At the Treaty of Vereeniging, where the English and the Boers met to negotiate an end to the South African War (formerly known as the Anglo-Boer War), the Boers had the last laugh. While some
I attended a funeral recentlyI attended a funeral recently
I have a friend who refuses to attend funerals – not even his own as there won’t be one. ”Nor for my wife, for that matter,” he added. “We know we are going to die
IncipienceIncipience
On the stem of incipient protea shark-shaped petals wax tight their cradle of colour, ready to bare the heart of bloom for creatures of earth and air to gather and gather until, full-blown by time
A running problemA running problem
I like to run long-distance races nothing ultra, of course, a half-marathon is quite enough to put me through my paces, beyond that it's simply not much fun. Now, sadly, that is something of the
A bird sangA bird sang
I met a migrant from a distant land who sang: in a garden beyond lies the wreck of a birdbath, pieces strewn across the sand, its slimed bowl cracked, of water not a speck. Split
Synecdoche and December 15thSynecdoche and December 15th
“Synecdoche,” our teacher said, “is part for the whole or whole for the part,” a statement as incomprehensible to teenage ears as was the word itself. “England beat South Africa,” came his follow-up, “that’s whole
Thoughts on extinctionThoughts on extinction
As a child, the Natural History Museum was an important part of my life. There I saw what before only books had held: living animals. No, I know the difference between a zoo and a
The Pinhead FactorThe Pinhead Factor
In 1964, I read that Bob Hayes ran, from a flying start, the final 100 yards of the Men’s 4 X110 Olympic Relay in 7.8 seconds. In 1966, I knew the names and LP releases
Mr Polly’s golfing observationMr Polly’s golfing observation
At the age of fourteen I was exposed to Mr Polly. Fourteen is an impressionable age; it is also one of intense reactions. The History of Mr Polly is a novel by HG Wells. With
The globe unpluggedThe globe unplugged
The globe irritated me. I could not kick it because it was stationed in a protective bracket and, although it was a ball like the others, didn’t look right, slanted at its axial angle. Even