“To have another language is to possess a second soul”

…so said the emperor Charlemagne. I know when I speak Spanish I slip into another mode, almost into another personality. I don’t understand the mechanics of it, but I know it to be true.
I read that “to learn another language involves far more than learning vocabulary or grammatical structures: it is a lengthy and demanding [...]

More photos of Tom and Ethel

Mum thinks this photo was taken after Ethel’s sister died and the baby is Ethel’s niece, Joan. It would be around 1920.

Ethel is definitely in mourning in this one but not sure for whom. She looks younger and the clothes more Edwardian.

This photo is of poor quality but of sentimental value. It is me as [...]

Levi Stubbs, lead singer of the Four Tops

“At the height of the Swinging London era one song so overpowered the UK music scene that 1966 was deemed the year of “Reach Out I’ll Be There”. The American group that unleashed the hit was the Four Tops and the singer who powered the song was Levi Stubbs, whose voice has been described by [...]

The 1987 hurricane

On the night of 15-16 October 1987, Britain was hit by what was effectively – if not technically – a hurricane. It is remembered as The Great Storm.
The BBC says, “The storm cost a total of 18 lives and an estimated £1 billion in repairs and clear-up costs. Hundreds of people were injured. Around 15 [...]

Insight into healthcare in the US

After writing about US healthcare, I read an interesting article on the subject in today’s Guardian (see here).

Monet in La Sabana?

I was struck by this old photo of the lake in La Sabana, a large green area in the center of San José that at one time served as the country’s main airport. No idea when it was taken but it has such an impressionist feel to it.

Has Obama’s Presidency already been overtaken by events?

When George W. Bush leaves office, most people outside the U.S. will breathe a huge sigh of relief. Like most non-Americans, I’m praying that Obama gets elected. Obama has definitely struck a chord (or touched a nerve, depending on your viewpoint). Even in the small town where I live, I have met a number of [...]

Old photos of Rotherhithe

I imagine most older people like myself still think of Rotherhithe, directly to the east of Bermondsey, as Surrey Docks. As a child, I regarded it as part of the same neighborhood. I believe Michael Caine was born there, in St. Olave’s Hospital, which I don’t think exists any more. The Mayflower, which took the [...]

Drawing and photo of Crystal Palace

I added a drawing and photo of the Crystal Palace to this earlier post.

Oldest photo of San José in existence

I came across this photo of San José, Costa Rica, taken in 1851. It’s supposed to be the oldest photo of the city in existence. It is looking east, at the foot of what today is Cuesta de Moras (in the city center). The thing to remember is that back then San José was not [...]