Iceland is a small country in the North Atlantic, where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge peeks out from above the waves. It’s a constructive plate boundary, which means it’s where two tectonic plates (the North American plate and the Eurasian plate) are pulling apart from each other. This leaves a big hole in the Earth’s crust and… More The A-Z of Iceland: R for Renewable Energy
Two years ago I wrote Fringe 101, or, “how to Edinburgh” and now we’re going for lesson two: what to pack. Comfortable walking shoes Yes, it’s a festival. That doesn’t flatten out a city built on a volcano nor does it smooth the cobbles. A huge part of the Fringe is off the bus and tram… More EdFringe 102: Packing essentials
It’s Larmer Tree time again! I’m not a big festival-goer but I occasionally make an exception for this one, depending on who’s on the comedy bill. I first went to the Larmer Tree Festival in 2015. It’s pretty local and it had a great comedy lineup so I went over after work just for the… More Getting rained on at the Larmer Tree
Very occasionally I watch Michael Portillo’s Great Railway Journeys and earlier in the week he was travelling from Norfolk down to Dorset, with a stop on the Isle of Wight on the hovercraft. I immediately wanted to have a go and fortunately, I live within easy driving distance of Southsea so I went. I’ve been… More A summer day out on the Isle of Wight by hovercraft
“Quakes” was boring and while “quality of life” had some promise, I’ve spent two or three weeks failing to write it so “quick guide to Iceland” it is. It feels a bit like cheating, so I’m sorry about that, but I guess it works as an “Iceland 101” primer? Before you go Iceland is on… More The A-Z of Iceland: Quick guide
I’m doing two weekends at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. The first is actually the second; that’s the one when I’m seeing all the shows I wanted to see. The second weekend is actually the first; it’s the overflow for all the other shows I wanted to see. Yes, it’s ridiculous to have the overflow… More EdFringe 2019: attempt 1 – the catastrophe
I don’t think I mention it here on this blog as often as I could but I’m a big fan of live comedy. It’s the reason I go up to Edinburgh in Augusts some/most years. I’m not going to review everything I saw this year because over the course of two weekends I saw 22… More EdFringe 2019 Review: Lucy Porter – Be Prepared
It’s a warm Sunday morning in late July. The river is quiet. The only sounds are the paddling of two swans and their fluffy half-grown cygnet, a lot of ducks quacking, a weeping willow swishing very softly in the breeze and the splash of oars as a rowing boat comes upstream. And then:- “*#$%!^*%!&! trees!… More Messing about on the river: Juliet vs the reeds
In the last installment of the A-Z of Iceland, I talked about Iceland’s conversion to Christianity at the Alþing in 1000AD (a year that requires the AD because “in 1000” looks stupid). But I wasn’t very clear about what the Alþing actually is. In Icelandic, a Þing (or Thing, if you prefer the Latin alphabet)… More The A-Z of Iceland: Parliament
I’ve been talking about going to Russia for a long time. The trouble is, there’s a huge obstacle to getting there from the UK: how to get a Russian visa? You need a visa for lots of countries. I’ve done the forms and letters for people at work for Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Sierra… More How to get a Russian visa in the UK