Red Poppies and the Power of Story at The Tower of London

A family trip to the Tower of London at the weekend reminded me once again of how much I love visiting English castles. at the Tower of London (photo credit SC Skillman) I was trying to account for this in one of my previous posts, but a fellow-writer put it beautifully; when you go roundContinue reading “Red Poppies and the Power of Story at The Tower of London”

Cotswold Views on the Last Sunny Day of Autumn 2014

We went to the Edgemoor Inn, near the village of Edge in Gloucestershire on Sunday to celebrate our daughter Abigail’s 20th birthday – and for once our timing was perfect! For the day was bright and clear, very unusual for 5 October in England, and the Edgemoor Inn stands on a ridge overlooking the beautifulContinue reading “Cotswold Views on the Last Sunny Day of Autumn 2014”

A New Glimpse of a Dream Arising from the Ruins – Kenilworth Castle September 2014

Kenilworth Castle is my favourite English Heritage property and one I’ve visited many times as it’s so close to my home in Warwick. Now English Heritage have completed new staircases and viewing platforms allowing visitors to ascend to the different floors of Leicester’s Tower for the first time in 350 years. I’ve visited the BuildingContinue reading “A New Glimpse of a Dream Arising from the Ruins – Kenilworth Castle September 2014”

Faded Splendour, Unfinished Grand Schemes, Unfulfilled Dreams

I visited a National Trust property a few days ago – Lyveden New Bield near Oundle in the heart of the Northamptonshire countryside. This is an unusual property in that it was build by an Elizabethan gentleman who left it unfinished. And it hasn’t fallen down, or been looted, or demolished, or built over, in theContinue reading “Faded Splendour, Unfinished Grand Schemes, Unfulfilled Dreams”

The Fault in Our Stars and Poignant Reminders of Short Lives on Milverton Hill

Recently I went to see the film The Fault in Our Stars with my two teenage children. Based upon the book of the same name by John Green it was about two teenagers both diagnosed with terminal cancer, who form a relationship at a cancer support group, try to avoid falling in love because ofContinue reading “The Fault in Our Stars and Poignant Reminders of Short Lives on Milverton Hill”

Inspiration From the Parapet at the Top of the Tower of St Mary’s Church Warwick

As I sit here typing these words I gaze over the trees to the top of the tower of St Mary’s Church Warwick. The decorated parapet at the top of this tower is the highest place you can be in Warwick (which is this year celebrating its 1100th anniversary). I’ve climbed to that platform and gazed downContinue reading “Inspiration From the Parapet at the Top of the Tower of St Mary’s Church Warwick”

Holywell Retreat, A Place of Spiritual Inspiration on the Sussex Coast

I’ve written before in this blog about those sacred spaces which are known in Ancient Celtic terms as thin places. These are places where you are led to believe that the veil between the visible and the invisible worlds is thin. They don’t have to be obviously religious places. In fact once I read ofContinue reading “Holywell Retreat, A Place of Spiritual Inspiration on the Sussex Coast”

Lovely Lake District in Autumn 2013

We spent a few days in England’s lovely Lake District during the recent autumn half term. The Lake District is special to me, not only because of its association with numerous famous writers, with Beatrix Potter, John Ruskin, William Wordsworth; but also because of memories from childhood holidays there, and the fact that I regularlyContinue reading “Lovely Lake District in Autumn 2013”

New Official Trailer for Mystical Circles

Watch the new official trailer for  Mystical Circles on my YouTube channel. Directed, produced, filmed and scripted by my daughter Abigail Robinson, who is a Creative Media Production student, it’s been six months in the making, and Abigail has done brilliantly. For those of you living in England, in the deep chill of November, watchContinue reading “New Official Trailer for Mystical Circles”

200 Years of Australian Art at the Royal Academy: Connections Between Painting and the Spiritual Realm

From indigenous art through to ‘discovery’ by European explorers, this exhibition of Australian paintings at the Royal Academy, London, in November 2013 took me on a journey through the spiritual heart of Australia. As Russell Drysdale said, “In Australia there is a quality of strangeness that you do not find … anywhere else.” Reviews of theContinue reading “200 Years of Australian Art at the Royal Academy: Connections Between Painting and the Spiritual Realm”