Our plane was delayed. We had sat in it for an hour before it moved off. Then it did. Fast. Up and down. Too much turbulence for me. We were in business class. I was looking forward to my delicious meal. Instead we got something they called afternoon tea. But no tea. Little stale sandwiches. […]Read Post ›
Wednesday. And we’re off again. Is there anything more stressful than packing on a hot day to go somewhere even hotter. Luckily there is lots of time and I actually did most of my own packing yesterday. Work expands to fit the time available so I spent all day, running! Up and down the stairs, […]Read Post ›
When I was very small my paternal grandmother used to talk about going to the Prater, the ancient Viennese funfair with a giant ferris wheel. I never really understood what she was talking about, as the Polish words for Vienna and prison were virtually interchangeable in my childish mind – I knew she had lived […]Read Post ›
Couldn’t put it down. Better than the first Thursday Club, because it doesn’t spend so much time explaining who is who. I love Joyce and her self deprecating asides. Lovely Bogdan, the token Pole, has a smaller role to play here, but still twinkles blue eyes and tattoos when necessary. Chris, the fat policeman who […]Read Post ›
For all those mentioned in the programme. If you remember, get in touch! Looking through some stuff the other day I came across this newspaper cutting, lovingly preserved by my father, and the memories of one of my most embarrassing moments came flooding back. As you may have realised, acting is not one of my […]Read Post ›
I was a great disappointment to my father in one particuar way. I did not like sport. I could not catch a ball, or throw it, or run, or jump, or aim, or swim, or ride. Nothing. He did manage to teach me to skate – how? I can’t now, but I did learn to […]Read Post ›
What a great mystery – you get two books for the price of one, and though the parallels are (not so) subtly spelt out for you, there is more than enough whodunnitness to keep you interested. Anthony Horowitz writes the way I would like to write- wittily, observantly, intelligently. He’s clever and fun, and is […]Read Post ›
At least, I wanted to change or rather cancel my digital subscription to the Times. I didn’t use the app, I couldn’t get my head round all the options, and I have many other more easily accessible optios available. So, for once, I grabbed the bull by the horns and decided to make hay while […]Read Post ›
No longer with us, my father loved a Christmas hat. With embellishments. I used to find it really irritating. Now I miss it. He was the most intensely social being. When I was tiny I can remember people frequently coming round to our flat in Talgarth Road to play bridge or hearts or just for […]Read Post ›
When I was eighteen I went to Poland for six weeks. It was a great turning point in my life, as up till then I had been very shy, very nervous, lacking in confidence and with very few independent skills. I was clever and well read, but that was about it. I left school after […]Read Post ›
Life Through Basia's Eyes 