Perhaps more than any other of the former Yugoslavian countries, Bosnia is remembered as a battle ground. As the Croatians and the Serbians wrestled for control in the early 1990s, over 100,000 people were killed, thousands of women were raped and nearly 2 million people were “displaced”. And there was the so-called “ethnic cleansing” of…
Author: unwrapping
A Day at the Games – London 2012
We had organised our own triathlon down to London, clutching our £35 hockey tickets. We paced the drive, the walk and the tube stages perfectly, with smooth changeovers. The threatened 60 minute queue through security into the Olympic Park took a world record 3 minutes (including a frisk, but no urine samples).
Teamwork on a Bike
Cycle road racing is the perfect example of real team work – where success demands the graft and skill of each individual working together in perfect harmony.
Raspberry Fields Forever
We stroll down to the raspberry fields. The soft sun and the delicate fruits calling us seductively, irresistibly. Raspberries are my favourite fruit – soft, succulent, symbolising summer; sultry and slightly sexy. Forget strawberry fields, for me it is raspberry fields forever. Let me take you down.
The 30 Second Emotion
A while ago my eldest sister told me that every emotion lasts 30 seconds, and after that it is our choice to extend it for any longer. I was incredulous . . . for at least 29 seconds.
Strangers on Trains
I’m not the sort of person who starts conversations with strangers on trains. The usual extent of my dialogue is with the nice man who struggles up and down the aisle with his trolley of drinks and light refreshments. The conversation is minimalist in the extreme:- Trolley Man : Any drinks or light refreshments? Passenger…
Whatever You Fancy
On Thursday we were invited to roll into the office in fancy dress, under the theme of “The Best of British”. This has an added complexity when “work” is 150 miles away and you are travelling by train. It’s a brave man or woman who jumps onto the 7.50 out of Derby dressed as Dennis…
Serious outbreak of “Not Raining” in parts of England
Reports are coming in of unprecedented outbreaks of “not raining” across the country. Government ministers are advising calm. The Met Office reassure us that normal precipitation levels will resume later today.
The rock concert of life . . .
In the rock concert of life we are often squeezed in amongst too many people, too far from the stage and too considerate or inhibited to get up and dance. And the band don’t play our favourite tunes. A thought I mused as I waited for Keane to come on stage at the in Leicester…
Raining on the Royal Parade
So how is the Diamond Jubilee going for you? Is it a sparkling jewel or a flagrant waste of money? Are you thrilled at sixty-years of her majesty reigning or is it just . . . raining? In case you think I am a Bolshie-Cromwellian-republican-socialist-anti-royalist; let me surprise you by revealing that we ambled up to…
Unwrapping The World 