I’ve been away since late May; about four-and-a-half months. I’ve been hiking and working and writing between LA, New York, London, Scotland, Cornwall, Crete, Paris, Slovenia and Slovakia. For the bulk of this I’ve carried a small backpack that weighed in on various flights at 8kg (I did also have a case of work materials … Read more
Can you do it? I am always so on. Engaged. Reaching out. Helping. But this creates a situation where everyone expects a response. Now. Same for you? People know when we’ve read their Facebook message (and our texts if we’re dumb enough to leave that “read” function on). And if they can see we’re online, … Read more
A while back I wrote an open letter to everyone in my orbit asking if they’d consider not wearing perfume around me. I shared the scientific reason why it was effectively “killing me”…and them. It was awkward. But bless my fellow humans, they got it and really tried hard to remember to not apply fragrance, … Read more
I ate at Gabrielle Hamilton’s Prune in New York about six years ago. I didn’t realise the story behind the woman. I do now and have been watching her “Mind of A Chef” series on Netflix recently. She shares in this interview her bold thinking about everything. She sticks it up complacency. Me, I’m very … Read more
Have you read Bruce Chatwin? I read Songlines, his fiction-meets-non-fiction account of his travels in deep Aboriginal country during a hiking trip at the start of the year. It’s worth a read. As I shared with my friend and National Geographic explorer Dan Buettner: “He is a rare writer who can actually insert himself into a story and … Read more
As I write in first, we make the beast beautiful, a pick axe to the head won’t cut it when my anxiety is at full throttle (so don’t suggest some chamomile tea, or valerian, in such instances!). I accept this; I now put my efforts towards maintaining an even keel. In The Beast I liken … Read more
I alluded to this in my last post of reasons to visit Slovenia – the joint is a hiking and eating wonderland. It’s a tiny country, but it packs in everything an adventurer with a refined appetite could ever wish for – lush forests, technical mountain climbs (via ferrata), pristine and warm (!) lakes, vineyards, … Read more
ljuSlovenia is one of if not the most beautiful and bountiful country I’ve ever visited. It’s bound by Austria, Italy, Croatia and Hungary and manages to combine the best of all four nations…in its terrain, food culture and the character and warmth of the people. It’s a relative new-comer on the Euro travel trail. The … Read more
While I was in Crete two loved ones reached out to me in a lot of pain. It’s one of the benefits of being in a wonky time zone – you can talk to family and friends at intimate hours. Both of these special people are experiencing deep hopelessness – that point where you feel there … Read more
I flagged a post ago about why Zorba the Greek is a book that must be read that I’ll be sharing several Zorba lessons. Such is the impact it’s had on me. The first was about my uneasiness in the face of the “is-ness” of life. Here’s another. It’s possibly the most succinct overview of what it takes … Read more