Hei, god dag,

Personal update, 20–25 November 2025

Writing these notes on my way from Toronto to Madurai… The last days were truly some of the warmest and most welcoming travel days!

Very early in the morning of 20 November I left Washington DC and Daniele for the Bertrand Russell Archives in Hamilton. No time for lunch, so I quickly snacked on a roasted sweet potato (with me just wondering how this, to me, so Chinese winter snack of 烤地瓜, arrived in Hamilton!). Upon arrival at the archive, I was greeted by the wonderful Bridget Whittle. I felt slightly embarrassed for carrying all my stuff, including my suitcase, into the archive. Luckily there wasn’t anyone else yet except Bridget. Bridget helped me tremendously in getting through the first day of my sources! At some time I got to meet Kenneth Blackwell, who I later found out worked for Russell and was himself present in many archival files too! After closing time, Kenneth invited me upstairs to have a “cuppa” with Andrew Bone, after which Andrew drove me to the family I was staying with for the days in Hamilton.

When I got to opening the front door, I saw James and Siobhan opening a little cage with an almost fluid pup trying to walk his way out of the cage. Soon the new pup would be called Lucy. I was truly beyond tired, but still had to eat. Since Siobhan was driving somewhere, she dropped me at the supermarket, where I got some food for the night.

The next day was another one at the archives with many findings about Julie Medlock, a woman who used to be Russell’s literary agent in the 50’s until a trip to India turned her towards the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo, which she thereafter propagated at the antinuclear Accra Assembly she set up in Ghana.

That evening, Siobhan and James invited me to eat with their friends and daughter. It was such a great night! I chatted away with Rowan, and we sang Prince and Johnny Cash songs over them playing the guitar until late in the night. Saturday I went to the Falls; I drove with Siobhan and her friend there, and the Falls were indeed overwhelmingly beautiful. Sunday to Toronto, where I walked into a massive Christmas parade and had some delicious ramen. At night, the three of us discussed our crazy lives, love lives, and barbershop quartet singing.

Since Monday was already my last day in Hamilton, I had to go through my archival boxes at rapid speed! I think I never made this many scans in such a short time. After the archives closed, we watched some Paul McCartney videos as he played in Hamilton two nights before and Andrew had gone! Then I had promised to cook for Siobhan and James, so I made some Chinese dishes, after which I joined Siobhan and her friends at the first Irish Set Dancing Class of my life, which was wonderful!