Speeding along the motorway with a blanket of blue above us I felt my shoulders finally drop. Packing everything up the night before hadn’t gone to plan and as usual, we’d spent the morning rushing around snapping at each other while getting no-where fast. I still hadn’t decided which walk I wanted to do and my birthday tradition of walking in the Lakes wasn’t off to the greatest of starts, but as I finally allowed myself to sink into the…
On Monday, I turned 38. Thirty-eight. As I replied to the text from my older brother telling him (yet again) how old I was, I stared at the numbers in disbelief. 38. When did I become closer to 40 than 30? And how come I still hadn’t figured everything out? When I hit 30, I had a mini-breakdown; there was still so much I wanted to do and time was running out: I actually thought my life was over. But…
My idea of cooking is scrolling through the contact list on my phone until I find the desired take-away. In our house, Ian does the cooking. All of it. He’s really good too; I’d say at least 90% of our food is made from scratch with fresh ingredients – I’m a very lucky girl. I’ll spend hours in the kitchen happily baking and getting covered in flour, but cook? Ha! Never. Everything in Moderation Overall my diet is pretty good;…
“Not all those who wander are lost”. – JRR Tolkien For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to travel. To pack up and head off, leaving behind everyone and everything I’ve ever known and live a life of adventure. Having just finished reading ‘The Way of Wanderlust: The Best Travel Writing of Don George’, it got me pondering over the mysteries of travel. Why some people are filled with wanderlust and some aren’t, the reasons behind why people…
Sentiero degli Dei, every hiker’s dream! As we approached the tunnel, we were met with multiple cars doing U-turns. Damn, it was closed. This confirmed what we already knew – our Italian sucked. We’d tried to learn some basic words and phrases and we had our trusty pal, Google Translate – but it still wasn’t enough. We’d sped by multiple road signs, assuming there must be roadworks somewhere up ahead. We didn’t pass any roadworks, but when we reached the…
Showing gratitude for the area I live in doesn’t come easy. When we first moved into our house, the plan was to stay for a couple of years and then move on; unfortunately, 10 years later we’re still here. While I may struggle to show appreciation for the things on my doorstep, I find it quite easy to be thankful for the surrounding areas. With a collection of Stately Homes and an array of National Trust properties, I’m never short…
With picture perfect views, alfresco dining beneath twinkling stars and whitewashed buildings wedged into the mountainside, it’s no wonder we chose to celebrate Ian’s 40th birthday on the Amalfi Coast. Hiking through woodland and drinking organic lemonade, eating gelato under sunset pink sky and walking through lemon groves. It’s difficult to think of anything more glorious at this moment in time. If you’d like to catch up with previous posts, you can visit them below. But this week it’s all…
As we hurried through the streets of Sorrento, dragging what felt like my own bodyweight behind me, I was determined we were going to make the ferry. If we missed it, we’d have to wait over an hour for the next one. Earlier that morning, I’d crammed as much as possible into the case. Now, I was starting to think it would have been easier for us to wear some of it. With Ian trailing behind me, I shouted at…
As we walked away from the car towards the entrance, I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I realised we’d just gone against everything we’d read. Twenty minutes previously, after casually winding down the window and asking where the best place to park was, we’d found ourselves directed into a parking space and then ushered into a restaurant. My mind had gone into overdrive and the irrational side of my brain kicked in. I had visions…