Blogs from United Kingdom, Europe - page 5

We left on Thursday, December 31st in the evening and arrived in London the next day. We were staying with our cousin Jean for the next couple of days. On the first day, we meet our cousin Clifford from Mom’s side of the family and our Aunt Delphine and Uncle Willy from our Dad’s side of the family. The next day, we went over to our Uncle George's place for lunch and hung out with his daughters Evelyn and Shirley. Our granduncle George also has a caregiver who helps him with his daily activities when his daughters are not around. After visiting our Uncle George, we met one of Mom’s friends from her school days who had an amazing garden in her backyard. If only I could be that great of a gardener! The next day ... read more

A friend said that this time of year of year is melancholy and without a doubt that is true. The weather looks sad with the sky various shades of grey. The grass looks silvery with its early morning frost . The leafless trees just look bare. The dark nights and short days are always invited. The places to visit seem to go into hibernation. In the run up to Christmas all the local National Trust houses close to clean/stock take/conserve or get ready for Christmas opening. The staff and volunteers dig up trees from the estate , place them around the hall and decorate them in readiness for the Winter visitors . Christmas tree trails appear and disappear just as quickly once January arrives . I wondered how much of a job it is to put ... read more

Zimbabwe, a landlocked country, is officially known as the Republic of Zimbabwe and is located in Southern Africa. One of the main reasons for its popularity is its diverse ecosystem and wildlife which compels millions of tourists around the globe to visit Zimbabwe. It has dozens of places rich in greenlands, wildlife, mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and others. Likewise, there are multiple places like Kariba Lake, Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, Great Zimbabwe, etc., which are filled with wildlife. But Lake Kariba is acclaimed as Zimbabwe’s Hidden Safari Gem among thousands of safari enthusiasts due to its natural beauty, stunning sunset, water sports, and many more. Overview of Lake Kariba Kariba Lake, an artificial lake on this planet Earth, is a massive reservoir situated between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Calmly sunset views, boating options, attractive views, water spor ... read more

It was hard walking today not to think a lot as I walked . I had headed out of the village . The proposed Christmas scarecrow competition had died a death. The Village Hall Committee had ditched the treasure hunt this year and opted for a film themed scarecrow competition . However, either all the villagers forgot about it or could not be bothered . There were decorations on some houses. Christmas wreaths of holly and ivy on doors. Lights hanging from some of the houses, dangling in the wind. Trees draped with lights. It did not seem like Christmas much this year . The soldiers outside the Buck were missing . I guess that had something to do with the pub going bust again . The staff and the bills unpaid . The new tenants ... read more

By 7am I had left the comfort of The Ram behind and made my way across fields to Meeting, from where I headed back into the forest passing the ruins of Weeting Castle on my way out of the village. Wide forest tracks led me on into Mundford, thankfully as well as written directions I also had gpx files and although I tried not to use my phone for navigation those files came in handy on this section! A stretch of footpath alongside the A1065 followed until I turned to head towards Ickburgh. Here I felt the first spots of rain. The church porch made for a convenient dry spot to get into my waterproofs. While here a churchwarden came and asked if I wanted to look inside the church. In honesty I wanted to get ... read more