Psychological Need
Ian Arkell wrote this article at a dark and cold time of the year.
Home | Arkell's Ark
September 21, 2013
September 19, 2013
Men And Their Balls
Ian Arkell is bewildered by the fascination many men have with their balls.
August 15, 2013
The Retreat
...For some reason I have this apprehension that borders on fear, of being alone. There are no neighbours or comforting lights within sight, no laptop, no television and apart from the crackling of the fire there’s complete silence...
Ian Arkell spends thoughtful time on his own in an Ardennes forest cabin.
July 20, 2013
Zen Gardening
"There is a mystical quality to a garden; something which brings you close to understanding the world and something which can help when you momentarily lose perspective,'' writes Ian Arkell.
April 20, 2013
I Love Them Both But...
...He is on the mend but I think the whole episode has unsettled him. He is staying in his room at night and spending hours on the computer, or listening to classical music...
Ian Arkell makes light of a discomforting medical matter.
April 13, 2013
Zen Gardening
"There is a mystical quality to a garden; something which brings you close to understanding the world and something which can help when you momentarily lose perspective.'' writes Ian Arkell.
March 16, 2013
Dream Chasers
Ian Arkell thinks that heroes are tending to become a bit thin on the ground.
February 09, 2013
There’s No Place Like Home
...It was something I would have never bought but it was a gift from their mother and I was touched. The little frame, reassuring me that there’s “No Place like Home” has stayed on the kitchen wall for almost sixty years...
Ian Arkell tells the story of a house - and those who lived in it.
January 26, 2013
December 29, 2012
There’s No Place Like Home
Ian Arkell tells of family history and a family home.
December 01, 2012
Witch WayTo Go?
Stay away from balconies, Ian Arkell advises.
November 17, 2012
Whales, Ducks And Virtuous Men And Women
"A short walk over the road and I’m at the beach, watching waves being beaten to death by the wind,'' Ian Arkell writes.
Continue reading "Whales, Ducks And Virtuous Men And Women" »
November 10, 2012
Simple Pleasures
...Impalings had a bad press. And for many of the residents of the castle it was a fun time. Sort of grab the wife and kids, pack a picnic lunch and get there early while there’s still space...
Ian Arkle tells of harsh times at the castle.
November 03, 2012
The Cat's Pyjamas
"Writing is so much cheaper than alcohol, though not as much fun, less intrusive and expensive than psychotherapy and if you have a tendency to confuse reality and fantasy, it’s the absolute cat’s pyjamas,'' wrote Ian Arkell in a time of disenchantment.
October 27, 2012
Witch Way To Go?
"I scan through the news most days. And sometimes I have to wonder if humans behave more logically than garden gnomes,'' writes Ian Arkell.
October 20, 2012
Christening Gowns And Other Stuff
Ian Arkell goes on a trip into his past life.
October 13, 2012
...And Counting
"A lot of people swear by numbers. Some buy their lotto by numbers, decide where to live by postcode or house numbers and are convinced that this or that year is propitious simply because of numbers,'' writes Ian Arkell.
October 06, 2012
Woman In Blue With Duck
...She was just sitting there in the middle of this beet field, with a duck on her lap...
Ian Arkell comes upon a most unusual sight when he goes cycling in Belgium.
September 29, 2012
What Is It With Diets?
Ian Arkell offers some sound dietry advice.
What Is It With Diets?
Ian Arkell offers some sound dietry advice.
September 22, 2012
Lost Love In Fifty Words
There are some things a man cannot put up with as Ian Arkell's poem reveals.
September 01, 2012
I Don't Care
"
What is it about humans that they love living in a perpetual state of angst?'' wonders Ian Arkell.
August 11, 2012
Quick, Call The Cops. They've Got Their Washing Out
Ian Arkell discovers that a Belgian law forbids hanging out washing on a Sunday.
Continue reading "Quick, Call The Cops. They've Got Their Washing Out" »
August 04, 2012
Bread And Circuses
"I’ve always taken Australians to be a fairly rational, level headed and sensible people, but I’m beginning to have serious doubts,'' writes Ian Arkell.
