fall / Anatomie d’une Chute With its mesmerising backdrop of the Rhone Alps in winter, skilful camera work, subtle soundtrack, and great acting, this is gripping film, quite unpredictable as it delves into the intricacies and imperfections of the relationship of a wealthy and successful couple. It…
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Continue reading →: The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen
This is a really interesting short novel from Machen, in that as typical it is of him, as entertaining to read, the plot is confused and doesn’t really make much sense. If it’s read as a series of vignettes, it may be appreciated better. I could take such a vignette…
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Continue reading →: From the Molise to the foothills of Umbria
Just a few hundred metres outside the village of San Giuliano del Sannio, Francisco and his wife have bought up an old farm and turned it into a restaurant. One of the reasons that they can open almost every day is that they offer free accommodation of campervans and motorhomes,…
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Continue reading →: Confession by Martín Kohan
translated from the Spanish (Argentina) by Daniel Kahn – from Charco Press Divided into three sections, this concerns the Argentinian dictatorship of 1976, but more specifically, how it affected one family. The first part, Mercedes, tells of the adolescence of 12 year old Mirta López in 1941 and her repeated…
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 