Alarm went off at 5 AM! Up and showered and organized and out of the room just past 6 AM. Sorry to say goodbye to our luxury digs. In a taxi and at the Strand KiwiRail station by 6:30. Checked…
OK, so first: Certs aren’t candy Will Shortz, NYT Crossword editor. Last week the NYT crossword ran the clue “discontinued candy” and the answer was Certs. Certs were never candy. They were a mint. If someone offered you candy, and…
The ludicrous title of this blog is what The Guardian wrote, in a book review, on Animal, Vegetable, Mineral (an informative book with a exceptional sense of humour). When the left can finally get a joke, send me a telegram…
First full day in another sort of down under. It takes some getting used to. Once you remember that “not even” is not true and “wop wops” are the boonies and “she’ll be right” is another of way of saying…
We were up early for a travel day; checked-out, walked the 700 meters to the train; 6:40 AM Skyliner to Narita—and it was packed! Checked-in with Singapore, fast track security, then headed to the lounge. We had access to…
Sunday. Sunny day. Clear, but not cold. It hit 17! We started out at the national Science and Nature Museum, always a barometer for how a nation views its environment. All the English placards in Latin. Huh. Japanese fun fact:…
Saturday. Sunny day. Clear, cold crisp. Could have been Friday. Who knows without a phone? Could have been 1962 for all I know. We had a light breakfast, included in our rate at the hotel, then set out to Roppongi…
Flight YVR to Narita left at 1 p.m. That’s an exceptionally low-stress and decent time to fly. Regular morning, no early morning panic, coffee, get out after the traffic rush, check-in, smooth sailing. Except for one small detail; I misplaced…
No, really, not a metaphor, it’s like so grey it’s dark at noon. It was time to say goodbye to London (Cricklewood) and say hello to London (Heathrow). But AF had cancelled the Thursday flight and bumped me to Friday. …
Super Tuesday. (Not an election post!) Met Simon’s friend Michael in South Ken, who’s a member of several galleries/museums, so he took me (free) as a member’s guest to three different shows. I think most people who walk into the…