• Tenacity

    If there were a biography about you, what would the title be?

    Tenacity is a quality I believe I have. Some may say stubborn. I once was in the passenger lounge in Perth (W.A.) Airport, and I got chatting to an Australian woman. I tried describing where I was from by saying I went to the same school as the cricketer, Geoffrey Boycott. My mother , who was listening in, interjected and said I was like him. I said, oh, how so? And she replied with one word… “stubborn.” I prefer to think “tenacious,” though I suppose it depends on your perspective.

  • Back in Blighty

    The missus and I are back home. We planned to cross the country from Newcastle by train, but my tickets disappeared off my phone. I bought a second set of tickets, but then the train was cancelled. We ended up getting a taxi back, which is about 70 miles and cost us £150. Ouch! Still it’s good to be home, and I intend taking it easy for the next few days.

    Yvonne reading on the ferry.

  • Amersfoort Tower

    Inside the brick built tower in Amersfoort in the Netherlands today.

    Amersfoort Tower

  • My Glass is Half Full

  • Tulips in Utrecht

  • Bussum

    So, we made it to the hotel in Bussum in the Netherlands, and this will be our home for the next four days.

  • Hard Rock on High Seas

    What’s your favorite candy?

    I’m writing from the ship King Seaways halfway across the North Sea. There was quite a swell when we set off, but now it’s settled down a bit. The duty free shop is full of chocolate, and I love chocolate, but I shall resist, with God’s help.

  • A Rose

  • The Magic Box

    Turkish wedding rehearsal

    The most important invention in your lifetime is…

    From a personal perspective, I would say digital photography. It has been a great source of joy for me, and I believe it has helped me with my mental health.

    I now have a collection of 123,000 photos, many are fairly ordinary, but some I’m really pleased with. I like photographing places, people and flowers in nearby gardens when we go for a walk.

    I’m too embarrassed to admit how many cameras I’ve owned and do own. Suffice to say, I now mostly use my iPhone which has a special grip on it that has a shutter button and a zoom lever. This combination I consider to be a little miracle of technology. I rarely go anywhere without it.

  • Travel

    Here’s a pair of inveterate travellers. In 2015, we went to Germany to see the musical, Starlight Express. On the way home, we spent a day in Utrecht in the Netherlands. It was meant to be just a break in the journey. But we fell in love with the place. There’s lots of historic interest, and beautiful countryside. Utrecht also has an Aboriginal art museum, which appealed to my Australian wife. The Dutch were in Australia before the British.

    So, anyway, we’re off back there this weekend. I’ll likely blog a few holiday snaps. Now we’re retired, we have to keep moving…