Walking Commentary

Thoughts and cycling from Manchester to Rome in 2023

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39

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My mother (91) expressed her frustration with the number of immigrants working in her nursing home. I reminded her that both of her children were emigrants not émigrés; that on arriving elsewhere, we became economic immigrants; that all five of her grandchildren were born elsewhere; that they inherited the opportunities of dual nationality.

“It’s not the same thing at all” she said dismissively.

The outer covers for 39, the final chapbook in the series of 39.
All Images © Simon Robinson 2024
Available now from Bracket Books Ireland at outlets like FabHappy or WalkingCommentary.
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Symbionts

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Lichens are generally overlooked as you pass along the coast or visit graveyards or walk among trees. They cover 6% of the earth’s land surfaces and they are press-ganged into a range of uses. Reindeer and caribou devour prodigious amounts of them. Humans consume vast quantities for perfumes, dyes, soaps and tinder. 

The outer covers for Symbionts, the 38th chapbook in the series of 39.
All Images © Simon Robinson 2024
Available now from Bracket Books Ireland at outlets like FabHappy or WalkingCommentary.
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Éigse na Brídeoige 2023

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Éigse na Brídeoige is a cultural festival which takes place in South Kerry every year during the first weekend in February. It is intended as a celebration of the Brídeog/Biddy tradition celebrating Saint Bridget’s day, which is also a celebration of the coming of spring, regeneration and growth. The events are spread over various centres in the Gaeltacht areas of Iveragh. 

The outer covers for Éigse na Brídeoige, the 37th chapbook in the series of 39.
All Images © Simon Robinson 2023
Funded by Bracket Books and Little Moon Animation
Available now from Bracket Books Ireland at outlets like FabHappy or WalkingCommentary.
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Nothing To See

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An old building. Not beyond use. Ripe for repurposing. I can’t see its future, I’m uncertain about its past. Its present is unprepossessing yet lures me to it. Boarded up with finger holes, ply paint peeled. I thought they were artworks when I drove past: clever silhouettes of cityscapes, real or imagined. Closer inspection revealed no hint of intelligent design. But now that I’ve told you what I thought, maybe you’ll understand why I decided to publish my photographs of them.

The outer covers for Nothing To See, the 34th chapbook in the series.
All Images © Simon Robinson 2023
Available now from Bracket Books Ireland at outlets like FabHappy or WalkingCommentary.
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Happiness and Nothingness

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They say that serotonin levels increase in proportion to sunlight exposure. So, in theory, I was getting happier and happier as we approached Rome. But I’m pretty sure that our 29 days in the saddle offset that happy hormonal benefit.  The serotonin was probably keeping exhaustion at bay, at best. The only times I felt happy in Rome was after three dopio espressos reanimated me.

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