After a mixed career as an aircraft technician, London fringe theatre playwright, Franciscan friar, and secondary school teacher, I find myself looking after the needs of four donkeys in a remote location in the mountains in the Costa Blanca. I like to listen to BBC Radio 4 and the wind in the pine trees. My favourite film of all time is "Jean de Florette" as it details the concerns of country people and quietly shows how evil enters our lives through mundane and petty matters. Now retired, I have lost the need to fight past battles and recognize that my various contributions to life - both ecclesiastical and secular - have been enjoyable, sometimes flawed, occasionally disastrous; but mostly times worth celebrating.
If you think British politics is now the laughing stock of the world, Spain is in its run-up to the general election on Sunday and the four main candidates were in a television debate last night where it was impossible to hear any of them because they couldn’t stop talking over each other. Then came … More Blue sky at the end of a stormy week
In a small gathering of English, Dutch, Spanish and American friends on Saturday 30 March here at El Parral, we celebrated with paella the day after the much-trumpeted “Brexit” day 29 March, and declared “We are European!” The Brexiters have been confounded – or to put it simply, they have confounded themselves – and it … More We are European!
Today 29 March was the day that Theresa May repeated more than 100 times was meant to be the day “Britain is leaving the European Union”. Thanks largely to her own monumental incompetence but also to the plain fact that even those supporting it have no idea what Brexit actually means, we are still in … More 29 March 2019
Some of the photos from the “Put it to the People” demonstration on Saturday. When we assembled in Parliament Square it was announced that we had achieved the target of more than a million demonstrators, making it the largest London protest in history. Certainly it was the biggest pro-Europe march in the history of the … More Historic London pro-Europe march
One year ago today 1 March 2018, I arrived early at Elians School, La Nucia, and was in my classroom at 8.30 a.m. preparing to mark pupils’ exercise books, when a management hit squad swept into the room: Company CEO Tim Lakin, backed up by Assistant Principals Sheila Davidson and Amanda Pyott, bearing a dismissal … More Elians School pays compensation
For the first time since October last year I did not listen to the Sunday politics show on the radio today, nor take my hour long tour of the Sunday newspapers online. I looked instead at the book of Exodus, and the prophet Joel, and psalm 105. I followed all the references to locusts. They … More Parable of the Locusts
From today, I have left Facebook and shall be writing only here on the Equusasinus blog, the only place where I used to be found. As I was preparing to shut down Facebook I noticed the donkeys were – as always – mirroring my thoughts. They were all spaced out on the field ignoring each … More Goodbye social media, again!
La costa jamón inglésa, translates roughly as “The English gammon coast.” I have only recently begun to realize exactly how many UK residents here in Spain voted to leave Europe. It is shocking: possibly as many as 50% according to some estimates! So, while living in Europe and enjoying all its benefits, these people decided … More La costa jamón inglésa
There is a glossy expensive traditionalist Catholic magazine in the USA called Regina. When it first came out a few years ago I was very impressed with the quality of the photographs and it was clearly backed by very impressive financial support. I read it for a few issues, but although the glossy photographs were very … More US Catholic Regina magazine says Brexit is God’s plan. A response.
It’s a calm sunny day after three days of merciless winter winds. When the donkeys have breakfasted I will give them a good slow grooming. This thread is typed and sent from my phone: there’s no hurry to get back indoors to the computer today. No anti-Brexit rush-hour now. We just set up the Aitana … More #IamEuropean: and looking ahead not back
