Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain
Category: TRAVEL
Farewell Brothers
There is nothing like 3 days at a monastery for making you appreciate the comforts of home. Even the simplest things suddenly take on a new depth and sheen like having more than one light bulb in a room, a comfy mattress, an indoor bathroom and wifi. But this experience has also profoundly effected me…
Georgia O’Keeffe
Is strong black tea is the secret of longevity? My friend ceramic designer Eva Zeisel, who lived to be 105, thought nothing of adding 5 teabags to a pot of tea. It was so strong it could dye your teeth black on contact. On a tour of Georgia O’Keeffe’s house in Abiquiu, the guide pointed…
Vortex – fake or fabulous?
‘If you want to see a vortex just flush the toilet,’ joked John at dinner last night. John and Heather own the sweet little house in the Coffee Pot district that I’m renting. Like most Sedona locals, they are suspicious of all the talk about vortices. Ask a local for vortex directions and they will…
A Word From The Monks
I’ve applied to do a 3 day retreat at the Christ in the Desert Monastery in New Mexico. It combines three of my favorite things – chanting Benedictine monks, beautiful architecture by George Nakashima and the ruddy landscape around Abiquiu New Mexico. Visitors get a small room in the guest lodge and the chance to…
All That Jazz
I thought I had outgrown my days of dress up. I love clothes, but have gotten more practical with age (buying hiking boots instead of high heels). But last weekend’s Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor’s Island made me want to shake out my feathers and shimmy. I went with Bobby, who looked like a…
Moo
Cambridge in England ought to be twinned with Varanasi in India. Everywhere you look there are cows. They nuzzle picnickers sitting next to the river Cam, block foot paths near the center of town and amble behind the colleges. Yesterday, I had to meet some work colleagues in London, so I cycled off to catch…
Avebury – the mother heart
I love Avebury. It sits on the heart chakra of the world, like Glastonbury. But if Glastonbury is the warring lion heart, Avebury is the compassionate mother heart. This place feels like a little slice of heaven. It exudes peace, calm, love and well being. People smile and slow down when they get here. It is…
English Summertime
Cream tea – the walled garden, Mells
Stonehenge
In the 80s I went to one of the last big solstice festivals at Stonehenge. My friend Dave and I took peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a few cheap bottles of wine and a tiny tent. Unfortunately we conked out (call it stoner-henge) and missed the famous sunrise. So I made a pilgrimage back to…
Chalice Well
The Chalice Well at the foot of Glastonbury Tor is supposed to contain healing water. When I drank a little, I was surprised to find it tastes like blood, probably due to the high iron content and slightly viscose quality. The taste is an odd coincidence because legend has it Joseph of Arimethea buried the…
The Isle of Avalon
What do you think the heart chakra of the world might feel like? Tender, warm, comforting? Volatile, passionate, wild? Strong, steady, powerful? At first I couldn’t feel anything. After climbing the almost vertical steps to the top of Glastonbury Tor (reputedly the heart chakra of the world), I was dismayed that I felt so little….
