Tag Archives: greece

hand baked no 5: water

Many of water’s properties are quite bizarre. It is the only chemical that can exist as a solid, liquid and gas at ambient conditions. Felix Flicker in the Magic of Matter. It’s his real name, by the way. Although of … Continue reading

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Blue(s)

Here they’ve taken the sky for a colour chart. The sky fills in the ruins. Brand new shutters. I cheated a little – pulled the chairs forward a couple of feet into the light. The can is labelled ‘crinos’, which … Continue reading

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skylarks

…. and a post script to the last piece, which could go on and on but here’s just one interesting picture. By early May the snow on the ski runs on Parnassos has melted and the stony base of one … Continue reading

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Olympus Olympos 4 and an apology…

Taking inspiration from my favourite announcement at Finsbury Park station: ‘we apologise for the late running of this service, this is due to a problem currently under investigation.’ I promised myself that I would give up pathetic old man tech … Continue reading

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Olympus 3 Dracunculus, tortoise, the monastery, Dresden, garden notes, etc.

Just outside Litochoro, right by the road, I came across a dracunculus – literally little dragon. When you’ve only ever seen something once it takes on special importance. I was driving slowly but you’d see it even if you flashed … Continue reading

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Foxgloves

Here’s another favourite, also from Slovenia, an orchid which loves mountain woodland and thrives inconspicuously even in deep shade, though this one was right by the edge of a road. It’s called Epipactis atrorubens. We call it a helleborine. Its … Continue reading

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Garden notes 15, the corn cockle, aliens

see also Garden notes number twelve; sex, pests, culture wars, paradise and narrow observation I looked again at a photo I put up on the bathroom wall – It’s the corn cockle growing in a field of corn, as you might … Continue reading

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Garden notes number ten, the itch to intervene, a few lines from John Clare, Adam in Eden and DH Lawrence

I’m remembering the radical ecologist (see Garden notes number three) and his airy contempt for gardeners. But also a few lines from John Clare: Where last years leaves and weeds decay / March violets are in blow I’d rake the … Continue reading

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the home fire burning, and rekindled

  After the old boys – well, chiefly Patrick Leigh-Fermor – (see the plant itself ) with their eloquent and scholarly non-stop talk of heroes, heat, old gods, pirates, ecstacies of alcohol, Venetian merchants, Frankish castles, peasant girls whose faces have … Continue reading

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The Hill of Time

    .   In The Hill of Kronos Peter Levi considers his various journeys to Greece. His first trip was in 1963. A night at Heathrow waiting for a long delayed flight to Milan gave him ‘romantic pleasure’. Then … Continue reading

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