HMRC pour the Cup of Pain

Dan Wild

It must have been a cold day, greyer than usual for the London bureaucrats who are trying to chase down an alleged tax debt I accrued before I left Olde Blighty. As if Centrelink didn’t provide enough angst for me last year. You’ll recall from a previous post that Centrelink (UK readers, this is Aust. …

Unpacking a Life – The Wanderer’s Art of Moving (Part 1)

Dan Wild

I’ve moved a lot over the years, maybe more than I should have. Perhaps this makes me a wanderer. I am less of a physical wanderer now, at least at the moment, but over fifteen years I lived in four different cities, often moving within cities. I first left Sydney for Canberra. Fittingly perhaps, as …

My first trip to China revisited

Dan Wild

The outbreak of the coronavirus has focused the world’s attention on China. Much of the Western media have been well-behaved and have avoided politicising the situation. Not all. Sinophobia is making a comeback, aided and abetted by the usual suspects on the fringes of the political spectrum. I have fond memories of my trip to China …

English country cuisine — Dorian Wild

Dorian Wild

Following is a guest post from none other than my father, Dorian Wild. He wrote this while holidaying in the English countryside two years ago. I found it while rummaging through my email archives in search of a backup for my third novel. I imagine Dad’s colourful satirical style is what won over readers in …

Living in London

Dan Wild

I didn’t really know London until I’d been there about 2 years, just when I started getting homesick for sunny Sydney. The excitement of being in the big smoke was starting to wear off, the daily commute was becoming a grind. Despite world-class public transport, getting to work sometimes involves multiple changes. Each interchange means …

Dublin: A Trip Down Memory Lane

Dan Wild

I used to have another blog. Technically speaking I still do. It has the rather Byronic name: Wild Dan’s Pilgrimage. For those unacquainted with nineteenth century poetry (and why would you be?), this is a reference to the long poem that had the author “wake up and find myself famous.” I affectionally reblog the post …