Biography
Sailing my life away, part 1
This article is the first of what may become a series if it attracts enough interest. It’s title has been inspired by a song performed by the Everly Brothers that was Number One on the [more…]
Biography
Arts
The Swaling, Part Twenty Six
The first rule of diplomacy is to be nice to everybody all of the time, especially at Singapore’s social event of the season, the British High Commissioner’s annual bash. Even when cornered by North Korea’s [more…]
Arts
The Swaling, Part Twenty Five
Ordinarily, the High Commissioner’s residence looks like a two-tiered colonial wedding cake, all Wedgwood coloured walls and white embellishments. Especially so when seen by moon and burning torch light during the British Mission’s much anticipated [more…]
Arts
The Swaling, Part Twenty Four
Singapore being a Commonwealth country the British Embassy was really a High Commission and the Ambassador, a High Commissioner. Since both high commissioners and ambassadors are addressed as ‘Your Excellency’, myself, my wife Nicole and [more…]
Arts
The Swaling, Part Twenty Three
Singapore. Forward Singapore! Everybody’s favourite piece of squashed diamond real estate, 31 miles by 17 miles, lies fashionably 200 miles south-east of Kuala Lumpur and 70 north of Sumatra. Here Malays, Chinese, South Asians, and [more…]
Arts
The Swaling, Part Twenty Two
By the time I’d returned to my room, paddling up the dripping steps, Emile had curled up on her end of my bed and had fallen asleep. Wept herself to sleep even, after overhearing me [more…]
Arts
The Swaling, Part Twenty One
Our night of espionage, from my modest accommodations near to the notorious wall at Tangiers docks, had been cancelled. A much reduced number of comings and goings would pass unnoticed. The Gods of weather were [more…]
20th Century
The Lost Airman – Part Two
At Chelsfield, local folk were well aware that a Hurricane had plunged from the sky above them on that sun-kissed Sunday afternoon of 1 September during an intense and frightening period of activity that shook [more…]
Arts
The Swaling, Part Twenty
Myself and my duplicitous American colleague, Tammy, are in Tangiers. Becoming a familiar sight about the port, we are starting to attract the attention of a Tangier set. A semi-anonymous caller, passing as a ‘Mr [more…]