Eurostar is off the hook, brill.   It takes  less time to travel from London to Brussels  than from London to Manchester.  A charming Canadian meets me at the airport. He was  Head of English at Read more [...]

Lots happened this past week since returning from The Arctic which was beautiful, threatening and big, very big.    I’ve been touring  around the country, Manchester, Liverpool, Rochdale, Ilkley Read more [...]

It’s 11am, the ship travelled through night storms and in morning we arrive at Uumannaq, the home of our guide Ludwig . It’s spring in Uumannaq, in winter it’s dark for two whole months and there’s a high suicide rate. We visit a children’s home and dogs howl outside as the social worker greets us at the door. “if they don’t do what we command “ he says in a rich Danish accent “we kick them” . There’s a silence. “There’s high alcoholism in the Inuit people hence the relatively high numbers of children in care.” He is about six foot tall, a tower of a man. “Welcome” he smiled broadly. Read more [...]

It’s an iceberg. I’m telling you it is” said a normally sedate Marcus Brigstocke. “it is not!” frowned Sunand Prasad , head of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Sunand marched away back to the ship. “it is though” muttered Marcus. Read more [...]

Listening to radio an interviewer ask their interviewee "describe the experience for the listener". Description is all the listener needs, imagination does the rest. "well..." come's the reply "its just too beautiful for words". The answer makes me want to rip out the interviewees tongue and slap them with it. Read more [...]

The Ship is in pitch darkness  now.  The engine is turning over gently. Many of the crew are in their quarters.  The captain is upon the bridge and the anchor is far below,   in the Read more [...]

There's forty six passengers, nineteen Russian crew, three international expedition staff and three international hotel and catering staff. It was stormy last night. The Gregory Mikheev, all two hundred Read more [...]

I am travelling through the sea at night and I am not sure which sea it is. I am in the Arctic, so it could be the Arctic sea. I have travelled across the world to be here but I am not sure which countries I have passed. I have no idea which hemisphere I am in. I think I am in the southern hemisphere but I am not sure. I can find out but at time of writing I am not sure. I don’t know what time it is. Read more [...]

You are not currently connected to any networks.  My remote wireless connection won’t work because I am somewhere too remote. A backbone of water  slithers behind the ship as it bows  out of the fjord Read more [...]

Shit. I am in Iceland, with photographers, painters, composers, lyricists, musicians and scientists. We are all travelling en route to the Arctic to experience Climate Change. Fifty percent of us know exactly why they are here. They have projects to work on and numbers to crunch. And the other fifty percent? Guess which one I am in? But am I missing something, it’s climate and it’s changing. Don’t we experience climate change wherever we are: Paris, New York or London. Nature is by virtue, everywhere, so why the Arctic and why artists? Read more [...]