2 09, 2025

The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India – dry sounding but incredible! As others see Us

By |September 2nd, 2025|Categories: History, India, Lost History, Madras Courier, Mixed relationships, Novels and short stories, Oxford, Shepherd.com, The Bodleian library|0 Comments

Sculpting the Elephant is part located in Oxford where I live, especially in the former industrial and working class areas of Jericho and St Thomas's but is set when Jericho was gentrifying and the Oxford Rock scene had started to

18 01, 2025

The Water of Life: Bill Nighy, Victor Glynn and I

By |January 18th, 2025|Categories: Ashoka, Buddhism, Events, India, Kennington, Kenya, Lost History, Mixed relationships, Nalanda, Novels and short stories, Oxford, Oxford Castaways, The Bodleian library, The Stars ArtMovement|0 Comments

The Water of Life: Bill Nighy, Victor Glynn and I   Do you find that life is like water –rivers flowing alongside crossing, meeting and blending? Thursday was like that for me. The film producer Victor Glynn suggested I be

27 12, 2024

What have Michael Rosen, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Professor Irene Tracey, Korky Paul, Paterson Joseph and me in common?

By |December 27th, 2024|Categories: Ashoka, Buddhism, Events, India, Kennington, Kenya, Mixed relationships, Nalanda, Novels and short stories, Oxford, Oxford Castaways, The Bodleian library, The Oxford Times, The Stars ArtMovement|0 Comments

I love the Today programme during the Christmas period, when it has guest editors. Their choice of in depth subject matter is inspirational. First off was author and screenwriter, Frank Cottrell Boyce, on a subject dear to my heart -

23 07, 2024

My Town /Gown Literary Walk Inspired by Sculpting the Elephant

By |July 23rd, 2024|Categories: Antiques, Art, India, Lost History, Mixed relationships, Nalanda, Novels and short stories, Oxford, Shepherd.com, The Bodleian library|0 Comments

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19607563.novel-walk-around-oxford-author-sylvia-vetta/ Most visitors to Oxford cluster around a few streets of Dreaming Spires and, in my opinion, miss out on the complexities of this beautiful city. I recommended a few books on the subject for  https://shepherd.com/best-books/oxford-and-where-town-meets-gown In Sculpting the Elephant,