Aylmer Cove, a welcome sight for those of us who have been away too long!
John and I have just returned from a really lovely weekend staying with my brother, John, in South Devon. John lives in a beautiful old mill house with biggish garden and with a tributary of the Dart, called the Mardle, running along the edge. Continue reading A Spot of Devon Nostalgia
Can you imagine positively enjoying a stop at a motorway service station?
Even less likely, can you imagine one receiving rave reviews on Tripadvisor?
Apart from stopping at Tebay on the M6 going up to Scotland we normally would do all we could to avoid their expensive and unappealing food, questionable coffee and shabby loos… Continue reading An Unlikely Top Tip!
Have you come across a Cobb? We are newcomers to the Cobb scene, having first met one of these portable mini kettle barbecues while we were staying with our friends Peter and Etain in South Africa.
Continue reading Cobbling a Chicken Together
I can take no credit for the recipe, only for being lucky enough to have discovered from it that you can indeed, and very successfully with minimum hassle, cook a truly mouthwatering S&KP in a slow cooker. Continue reading Steak and Kidney Pudding in a Slow Cooker
While we were on our great African trek, I started off relying totally on John to take photos with his superior eye, skill and camera. Continue reading A Lucky Bit of Carelessness
I have been a Mary Berry fan ever since my parents bought Barnford, their house in south Devon, which had a very old Aga complete with a very old Mary Berry Aga Cook Book.
Bright sun, beautiful sunsets, brilliant birds. colourful clothes…On the one hand there was so much light and colour, but the landscape itself in the dry, cold season was dark green and dusty brown for the most part, serving as the perfect backdrop for all the random splashes of colour. Continue reading African Sunsets
This post was started in the plane, then finally written while we were staying at Shiwa, over a month ago now, but it is one of several that got left out of the queue for internet access. Re-reading it brings it all back so clearly, and with some great nostalgia… It is a unique place. But first, we have to get there…
23 June 2015 A rather amazing day…
What an adventure! Seven of us are aboard what feels like a toy aeroplane. Our Proflight 10-seater aeroplane (banned as unsafe by the EU) from Lusaka provided us with a faultless flight: smooth take off and ultra smooth landing on the dried mud surface of Kasama’s ‘international airport’.
Continue reading A Memorable Journey
It’s been a bit silent, blog-wise (which I trust does not come as a relief…).
John has been working really hard sifting through and editing all his bird pics, then making CDs for me to download for the blog. It then takes me some time (time rather than skill) loading them onto the blog and titling them all, especially when we don’t always know what the birds are called.
I am also hoping in the next day or so to write a bit more about our time at Shiwa Ng’andu, staying at ‘Africa House’. John also has some photos which I shall add to our John’s Photos gallery.
Momentarily lowering our sights somewhat from big game to a pair of otters, we recently spent a lovely afternoon at the London Wetlands.
As I am sure many of you will know, the London Wetlands in Barnes – almost the centre of London – was created about 15 years ago from disused reservoirs and what was effectively urban wasteland. The first urban project of its kind in the United Kingdom, by 2012 it was voted the favourite nature reserve in the country by BBC Countryfile Magazine.
It certainly is a lovely place to visit, so easy to reach, and yet one is miraculously transported to what feels like genuine countryside – Norfolk perhaps. Continue reading Otters in the London Wetlands