Back to Bali: Pura Geger Temple at Nusa Dua
This cliff top temple, Pura Geger, at Nusa Dua is a short walk from the Balé hotel, where we were staying. The beach on which I am standing is in front of another hotel, one of the largest in Bali yet, when I walked up to the temple, mid-morning, the only person I saw was […]
Ethical Loans Transform Lives in the Developing World
Joining Lend With Care three years ago was one of the best decisions I have made. During this time, my loan has been recycled four and a half times to a total of twenty-five entrepreneurs in six countries. Together with loans from other lenders, it has assisted people who would otherwise have no access to […]
October 2014: An Owl Makes an Impression
An owl flew into our bedroom window. We know this from the greasy imprint it left behind. We don't know when it happened and we assume it was uninjured, as no trace of flesh or feathers was found beneath. Presumably the cats would have left some trace, had they eaten it. Unless, of course, a […]
September 2014: Foraging for Mushrooms
In the first weekend of September, I was invited to forage for mushrooms, on the strict condition that I was not to reveal the location. This was readily accepted. I enjoy being out in the countryside and despite owning several books describing fungi, I have not had the confidence to gather them myself. So many varieties […]
Zen? Minimalism? Mondrian?
It is wonderful when by chance you come across an image such as this house entrance in a back street in Seminyak, Bali. I am not normally a fan of minimalism, or harsh modernist concrete architecture, but here the bright daylight presents several shades of flat grey and white surfaces, beautifully offset by the detail […]
Bali: Sign Language
As a lover of Bali who has now enjoyed four visits and is looking forward to the next, it would be only too easy to keep posting images of temples, rice fields and colourful umbrellas (though umbrellas are likely to comprise a future post).For a change, here are some images of signs photographed on my […]
June 2014: Riffhams, Danbury, Essex
I am fortunate to live a few hundred metres from a footpath crossing the grounds of Riffhams, which offers one of the most attractive garden landscapes in Essex. Three times week it provides me with with the inspiration to keep going on my morning run. The house was built in 1815; Humphrey Repton was called […]
Galungan: when Balinese Ancestors Return to Earth
The Balinese festival of Galungan symbolises the victory of good (Dharma) over evil (Adharma). To Balinese Hindus, it is one of the most important events of the 210-day year, a time when they express their gratitude to the creator of the universe, Ida Sang Hyang Widhi. It is a time of feasting, when many return […]