authenticity, discovery, enchantment, freedom, happiness, humour, innocence, moments, nuannaarpoq, sharing
We were recently invited to spend a few days with friends at their place on the beach. Among other things, I enjoyed watching children and their families playing in the water and the sand. Barely saw a mobile phone or other e-device, and didn’t see a single...
nuannaarpoq, sharing
Fellow nuannaarpoqians, please feel free to also follow us on our recently launched Instagram account: @nuannaarpoqcafe See you there and thank you for your continuing support.  All good things,...
nuannaarpoq
As you may have noticed, I have a soft spot for the playfulness of otters, and a growing collection of examples soon to be gathered together in a dedicated page. In this case, the merry otter watches a human, who had been chasing him, take a tumble and a dip, and...
happiness, moments, nuannaarpoq, sleep
… an otter? Not the obvious simile, but according to this, true. This curious fact lies alongside the revelation that when the otter decided it was time to get up, his human handler had to get up to – the animal went through an elaborate process of...
authenticity, freedom, happiness, moments, nuannaarpoq
Otters are playful and their element is water. Here Gavin Maxwell’s companion Mij, having figured out where the bathroom is, slips between his human handler’s legs and makes a dash for the source of water. By the time I had caught up with him he was up on...
enchantment, moments, nuannaarpoq, sharing
A marvelous moment shared by the poet Elizabeth Bishop, conveying a connection across species and elements, as a seal allows a human to sing for him, a common interest in music binding them across the water-land divide. One seal particularly I have seen here evening...
beauty, humour, inspiration, nuannaarpoq, sharing
A wonderful story of a woman who decides her grandchildren need to spend more time looking at nature and talking to people. I loved her humorous and decisive course of action and the fact that she was so loved by her family that they forgave her technological...
happiness, moments, nuannaarpoq, sharing
A Russian woman who lived in Abkhazia describes a local custom we might all like to adopt. As a means to extend your lifespan, I can’t think of anything more delightful. According to Abkhazian custom, the time you spend with guests around the table...
enchantment, freedom, happiness, inspiration, nuannaarpoq
A warm and wise letter written by Kurt Vonnegut in 2006 in response to one received from a class – and its teacher Miss Lockwood – at Xavier High School. It gives nuannaarpoqian advice to young minds (and to Miss Lockwood), and is here read out charmingly...
enchantment, happiness, innocence, nuannaarpoq
A personage who takes delight in small things he finds on the wayside – I loved this eclectic selection of things spotted, gathered up, carefully placed and then returned to.  Even in the open countryside he retained his passion for play-things, and would carry...
authenticity, awards, beauty, colour, enchantment, freedom, happiness, humour, imagination, innocence, inspiration, kindness, nuannaarpoq, resilience, sleep
Our fourth nominee for a Nuannaarpoq Award is: John Keats (1795-1821) Parameters:Â 18th-19th centuries, British, real, human, male, now living elsewhere Nuannaarpoq qualities:Â authenticity, creativity, enchantment, happiness, freedom, imagination, kindness, life,...
beauty, colour, discovery, enchantment, happiness, innocence, memory, nuannaarpoq
A powerful recall of childhood memories regarding the names of plants, the homes of toads, the awakening of birds and the smell of both seasons and trees. A surprisingly gentle recollection in a book which has plenty of violence. I started learning the names of...
authenticity, discovery, enchantment, happiness, innocence, moments, nuannaarpoq, sharing
James Rebanks describes a touching element during a class visit to his farm, where one little boy finds solace in simply gathering some eggs or watching the dogs work with the sheep. One day a class came from a distant town, and we were told that one little boy was...
beauty, discovery, enchantment, happiness, memory, moments, nuannaarpoq, sharing
James Rebanks describes a nuannaarpoq moment with his daughter, watching a white owl hunt. And he wishes her all a loving parent could wish a child along with the hope that this magical moment will live on in her memory.    I hope Bea lives for a hundred more years. ...
nuannaarpoq
While I’m not sure if this is true, I found it a striking statement, particularly given the context. It’s from a letter written by a husband in 1920s China, who knew or sensed that he would soon lose his life due to a perilous political situation. His...
authenticity, awards, discovery, inspiration, nuannaarpoq, resilience
Our second nominee for a Nuannaarpoq Award is:Hoyle, a former British Consul in Rhodes Parameters: 20th century, British, real, human, male, now living elsewhereNuannaarpoq qualities: authenticity, enchantment, innocence, imagination, resilienceReferences: Lawrence...
authenticity, awards, enchantment, imagination, kindness, nuannaarpoq, resilience
As you may be aware, we had the bright idea to present a few nuannaarpoqian characters as candidates for a Nuannaarpoq Award.  Please feel free to read more about this idea including the rules devised to ensure this is a joyous and humanistic process. Therefore...
enchantment, nuannaarpoq
We tend to think of piety as being about prayer or action – addressing God or doing good. We know there are many things we should be doing to Save the Earth or Protect the Planet. Here, in the mid-19th century, is another view, which has a surprisingly modern...
freedom, happiness, nuannaarpoq
A wonderful anecdote to read about someone else; of course it would be infuriating if it happened to you. Nevertheless, I can’t but enjoy this account by Steinbeck of being left stranded at an airport in Soviet Georgia for the very good reason that the crew...
nuannaarpoq
A beautiful, bright image. Mary is one of the finest characters in Middlemarch, with a sure touch and a strong inner light that outshines her outward lack of beauty. She gains and retains the love of a man who needs her steadying strength to right himself. Here he...
happiness, moments, nuannaarpoq
I recently celebrated a birthday. We drove into Geneva for a walk around the old town, stopping for hot chocolates and cakes here and there. Before we left, a friend and neighbour rang the bell to drop off a lace-crocheted initial she had made for me, the letter B...
inspiration, nuannaarpoq, resilience
Isn’t this as good a moment as any to stake your life again in what you dream? The start of a new year, a new decade and a once-every-101-years double-digit (101 years since the last one, in 1919, and 101 years until the next, 2121).And if you don’t have...
nuannaarpoq, sharing
 Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and if you don’t, may you in any case enjoy bright stars and their weight of glory. The message of the day is an ancient one: peace on earth and goodwill to all men.’The stars shone so brightly that they made a weight...
nuannaarpoq, resilience
I loved this entrancing description of joyous and playful mastery. Tarka is a splendid character depicted after months of close observation of his kind, by a man disaffected with humanity following the horrors of the First World War. Although often hunted, the animal...
