At seven bells in the afternoon watch, Charles and I step aboard the afterdeck of HMS Belfast. There is no wailing of bosun’s pipes, sprung to welcome us aboard. No stamp and clash of Marines presenting arms. No doffing of hats, no white-gloved sideboys, no parade of midshipmen. We are simply two more civilian tourists coming aboard. Continue reading Ship of the Line
We climb the staircase to the club’s first floor. From the high-ceilinged corridor, oak-panelled doors lead to discreet rooms and chambers, each one bedecked with portraits of military men and scenes from great moments in military history: the retreat from Kabul, the Battle of Plassey, Captain Oats leaving the tent in an Antarctic blizzard: “…I may be some time.” Continue reading Lunch at the Club
Sleek elevators connect the mezzanine floors where exclusive emporiums — Apple, Armani, Under Armour — are yet to open. The notes of soft, electronic music hang in the air, unresolved. At this hour, the gigantic space is empty. Continue reading Welcome to the Machine: Part 2.
“The gentleness of heaven is on the sea;Listen! the mighty being is awake…” – William Wordsworth, By the Sea (1807) It … Continue reading UPROAR! at the Bookshop By The Sea
I live and breathe the silences and dust where no man reigns… – Cold Chisel, Wild Colonial Boy Dawn on … Continue reading Back to the Track
But all was not well in the empire. The Moghuls came from Central Asia. Descended from Genghis Khan and Tamburlaine, … Continue reading THE GREAT MOGHULS
I wish I had invented blue jeans… – Yves Saint Laurent It was an uprising in blue. The Nil vidroha, … Continue reading The Indigo Revolt
The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working … Continue reading THE FOREST OF STONE
The inlets and coves, slotted into the coastline like notches on a sailor’s knife handle… I was jumped on by … Continue reading Moonlight Encounter
With cold steel bayonets gleaming, in sodden seas of blood. They raced towards the stronghold, all in a crimson flood,Such … Continue reading The Light Horse
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