Thoughts and words

When adaptability becomes a problem - be inspired

Many years ago, while living in Manchester, I met a man who changed his identity at the weekends. Given that I only met him at the weekends, this meant that I never knew the "real" person. He usually chose to "be" characters who needed a uniform, for example: soldiers, airline... Read more →

Inspiration from catharsis

I was watching/listening to a performance of Britten's War Requiem yesterday evening in Darmstadt and, while watching, I wondered how much of Britten's inspiration to write this piece came from catharsis. The word "catharsis" means cleansing and composing a requiem or writing a novel, a diary or poetry may sometimes... Read more →

Inspiration from nationalism? Not today, thank you.

I thought that the notion of inspiration to write through feelings of nationalism or patriotism might be a good idea. After all, when I was a boy in the 60s, I devoured the adventure books written just before or just after 1900. The writers of these books, for example: G... Read more →

Inspiration from oddities - Germany and World War 1

Take a look at the photo below. It was taken at 6.00 on the morning of Sunday 11th November 2018. The pipers in the photo are celebrating the signing of the armistice by playing, "When the Battle is over." Where do you think this photo was taken - Scotland, Ireland,... Read more →

The falling leaves drift by the window - autumn and the secret of happiness

Autumn is often associated with melancholy. I suppose this season is viewed as the end of something both warm and pleasant and, at the same time, as the beginning of something cold and wet, something that will only get worse and worse and darker and darker until the middle of... Read more →

Pictures speak a thousand words - Goldschmidt Park, Seeheim-Jugenheim

Old and ruined buildings and gardens have fascinated and excited me since I was a child. Aged just 8 or 9, I often spent happy hours wandering around the residential areas of Thames Ditton and Kington with their beautiful, but often dilapidated, Victorian mansions. I did not know it then,... Read more →