Ovally Balls

Having said goodbye to John, probably for the last time (unless I can catch up with him in Lubumbashi), I headed back into the hotel to prepare for the week ahead: a market study on the potential for a new cement plant in the country. A completely different proposition, and one that requires navigating through … Continue reading Kinshasa, Part II

Links to chapters One, Two and Three Fathers Jiffy and Nige had not only brought rugby balls to celebrate the fading of the Witch’s power. They had other gifts for the children: for Peter, a gumshield embossed with the Narnian Lions’ logo and a sword; for Susan, a bow and quiverful of arrows, and a … Continue reading The Lions, the Witch and the Locker: Chapter Four

(For Meades) As I sit here contemplating some home-cooked food, I ponder on how life has almost turned a full circle. I left the UK in 2003 after a life-changing event, determined not to return, as I was disgusted with the capitulation of my home country to the forces of Evil (Dubya and Tony). My … Continue reading Letter from America

Couple of quizzes to keep you entertained. There are no real rules; I will post the answers after a suitable period of time. Discussion is permitted. Cwiz 1: Prisons 1. In which novel did Edmond Nantes escape from the Chateau d’If? 2. In which prison was the Marquis de Sade incarcerated? 3. Which South African … Continue reading Lockdown cwizzing

Links to Chapter One and Chapter Two Edmund slipped and shivered through the snow until he eventually found the Witch’s castle. It looked quite creepy, but bolstered by thoughts of Turkish Delight (oh, his Saracens – and the Scarlets were his favourite Welsh side), he crept through the imposing main gate. He found himself in … Continue reading The Lions, the Witch and the Locker: Chapter Three

It was a comfortable flight, given that we were flying through the tropics, where turbulence is commonplace and losing your dinner tray (and dinner) not unheard of. I looked out the window as we descended through the perma-clouds over Kinshasa and smiled as the magnificent Congo River momentarily came into view, pointing out to my … Continue reading Kinshasa, Part I

Link to Chapter One “Peter! Susan!” cried Lucy, “Edmund has been to Narnia too now, and he can tell you all about it!” “Edmund – is this true?” asked Peter. Edmund shuffled his feet in a shifty sort of way. “Ah no, we were just playing a game about her imaginary country, Peter. We had … Continue reading The Lions, the Witch and the Locker: Chapter Two

I only got into rugby coaching when my eldest was in the U11s and his head coach appealed for help. Standing on the touchline and watching, I figured “ah – he means me…”.  Initially, I just put out cones, held tackle bags and blew a whistle (lots!) [Ed: the Karl is strong in this one.] … Continue reading Grassroots Rugby: Killarney RFC

“No one would have believed, in the last years of the nineteenth century, that human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space. “No one could have dreamed we were being scrutinised, as someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few men even considered the … Continue reading Heidelberg: A lost weekend

Once upon a time, there were four children named Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, and they were all sent away to a big country house in Cornwall at the time of the Great Coronavirus Armageddon. The house was owned by an ancient Scottish professor of rugby (as opposed to an ancient professor of Scottish rugby, … Continue reading The Lions, the Witch and the Locker: Chapter One