Never get out of the boat…never get out of the boat…I got to remember: never get out of the boat Chef — Apocalypse Now (screenplay by John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola) The Highways Agency is running a campaign to advise people on what action to take should their car…

I do believe that art is as important to the human psyche and physical body as air is, as oxygen, as water. And alas, because it’s not something we can quantify reliably, we tend to think art is a luxury. Art is not a luxury. The artist is so necessary…

.. Each herself, but each the other In a curious harmony, Finding both a proper place In the silken gown’s embrace. Eileen O’Shaughnessy — closing lines of ‘End of the Century, 1984’ On occasion, I leaf through my journals, searching for a recollection of a particular occurrence. …

When I got older I decided I wanted to be a real writer. I tried to write about real things. I wanted to describe the world, because to live in an undescribed world was too lonely Nicole Krauss — The History of Love Last week, I went to a leaving…

I won’t say another word about the beauties of the city and its situation, which have been described and praised often. As they say here, “Vedi Napoli e poi muori! See Naples and die!” …

In delay there lies no plenty, present mirth hath present laughter. Shirley Jackson, It’s many years since British Airways could claim the title of the “World’s Favourite Airline”. Constant cost-cutting has led to poor service, fewer on-time arrivals, and horrendous IT failures. …

Where do nations begin? In airport lounges, of course. You see them arriving, soul by soul, in pre-activation mode. They step into no man’s land, with only their passports to hold onto, and follow the signs to the departure gate. There, among the impersonal plastic chairs and despite themselves, they…

Laozi wrote, “A journey of a thousand Chinese miles starts beneath one’s feet”. Which, I thought to myself as I waited to begin the Big London Walk in support of the homeless, is also true of English miles. Beneath my feet late last Saturday night were the paving stones of…

Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance. Yoko Ono I write this as sunshine spills through the window, spreading like a warm pool upon the floor. And yet through…