Restid

Lao Tzu said, “A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving”.   Queuing for Sting, travelling for ABBA, the flying hens, and a Norwegian prison.  The artist MC Escher said, “Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible”, while W.H. Auden asks to be told the truth about love.

Doing the right things, for the right reasons.  Capitalism with a conscience, from Chocolate Wars to B Corporations like Patagonia.  The historic impacts of Quakers and the extraordinary story of Christopher after a journey on the London Underground.  The joy of everyday kindness.

Speed and convenience challenge slow appreciation.  Drive-through diners and slow food, media acquisition and consumption.  Speeding penalties, Delusional Entitlement Disorder on the road and the Door’s ‘Roadhouse Blues’.  As Wendy’s strives to beat McDonald’s by 45 seconds and Aesop’s tortoise is victorious.

Gaps of wealth, distance and health are not new, but they can be bridged.  Adam Smith’s ‘The Wealth of Nations’, the United States Declaration of Independence, the peace and quiet of an airport and the recognition that we don’t know our friends as well as we might assume.

Analogue pleasure, Digital Natives, Immigrants, the skills of indigenous people, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and the Jamaican poet James Berry

Joan Didion said “we share our stories to live”.  Beryl Cook celebrated people enjoying riotous fun.  Keen observation and the sharing of travel stories keeps those journeys and memories alive. With trips to Xanadu, Llareggub and the moon.

The mystery of E and F.  Distractions for power or profit and the cognitive surrender fuelled by sycophantic AI.   We don’t know what we’re missing.  

Comfortably anonymous, occupied or lonely. How different are we?

Recognising when we’ve had enough and reducing our waste - whether it’s puddings, public space, speed or energy

Solutions need problems to solve and the optimism of Norman.  Acknowledging the elephant in the garage and the cooling love affair with the car.

Peter Drucker said, “the best way to predict the future is to create it”.  Nevertheless, our interest in knowing the future and our fortunes remain as keen as ever.  What if we could travel in time, just once?  Would we? 

Terry Pratchett wrote “Why do you go away?  So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours.  And the people there see you differently, too.  Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” (A Hat Full of Sky)

“Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine.” - Beethoven We’re surrounded by secrets, awaiting discovery.  The efficiency of a thumbnail secret, ‘The Underground Railroad’ by Colson Whitehead, ‘Platform Souls’ by Nicholas Whittaker, and the Shetland Bus.

To Australia and back, for free?  The dangers of crate escapes and the impact of breaking barriers.

Finding a new destination when trouble lies ahead.  Reducing the impact on ourselves of a bubble bursting.  As Dana Milbank writes "Stop trying to be happy — and start figuring out how to make other people happy."

Shadows in the dark, imagining the worst and the safety provided by the travelling community. I've never been locked in a station before.

John Steinbeck, California, bright shiny technology, bubbles and the giant with a scarred face and an evil white eye.

Finding good fortune and tackling loneliness on our travels

The inspiration and tenacity of those who ride the storms and the Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894

Village life with a horse, a mouse and rabbits. Train politeness, buses in Samoa and the art of John Noakes in Dunedin. Together with the long-lasting relevance of a Victorian Act of Parliament.

The Delta Lady and random direction choices. Remarkable navigation, the human fishing fleet, and sailing down the Thames

A story of survival and recovery.  From Singapore to New Zealand via Japan.  A new family and communities of mobility. Not forgetting Granny’s bottle of rum.

A 1625 atlas, the Swedish Mile and the Kiwi Kilometre confuse, and William Whyte laments that the human backside is a dimension architects seem to have forgotten.  ‘On Looking: A Walkers Guide to the Art of Observation' by Alexandra Horowitz.  The Trooping Of the Colour and birthday suits.

Meeting the wise, appreciating a vegetable, and making unexpected discoveries.  Buddha’s tooth is revealed and a Tardis on wheels saves the day.  All wrapped up with the delights of the Lost Gypsy Gallery and Peake’s Kitchen.

Trusted friends are important as a market correction or recession looms, and trusted strangers can help too, just like the Trail Angels.  New opportunities will arise, as they have in the past. Meanwhile, for Willow, a long unexpected journey has begun. And ‘If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?’ by Kurt Vonnegut is a good read in these turbulent times.