memories

Islay, (again)

Our first visit was in 2018. MrS celebrated a landmark birthday last month but we were busy and couldn't get away, though we did have a night off and a lovely meal at our local. Oops! Forgot to take a photo of the food. This month it was our wedding anniversary and we did get…Read more Islay, (again)

Day 101

Well according to the recording in my diary. 101 days since the 17th March. 101 days of altered life. Lockdown didn't begin then. It started the following week, on Monday 23rd. But on the 17th I wrote in my diary , "Odd day. Sort of day one" . The day before there'd been a press…Read more Day 101

baking some more

It doesn't look as if we'll be travelling abroad any time soon*, so I decided to partially make up for it by baking up another taste of Portugal. I found this recipe for Bola de Amendoa on the Great British Chefs site. It's a good resource for recipes and tips. Anyway, I'd planned to make it a couple of…Read more baking some more

Ile de Re

I must start with an apology, I'm getting a strong sense of Deja-vu with this post. I'm pretty sure I've written about Ile deRe before, but on a quick scan back through old posts couldn't find one. It's possibly on my old blog? If it does turn up it would be interesting to see if…Read more Ile de Re

Gardens

I'm not much of a gardener but love visiting and being in gardens. My mother filled her small terraced garden with blooms and my sister has inherited Mum's green fingers and has a lovely garden, but I'm usually having too much fun to take photos which do it justice. I'm lucky to have two beautiful open gardens right on…Read more Gardens

Beaches

I love going to the beach. It's top of my list of places to go once we can make non essential journeys. We live beside the sea and it's beautiful, but we don't have a typical sandy beach. We don't have to drive very far to find one, just the other side of our nearest…Read more Beaches

Having fun with my sister

I've been having fun with her all my life. It might have been less fun for her. After all I just appeared one day, a surprise when she got home from school. No careful preparation for new siblings back then. And I certainly didn't bring her a gift. I was more likely to trash her…Read more Having fun with my sister

Scents

Thinking about the town that smelled of chocolate has made me remember other scents. Childhood day trips to my favourite beaches on the Gower, holding my breath as we drove past the stinks of Llandarcy. No point really. I got a bumper dose of the stench once I gave up and breathed again. Nearer to…Read more Scents

Towns that smell of chocolate*

To be honest I think I've only ever been to the one, although both Edinburgh, my home of nearly thirty years, and Carlisle, smell of biscuits.** The chocolatey town? Oloron Ste Marie in the south of France, where we visited the Lindt factory. Actually that's a bit misleading, I don't think you can take factory tours.…Read more Towns that smell of chocolate*

Baking again

I had planned on not eating cake, chocolates and puddings for the next few months after a massive binge at Easter. Planned. Things have not really gone to plan. First MrS made ice cream, and then there have been sooooo many bargain chocolates in the shops. Calling out to me to be saved. So today…Read more Baking again