July 28, 2012
Don't Ask, Don't Tell
"Gay men and women in the US and possibly other countries will still be harassed and discriminated against; old hatreds, fear and bigotry take a long time to breathe their last,'' writes Ian Arkell.
July 21, 2012
What Can I Say? I’m a Guy; It’s What We Do
"Auto development, design, construction, worship and adulation, even dribbling on windshields at car shows, has always been a male thing,'' writes Ian Arkell.
Continue reading "What Can I Say? I’m a Guy; It’s What We Do" »
July 14, 2012
Beware The Ugly Baby
Ian Arkell casts a cold eye on election procedures around the world.
July 07, 2012
Little Bird
"How nice to be a little bird and stretch my wings and fly,'' thinks Ian Arkell when weighed down by the world's grim news.
June 30, 2012
Bread And Circuses
...Ms MacKillop seems to have been a fantastic person, who cared for and about people and was concerned with social injustice and the plight of the poor and disadvantaged. It’s just a shame that today’s Catholic hierarchy hasn’t inherited her concern....
Ian Arkell says the Catholic Church should have seized an opportunity to make amends for past wrongs.
June 23, 2012
Quick, Over To Port
Ian Arkell considers multi-faith arrangements for an Australian ferry.
June 16, 2012
No Time to Panic
...Belgium attracts semi-trailer drivers from all over Europe. On bad days there can be dozens in a row. The absolute worst thing that can happen is if it’s blinding rain, middle of the night and you try to overtake a slow semi and move to the middle lane, only to find another semi has moved to the far left lane to overtake me...
Ian Arkell braves the roads of continental Europe.
June 09, 2012
More Damned Pressure
...Past Calais, we look down on a patchwork of rolling green countryside, with orange and white farmhouses tucked away, almost out of sight...
Ian Arkell takes a day trip into Department Du Nord.
June 02, 2012
I Think He's Dead
Ian Arkell presents a funny-sad vignette of a father-son encounter.
May 26, 2012
Hold Back On The Prayers
Ian Arkell believes in helping those overwhelmed by natural disasters - but not with prayers.
May 19, 2012
What Can I Say? I’m a Guy; It’s What We Do.
"In 1826 Samuel Brown was having a really ordinary day. He’d woken after a night of reasonably heavy drinking and looked out on a bleak, loveless sort of London morning and tried to figure out what to do for the rest of the day. After an hour or so of sitting in front of the fire, he decided to make a car,'' writes Ian Arkell.
Continue reading "What Can I Say? I’m a Guy; It’s What We Do." »
May 12, 2012
I Just Don't Care Any More
"It must be hard-wired into us that we have to worry, or agonise over something or other. Or that we have to feel guilty for most of our adult life. It’s a real human thing isn’t it? Either spend a life of regret about the past, about things we can’t change or weren’t responsible for, or live in a state or permanent apprehension about tomorrow or next week,'' writes Ian Arkell.
May 05, 2012
Watch Out For The Ugly Baby
Ian Arkell considers the ways we choose the folk who rule our lives.
April 28, 2012
Having A Wonderful Time
"I believe that in the micro second before we die, all will be revealed, so that with our last breath we can gasp, ‘aha, so that’s why…’ And then die relatively happy,'' writes Ian Arkell.
April 21, 2012
A Good Life
Ian Arkell writes movingly about a simple, uncomplicated man who brought joy to many people.
April 14, 2012
When We Were Young
Ian Arkell suggests there is a time when it is best to forget the past.
April 07, 2012
Witch Way To Go
Ian Arkell suggests that alcohol and balconies are a recipe for disaster.
March 31, 2012
Heroes
Columnist Ian Arkell thinks that heroes are becoming thin on the ground. Or perhaps our idea of what constitutes a hero has changed?
March 24, 2012
Alas, Poor Alice
Ian Arkell tells the rhyming tale of alas whose talent became superfluous.
March 17, 2012
Whispers From The Fire
How many hundreds of generations have looked for answers in a fire’s glow, muses Ian Arkell.
March 10, 2012
A Matter Of Taste
Ian Arkell’s poem suggests a meal that will not be to everyone’s taste.
