STORIES
I have been writing stories of some kind since 1986. All of them have been ‘to order’ – that is, to fit the requirements of the company, person or magazine I was writing for. Whether it was the number of words, the need to avoid some topics, the need to include others, there were always boundaries.
Sometimes, when I submitted a travel writing piece, some words would be changed. On a few occasions, stories were cut. An editor or sub-editor had a space to fill so the words went. And although I occasionally submitted photographs, few were used. There was always a professional photographer or a photographic library at hand.
The stories here are all mine. My words, my pictures, written and photographed over the years. A couple have been published. They are here to put a collection together, to remember, and to wander down over the last twenty years of writing about places and experiences discovered and remembered.
Sometimes, when I submitted a travel writing piece, some words would be changed. On a few occasions, stories were cut. An editor or sub-editor had a space to fill so the words went. And although I occasionally submitted photographs, few were used. There was always a professional photographer or a photographic library at hand.
The stories here are all mine. My words, my pictures, written and photographed over the years. A couple have been published. They are here to put a collection together, to remember, and to wander down over the last twenty years of writing about places and experiences discovered and remembered.
|
'French, Anyone?'
2005 Though I’d toyed occasionally with the idea of learning French in France, when I committed mentally and financially to a four weeks immersion course almost a year ahead, I knew this was it. 'Walking with Skeletons'
2019 About fifteen of us, clustered in the courtyard of Edinburgh’s Surgeons’ Hall Museums, are signed up for the Blood and Guts tour ..... |
'Paris with my Daughteer'
2005 I knew we’d done the right thing when we boarded the Paris Shuttle at Charles de Gaulle airport at 7.15 am on a cold Paris morning in late December, 2005. 'World of Silk: Lyon'
2008 Silk is as closely woven through the city of Lyon as are its two rivers, the Rhône and the Saône. And the stories it tells brings the city’s history to life every day. |
|
AUSTRALIA
'Quaama Revisited', South Coast Style,
Spring 2020 Visiting Quaama seven months after the fires of Black Summer had devastated this small village. 'Cobargo - under fire', South Coast Style,
Autumn 2020 Fire swept through Cobargo's town centre, destroying heritage buildings and businesses ..... 'Mogo Wildlife Park', South Coast Style,
Autumn 2020 Under siege ..... 'The Keepers', South Coast Style,
Summer 2018 Call them what you will: treasure troves, heritage, research, interpretive centres, or museums ..... 'Connecting the Dots', The Weekend Australian,
August 18-19, 2018 Ancient discoveries in a landscape carved by time. 'Pride of Pinaroo', The Weekend Australian,
August 19-20, 2017 The rural tourist. 'Oh, So Sweet!', South Coast Style,
Summer 2016 'Rocking and rolling across the Atherton Tablelands',
The Weekend Australian, September 13-14, 2014 The delights of travelling with a grandchild. 'A Country Welcome for River Cottage',
South Coast Style, Spring 2013 The story behind the television series of the Australian companion to River Cottage UK. 'Cobargo reborn', South Coast Style,
Autumn 2013 A small town on the far south coast of NSW reinvents itself with energy and passion. PRIVATE PASSIONS: 'When the Daydream came true',
South Coast Style, Summer 2012/2013 A Porsche 356 fulfilled a childhood dream for a man whose day job is owning and running a sweet shop. ‘Set in Stone’, AIR, A Qantas Magazine,
September 2009 Stonemason James Charlwood brings romance and passion to working with stone on heritage buildings. ‘Temora Refuelled’, CountryBIZ,
Issue 44, 2008 A visit by an aerobatic pilot 14 years ago led to the establishment of the remarkable Temora Aviation Museum, in country New South Wales. 'On the Edge', South Coaster Magazine,
Winter 2007 Sculpture comes to life on a clifftop in Bermagui. |
INTERNATIONAL
'Over Hill and Dale', The Weekend Australian,
August 17-19 2019 On the road through the Yorkshire moors 'Tripping the Light Fantastic', The Weekend Australian,
March 2-3 2019 Creative moments in Atelier des Lumieres, Paris 'The High Road to Heaven', The Weekend Australian,
March 2-3 2019 A rare find on the west coast of Scotland. 'Isle of Content', The Weekend Australian,
November 24 - 25, 2018 Cosy up at a unique hotel on Scotland’s west coast. 'Heads over heels', The Weekend Australian,
December 10 -11, 2016 Themed walking tours in Milan and Florence. 'Written on the wind', The Weekend Australian,
January 17-18, 2015 The pleasures of small ship sailing in Scotland. ‘In Company with Ted Hughes’,
The Weekend Australian Travel & Indulgence July 24-25 2010 A writing course in northern Yorkshire is an inspirational affair. ‘English language, French Style’,
Sydney Alumni Magazine, SAM, Winter 2008 Finn McCall travels the world, teaching English to French speakers. 'One Perfect Day', The Weekend Australian,
April 21-22 2007 Spend a month - or a day - in the unspoilt town of Villefranche-sur-mer on the French Riviera. ‘Paris match is perfect’, The West Australian,
October 29, 2005 As we boarded the Paris Shuttle at Charles de Gaulle airport at 7.15 on a cold Paris morning, the email from our landlord was tucked firmly in my bag….. We were staying for 15 nights, pretending to be Parisians…. ‘A taste of the real thing’, The Weekend Australian,
Sept 18-19, 2004 I remember my first taste of Saint-Nectaire....Tasting it, I asked my companion, "Where did you get this cheese?" He looked at me winningly and said “I had it flown in specially, from the Auvergne..." |