How shall I describe Slovenia? It’s beautiful. It’s, to use a much overused word, unspoilt. It’s as if the 40 odd years of Tito’s communism, left the country untouched and throughout that time, people kept doing what they’d always done. So everything is ‘unspoilt’ by chemicals, intensive farming, urbanisation. There are vast forests of deciduous … Continue reading Slovenia – July 2019

 I feel hot just looking at the duvet we brought: it’s not the sort of thing you need in continental Europe in July, particularly if there’s a heatwave on the cards! I’m afraid we’re having a bit of a wardrobe malfunction too, used as we are to travelling in the depths of winter, when jumpers … Continue reading Croatia – July 2019

It was a bit like Groundhog Day: I was back in the parrot cage: it’s Sunday, it’s lunchtime and all around me people are shouting cheerfully at each other like animated parrots: admonishing children, ‘don’t hit Antonio’ ‘ be careful in the water,’ ‘eat up your paella’ as they extract food from a seemingly bottomless … Continue reading ¡Hola! – July 2019

I’ve just spent the last half hour talking to a washing machine in Serbo Croat. I’m exaggerating of course, it was 10 minutes in Czech. All I wanted was a 40 degree wash and the darned thing was asking me what language I wanted to communicate in. I chose English (GB) briefly wondering what the … Continue reading Continuing our watery wanderings – September 2018

Hello! I’m back! It’s been a long time since we’ve been abroad, at least 16 months, so forgive me if I’m a little rusty, I hope to improve! We left the U.K. in mid August, sailing to the Hook of Holland, partly for a change but also because we’d decided to head into Central Europe; … Continue reading The swimming pool diaries

I'm all bonjoured out, why are the French so bloomin' polite? I'm so looking forward to going home and growling and scowling  at people instead! It reminds me of being a child and practising 'French table manners' at table, making sure everyone else had enough to eat or drink before helping oneself. In a family … Continue reading Sun, rain, frost, snow – 9 April 2017

The HU 8105 is a pretty little road which winds along the Sierra de Aracena, from Aracena westwards towards Alajar. There are spectacular views of wooded valleys with small villages nestled down below and church steeples peeping up above the terracotta roofs. You have to keep your wits about you though, as although the traffic … Continue reading Flora and fauna

I took a lettuce with me to the showers yesterday. I'd been meaning to put it in the back of Lottie, where we keep our stores and somehow got distracted. I said a cheerful hello to a Finn and a Swede and wondered why they looked slightly puzzled. It was only as I gave a … Continue reading Westward ho!

Coming out of the shower a few days ago, I beheld a strange sight: an elderly German man, in a pair of workman's boots, a pair of Speedos and a baggy shirt. This is not unusual, on campsites, people wander around in all sorts of weird and wonderful things ranging from Speedos and boots to … Continue reading Strange happenings

Hot on the heels of the leaking window, we had a series of minor disasters in quick succession: the DVD drive stopped working on our old MacBook, leaving us without entertainment on long winter evenings; I dropped my iPad, cracking the screen; Alan realised he'd lost the keys to the Bimobil, (fortunately, I had a spare … Continue reading Over the hills and far away