Amidst a fairly busy schedule in Turkey this week, managed to occupy a day off with a trip into the mountains above Antalya to the abandoned city of Termessos. It’s power and wealth derived from controlling the only local pass through the mountains – but its construction, so high and so elaborate (temples, theatre, agora, civic buildings, many houses etc), must have been an astonishing feat of engineering and endurance. (more…)
Any walk along the Thames Embankment or the South Bank is bound to conjure up memories and evocations. This ancient river is observed/guarded/ignored by countless buildings created at different moments in British history: the proceeds of empire and the fates of peoples are all reflected in their facades. I came across this wonderful poem by Daljit Nagra in the last New Yorker of July. And it captures it all perfectly, far more articulately than we non-poetically-gifted mortals could manage.
No, please don't worry - I'm contemplating neither. But I did rather enjoy these two little ditties in Wendy Cope's marvellous anthology of humorous poetry, The Funny Side. The first is by Stanley Sharpless, about whom I've been able to dig…
The 400th Anniversary of the King James is everywhere. And that's fantastic. There's perhaps a greater chance of it being read by British people this year than there has been for years. The Word is God One of the most…
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!! Sacred Treasure Very helpful article by Scot McKnight cutting a dash through the apparent problems harmonising the teaching of Jesus & Paul. Victoria Coren does a fab and witty job on…
In early 2009, the then poet laureate, Andrew Motion gave an interview in the Guardian in which he lamented the pervasive ignorance about the Bible. He made it quite clear that he is not a believer; he is merely concerned about…
Sacred Treasure Vinoth Ramachandra, in the midst of a very stressful situation, writes trenchantly from a Sri Lankan perspective about the Healthcare debates in the USA. I have to say I'm inclined to agree. In case you missed it, Frank…
Richard Eyre's anthology of interviews with various thesps and drama types (Taking Theatre) has been a fun book to dip into - the perfect filler for 5 minute slots (e.g.when people are late for a meeting). Lots of gems inside,…
OK now for something a little less serious (and by popular demand) - well a couple of chums have asked for my thoughts on the matter. I've been sitting on this for a while and only added to it when…
Having been with Rachel to see the recent London revival of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia a couple ofweeks ago, I've hardly been able to stop thinking about it. When it first came out in 1992/3, first at the National and then…