I’ve had a very lazy few days off over Easter. Apart from the trip to the theatre on Saturday, and lunch with some friends on Sunday, I’ve largely just based myself at home, re-charging my batteries. One of the ways I like to unwind is by making things, and I was pleased to discover a […]
It’s hard to believe that another year has passed already, and it’s time for my now-annual girls’ weekend away at the Pudding Club. This year, two of the regulars had to cancel at the last minute, so rather than waste the places the others invited two of their friends to join the party. The newcomers […]
It’s not got above freezing for several days. My garden and drive face almost due North, and the thin covering of snow that fell overnight on Friday hasn’t melted – in fact, it’s frozen solid. At least I can tell that the insulation in my loft is doing its job, as my roof is still […]
A few months ago I went on a glass fusing and slumping course in London. I finally picked up the resulting glassware when I visited my parents on the way back from my Christmas holiday. I was very pleased indeed with the results – all the pieces had come out much better than I had […]
Just outside the town of Kyrenia is rather spectacular mountain range, called the “Five Finger Mountains” after the mountain pictured above, which from some angles looks remarkably like a palm and upraised fingers. I’m sure I can count more than five finger-like outcrops though! The range shelters a number of small abandoned Greek Orthodox churches […]
On Boxing Day we were taken on a mini-bus tour of the Karpas Peninsular, the “pan-handle” in the north-east of Cyprus. We were heading for the old Greek Orthodox monastery of Apostolos Andreas right at the very far tip of the peninsular. But when we got there after a three-hour drive through admittedly beautiful and […]
I went on a most interesting visit yesterday, to the Cropthorne Autonomous House, claimed by the owners to be the most energy-efficient house in the country. It’s a long story, which started a good few years ago, when Christopher and I were getting our extension built. We planned to replace our existing detached garage, which […]
My college friends Tom and Katie and their daughter were staying in a holiday cottage in darkest Herefordshire for a long weekend over half term. Since the cottage was only about half an hour’s drive from where I live, I met them there for a leisurely Sunday lunch, followed by an excursion deeper into the […]
I had such fun last year glass blowing that I thought I’d try another glass-related craft. After quite a bit of searching online, I found a one day course on glass fusing and slumping, hosted by Rainbow Glass in Stoke Newington, North London. It sounded intriguing, so I signed myself up for the one-day course […]
It’s Bank Holiday Monday, and it’s been pouring with rain all day. The cloud is so low that I can’t even see the ridge of the Malvern Hills, less than half a mile away. There was no point in spending my holiday getting soaked outdoors, so I have instead spent the day constructing a wooden […]
