Writing about whatever comes to mind

What started as a simple WordPress blog chronicling the renovation of a flat in Budapest has grown legs.
I had no plan for it, other than to keep interested parties around the world informed of what I was up to. My postage budget had been diverted to paint and time was in short supply; blogging seemed an efficient way to stay in touch.
Thirteen years later, it is an intrinsic part of what I do. I write about life in Hungary, the country in which I finally got to unpack my bottom drawer.
I write about my travels, about music, food, spirituality, politics, life, death, cemeteries. I write about whatever comes to mind. There is no plan.
If you’ve just found me, welcome to a work in progress. Feel free to engage, to comment, to add to what I’ve written. Let’s chat.
Note:
If you notice something not working, please email steve@zala.ie and let us know.

My most recent posts

2025 Grateful 49: Lokalista
Readying ourselves for a vegetarian visitor this weekend, I did a quick search for vegetarian restaurants in Nagykanizsa that open on a Sunday. Why, you

In the face of uncertainty
I’ve thought long and hard about what to write about in this, my first column [in the Budapest Times] of 2025. I recently returned from Sierra

2025 Grateful 50: Weaving faith and inspiration
On a trip to Kabala, in the northern province of Sierra Leone, we met a remarkable woman, Mammy Sara, and heard her story.

Happy birthday, Boss
Happy birthday, Boss. I miss not being able to pick up the phone and talk to you today. It seems strange. You’d have been 99.