I thoroughly enjoyed Naxos, the next island we visited. It was larger, more fertile, and less touristy than either Santorini or Mykonos, and had a very relaxed atmosphere. We caught a SeaCat ferry there from Santorini, and arrived in the little harbour in Chora, the main town on Naxos. The first sight we saw on […]
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 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 […]
Christopher’s stepfather, Peter, has recently sent me a photo of “Christopher’s Tree” at his local woodland trust. It’s looking very healthy. I’ve not been able to get down to see it myself, so it’s really good to have photographic evidence of how well it’s doing.
My mother gave me another pottery commission recently, possibly the most challenging one yet. She has a small glass bottle of olive oil which she and my father use to dress salads, but of course it drips a bit. Its not very practical putting it on a saucer, as the centre of gravity is in […]
One day of the holiday was spent exploring some of the numerous “bastide towns”, or fortified villages of the area. They were fought over and changed hands regularly during the Hundred Years’ War, and are a remnant from the time in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries when the Plantagenet kings of England also ruled all […]
Carcassonne itself was a bit of a disappointment when we went there on the last day of the holiday. For a start, it was almost impossible to photograph. It’s a walled citadel, up on a small hill, but it was very difficult to find a spot from which to take a picture of the whole […]
The holiday was based in the city (well, largish town) of Albi, about an hour north of Toulouse. It has a UNESCO world-heritage listed historic centre, with the biggest brick-built cathedral in the world. It was an absolute monster of a building, and dominated the countryside for miles around. That was rather the point – […]
Seeing that I’ve started knitting again, my mother sent me a kit which she thought would keep me amused for a few evenings. “Amused” turned out not to be the right word, though it has certainly kept me busy every evening last week, and all this weekend. It’s a kit for a toy dog, and […]
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’ve started knitting again. I can’t do too much at a time as it hurts my wrist – I’m having to be very careful not to exacerbate my RSI. However, today I finished a pair of bedsocks -the first things I’ve knitted since Chris died. With hindsight, it […]
