This weekend I found myself glued to the screen watching little dots move across the map of the French Alps. Those dots, for the uninitiated, were the elite runners at UTMB, the biggest ultramarathon event in the world. The…

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There is a certain demographic who, by virtue of their age, heard numerous times in childhood the old rhyme: sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me. It was a kind of verbal armour,…

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Recently, I spent a few days on business in Asia. While most of my travel tends to be in the Western world, this trip took me into new terrain to markets bustling with street vendors, unfamiliar languages, and payment…

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There’s always the risk that when someone who is white, middle-aged and male starts to opine on things, it will be received as a missive from a position of privilege and exuding entitlement… And let’s be honest, often that…

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The other day I was talking to a friend about travel experiences. Said friend prefers resorts and flash hotels for their vacation accommodation. I, however, am wired another way and still like the idea of random conversations that spring…

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I have sufficient self-awareness to know that I enjoy the sound of my voice. My mother, perhaps my harshest critic, is often heard, in her inimitable way, commenting on her perception that I have no lack of self-confidence. While…

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There’s an old joke my father used to tell. It goes like this: A Chinese man and a Jew are sitting in a bar. The Jew turns to the Chinese man and says, quite aggressively, “You Chinese are terrible.…

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The other day I was in Auckland on business. I had a couple of hours spare in my hotel room and, having dispensed with my work for the day, I took the unusual step of switching on the television.…

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In an ancient, whispering forest, where every root held memory and every branch bore witness, lived an owl named Orla. She was old, older than any feathered creature could remember, and wise in the way only those who have…

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The other week, I went to The End of the Golden Weather at the new Court Theatre. The play, Bruce Mason’s moving monologue about childhood summers and growing up, was brilliantly performed. I’d never been to a Mason play…

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