This is the fifteenth in my series of short reflections on different places in Australia and New Zealand, which I visited in November 2019. In my last post I wrote about the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre in New South Wales with panoramic views over the pristine rainforest, a glimpse into Gondwana, the remnant of the vastContinue reading “Australia and New Zealand Mini Series Part 15: Brisbane City Botanic Gardens”
Category Archives: culture
Australia and New Zealand Mini Series Part 14: Dorrigo Rainforest Centre, New South Wales: a Glimpse into Ancient Gondwana
This is the fourteenth in my series of short reflections on different places in Australia and New Zealand, which I visited in November 2019. In my last post I wrote about the charming small New South Wales town of Bellingen with its colonial-style buildings, its church with beautiful stained glass windows and its precious colonyContinue reading “Australia and New Zealand Mini Series Part 14: Dorrigo Rainforest Centre, New South Wales: a Glimpse into Ancient Gondwana”
Australia and New Zealand Mini Series Part 13: Bellingen, Charming Small Town in New South Wales
This is the thirteenth in my series of short reflections on different places in Australia and New Zealand, which I visited in November 2019. In my last post I shared some stories about the history of Hat Head National Park and Smoky Cape Lighthouse on the New South Wales coast. Making our way north fromContinue reading “Australia and New Zealand Mini Series Part 13: Bellingen, Charming Small Town in New South Wales”
Australia and New Zealand Mini Series Part 12: South West Rocks, New South Wales – Hat Head National Park and Smoky Cape
This is the twelfth in my series of short reflections on different places in Australia and New Zealand, which I visited in November 2019. In my last post I shared some stories about the history of Trial Bay Gaol at South West Rocks, and today I write about Hat Head National Park and Smoky CapeContinue reading “Australia and New Zealand Mini Series Part 12: South West Rocks, New South Wales – Hat Head National Park and Smoky Cape”
Australia and New Zealand Mini Series Part 11: South West Rocks, New South Wales – Trial Bay Gaol and Charlie’s Ghost
This is the eleventh in my series of short reflections on different places in Australia and New Zealand, which I visited in November 2019. In my last post I shared my thoughts about the beautiful, dreamlike seascape and wetlands surrounding the Urunga Heads Boardwalk on the Coffs Coast region of the New South Wales northContinue reading “Australia and New Zealand Mini Series Part 11: South West Rocks, New South Wales – Trial Bay Gaol and Charlie’s Ghost”
Book Review: the Girl with Seven Names: Escape From North Korea by Hyeonseo Lee
A powerful, emotionally engaging and sometimes shocking account by a very courageous woman. Through her own shrewdness, presence of mind and intelligence, Hyeonseo managed to transform her life and that of her family by escaping from North Korea at the age of 17, undergoing a long and hazardous journey through China, and ultimately gaining SouthContinue reading “Book Review: the Girl with Seven Names: Escape From North Korea by Hyeonseo Lee”
Book Review: ‘Less Than Ordinary’ by Nicki Copeland
‘Less than Ordinary‘, published by Instant Apostle, is a non-fiction inspirational self-help book, an account of one woman’s journey from low self-esteem and negative self-limiting beliefs to a place of wholeness where she is able to blossom, nurture her relationships, rejoice in her own inherent worth, and offer her gifts to the world. A quoteContinue reading “Book Review: ‘Less Than Ordinary’ by Nicki Copeland”
I’m pleased to announce that I have signed a contract
I’m pleased to announced that I have signed a contract with history publishers Amberley Publishing for a book about Warwickshire to be published in June 2020. This will be a highly illustrated book full of stories arranged under themes from Shakespeare’s ghosts and spirits. The book will explore some of the supernatural and spiritual storiesContinue reading “I’m pleased to announce that I have signed a contract”
Book Review: ‘The Magical History of Britain’ by Martin Wall
The period of British history which we call the Dark Ages was not dark at all – according to the author of this book, Martin Wall. But we do know the period this term covers, between about 500 and 1000 BC, was marked by frequent warfare. Many of us choose to imagine it best probablyContinue reading “Book Review: ‘The Magical History of Britain’ by Martin Wall”
The Foundling Museum, London: Poignant History of Those Working to Overcome Eighteenth Century Social Injustice
Few things in this world can be more heartbreaking than a lost, abandoned or mortally-endangered child, in a world where there is precious little compassion or social justice. Some of our most well-known archetypal stories play into this fear: Babes in the Wood is one, and Little Red Riding Hood or Hansel and Gretel or TheContinue reading “The Foundling Museum, London: Poignant History of Those Working to Overcome Eighteenth Century Social Injustice”
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