Friends of the Armchair Traveller

HAPPY  NEW YEAR.                                             By Jan Fran (posted on Instagram). For almost three months there has been a feeling in the pit of my stomach. It’s there when I sleep, it’s there when I wake up. It’s there when I go to work, it’s there when I’m waiting in line at the supermarket checkout. It’s there when I smile, it’s there when I don’t. It’s there all the time. It’s as though my guts are inside a food processor that began slowly churning one day and still hasn’t stopped. Some days it churns harder and faster than others. Some days it’s subdued but if I stop what I am doing I can feel it. I’m not quite sure what the feeling is exactly.  Maybe it’s shock at the scale of the horror, the indiscriminate killing.  Maybe it’s disgust at the impotency and hypocrisy of our leaders. Maybe it’s revulsion at the cheerleaders and apologists or bewi...

Yesterday my sister Chris sent me this link: Hi Pete, This is the young woman, Bisan, I was telling you of: https://youtu.be/6xRi1fXXTd8? si=Sh877IrBZ9QV8Eq5 Such a brave young woman! She speaks for many of us! Thanks for sending this Chris, pt

 Some time ago I posted some beautiful micro photography by  Angel Fitor. Today I'm posting some similar exquisite imagery by Steven Kovacs courtesy:    SCIENCE  |  DECEMBER 15, 2023 8:00 A.M. These Ten Brilliant Portraits Illuminate Ocean Creatures’ Nighttime Antics Blackwater photographer Steven Kovacs takes spectacular shots of marine animals, helping scientists study tiny larval fish. Here's a link to the entire article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-ten-breathtaking-portraits-capture-ocean-creatures-at-night-180983418

Sarsaparilla,             Raspberry Vinegar,                            Creamy Soda,                                             Heritage Cola,                                                      Brewed Ginger My friend Tom Cowan is an intrepid traveller, not because he wants to be but because his wife Lesley likes to tra...

  Jacques Henri Lartigue Following the 20 images I posted in Higgledy Piggledy the other day, I've decided to add some more of Lartigue's lovely images of his "muses". I've tried to avoid all his wonderful action shots which are so well known, and just go for the portraits of his favourite women as subjects. I presented this shot of Florette as No. 2 Some people thought this portrait of Florette was a shot by our friend Vicky Mousoulis, and I perfectly understand why they thought so.  Vicky was astonished that to learn that some people had thought of her in the same breath as Lartigue, but I think Vicky richly deserves that accolade. Anyhow, these are for today: Florette Ormea Florette Ormea Renée Perle   Renée Perle Florette Ormea ?    I think it's her but I can't be sure.   I copied this  from a site which gave no background details.  I notice that there are  no "beauty spots" on either  side of her nose, which  you can  se...

"u might enjoy this"                      Received this morning from my friend Richard Leigh. Raimond Gaita talks with Phillip Adams I'm a big fan of Rai Gaita Lots of goodies in here i think you’d like rl https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/latenightlive/raimond-gaita-moral-philosophy/103140936 I enjoy toing and froing with Richard, covering so many topics as we've done for so many years now.  One of the recurring issues over those years has been  dealing with thoughts about "moral philosophy" although I don't think we ever called it that. Examples: in these times of great crises from Ukraine to Gaza, Sudan, Dafour and Chad, Myanmar, the recent expulsion of Afghanis from Pakistan, the nightmare of division in the US who can hardly fund their administration for 3 months at a time, the hatred expressed everywhere against refugees, whether they flee from Africa to Europe or from Latin America to the USA, the lurch ...

 Today    just a mix of images taken from various posts we've published since March 2021.  They are not in any particular order and I've decided for the moment not to "name" them or indicate whose they are or where they come from. I've numbered each image so people can ask questions about any of them by merely quoting the number attached to each. So here we go:  1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. There are so many more I could have chosen but I felt compelled to keep this selection to 20 pics. pt