US Election. Google Trends

The US election is only a few days away. Never before has this election meant so much. Not only for America, but for the world. If Trump is elected, what will happen in Ukraine? Will there be a deal between Trump and P*t*n? What will be the future of overall security in Europe? Not to…

The Random Rambler

Om mani padme hum… Praise to the jewel in the lotus. Angkor Tom, Cambodia. 2018. L’homme-rivière. The river man. Québec. 2023. (That’s for Dale) Gardens by the bay, Singapore. 2017. “Paris outragé! Paris brisé! Paris martyrisé! Mais Paris libéré!” Charles de Gaulle, August 25, 1944. (“Paris incensed! Paris broken! Paris sacrificed! But Paris Free!”) Sacred…

Ceylon. Sri Lanka. 1953. Part 2

This is the second part of an 8mm movie my mother took in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, in 1953. My parents were living in Pakistan then. If you haven’t seen part 1, click here: In this second part of the journey, we’ll first go to the high altitude region of Ceylon, Diyaluma Falls. Quite a…

Women’s education. 100 Years And Change

My friends call me Dotty. I was born in the past century. What do you mean, “Which past century”? The Queen’s century, of course! Nooo. Not that one, darling. Queen Victoria, of course. Tonight I’m celebrating an anniversary. A year ago exactly, in 1920, I graduated from Oxford. Somerville College. Medieval French. Not sure I…

500 posts. “Best of”.

WP tells me I’ve done 500 posts. Wow. I still remember, about 10 years ago, when I started blogging and didn’t have a clue. I still don’t have that many clues, but one thing’s for sure, the most important aspect is you, Dear Readers. No matter what one tries to post, it’s you who count.…

The Lady and the Hawk

I like Bruges. The city of bridges. Brugge is what we call it in Flemish. Bruges in French and English. I speak both Flemish and French. I’ve been here many times with my father. It’s a pretty city. Ik bin Adrienne. My name is Adrienne Onraët. I was born in Kortrijk, in Flanders, in the…

The voucher

“Mr. Prime Minister? Mr. Langard is here to see you.” “Ah? Yes! Yes! Show him in, please, Jeanine.” The Prime Minister got up from behind his two-century old Empire desk. There were pile of papers on his desk. A multi-line telephone on the right. A closed laptop was gathering dust on a side table. The…