Tag Archives: scribe doll
Translator or Writer?
I used to write. A lot. I never set time aside to write but grabbed it as and when I came across it. At home on a Sunday afternoon, when I had a twenty-minute Tube journey and could get a … Continue reading
Summer Night in Trastevere
Streets bustling with tourists who walk slowly, looking up, right and left, mouths half open, stopping abruptly to take a photo, holding up the locals, those whose footsteps have a specific destination, who no longer look at the sights because … Continue reading
Santa Sabina
When we were in Rome, a couple of weeks ago, I insisted we go and see “my favourite church in Rome”. The first church I ever liked, to which I owe my introduction to, and love for, early sacred music. … Continue reading
Wine and Politics
We were in something of a celebratory mood, so, being in London for the day, went for lunch at one of our favourite Italian restaurants, in Bloomsbury. “Let’s go there,” I said to H. “Last time we were there, the … Continue reading
What Exactly is Your Job?
Last weekend, I had the joy of seeing members of the Norwich Stonemasons‘ Guild perform a Mystery Play outside the doors of the Cathedral. It was a warm, sunny afternoon, a brief summer interlude before putting our coats, scarves and … Continue reading
Adventures with Chicken Soup
My acupuncturist takes a quick look at my tongue. “You’ve got a low blood count,” she says. I smile and roll my eyes, thinking of how my GP had to draw blood and process it for a whole week before … Continue reading
Luxembourg Wine
In Anglo-Viking-Flemish Norwich, a Londoner and a Roman invited a Venetian for dinner at their home. The Venetian had some Austrian, Spanish, and Moroccan blood, the Londoner originally came from a Polish-Jewish family, and the Roman was of Armenian-Welsh-Cornish descent. … Continue reading
Just a Bit of Fun at the Expense of One English Social Stereotype*
We went to London last week, and stayed in Fulham, where I lived for several very happy years. For the information of non-Londoners, it’s an area in the South-West of the capital, a twenty-minute Tube ride from the West End … Continue reading
Books: Challenges, Traumas and Pure Pleasure
I remember a stormy night when I was about eleven. We were living in Nice. I don’t remember what prompted me. I stood on a chair to reach the top shelf of my mother’s bookcase where she kept – along with … Continue reading
London Night Sounds
The rumbling of the occasional car, speeding past our house. A murky grey sound. Snippets of human voices. A woman’s giggle. A crimson sound. The arrhythmic clicking of stiletto heels on the pavement. A copper sound. The roar of the … Continue reading