Monthly Archives: July 2026

Found in an old box

Posted on July 30, 2026 by dgm

I recently shared the following ABC news story to Mastodon: It’s quite an interesting little story about how people opening up an old fireplace found a library book forgotten for 150 years in a box hidden in the fireplace. Kiama, … Continue reading →

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Mary Wellstead, telegraphist

Posted on July 25, 2026 by dgm

Earlier this year, we had a road trip in WA, and the furtherest east we got to was Bremer Bay, at the end of a frayed tarmac road running through scrub for 60km. It was a place so remote it … Continue reading →

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Too Late…

Posted on July 23, 2026 by dgm

About a month ago I blogged about that phenomenon of the Victorian postal service, the ‘Too late’ postmark. Well I couldn’t resist, and ended up buying an example for myself from a dealer in Vienna. It’s a prepaid international postcard … Continue reading →

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Gurdjieff and Stalin

Posted on July 23, 2026 by dgm

George Gurdjieff was a remarkable man. To some he was a mystic and a seeker after truth, to some a charlatan, and perhaps he was something in between. Growing up in Kars, which after the 1877 war between Tsarist Russia … Continue reading →

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Fieldwork with Agatha…

Posted on July 11, 2026 by dgm

About a month ago I wrote about my discovery of Agatha Christie’s mystery novels. I won’t bore you with the details, other than to say that I’ve always enjoyed ‘golden age’ novels both for their stories and their portraits of … Continue reading →

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The train to Iraq

Posted on July 1, 2026 by dgm

A couple of days ago, after the evening news, we watched a repeat of Michael Palin’s travel documentary where he visits Iraq. In the opening few minutes of the programme, he rides the train through a wintry Turkey to Diyarbakir … Continue reading →

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