Art and Abart

It doesn't pay to put your woollies away too early. We are back to winter this week. It was 9C this morning but felt like 0C because of ...

Imogen Cooper plays You have to be careful what sort of concert you hear after a five star Parsifal but I think I chose just the thi...

If you look at blogs about recordings of Wagner's music you find connoisseurs discussing which singer is best on which recording. Each r...

I was reading Wagner's letters to Mathilda Wesendonk (original version, online for free) o n the way to Sydney to see Wagner's oper...

Last time I made covers for the cushions of my old (1970s) cane chairs, I pinned the gaps instead of sewing them closed, something I realis...

I have been back in Australia for two weeks, but it has been a hard landing. Jetlag always seems to be harder on the way back to Australia b...

First coffee back in Australia after nearly two months. I heard in London that there are several new cafés being started by Australians...

I made it home safe and sound and the flight back did not seem as long as usual. Partly that must be due to the three excellent German mo...

The Neckar river, a tributary of the Rhine, winds from Mannheim south east to Stuttgart. The Neckar Valley, east of Heidelberg, is a very ...

My ultimate destination in France was a family wedding in the Alsace not far from Strasbourg. I had intended to spend two days in Strasbourg...

The Louvre opens at 9am and the weather forecast said 'hot' so I arrived at 8:30. There was already quite a queue but once the museu...

Hugo Marchand. It's a name I had to look up when I got home but all those sitting near me at the Paris Ballet knew him and whooped when ...

Paris! What a pleasure to be in a city that looks as if it is loved. Flat footpaths that are easy to walk on and aesthetically designed buil...

Getting on the Eurostar train to Europe at St Pancras station in London, is a bit of a hassle with security and customs just like the airpor...

Salisbury is an hour and a half by train from London and near Stonehenge so it is a perfect place for a day trip. Southern Rail offers prom...