Last New Year’s Eve, I was in Greece, sitting round a beach fire on the isle of Samos, just a few kilometres from the coast of Turkey, drinking I can’t quite remember what. It was a cold, breezy night: we were wrapped up, laughing, planning a swim the next morning. I actually did it, and […]
Remembrance Day for remarkable humans
On Monday, just after 11 in the morning I paused for thought. Remembrance Day marks the moment World War One ended, at 11 o’clock on 11th November, 1918, after some sixteen million people had lost their lives. In terms of sheer volume of slaughter, the Second World War was even deadlier: up to 56 million, […]
Teranga ! Why Senegal is super, and sadly not for me #renowned-she-warrior
For those of you who’ve never logged on here before (Welcome 😎 ) I’m a conflict nerd, by which I mean a professional humanitarian peacebuilder. I’m sort of based in the UK, and have spent the last six years working in Central and West Africa, specialising in managing complex peacebuilding projects for international Non-Government Organisations […]
So what would you do with €700 million?
I love cathedrals: the spaciousness, the stone flag floors and rising columns, archways and sensual stained glass. The echoes of history, walls soaked in hymns and chanting, the overall aura of something sacred that often makes me want to kneel and pray in gratitude for everything I have. Whenever I go to a new city, […]
