Life with cats, and other things…
1507/1st April 2022 The house on the hill across the valley has been my subject more or less every day since I came here in September 2018. It's not the house itself that interests me, but the surrounding scenery and sky. Though I was struck when I scrolled through the latest images, by how often … Continue reading The better species?
May the people of Tibet and the Ukraine be free from those who would oppress them. And all others who suffer at the hand of monsters. May our leaders be endowed with wisdom and compassion. The world seems a dark place. It's hard to see a glimmer of light sometimes but I have to remind … Continue reading Seeing light
1735/4th March 2021 Perhaps listening to Russian choral music is not what I need to be doing at the moment, but it is so very lovely. It pierces the heart. The piece I am listening to is Tchaikovsky's Hymn of the Cherubim sung by the USSR Min. of Culture Choir. There is something about the … Continue reading Detective stories
Young monks in Bhutan, c 1976 If you've followed my blog for even a short while, you have probably seen me refer to my pal Tim. Timothy Valentine Gibson, actually. (born 14 Feb after all) Tim and I met up when he took a job with South African Airways at JFK, after his sponsor airline … Continue reading Faces by Tim
Ghostly sounds drifted across the valley, muffled by thick morning mist. They could easily have been rifle or musket fire and I imagined myself transported back 260 years to the early days of Cambridge which was founded in 1761. Having read the Eliot Pattison's entire series of Inspector Shan Tao Yun books, I have progressed … Continue reading Ghosts
Today I decided to focus on a public figure that inspires me: the Dalai Lama. He even has a cat. There is perhaps no more spiritual place on earth than Tibet. The wisdom and faith of Tibetan monks is astonishing. The following are all quotes from the Dalai Lama... Scientists warn that constant fear and … Continue reading Wisdom for 2020
It's the Sunday before Thanksgiving and I was thinking of what I should be thankful for. In my case, of course, there are so many things. But I was thinking of specifics. Maybe each day I'll list one. In no particular order. Authors came immediately to mind, naturally. How many have helped me through this … Continue reading Sunday thanks
My old travelling buddy, Tim has mopped me up more times than I can remember. In the beginning maybe he paid more attention, but once he got to know me better, he would tend to chuckle. Or sometimes he would just ask "what's wrong now, Dor'". (He used to call me Doreen...too silly to explain.) … Continue reading Free Tibet!
Potala Palace from roof of the Jokhang Temple https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/707/gallery/ The Potala Palace requires true photographic skills which are far beyond me. I would encourage to have a look at the Unesco World Heritage gallery, link posted above. This most impressive and stunning structure was commissioned in 1645 by the 5th Dalai Lama. It was built … Continue reading Potala Palace
Until the latter half of the 1980's it had been difficult to gain access to Tibet and only the fairly hardy attempted it. Photographer and adventurer Galen Rowell was one of those. The stunning photograph he captured in 1981 of a rainbow emanating from the Potala Palace is the kind of amazing thing that could … Continue reading Lhasa