Memory Takes My Hand

Circa 1962, miners row, Abbey St. HVF.

It’s that time of the year where my attention turns to the Tour De France and “La Grande Boucle”. I have fond memories of a charity ride from London to Paris in 2013 where I got to catch the tour arrival into Paris after a four day ride through the French countryside. This shot was taken on day three, somewhere between Arras and Compiegne.

Barely a twelvemonth after the seven days war that put the world to sleep,
Late in the evening the strange horses came.
By then we had made our covenant with silence,
But in the first few days it was so still
We listened to our breathing and were afraid.

Edwin Muir, 1956

Just returned from the funeral of an old colleague and friend who had lived and worked in Stavanger.

During the eulogy we got to hear from his family; where they presented a lovely description which showed a completely different side of him. My perception of him was as a work colleague so his early life and adventures were a window into his character which would otherwise have been closed to me. By the nature of these things it emphasised how little we actually know of our friends and colleagues so this blog will be my way of opening windows into my life for anyone who wishes to know about me while curating my life thus far and hopefully for a long time into the future.

Enjoy.