Somewhere along the Ord River — These chicks are only a few weeks old, out exploring in an afternoon of sunshine. I was excited to spot them as we drifted along the Ord River in Kakadu, Western Australia.

Outside the National Gallery in Melbourne stands a fountain. And on the edges of the fountain are moss-filled shallows. And on this moss, someone has built a house. Geese are in the front yard, and towering mushrooms (complete with two friendly hedgehogs) dwarf the building.

I sat in a quiet square in the Venetian sunshine, staring at the alps. Some cats played about my feet. All manner of boats plied the waters, from sleek water taxis to the occasional ambulance. Across the water lay the Italian mainland, and I watched as the planes came in…

An unexpected pleasure of river cruising is stepping ashore in the centre of things, rather than a port some distance from town. In media res, as Tolstoy advised aspiring writers. In Vienna, I alighted by the Church of St Francis. This distinctive church, covered with towers and red tiles, was…

I thought I knew Florence. Well enough, at least, to know the bus routes. Until in between visits someone changed the stops. Once upon a time when I stayed a while in Fiesole, I’d catch the bus down to Florence and alight near the Duomo. Now, after dutifully buying my…

What started with a boat rapidly became a surreal experience. Indeed, most of my trip to Halong Bay bordered on surreal. The place was crowded when we docked mid-morning. Bewildered and sunburnt tourists milled around looking for boats to take them out into the bay while vendors verged on blows…

I found Japan a juxtaposition of old and new which somehow blended seamlessly. Everywhere I went proved such a contrast to all I thought I knew about the country. Here are some of my favourite signs I found along the way.

A Poem — It came to me last Tuesday Somewhere around two in the afternoon, I think, As I cursed and threatened an impassive computer How my life was not a novel With a defined arc of beginning, middle and end. It lacks resolution, with a denouement to follow Neither punctuation nor spelling await correction A…