travel

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)

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

Salamanca

I'd intended documenting my walk today, but the weather was against me. It's really wet and windy, more Autumn than Spring. So I've decided to focus on another city from our October trip. Salamanca in Spain's Castilla y Leon region. We treated ourselves in this city and stayed at the plush Hospes Palacio de San Esteban ,…Read more Salamanca

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

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*

Stopping for lunch

These days I start thinking about lunch pretty much right after breakfast, certainly no later than mid morning. Who am I trying to kid? This is normal , not lockdown behaviour for me. I have to be very, very busy or ill, not to have at least part of my mind on my next meal.…Read more Stopping for lunch

Le Puy en Velay

I'm back with the armchair travel. In Le Puy. A stop on our return through France in October. And at first I wasn't sure whether I did like it. Actually it was strange and beautiful on first sight. Approaching from the hills we could see its stripy cathedral, and weird volcanic toadstools, those topped with…Read more Le Puy en Velay

A good cocktail

Carefully mixed and preferably served in a classic Martini glass, a good cocktail is my favourite indulgence. Although gin is my spirit of choice for a simple mixed drink it's not an ingredient in my favourite cocktail, the Manhattan. Three parts whisky and one sweet vermouth, mix over ice, strain and serve with a cocktail…Read more A good cocktail