Blind Travel
Hugh Lofting’s Doctor Dolittle books have aged poorly in spots. The uproarious adventures of ‘Prince Bumpo’ aren’t the only reason, either. Too often the stories slip into whimsy, telling predictable adventure yar[…]

The majesty of Google means that an interview in The Times of India with Mira Nair can be quoted around the world by now, or at least the part about her maybe directing the fifth Harry Potter film. The scrap that made it to the IMDB’s news sect[…]

i had a little model blue bird but – possibly typically – it was a model of the car his dad drove not the boat that killed him: and (though we didn’t have a TV till the year after) i remember very clearly the news of his death on co[…]

hurrah for senility!!
one of the nice thingz abt sharing lifespace w.other people is being able to spring treats and little surprises on one another now and then – and ordinarily this is quite hard if you live on yr own, but today i came home […]

POP FACTOR: 620 CONTROVERSY SCORE: 248
What you hear in Baby Cakes depends on what story you’ve been following. The story of garage? Then it’s an afterthought, a sidestep, barely even vital enough to qualify as a move backwards. The sto[…]

I was born on the road — or something close to it. As muttered elsewhere, my dad was a Navy man, and when your family has something to do with the military, one thing that’s guaranteed is that you’ll be on the move fairly often. S[…]

FT Top 100 Films
38: LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP
Martin Skidmore Says:
This film is among my all-time favourites, and I love it unreservedly, but it seems not to get too much attention these days. I think we undervalue Powell and Pressburger &#82[…]

the victorians were very extremely weird part 3567256
i sort of maintain an interest for professional reasons, and also bcz they helped create a pathway into the golden age of fantastical children’s lit and illustration, but is there a SINGLE […]

i. rise at 2.45am to get to Stansted. when i mentioned this to mum she recalled the long days when everyone’s car had a little campaign sticker – NO TO STANSTED! – bcz a third airport wasn’t necessary and it would death to som[…]

The Minuses of Travel
How do you get under the skin of a city? Some would suggest spending time with locals, or perhaps drinking your way around the bars. Me? I go to football matches.
In Buenos Aires there are two decent choices; River Plate, based […]