Tag: travel

It caught my eye… 8-2025

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Churches in the UK are under threat! Not from a 2nd Reformation, more from a failure of Bricks and Mortar!

In a report from the National Churches Trust, the Guardian quotes that “One in five churches say their building has deteriorated in the past five years, …”

But there is some hope, especially for Hastings’ Holy Trinity (HTH) Church.

I was always and still am a big fan of Inspector Montalbano, the Italian detective series set in Sicily. Yes, it had its many oddities, one of which was the lack of motor vehicles in every episode. But it was a great series and sad that it is no more, apart from the odd repeat.

Imagine my surprise and delight at seeing the advert for Inspector Gerri. Not just another Italian Detective series, but one that has a lot of flesh on it bones and in many ways superior to Inspector Montalbano. Set in beautiful Apulia, it’s a must-see programme.

Yes, another TV programme – I’m catching up on my Humax recordings, (still another 195 programmes to go, but that another post!)

Venezuela has been in the news quite a bit recently as Trump ramps up his ‘Narco-War’ against the country. However, as we find in Michael Palin‘s travel documentary, there are many sides to Venezuela.

From deserted tourist towns, to Intelligence Services stopping them and from Angle Falls – how did that helicopter land – to a 3-metre Anaconda. It’s another must-see programme, and a country to visit, perhaps!

Books I’ve read – 9

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If you are as old as me, then you will remember the Pentagon Papers (first mentioned in the New York Times in 1971 and the furore they caused, which turned a Daniel Ellsberg into a hero (in my opinion) of free speech.

The Afghanistan Papers is a similar set of data, mostly from declassified secret interviews (SIGAR) of US military and others involved in the Afghan conflict, collected into a riveting read by the Washington Post Journalist & author Graig Whitlock.

If you want to know why and how the US government tried to keep their many secrets secret about the Afghan conflict, then this book is a must-read.

Yes, I am back to reading another of Kate Mosses historical fiction books. This time, book one of the Languedoc Trilogy, Labyrinth. It’s a lengthy read, with some 694 pages! But a great story. Again, based on methodical research.

I am not sure what draws me to her writing, maybe it’s the area this one and the previous The Burning Chambers series are set in.

I’ve been to this area of France a number of times over the years and interestingly looking at the end pages at the back of this book and looking over some old photos, I seem to have done The Labyrinth Walk of Carcassonne without even knowing it! A great read. Sepulchre is next!

Now for a bit of education. What do I know about the eastern regions of Russia and China? Siberia, a desolate place full of past Gulags and China with its vast agricultural areas and its Ice Festival in Harbin!

For much of its length, the Amur River forms a water border between Russia and China, this book looks at the history and peoples of these regions. Colin Thubron (80 years old when he made this trip), brings to life the different regions on his journey, following as closely as possible the route of the river.

It taught me a lot about this area and extensive use of Google Maps helped understand that these regions are not a desolate as I first thought.