Have you read any of Armistead Maupin’s books such as Mary Ann in Autumn (2010) or  The Days of Anna Madrigal (2014)? ? Have you watched the Tales of the City miniseries on Netflix? It’s the story of a young and naive Mary Ann arriving in San Francisco and taking up…

What does beauty look like? What makes a good photograph? How do you respond to the idea of a classical beauty, a model quality? With a focus on women (and men) and beauty this week,  how do we bring together ageing and concepts of beauty? Attractiveness?- is this  beauty- who…

Some weeks ago a local gallery was closing its doors and I decided to visit its final sale of artworks. A very stylish woman, probably in her mid 50’s  was loading her car with  paintings and sculptures, lots of them.  As she headed into the gallery to pay for her…

ICONIC is a big word but some photographs in particular, saturate the consciousness. They give memory to a time in history, a person of fame, an indelible image that stays with us long after our eyes have left the photograph. All art has that power if it is good art…

As a tourist, how long does it take you to “know” a city? Seeing the main tourist attractions is one thing but getting a “vibe” of the unique character of the city may take much longer. Is it possible to get to know a city in a week or a…

It was raining again yesterday. And cold. The adolescent self wanted some new entertainment only found in big cities and preferably in the northern hemisphere. Call it “post -travel- you’re home again blues” but this kid needs a diversion. My seniors card in hand and rugged up against the elements…

Poetry by Robert Mierisch has been a travelling companion for some weeks now. Robert’s work and passion is renewable energy and this is a poem he wrote in 2014 Living in Limbo Imagine a future robust and gentle, Dream of ways to bend waves, wind and sun to meet our…

The Hockney 1853 gallery is housed in a beautiful old mill in Shipley, Yorkshire. I was lucky to spend a lovely weekend with friends nearby and we visited Salts Mill. We ogled at the beautiful home wares store, had a wonderful lunch in the restaurant and then took to the…

My childhood knowledge of Scotland was an odd image of men in kilts, shortbread, a disgusting haggis thing and some great folk music. In primary school in England our music lesson was a weekly tune – in to the BBC schools program. The class monitor would distribute BBC song books…