I love them fried, I love them boiled, I love them very much when they are mashed. I like them new when they’re the size of quail eggs, I love them just as much when they’re covered with thick peel and are the size of a large fist. I like them red and yellow, blue […]
There has, apparently, been an upsurge over the latter years in trips to Gambia. Now why is that interesting? Well, it’s not your normal little holiday trip, no, the people who go to Gambia very often go to scratch one particular itch, namely their need for sex. The majority of these tourists are middle-aged European
We see very little of the reality that surrounds us – at least, most sane people do. Had the brain not been selective in what we register – whether through our eyes or our nose or our ears – we’d all be sitting huddled in a corner of a dark room, our brain cells permanently
When Francisco Pizarro set foot in Perú for the first time in 1527, he’d already heard of the gold, as had his companions. “Biru”, people called this faraway kingdom where gold was as common as the cork oaks in Pizarro’s native Extremadura, and over time “Biru” became “Perú”. That first visit was more of a
When greed meets gold – of Pizarro and Atahualpa Read More »
“Honey, could you clean out the garage today?” says wife over breakfast. “No, ” says husband. “I have other plans.” Oh dear. there went that cosy breakfast down the drain… Obviously, this is a relatively new marriage, as the man has as yet not cottoned on to how female communication works.The wife isn’t asking him
Vanity is not one of the seven deadly sins. Fortunately, one might add, as this is a sin most of us are guilty of – on a rather regular basis. No? This doesn’t apply to you? Ha! Double ha! As to vanity not being a deadly sin, it does at times hover uncomfortably close to
In Sweden there was a popular song some decade ago where the singer sang “Farligt, farligt, men härligt, härligt” which roughly translates (for all those who may not speak Swedish, however inconceivable that is :)) as “Dangerous, oh, so dangerous, but wonderful, oh so wonderful.” This little saying could be applied to one of my
In 1496, Princess Juana of Castilla, daughter of their most Catholic majesties Fernando and Isabel, married Philip the Beautiful, son of Maximilan I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, scion of the Hapsburg dynasty. At the time of her marriage, Juana was not expected to inherit the combined kingdoms of Aragón and Castilla. She had
Of inbreeding, royal marriages and their ultimate consequence Read More »
Sometime late in July, the quality of the sunlight changes. As the fields stand ready for harvest, as the fruit trees begin to dip and bow under ripening fruit, the days grow shorter and more golden. Early March sunlight is sharp and clear, like beams filtered through a crystal glass. In April, the light acquires
… is of course impossible. But in general we seem to think we can save time, sort of like putting it in a bank for later use. In particular, we put off trying to realise our dreams. “When I retire I will…” (paint masterpieces, write novels, walk around the Black Sea, learn to play the