We were lucky to spend a week in Barbados in 2013, courtesy of my wonderful sister and her partner. Sam and Barry bought a timeshare in a smart hotel a couple of decades ago and holidayed there almost every September since then. They knew the island well, and rented a couple of adjacent villas, invitingContinue reading “Hot or What? – Barbados”
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Hot or What – Italy
It was always on my bucket list to visit Italy, so when my lovely hubby booked us a week in a really posh hotel, in a room overlooking the gorgeous Lake Como, I was thrilled.The Grand Hotel Menaggio was the height of luxury, with fabulous food, friendly staff and all-in-all, one of the best experiencesContinue reading “Hot or What – Italy”
Hot or What? – Portugal
My first memory of Portugal was sitting for many hours in a queue at Santander ferry port, after an energy-sapping week in the Costa blanca with temperatures in the mid-high 30s. We were in the old Volvo with no air conditioning, while all around us people sat with their engines running making it even hotterContinue reading “Hot or What? – Portugal”
Dashed Hopes – Unexpected Victory
Couldn’t not wrap up this football-centric year without a quick look at England’s 2026 World Cup roller-coaster journey. Who’d have predicted the final score of the third-place playoff when England started the 2nd half 4 goals to nil? But first, here’s a here’s a quick recap of our team’s performance since their first world cupContinue reading “Dashed Hopes – Unexpected Victory”
Sophia’s Choice
Bit of a break from the holiday reminiscences – mainly because today was spent down south at my fabulous daughter-in-law’s baby shower, then a mad dash up the M40, arriving home just as the England-Norway game began – more about that later. Yep, finally gonna have a grandchild, making me Granny Gray. And her choice?Continue reading “Sophia’s Choice”
Hot or What? – Mid Spain
We didn’t discover Spain until 96, and in the dozen years until 2007, we only missed two years in Spain (North and Middle), but sadly haven’t been back since. 1998 saw us France’s Green Venice and in 2005, we spent our August week in Ireland – more about that in a few weeks’ time. InContinue reading “Hot or What? – Mid Spain”
Hot or What? – Northern Spain
Our first impression of North Spain was it felt an awful lot like Wales (mountains, beaches and lush greenery) but with heat. Our favourite patch was the Asturias, between Ribadesella and Llanes, about an hour’s drive west of Santander. Our last visit was made memorable by the wildlife – we saw a scorpion and aContinue reading “Hot or What? – Northern Spain”
Hot or What? – Southern France
So many of our holidays began on Brittany ferries, and we spent many a happy hour playing cards in the Commodore Lounge, having sussed early on what a different experience you could have by paying a little extra. I love this first photo, showing how protective Chris was of Jo. Lake District The one andContinue reading “Hot or What? – Southern France”
Hot or What? – Mid-France
Loire Valley We spent many October half-terms in gites in the Loire valley when the kids were growing up, and it’s the place I hanker after most when our ability to travel is restricted. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep detailed records of all the places we visited, but a quick tot up says there were atContinue reading “Hot or What? – Mid-France”
Hot or What? – Northern France
Brittany My first experience of France, was a family trip to Brittany in summer after finishing my a levels. Grateful to discover I had reasonably good sea legs on the ferry, I joined in with fascination as we discovered warm seas, stunning sights and scrummy crepes. I was particularly taken with the fortified island inContinue reading “Hot or What? – Northern France”
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