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Monthly Archives December 2007

Oxford to Istanbul #9

Ninth Leg: Budapest - Bellgrade
Saturday Night
This was the first night train of the journey, having a 6-bed compartment to ourselves in a somewhat old and grubby Eastern bloc train.
Most worrying moments were the train attendant asking us to please make sure that we always kept both bolts locked on the cabin door, and the Serbian […]

Posted 21 December 2007 † John Mansfield § Normal ‡ Comments (0) °

Where’s Mum?

One of the most famous themes of Australian colonial history is the doomed search for the inland sea. Due to some spurious theories about the source of the rivers, or perhaps just human optimism, or perhaps just an inability to believe that such a big piece of land could be totally dry and desert-like, the […]

Posted 20 December 2007 † John Mansfield § Normal ‡ Comments (0) °

Eat dirt

Due to seasonal news cycles, there are lots of articles about truffles in the “lifestyle” and cookery sections of the newspapers right now. This is something you rarely hear about in Australia, and a food I have never tried.
The articles, without exception, emphasise the special “earthy” flavour that shaved truffles impart to a dish. They […]

Posted 20 December 2007 † John Mansfield § Normal ‡ Comments (0) °

I am thy father’s gimlet

I had an idea for a play today: Tag-Team Hamlet.
This would allow you do the famous play with a large ensemble cast, giving lots of actors a fair go. There could simply be lots of different people playing Hammo, and different people perhaps for Ophelia etc as well.
Of course, you would need to have distinctive […]

Posted 19 December 2007 † John Mansfield § Normal ‡ Comments (0) °

Just a Song and Dance Man

I have just finished my first real go at amateur theatre. This was something I had been wanting to do for a long time, but perhaps in part had not had the confidence to get involved in. I performed (acting, plus a tiny bit of singing and dancing) in the OUP Christmas Show - which […]

Posted 08 December 2007 † John Mansfield § Normal ‡ Comments (1) °

Oxford to Istanbul #8

8th Leg: Vienna - Budapest
Thursday Afternoon
Quite a short train trip, but an important one; conceptually, this crosses for me the half-way point of the journey, passing from West to East.
On the Hungarian side of the border, changes are immediately obvious, with much more run-down buildings, and general slight disorderliness contrasting with Austria’s compulsive neatness. Have […]

Posted 02 December 2007 † John Mansfield § Normal ‡ Comments (0) °