I’m checking in at the Qatar desk for my flights to London, it’s my first economy long-haul flight in decades. I’m wearing a jacket and a big friendly smile and about to ask if I can buy an upgrade but
I recently booked to see a skin specialist and paid the rate in advance to an online doctor booking site. [eChannelling] They asked me for a passport copy. Why! I sent a copy anyway.
The cajón drum, described as the epitome of simplicity is the go-to option for playing the drums. Its history is quite a story in itself!
The story of my drumming goes back to Zambia. I still have the simple African toy-looking drum my parents bought me as a five-year-old. It’s more than a half-century old. At 16 I joined a band which had four guitarists, and someone had to be the drummer. “Who is the worst guitarist in the band?” One member asked. Well, it was me so I started with a simple snare drum and one cymbal. This was followed by an old five-piece Olympic drum set, and I played in working men’s clubs in the north of England.
I’ve read a lot about what you should be doing on this day to promote happiness. So I thought I’d look at how many people are happy. In a survey on 64 % of the world where stats were available;
Today I visited the London Imperial War Museum. I was last there at the age of 15 having just emigrated to the UK from Rhodesia. I recall the imposing battleship guns in front of the entrance (from HMS Resolution and
It’s been about twenty years since I’ve been to the infamous 80 Club. Now I’m returning with good friends, with one whose gran was a long-standing president of the club.
Over the last few decades, I’ve attempted access to this church about six times. On google maps, it says closing at 4 pm. This time I’ve cracked it. With my driver Lucky we visit the church and find all three gates are chained up. It’s 3.30 pm. I’m getting frustrated. After closer investigation, Lucky establishes that one entrance has a chain around its two gates. He pulls on the chain to find there is no padlock.
We all have favourite songs that in many cases are linked to a time or a place. There is one song for me that has so many impactful one-liners.
“The Road is long,
There are mountains in our way.
But we climb the steps every day”
With Jenna at the helm, we speed out of Belgrade on a misty wet day untypical for September. The journey to Topola is about 76 miles and we arrive ahead of schedule as the car climbs a wooded hill. We passed through Topola, a fortified town in the centre of Serbia with much history, most of it violent. From the Celts, Romans, Greeks and Slavs back in 551 to the attacks in 1804, 1813 and 1877. In addition to civil wars and two world wars.
Now England is out I’m in the mood to write about this Football World Cup. I’m staying focused on the venues, games, organization and results as the human rights issues and abuse of workers is not within my ken. I.e.
Nikola Tesla was born in the Austrian Empire it what is now Croatia in 1856. His father was a radical activist priest of the Serbian church. Tesla studied in Serbia, Austria, Budapest and Paris during which time he was lodging
For years now our favourite Japanese restaurant in Colombo has been Zen just at the end of Rosmead Place. That view is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. What makes it the best for us can be summed up
The first time we visited this restaurant we ordered an excessive amount of duck and got a hefty bill. We were seated by the entrance where people were passing, watching us eat. We had a bit of a barney with
My experience of Thai food has been very limited in Sri Lanka, no doubt loads of you are now going to send me lists of your favorite Thai food joints. (Please do!) I used to enjoy the ‘Royal Thai at
Set down a short lane off Gregory’s Road, the first impression of Rocco’s Italian restaurant is a beautiful house, especially at night. The style and the decor give a fresh modern look but set in an older building. We are
Just across the bridge in what some people think is “never-never land”; i.e. the Port City Colombo, there are people who have dreams, aspirations and a vision. One such person is Ineke. I have known her for twenty years, for
The Monarch Group meets up for an evening at Sugar Bistro, Crescat Shopping Mall. The deck, or as they say in New Zealand the “dick” has a lovely bar and we have a breezy night to catch up and share
This newly opened up-end Chinese restaurant situated on Duplication Road in the Astoria complex is worth checking out. Felicia Sorensen of renowned cuisine fame takes us to the restaurant where she has already been and has a rapport with one
Every day we are in Colombo, we try and do a walk down the Galle Face Green and the waterfront development area. (see story: Walking tours around Colombo’s highlights and history with The Whinging Pome) Then we return after an hour’s
I had never been a big fan of cricket. As a kid in Zambia, we played French cricket where your legs act as stumps and you use a softball with fielders/bowlers standing in a circle around you. Fast forward to
We hear from Texas, 21 people killed,19 of them kids in yet another mass shooting in the USA. I start another day with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes and I don’t know a single victim and I’ve