I recently completed my latest long distance cycle ride – from Newcastle to Edinburgh. The road started easy and flat following the east coast out of Tynemouth, past various castles along the coast – Warkworth, Dunstanbrugh, and Bamburgh, before we took a short detour to Holy island and Lindasfarne. Our third day saw us cross…
There has been a vogue for repurposing phone boxes. Since the advent of mobile phones, the iconic red phone box has often been left unused and even vandalised. However over recent years they have received a lick of paint and a new lease of life. Many village streets have a lending library of books or…
We were very lucky to have this view of Mount Vesuvius from our holiday villa recently. There were many stunning sunsets viewed from the veranda whilst sipping something cool and refreshing. The sunrise was taken on our last morning as we had to leave around 5am in order to get to the airport on time.…
On our recent trip to Italy, we stayed in Sorrento, the home of limoncello. (Lemon flavoured digestif). The UK supermarkets would have us believe that lemons are all, more or less, a standard size with shiny yellow peel. However, the lemon groves that adorn the Sorrentine peninsula produce some fruit the size of melons, with…
At the time of writing the temperature outside is 35C with 40% humidity and we have the infamous Bill the boxer staying with us over the weekend. Even getting up before 7am and taking him for a (short) walk was draining for us both. Fortunately I had the foresight to not only bring his bedding and other essentials when I picked him…
Shoes can become a bit of an obsession, and women aren’t necessarily the guilty culprits! On our trip to Marseille we came across a delightful little restaurant that served Moroccan food. On the wall was a beautiful display of “slippers” with one tiny pair for a small child – sadly I couldn’t persuade the owner…
I recently switched the central lights on in our front room. (We usually use the side lights). To my husband’s horror, and my amusement, the light showed up a network of cobwebs! Jesus came as light to the world. He came to be a light leading the way. He came to banish the darkness of…
Marseille is a port on the south coast of France. It has had a rather dark reputation for gang violence and drug criminality. However, it is a vibrant and fascinating Mediterranean city steeped in history, from Greek times to present day. It was particularly affected in WW2 when the gestapo, with the help of the…
I was recently fortunate enough to go to the Chelsea Flower Show with some friends. We got to the gates for opening time, 8am, but even then there were many crowds all eager to get a look at the show gardens. What surprised me was how small, even the “large”, gardens were. The site was…
As a follow on from the body parts series of TFTD, I am sharing my recent experience at the optician. I have been myopic (short-sighted) since I was about 12 years old and have worn glasses continuously since then. (Apart from a brief foray into contact lenses as a student – that’s another tale!) Because my father had glaucoma, I get called…