Brexit - Towards the Rainbow's End in Norfolk

Brexit – Towards the Rainbow’s End

We knew it would likely be thus from various indications noted last year (not least the flagpole with the Union Jack on the lawn). Therefore, when on Referendum Day we were greeted by our B&B host wearing two identical chest badges – an “EU” with a diagonal line struck through – we grimaced politely and said nothing. More lip biting as he ran through a “health and safety” patter, with the aside that he hoped to bin all that nonsense tomorrow.

On Looking into Heaney's Virgil

On Looking Into Heaney’s Virgil

The Preface takes me back. The great poet, Seamus Heaney, Nobel Laureate, writes fondly of his “A” level Latin teacher in the 1950s, who was disappointed that the class’s set book was Aeneid Book IX – “Och, boys, I wish it were Book VI”. That was a signpost for Heaney, who came to treasure, and finally translate, Book VI.

With God on Whose Side..

With God on Whose Side..

I receive various departmental alumni publications from my undergraduate university – even from a department for a subject I never studied academically. The material includes interesting and easily digested articles by faculty members – essentially versions of their “proper” academic work, gutted of the dense scholarship (mostly) and currently prevailing subject jargon (mostly).

Three Islands of Venice

Three Islands of Venice

I don’t often spend much time reading the puffery articles in the Easyjet inflight magazine (apologies to one loyal reader). But one piece did catch my eye as I flew into Venice recently. It was about the islands in the Venice Lagoon.