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Subjects
Blogroll
Category Archives: Local Culture
RIP Carlos Celdran
It was with real sadness that I read the news of the death of Carlos Celdran in Madrid this week. As the story broke, there was recognition and regret on the Facebook page of every friend I had in Manila, … Continue reading
Posted in Local Culture, Philippines
Tagged carlos celdran, intramuros, manila, Philippines
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Burnt Toast
‘My mother burns toast as surely as the sun rises each morning… I am nine now and I have never seen butter without black bits in it.’ ~ Nigel Slater The Other Palace is a terrific little theatre only a … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, England, Local Culture
Tagged Giles Cooper, Lloyd-Webber, Marguerite Patten, Nigel Slater, Toast
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Glorious Gardens
Spring is rolling into summer, and although the weather may not be participating, the fields and hedgerows are lush and green – even more so, perhaps, thanks to days of heavy rain. It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting though, … Continue reading
Posted in England, History, Lifestyle, Local Culture
Tagged Kent, National Trust, Pashley Manor, Petworth House, William Morris
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A Few of My Favourite Things
It sometimes happens that the town child is more alive to the fresh beauty of the country than a child who is country born. ~ Beatrix Potter I first came across Hannah Dale’s designs in a National Trust shop and … Continue reading
Posted in England, Lifestyle, Local Culture
Tagged Hannah Dale, National Trust, red squirrels
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The Glories of Garlic
“Garlic used as it should be used is the soul, the divine essence, of cookery. The cook who can employ it successfully will be found to possess the delicacy of perception, the accuracy of judgment, and the dexterity of hand … Continue reading
Contemplating Island Life
“Nights and days came and passed, and summer and winter and the rain. And it was good to be a little Island. A part of the world, and a world of its own, all surrounded by the bright blue sea.” ~ Margaret Wise Brown, The Little … Continue reading
Posted in England, Food & Wine, Local Culture
Tagged Isle of Wight, Mottistone, National Trust, Off the Rails, Yarmouth
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Roma di Nuovo
Rome again. While I have been lucky enough to visit the Eternal City several times, I always seem to land here in the heat of summer. And any city in the height of summer is hell. But this time it … Continue reading
Posted in Italy, Local Culture
Tagged Bernini, carciofe, Carevaggio, Italy, Napoleon, Roma, Scipione Borghese, Villa Borghese
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Christmas Markets
It is a Sunday morning in mid-December. We are in Köln (Cologne) in western Germany, wandering along the Rhine, with our hands buried deep in pockets, and scarves wrapped almost up to our eyebrows as an icy wind whips around … Continue reading
Posted in Food & Wine, Germany, Local Culture, Travel
Tagged Christmas, Germany, Luxembourg, markets
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Remembering the Armistice
“They do not know that in this shadowed place It is your light they see upon my face” ~ Mary Borden There was no forward planning whatsoever, but by pure fluke we ended up in the UK for the centenary … Continue reading
Posted in England, Local Culture
Tagged Armistice, CitizenM, Great War, Mary Borden, Mira Calix, poppies, Remembrance Day, Tower of London
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Ibsen’s Norway
‘The pillars of truth and the pillars of freedom – they are the pillars of society.’ ~ Henrik Ibsen Oslo in July. Boats and blue skies. A mad modern opera house, designed to look like it was rising from the … Continue reading