March 03, 2012
Who’s The Pretty Girl, Then
…One young Australian mother claims a degree of responsibility and level headedness by stating that she will not be using fake tan, makeup or hairspray on her young daughter. Considering the child in question is 10 months old, that’s amazingly commendable and shows a high degree of restraint…
Columnist Ian Arkell abhors the very idea of child beauty pageants.
February 25, 2012
You Have A Nice Day
“I wouldn’t want Barrack to think we have social problems in this lucky country of ours; especially not in the Deep North,’’ writes columnist Ian Arkell, musing on a visit by the American president to Australia.
February 18, 2012
The Softest Sigh
Ian Arkell’s poem tells of a magic sound.
February 11, 2012
Secrets
…I wonder where you keep your memories.
Are they all thrown together in a jumbled pile somewhere in the recesses of your mind?...
Novelist and columnist Ian Arkell reminds us of the secret rooms in the basements of our memory banks.
February 04, 2012
Love At Fifty Feet
Ian Arkell’s poem speculates on the love life of a jungle hero.
January 28, 2012
I Know What They Are Trying To Do
“Some people seem to have a problem accepting that stuff happens. Deaths, assassinations, accidents, disappearances, the lot. And they always look for a secret agenda,’’ writes columnist and novelist Ian Arkell.
January 21, 2012
Dark Age Mentality
"When I was back visiting Australia during the Mary MacKillop canonisation circus, I couldn’t believe the frenzy surrounding this latest PR exercise from the Catholic Church. I’ve always taken Australians to be a fairly rational, level headed and sensible people, but I’m beginning to have serious doubts,'' writes Ian Arkell.
January 14, 2012
De Panne
Ian Arkell paints a vivid word picture of a sunny Sunday morning in an attractive Belgian town.
January 07, 2012
Behind The Door
"I'm an atheist, with flashes of agnosticism and periodic doubts about my disbelief. So my writing in this regard is sometimes paradoxical,'' writes Ian Arkell by way of introduction to this profound poem.
December 31, 2011
Thomas Doherty
...But I’m looking for a distant relative. A Doherty, a long way back on my mother’s side. A scribbled note in a family album about Thomas going to Australia to become a monk...
In this evocative article and poem Ian Arkell tells of his search in Western Australia for the grave of a 19th Century ancestor,
December 24, 2011
Christopher Hitchens
...I read most of his articles regarding his views on religion and watched most of the debates in which he criticised the record, role and excesses of religion within our society. He was an atheist, perhaps too strident for many, perhaps too vitriolic for others, but nevertheless a man committed to his beliefs and the inequalities around us...
Ian Arkell expresses his admiration for journalist and author Christopher Hitchens who died this month.
December 17, 2011
That Damned Dog
“With age comes introspection, which can be a dangerous thing,’’ writes Ian Arkell as he muses upon the profoundest of all questions.
December 10, 2011
I’m Singing As Fast As I Can
“If you subscribe to any sort of evolutionary theory then you have to ask yourself as to what we’re evolving? Is this as good as it gets? And do we really deserve such a beautiful place as the Earth? Any half-smart landlord would have evicted us centuries ago,’’ writes columnist Ian Arkell.
December 03, 2011
Australia
Columnist Ian Arkell was a million miles short of being impressed by Baz Luhrman's film, Australia.
November 26, 2011
Unrequited Love
Ian Arkell's poem suggests that maybe love is meant to hurt.
November 19, 2011
Having A Wonderful Time
“I have never spoken to anyone who is dead. Well, you know how it is at a party. You spend time chatting someone up for a while and end up with much the same result. But technically I haven’t. I suspect dead is dead,’’ says columnist Ian Arkell.
November 12, 2011
But I Know What I Like
“What it is that grabs people when they read a story?’’ asks columnist Ian Arkell. “Do they ever think about why they like it?’’
November 05, 2011
A Couple Maybe…But Ten Thousand?
Ian Arkle is overfaced by an ad which pops up on his computer screen.
October 29, 2011
Bittersweet Moments
“Yet despite my lack of faith and anger that surfaces from time to time, I seek out the Church in each new town, each tiny village and sit there for a moment and feel renewed,’’ writes columnist Ian Arkell.
