I’m not sure whether I should be feeling sorrier for myself, or for my neighbour’s fish. We’re all suffering from the cold, some considerably more than others, but at least I can move from one place to another and seek out the warmest room in my house. The fish are trapped under ice in their…

By now I hope that you have received various answers to your examinations, and the questions raised on your clemency, both of which you mentioned in your last letter which, for some strange reason, only recently made it over here. I was thinking that there must be a strike in one of the countries then…

A complete lack of organisation in an institution which should run as if oiled by the smoothest system ever invented comes as no real surprise to me. There are so many where things have been running according to a set of rules, which have rarely been changed or checked, simply because that is the way…

In consideration of the cold, wind-chill world you are living in, the worst experience for cold weather that I have had in recent years is working by -10°C for four hours outside, as I waited for a few speeding cars to make my day. This was before the department decided to replace its cars with…

The new year seems to have started in much the same way as the old ended, with no real advance but, at the same time, no backward steps. We are gradually moving on, but only because we’re keeping pace with all that is going on around us, whether it be political, health and safety, or…

It has been quite a busy few weeks, now that the restrictions in Germany are gradually changing, as more and more people either get the vaccination, or recover from our virus. There are still a few who are holding out, but the new rules tend to shut them out of partaking in ordinary life or,…

It looks almost as if, after such a long time, I will be breaking with my own traditions, with my own routine, and changing letter writing days. I had thought that last week would be an exception, but a little something came up this week as well, completely unexpected, and threw my well-planned and time-honoured…

I must admit that I do not read my letters through once I have finished writing them, which leaves all the spelling mistakes right where they were unless I happen to spot them on the way down, and means that I often don’t notice when something jars, or when it doesn’t quite fit in with…

It’s a strange thing, and something that I have been considering for the last few weeks, but I have decided that neither the pandemic – as bad as it could be – nor the United Kingdom leaving the European Union – as bad as it will be – have really made too much difference to…