by Valerie | Mar 14, 2014 | art, General interest, history, museums, people, travel
In just under an hour we’ll touchdown in Amman. Why Jordan, bordering Israel to the west on the other side of the Jordan River, and the tragic war zone of Syria to the north? It’s precisely because of this, because of my fascination with the ancient civilisations of... by Valerie | Mar 1, 2014 | book reviews, childhood, General interest, reading groups, travel
Long before Goldfinch was chosen by my book group, I was offered it on Kindle for 99 something – pence or cents, that would hardly break the bank, though my friend in Santa Barbara, California, tells me that Donna Tartt is a millionaire. No wonder, even after such a... by Valerie | Feb 24, 2014 | art, childhood, General interest, history, travel
On the weather map we were at the edge of rain clouds yesterday afternoon. We ventured north for our Sunday walk undeterred, not sure where we would end up. I remembered that over a decade ago, perhaps more, we went to Howsham Hall. Every Christmas we always invited a... by Valerie | Feb 9, 2014 | art, book reviews, General interest, history, museums, people, travel
Instead of spending time this week blogging, I’ve wasted hours trying to deal with combined – or ‘dual tariff’ as the phrase goes – gas and electricity bills. I pay by direct debit. So far, so good as far as Npower is concerned. I’m not sure about me. Every 6 months... by Valerie | Feb 6, 2014 | art, book reviews, General interest, history, museums, travel, Uncategorized
Yesterday evening I carefully counted the pages in the next chapters to revise: 4 in Chapter 26 and 7 in Chapter 27. Short, so easy and enjoyable. No feeling of having to rush. I retired to bed happily anticipating the next day. It is like reading a new novel, as I’ve... by Valerie | Feb 2, 2014 | book reviews, reading groups, travel, writing a novel
I felt there was something strange when I began teaching short courses for credit based in Venice for the University of California at Berkeley. Something was missing, but I wasn’t quite sure what. Of course, one couldn’t stroke the original bronze Horses of St....
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