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UMBRELLA BLOG

Bi-weekly articles on a variety of topics

It can be both enjoyable and motivating to take stock of all the sheet music we play on the piano (or...

My father worked from nine to five every day, never did overtime, and was back eating with the family...

Back in December 1989 Burgess wrote an article predicting the shape of the ‘90s. He died a few short...

Rather than consulting weather forecasts on our phones and reading off the numerical statistics for a...

Getting there You can take a train from St Lazare in Paris to Le Havre on the coast in just over 2 hours....

During medieval times, the church was of course the overwhelming influence, and to be a philosopher was...

Let’s take a whistle-stop tour of the ideas and philosophies of the Renaissance (1350-1600). Religious...

The pitch of veneration that JS Bach can inspire is unbounded. For these worshippers, every measure of...

Spinoza (1632-1677) was a bit of an eccentric. A Dutch philosopher of Jewish origin, he cultivated a...

TRAVEL

Not your classic tourist guides (“top 10 places to see” etc), but just my impressions and background notes on the places I visit

CULTURE

Music (classical music and jazz), the Visual Arts (paintings, architecture, sculpture), Literature, Films.

PARIS & ENVIRONS

I currently live in Paris, so I’ll collect here some notes this wonderful city and places you can easily get to by car or train.

PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS & ECONOMICS

Who was Spinoza? What did Pascal have to say? Geopolitics and Economics.

CUISINES & COOKING

Quick guides on different cuisines, and what you can make with what you have in the fridge or larder and a “key ingredient”.

ODDS & ENDS

Nature, languages, non-fiction books, and whatever takes my fancy.