After the theatrical entertainment of the previous evening, I was relieved that there was no second performance. The marula fruit remained fastened to the trees and the Clog Family von Genet kept their slippers on and rested. As such, I had a remarkably full night’s sleep, having hit the pillow at an extremely modest 21h30. However, it was now 06h15 and the alarm hadn’t gone off. It was still dark but there were sounds. From the direction in which my feet were facing, the snuffling was alarming enough, but it was the low rumbles, sounds of breaking branches and general scary [View Full Entry]

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I didn’t sleep last night. I know that because I heard every marula fruit within a hundred yards of me leaving the trees and landing on the corrugated iron roofs. I also know that the genets were having a talent show and the local troupe had donned their clogs and were dancing up and down the roof of my lodge to Offenbach’s famous Can-Can. I just wasn’t sure why they’d chosen last night for their revue; Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof would have been more appropriate and at least my sleepless night would have been worth the irony. [View Full Entry]

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I’m sure I slept last night, but no sooner had I turned off the light and got under the mosquito net than it was morning. The little alarm clock was screaming at me to get up, its volume disproportionately large for its size. After a (very) hot shower, I made my way down the sandy paths to breakfast. Both Brian and Jill were there before me and were waiting patiently for their cooked meal. I took a couple of mugs of fresh black coffee and ordered a pair of fried eggs (with bacon, mushroom and beans on the side). Being Tuesday, [View Full Entry]

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Another beautiful African morning dawned and I was up again at 06h45 in order to go and explore the local bush for signs of early morning wildlife. My fellow traveller had had the remarkable good fortune in capturing the moment a ground squirrel popped its head out of its burrow but I was having no such luck. Capturing the sunrise through the trees was a poor second best and so I headed off to a breakfast of yoghurt, cornflakes, coffee and eggs instead. After spending a great deal of time packing up my belongings (ok, I wrapped up my wash items [View Full Entry]

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Dawn broke - but was fixed in time for my alarm to go off at 06h45. I’d slept well, my sleep punctuated by the constant singing of the grasshoppers. After a hot shower, I donned the same set of clothes worn yesterday and headed to breakfast. Never having been to Namibia before, I wasn’t sure what to expect and was rather surprised by the sumptuous feast laid on. Unfortunately, after several days of eating a very odd times, I really wasn’t hungry and simply had two pots of coffee, a bread roll and two fried eggs and some bacon. Alfred was [View Full Entry]

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ParisImagine if you will, the balmy Southern Hemisphere skies. Imagine being seated in a Jo’burg casino surrounded by plenty of PYTs at the Black Jack table, drinking South African beer. Imagine the autumn stars of the southern constellations shining down on the young and carefree. Imagine … because at that precise moment, that’s what I had to do. Instead of being ensconced in a Jo’burg hotel, I was still in Paris, waiting for the delayed 23h30 flight south! Terminal 2F is not the best of places to wait but at least there was a coffee shop. So it was w [View Full Entry]

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ManchesterSome five months after returning from the Southern Hemisphere, I once again find myself leaving the house at some awful hour and heading to the airport. I’m off to the Southern Hemisphere again and, despite the fact that it’s 03h30, I really am looking forward to a long trip almost due south to Johannesburg and beyond. In typical Manchester fashion, the balmy 5 Centigrade was offset by the light breeze driving the local drizzle into a frenzy! Standing in the rain resulted in a slight dampness, but moving forwards at any speed whatsoever resulted in a thor [View Full Entry]

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A little closer to home this time! Having lived in this historic village for over 5 years, the weather was good enough this year for me to wander into town and join in the Holly Holy Day. Nantwich was the site of a crucial battle in the English Civil War when, in 1644, the Royalists lay siege to Parliamentarian Nantwich. By the end of 1643, Cheshire was in the hands of the Royalists with the exception of Nantwich, which was a Parliamentarian Garrison. For six weeks, the village was under siege until Sir Thomas Fairfax and his army of 5000 Parliamentarians [View Full Entry]

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Having just returned from 3 weeks in New Zealand, I flew to the Isle of Man for the weekend - but it was shut. [View Full Entry]

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Last night was very cold. According to the forecast, it dropped to just 6C. Within the confines of the mobile bed it certainly felt that cold but, snugged up under my duvet, I really didn’t notice and slept soundly until about half seven. By that time, the sun was up, the tide was on its way out and the sky was blue. It was also significantly warmer than the overnight low. The day ahead was to be my last on the road. It was to be a day of stark contrasts, from the stunningly beautiful scenery to the just beautiful; from [View Full Entry]

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