After Cambridge, the road barely changes in height, with no noticeable rises or dips. As the landscape makes its slow conversion into water-saturated farmland, the only height amid the fertile arable land comes from stacks of hay climbing high on Ministry of Defence land. Driving through the landscape, with water… Continue reading
An early birthday gift of a replica mid-eighteenth century globe depicting the best cartographic knowledge of the era, and the arrival of my thirtieth birthday, got me thinking just how much the geography of our cramped little planet remains in flux even today. Dating to the time when calculations were… Continue reading
One result of my Encircle Africa expedition was a collection of nine spiral-bound reporters notebooks purchased across the continent, containing approximately 120,000 words that formed my thoughts and everyday experiences. It has taken me the last 13 months – the same amount of time it took me to actually circumnavigate… Continue reading
Since the First World War almost one hundred years ago, Birmingham has generally been considered Britain’s second city, though in recent years it has looked at risk of losing the unofficial title. The childhood home of Tolkien itself took the title from Liverpool – the ‘second city of Empire’, and… Continue reading
Who wouldn’t want to be an adventurer, constantly scouring the earth for lost tribes, intriguing paths, and new species (or even sitting in a small flat desperately searching for additional sources of funding)? Most people with a mortgage to pay, some might respond. John Lennon one said something along the… Continue reading
There’s nothing quite like making a foreign city a home, if only for a few days. The discovery of the best patisserie in town, entirely absent of other tourists and staffed by men and women only speaking the local tongue, for instance. I take special pleasure in being able to… Continue reading
Heading back to Britain recently from a small regional airport in southern France brought to mind what is perceived in the collective consciousness as ‘the kindness of strangers’, and what often in reality means ‘the kindness of foreigners’ (or even ‘the kindness of people we can’t understand’). I had just… Continue reading
There seems to be a publishing equivalent of waiting for buses: I wait weeks for a bit of my work to move from the ‘accepted’ pile, only for two pieces to make it to the ‘published’ pile in a week. However long it takes, it’s great to see my name… Continue reading
I certainly wouldn’t have started recreational running (I say ‘recreational’ since I’m neither quick nor elegant) if I made any money from foot modelling. What made me start was a need to get out the house, improve my fitness, and counter my consumption of cake, biscuits, and any other foodstuff… Continue reading
There are some things you can only learn by actually travelling. If travelling around the coast of Africa with a notebook for 13 months, through 31 countries and crossing 36 frontiers, taught me anything it was to never be mistaken for a journalist (or an Israeli). It is one of… Continue reading
