Waking on Friday morning, it seemed as though just another day in paradise lay ahead. Karen was attending her final class at the five-day cooking course being held at the home of the cookbook author and her husband, who run these courses several times a year. I was invited to join the 11 students and … More Another Day in Paradise
Picking grapes? Picking lavender? Picking olives? No! Picking whether or not to be here. Talk about a First World Problem! There are castles on hilltops at every turn and churchbells ring out on the half hour from medieval spires reaching into blue skies. Ancient Roman cities recently discovered under layers of soil sit on display … More Picking in Provence
Since my last blog post I’ve had a couple of days of “down time” in London. A while ago Laura loaned me a DVD copy of The Hundred Foot Journey, and I finally got the time to watch it. Starring some brilliant actors, Helen Mirren shines in a lead part alongside the very lovable and … More Freedom and Genius
If you’ve noticed the theme of Google’s home page today, you might know that eight hundred years ago, on 15th June (today in England), King John of England signed the Magna Carta. He was an unpopular king, apparently spiteful, petty and regularly placing himself above the law. He often features as a villain in tales … More Experiencing England
Phter Koma have a new website! http://www.phterkomacambodia.org Thanks to Amber, the daughter of a good friend of mine, who is extremely clever at building websites. Not only did she create the page but she also donated the page costs to us. Thanks, Amber! This is in addition to the French website which has been in … More A Plug for Phter Koma
If I had a bucket list, “take Eurostar to Paris for a day” would definitely have been somewhere in the top ten. So on Monday I took Eurostar to Paris for a day! Every year one national staff member from each MSF program attends the Annual General Meeting in Paris, an incredible opportunity for anyone, … More Trying Not To Be Grotesque
Parque de El Retiro, sometimes referred to as “the lungs of Madrid”, is a beautiful and huge park on the edge of Central Madrid. A boating lake, many majestic fountains, statues, manicured gardens, tree-lined avenues, and at least two beautiful buildings hosting art exhibits are some of the features I saw today. Maria, Bianca and … More A Beautiful Bubble
A massive thank you to all my family, friends and work colleagues, who took time out of their busy schedules to take the time, to wish me a Happy Birthday. I’ve had a gorgeous day. A special shout out to Gerard who gave me an eclectic and thoughtful gift. Chocolates, bees wax candles, packets of … More Sunday Morning in Madrid
It’s proving hard to find inspiration for my blog right now. But lots of interesting things are happening so I’ll try and do a travel blog just to keep the page alive. I’m not especially inspired so be warned :). I’m writing this from Leon in north-west Spain, where I’m spending time with “the Spaniards” … More La Buena Vida
Charlie Pickering presented a very funny satire about Australian foreign aid on The Weekly last week (ABC (Australia) television), which has been doing the rounds on Facebook. On average, a group of polled Australians believe that 16% of our gross national income is spent on foreign aid. These same people, probably influenced by the political … More Foie Gras and Truffle
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