October 22, 2011
The Ugly Face
Columnist Ian Arkell declares “There seems to be no sense of economic morality around the world and absolutely no ethical imperative to look after workers while maintaining a profit for shareholders. It is indeed the ugly face of capitalism.''
Ian's comments come as people around the world take to the streets to express their anger and fear at the way the international financial crisis is unfolding.
October 15, 2011
The Right Moment
Ian Arkell brings a moving and memorable account of a final meeting between a mother and her son.
October 08, 2011
Frontier Tales
Ian Arkell tells a tall colonial tale with one of the best-ever punchlines.
October 01, 2011
Words Of Regret
…Perhaps due to my lack of understanding, or sensitivity, or whatever, we were never destined to be close. There was always a bridge that he was unable and I was perhaps unwilling, to cross. So there was never that connection that a father and son ought to have…
Ian Arkell regrets his failure when he was younger to understand and communicate with his father.
September 24, 2011
Simple Pleasures
...Impaling’s had a bad press. And for many of the residents of the castle it was a fun time. Sort of grab the wife and kids, pack a picnic lunch and get there early while there’s still space. Maybe have a beer and meet up with some old siege buddies...
Ian Arkell contemplates ruthless days while visiting castles in Germany.
September 17, 2011
Love in Fifty-Four Words
Ian Arkell’s compact poem tells of a flaw that led to an open door.
September 13, 2011
The Big Picture
...to believe that Al Qaeda has some sort of monopoly on the use of terror would be to ignore historical fact as America and its allies have a long record of using terror as a defacto arm of foreign policy. Maybe not directly or in a way that is either obvious or commonly reported, but used nevertheless...
Reflecting on that day when the world changed Ian Arkkell brings a timely reminder that a life lost to indifference in any country or under any circumstance, is also a tragedy.
September 10, 2011
Sorm Therapy
"The wind is gusting in from France round 80 kilometres per hour and the season has changed overnight. On television the weatherwoman smiled as she pointed to little icons of dark clouds and lightning bolts and suggested that it might be best to stay in bed for a few days.''
Columnist Ian Arkell faces up to a spot of storm therapy.
September 03, 2011
And Counting
…as payment I would be given a code, or series of codes that would explain the meaning of everything, all the existential stuff – life, death, what possessed McCain to choose Palin, why McDonalds cut their breakfasts at 10.30 and, more importantly, how to program a DVD…
But frustrated columnist Ian Arkell has forgotten the “power’’ numbers presented in a dream.
August 27, 2011
I Love Paris
…What can I say about the Tower? It’s brilliant, the focal point of Paris. But when you visit, get there early as the queues can be scary. The trip up to the observation section is maybe not as fast as Montparnasse but a lot more exciting…
Ian Arkell brings an exciting invitation to tour the French capital.
August 20, 2011
May The Force Be With You
“A lot of people get a bit tetchy when you start talking about religion and I’ve never understood why,’’ writes Ian Arkell. “Is it because they know they’re on shaky ground and that in a lot of cases they’re leaving themselves open to ridicule?’’
August 13, 2011
Lazy Days
Ian Arkell’s poem captures those sunny, lazy days on the beach.
August 06, 2011
Edmond Verricke’s War
…Edmond Verricke’s home is barely large enough for his sick wife and their two small girls, one of whom is only three weeks old. So far the family has been lucky and has survived by hiding in the cellar during the thump, thump of the shelling, which killed orphans and livestock alike.
But the Verricke family is allowed only one room, the remainder taken over by a Sergeant and several soldiers. The Sergeant is a huge brute of a man…
Ian Arkell tells a memorable story of wartime – and survival.
July 16, 2011
1916
...I’ve come to France to visit two relatives I never met. My father’s uncles. They both joined up on the same day and wound up in France shortly thereafter. Two young blokes from New South Wales, visiting overseas on the trip of a lifetime. Guess they would have been excited. Max and Eric Arkell, both boys from the bush....
Ian Arkell sheds a graveside tear for two men who lost their lives in the war to end all wars.
(And here's a big welcome to Ian who will be writing regularly for Open Writing. Do watch out for further articles in the series Arkell's Ark - Editor)
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