Month: April 2016

A Delicious Paradox

There have been forty-six in Switzerland in the last five years. Since 1971, forty-five years ago, there have been three hundred and seventy-six. You know what I’m on about; the Swiss penchant for putting everything to a referendum.

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Categorised as Politics

Limestone Way, Day Three

Staying in pubs, the customer expects a comfy bed, wi-fi, an en suite bathroom with a shower and “products” – that’s little plastic capsules all full of the same grunge labelled shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel; most places, more or less, deliver.

Limestone Way, Day Two

The Limestone Way is not an ancient footpath like, say, the Ridgeway or Peddars Way. It was created by the Derbyshire county council, I suppose to promote tourism. Originally it ran from Castleton to Matlock and this is the route, about twenty-eight miles, we are taking. Nobody can accuse us of being over ambitious. (Subsequently… Continue reading Limestone Way, Day Two

Limestone Way, Day One

“Little do ye know your own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour.” This is what Robert Louis Stevenson wrote in Virginibus Puerisque, a collection of essays published in 1881. What I think this morning is that I will be jolly glad to arrive… Continue reading Limestone Way, Day One

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Categorised as Travel

To Sheffield – and Hope

My train went from St Pancras to Sheffield where I changed to a two carriage stopper to Hope.

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Categorised as Travel

Duel Purpose

I read in the FT three recommendations for places to eat outside in London; a timely feature as the weather warms up. One of their picks is Boulestin in St James’s Street (above) and, before you book a table, you might like my slant.

Speaker’s House

A while back I was fortunate to be invited by Pippa to Speaker’s House in the Palace of Westminster. Of course I was keen to take a look at the extravagant refurb. undertaken by a former Speaker, Tony-crony Derry Irvine. You may remember that he was criticised for going OTT and the bill, as usual,… Continue reading Speaker’s House

In Memoriam

Walking in London I often come across things that are new to me and you may not know about some of them either. A few days ago I was in Grosvenor Square and noticed this wooden pavilion and pergola on the east side, by the Italian embassy.