Tag Archives: Photo Blog The Solstice (Yule or Litha – depending which hemisphere you are in) has just passed. Today is Christmas Eve here in Australia. It makes me think of my family – scattered as they are – and of the families I have met in my travels. These families can take very different forms from the “norm” I grew up […]  The term “black and white village” refers to several old English villages in the counties of Herefordshire and Shropshire in the West Midlands of England. These villages are known for their timbered and half-timbered houses, some dating to medieval times. The framework of the houses was made from unseasoned green oak, which darkened over time; painting the beams black was a relatively recent innovation. The panels between the beams were covered with plaster – or […]  Tomatoes. Salad, salsa, pasta sauce, creamy curry, pizza, ratatouille, juice, gazpacho… the list goes on. Tomatoes have become central to cooking world over. In season, I keep them planted in my garden, and I always have plenty – large ones for cooking and sandwiches and small ones for salads – tucked in my fridge. Originally native to western-South […]  Bavaria. When I think of Bavaria, I think of buxom blond women in dirndls (traditional white blouses, laced bodices, full skirts and aprons), and moustached men in lederhosen (leather breeches). I think of medieval castles, charming villages, and beer in copious steins. But, it is also home to expanses of dark forests that stretch from high up in the Bavarian Alps down to the […]  The Spitzkoppe, meaning “pointed dome” in German, is a granite massif rising out of the flat Namib Desert – a plain of gravel and sand that extends to the Atlantic Ocean a hundred miles away on Namibia’s west coast. Part of the Erongo Mountains, Spitzkoppe is the remains of a gigantic volcano which collapsed more than a 100 million years ago when the ancient continent […] |
|
