by Derek | May 7, 2016 | Memories
My mother loved Fashion. More than fashion – which was prone to lapses of taste unacceptable to her – she loved STYLE. She grew up in Dublin at a time when most people were intensely proud and incredibly poor. Money, when it was there, was for essentials. Essentials...
by Derek | Dec 13, 2015 | Food
When I was a child – without fail – November smelled of cinnamon, nutmeg, jewel-bright candied carbuncles of citrus peel, and rich, shiny brandy. My mother baked Christmas cakes then for a mid-December delivery. It was a skill she’d acquired at a women’s club in the...
by Derek | Sep 13, 2015 | Travel
The first time I went to New York was in 1993. The Twin Towers still stood, monolithic orientation points that allowed the visitor to tell uptown from downtown. The city – pre the Giuliani and Bloomberg sandblasting of its gritty façade – was the ultimate grown-up,...
by Derek | Aug 16, 2015 | Memories
I don’t remember much of the sixties, and what I can remember consists of me lying on my back with a bottle within easy reach. Some things never change. I had an interesting childhood, as both my parents were international Nazi Hunters. Kidding: I grew up in Dublin,...
