Some Things to bear in Mind about Trump

Some things to Keep in Mind about the Trump Election

Everyone (including the victor, his supporters and sympathisers) is in some degree of shock following the victory of Trump. Many who are both shocked and dismayed are in the UK (and may most include most in the UK, but who really knows). How, we ask, did this happen? By which we mean, how did a man of such views and of such a character get the support of so many? A conservative victor running on an isolationist political ticket and a protectionist economic ticket might have been a cause for great regret, but not for the reaction, bordering on revulsion, which Trump has summoned forth.

Spanish Class at the Instituto Cervantes

A Spanish Class at the Instituto Cervantes

Until very recently (October 2016), the Instituto Cervantes inhabited a grand building in Eaton Square (I judge the grandness from the out-of-date photo on the institute’s website). As is fitting for a state-sponsored cultural organisation, it was near the Spanish embassy. Whether it was because the lease ran out (freeholds round there tend to be owned by the Duke of Westminster) or because Spain sold off the grand building for a huge sum, perhaps to a hedge fund or its owner, the Instituto has moved – to a far more interesting part of London.

Impressions of Australia

Brief Encounters with Some Places in Australia:

A Diary

Someone once sent me a postcard that showed a map of Western Europe, on top of which was imposed an outline of Australia, drawn to the same scale. Australia completely covered Europe. This was the first time I really got a sense of the size of the country, or continent.