Hard as I try, I haven’t managed yet to visualise, let alone put into words, what could possibly constitute a typical American. I am sure that there are one or two things which everyone from the United States shares, aside from the fact that most were born there and will live their lives and eventually…
Nationalism, Patriotism, Feelings Of Home And A Piece Of Paper Certifying Citizenship
Today is almost something of an anniversary in that my very first letter to you was written and sent on 20 February 2017, and also a day of celebration, if you like, as I see that only one other person of the many I wrote to, when I first got back to letter writing, is…
Reach Out And Pluck An Orange From A Tree At Any Time
Valentine’s Day is one of those many celebratory holiday-style events I have allowed to slip from my memory, along with my birthday, Christmas, Easter and any other time when family and friends are meant to contact you, exchange gifts or just be present in your life. I think this goes right back to my childhood…
That Devil Of A Man Exercises A Fascination On Me That I Cannot Explain
I must admit to having been richly amused as you wrote that you are older – and mentioned exactly how old – and that some things might not be retained in your mind and memory, as if you were suffering from some form of disease or malady connected to old age which brings forgetfulness with…
Captured Images Of Snow Fall In The Algerian Town Of Ain Sefra
My first task of the day, after seeing to what the cat wanted with its incessant mewing, was to brush the remains of snow, from the sidewalk in front of my house, into the storm drain. We have some seemingly strange rules here in Germany, ones which catch a lot of people out when they…
You Saw Those Islands From The Sea And Your Heart Was Filled With Delight
Well, it would seem that my last letter to you, from 20 November 2017 was not quite the success it should have been. I made the mistake of writing to you on the letter paper I have been using for several decades, which is a very decent, lightly toned heavyweight paper highly suited to personal…
There Is No One Else In The World, Nor Will There Ever Be
I was going to start this first letter with a proverb I have half in my memory and which, for many, is practically a daily thought they might have every time some plan doesn’t go according to their wishes, or they aren’t able to get something done either through a lack of will or some…
Out Of The Flatness Of A Page And Into The Vivid Imagination
For the record, when it comes to letter writing, it is sometimes those snap decisions which pay off far more than the well-considered and long thought over choices. When we try to find the ideal person to write to, it is often someone who is much the same as us that we are actively looking…
Cleaning Up The Mess, Driving The Getaway Car, Hiding The Loot
One of the things I have discovered over the last year or so, and something which has proven me and many others wrong on so many counts, is the idea that smart people – however you might wish to define the word – do not end up in prison. Sometimes it can be exactly those…
The Solution Of A Problem Is Anathema To Many Schools
Conversations would be the most boring pastime ever if we all had the same information, on the same topics, and held the same opinion. Fine, there are probably a few other things which are equally or more tedious and which make us yawn broadly just at the mere mention of their name, but at least…