You used to be able to just turn up at Kew Gardens and expect to get into the annual Orchid Festival. This is no longer the case. Although free for members, the slots fill up quickly, especially over the weekend. So I booked this year. We arrived in good time. There was a large queue … Continue reading / view photos Kew Gardens Orchid Festival
Cromford — Peak District
One of the delights of the UK is that there are so many historical places to visit. I’ve been hiking in the Peak District National Park many times but I’ve never been to Cromford. It was almost by accident that three of us discovered Cromford. It’s a village in the Derwent Valley in Derbyshire. The … Continue reading / view photos Cromford — Peak District
Folkstone
It had been a long time since I’d been to Folkstone. By coincidence, I went twice in two weeks when two different friends wanted to walk around there. The first walk started in Folkstone and ended in Dover. Dover was not at its best. So the next time, I started in Dover and finished in … Continue reading / view photos Folkstone
London Zoo
On each of my two trips to India, I went to a zoo. The first in Mysore and the second in Darjeeling. I wrote at the time about my mixed feelings. So it was surprising that I found myself at London Zoo. Helene had been wanting to go there for a while. I had gone … Continue reading / view photos London Zoo
Hay Festival 2025
A couple of weeks ago, we went to Wales for a few days. It reminded me of our trip last year to the annual festival in Hay-on-Wye. We’ve been to the festival before . This time, we went to hear a talk between writers Abdulrazak Gurnah and Elif Shafak. I’ve not read either of their … Continue reading / view photos Hay Festival 2025
Norwegian fjords
In 2007, a friend and I visited West Norway. I’d previously been to Bergen (and Oslo). On this trip, we travelled up the west coast to see the beautiful fjords. Here is the schedule I found recently: The trip started in Bergen — one of the prettiest places you can visit. Less well known is … Continue reading / view photos Norwegian fjords
Norway — culture
Norway — landscape
Ramanujan the mathemagician
An ordinary genius is a fellow that you and I would be just as good as, if we were only many times better. There is no mystery as to how his mind works. Once we understand what he has done, we feel certain that we, too, could have done it. It is different with the … Continue reading / view photos Ramanujan the mathemagician
Richmond and Kew
Whilst I was in India, through a strange sequence of events, I reconnected with someone I hiked with in the USA in 2019. We lost touch during the pandemic. We met a couple of times after I returned home. First, for a walk and picnic in Richmond Park and then again for a trip to … Continue reading / view photos Richmond and Kew