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Looking forward and backward
ByJohn MayI visited the Non Militarised Zone on the border with North Korea this morning, on an organised tour. (Note to self: Don’t strike up a conversation with any American lady on a tour bus, in case she wants to spend the rest of the morning telling you her life story). The Zone was fascinating. We…
Erfurt: Old Friends, Late Trains and a Missing Apple Strudel
ByJohn MayMark and I are back on our travels, this time in Erfurt in Germany for the annual gathering of the Friends of Scouting in Europe. These visits have become a part of the year that I particularly enjoy: a chance to catch up with old friends, make new ones and, more importantly, see something of…
A day in Shanghai
ByJohn MayI am currently on my way to the World Scout Conference, being held in Jeju, South Korea and have stopped off in Shanghai for the day. What an amazing city – full of unfamiliar smells and tastes; though the main shopping street, Nanjing Road, feels surprisingly familiar. This could have something to do with the…
Official time from the Paris Marathon organisers…
ByJohn MayMy Garmin did a good job… 4:59:41, confirmed on the Paris Marathon website this evening. Just sneeked in under the 5:00 hour barrier, then. Which means I came 26245th out of 28844! There were an awful lot of people in front, but at least there were over two and a half thousand behind me!
A framed reminder of what a small group can do
ByJohn MayOn the wall of my study hangs an old cutting from the Lichfield Mercury, dated 11 November 1988. The headline reads: “Breaking out!” The page is yellowed now, the photographs are grainy and the print has faded. But it remains one of the things on my wall that means the most to me. The article…
Top ten sweets
ByJohn MayI turned 50 this week. Inevitably, I got a bit mushy and nostalgic with a few friends and, as usual with a group of people of my age, the conversation led to discussions about children’s television (it was better in the seventies) and the sweets we used to eat, bought with the pocket money…

