Drove across to Little Rissington yesterday, the countryside looking absolutely ravishing in the autumnal sun, with blue skies and red kites and gliders soaring as I headed through the Chilterns gap. Listening to The Beatles' Love album, with 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' playing as I slip off the A40 and down what the girls call "The Rabbit Hole" towards Burford, beautifully lit by the slanting sun.... more >

Livebait
An evening with Gaia and Hania

One of the nicest things about the evening I have just spent with Gaia and Hania at Livebait, apart from the sustainably caught seafood, which was exquisite, was their comment that they had both picked people to work with and for who share a characteristic they associate with me: playful. Would be happy with that as an epitaph.... more >

Tim's Speech to No. 1 Squadron

Tim couldn't make it to a No. 1 Squadron dinner to mark the Battle of Britain, but the young pilot who did the flypast for him (see previous entry) read it out for him--and apparently got a standing ovation.... more >

Aerial Salute
Harrier fly-past for Tim

Spoke to my father, Tim, yesterday. Turns out that he had a rather exciting Wednesday, having been invited by No. 1 Squadron (with which he flew in the Battle of Britain) to Wyck Hill, a restaurant on the hill along from Little Rissington, where he was then invited to come outside around 13.00. Noticing that people from No. 1 kept looking at their watches, he asked whether they would prefer to be elsewhere? No, they said, they had plenty of time. And then a No. 1 Harrier jump-jet did a fly-past.... more >

Super Sad True Love Story
S-word makes it into future slang

One real benefit of long-haul flight is that you can plough through books - and on the way to and from Buenos Aires one of the books I read (and finished) was Gary Shteyngart's extraordinary Super Sad True Love Story (Granta Publications, 2010). One of those books you race to finish - but don't want to.... more >

Buenos Aires
Avina Foundation and Banco Itaú Unibanco

It is Argentina's Bicentennial Year, I discovered when I arrived in Buenos Aires for a conference aimed at young people who are owners of multi-generational family businesses in Latin America. Organised by Banco Itaú Unibanco at the Palacio Duhau, the event was full of interesting folk - and I emerged with a strong interest in coming back - and a couple of invitations to do so.... more >

Leg of Mutton Reservoir
A waspish walk

Took a leisurely walk around Barnes and the Leg of Mutton Reservoir with Jim Salzman, who flew in from the States this morning, ahead of my flight to Buenos Aires this evening. At one point, he noted a wasp's nest dangling just over my head. Reminded me of the hornet's nest I posted a picture of from Cape Cod when just starting this blog series, in 2003.... more >

Tyred
But at least I get to visit a favourite place

I got to cycle quite a lot this week, though the day of the Tube strike was a little straining, with everyone and their pony out on the streets - or at least I did pass one female cyclist in Hyde Park who was wearing a horse riding helmet. The borisbikes are now everywhere - and I can't help seeing them as a stroke of urban genius, though I suspect the bus drivers are finding it all a bit of a strain.... more >

A Choice of 9/11s
Don't allow it to be dictated

An uplifting piece from my friend Rajni Bakshi appears on openDemocracy, here, arguing that we should not allow the events of 9/11 2001 to dictate the way we thing either about that date in the annual calendar or the wider world.... more >

Setting Sun Illuminates Our Fish
Swimming counter current

Got back to 2 Bloomsbury Place from the FDSD meeting to find the setting sun illuminating the embroidered picture of counter current fish that (Zheng) Jieying gave me earlier in the year, based on the theme of this website. The extraordinary threadwork spotlighted for all to see.... more >

FDSD Channels Future Generations
A day at 100-year-old South London Botanical Institute

Took a minicab across to Tulse Hill this morning, with a driver who had been one of Vietnam's Boat People. He was part of a group of people trying to leave the country in 1979, but they got into difficulties and split up at the quay, so he was the only one of his family group that got onto the boats. The rest of his family apparently ended up in re-education camps for two years. Like the Afghani driver who drove me across to Volans with a set of pictures a couple of weeks ago, a man who had fought alongside the Russians, my Vietnamese driver says he was very well treated by the British immigration authorities when he got here.... more >

A Day in Vevey
Discussing sustainability with a Swiss giant

By plane and train this morning to Vevey in Switzerland, to see Nestlé. Spent several hours discussing the sustainability agenda with José Lopez (Executive Vice President, Operations), Niels Christensen and Claus Conzelmann of Nestlé, and Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria and another member of the Nestlé Creative Shared Value Advisory Board.... more >