Chinta, 13th of November, 2023
Today is the saddest of days, for Chinta has died. The inexorable world will not stop its spin around the sun, nor Sri Lanka pause to...
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Off-Grid in Sri Lanka
THE JUNGLE DIARIES BLOG CAN BE READ HERE; OR PODCAST ALTERNATIVES LISTENED TO HERE.
The Art of Hermiting (in a hotel), Sunday, November 12, 2023
“It's love,” my music teacher assured us, “that makes the world go round.” He was trying to enforce some degree of harmony in a class...
My Missing Sapphire Tiara, Friday, 10th November 2023
It was Mr Wijeratne from the Water Board who brought the missing tiara to mind when he called on us this morning, his beaming presence...
Politics and the art of family, Monday 28 September 2023
“Spaghetti,” barked a planter friend, describing Sri Lankan politics. “Noodles. A ball of coir, all entangled. A roll of barbed wire. “ ...
A Walk with Henning Mankell, Monday, 28 August 2023
Damnit. I mean honestly. Just damnit. This is the second time in as many weeks. One more such episode and you can call me obsessed;...
The Mathematics of Mortality, Thursday, 17 August 2023
Everyone has their thinking space: the bath, the shower, the treadmill after work. Voltaire had his bed, Dylan Thomas his shed – and I a...
Space, the Perehera - and Danby. Wednesday, 16 August 2023.
“Thanks for the warning,” came the text from Danby this morning. The message displayed his characteristic linguistic athleticism: lean,...
The kerfuffle in the kitchen, Friday 9th of June, 2023
The kerfuffle in the kitchen has calmed down since I (at last) remembered the old adage about too many cooks spoiling the broth. And...
Hand Gestures: An Alternative Tutorial. Sunday, 18th of June 2023
At 6 am Mr Goonetilleke the Younger’s workers were already busy tapping the rubber; and as I shot past them, four dogs on a single lead,...
The Pride Owl. Thursday, 15th June, 2023
The owl’s hoot kicked it all off. It was 5.49 am and it rang out, sonorous, low, loud but not noisy. Mellow. Rather beautiful. Almost...
La Petit Mort. Friday, 15th May 2023
The French condition, “la petit mort” hung in my head as I woke up this morning, for there was a moment, as there is almost every day,...
The kurfuffle in the kitchen, Friday, 9th of June 2023.
The kurfuffle in the kitchen has calmed down since I (at last) remembered the old adage about too many cooks spoiling the broth. And...
The Lovely Now. 7th of June, 2023.
After days and days of heady sunshine, the rain falls. As ever, spectacular. Within minutes of the monsoon deluge starting, the lawns...
Now Thank We All Our God, Sunday 28th of May, 2023
Once, when people still had time for, or a belief in things other than shopping or raw survival, Sundays were special. There was getting...
At the barbers, Thursday 25th May 2023
H.R. Managers are in their happiest pace when discussing either redundancy terms or the compensation package that will tempt you to leap...
Walking the dogs, Tuesday, 9th of May 2023
There’s something very special - in that most ordinary of ways - about walking the dog; or dogs, in my case. It’s taken a few years to...
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