Yes. I remember Adlestrop— The name, because one afternoon Of heat the express-train drew up there Unwontedly. It was late June. The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat. No one left and no one came On the bare platform. What I saw Was Adlestrop—only the name And willows, willow-herb, and grass, And meadowsweet, and…
Mohács
This battle of the Hungarians with the Ottomans in the second decade of the 16th century was a loss for Hungary and the division of their country between Austria and Turkey. It is heavily taught in their schools and has become part of their vernacular and knowing this gives me a very good idea of…
The Art of the All
It is, obviously, ridiculous to argue in the general. I was always taught to argue in the general to the specific and never the other way round. You can make a general point but there is always going to be an exception that will undermine your argument. The specific does carry its own problem –…
Little Things
I have learned how to grow and importantly a great deal on yield, in the last four years. I was thrilled when the black grapes began to appear and enjoyed the success of the asparagus but I was forced to call out ‘oh you beauty’ when I found my first ever peaches growing on the…
History is not an Option
When I hear what people say about their own country et alone other countries, and understand the depths of their lack of knowledge about humanity and the struggles peoples have gone through to attain democratic principles, the rule of law and the beginnings of Rights, I shiver. It is not just that they are doomed…
Prepared
In the Second World War much has been said about how unprepared the UK was and how much they didn’t want to fight. As a country this may well be true but then we look at men like Mitchell who went to the fixed wing competitions every year, kept and eye on what the Nazis…
European university Institute
‘While many non-Islamic countries in Asia, Latin America, Eastern and Southern Europe, as well as some in sub-Saharan Africa have made important progress, most Islamic countries have stagnated or even moved in a reverse direction. That this divergence has taken shape in the last fifty years indicates that its causes are not intrinsic to the…
It is amazing
That journalists of the New York times can be lead to run a front page with a copped photograph that is not what it purports to be. In fact quite the opposite. Just as it is amazing that the BBC – the international jewel in Britain’s crowns – can run an entire documentary which turns…
Film Acting
Movies are a strange world for actors. You can find there some of the most famous stars were only ever themselves – no matter the part they never changed their mannerisms, their voice or the delivery. Cary Grant a case in point. Some can act in their early movies and then become so iconic for…
The Oddest Thing
People make choices about they believe. Faced with opposing ‘facts’ they opt for one said by someone of their own tribe or they choose the one that most closely follows their existing belief. This isn’t about lying or even lying to oneself. It is about the complete lack of any attempt at objective thinking because…