Today we are going to climb to the top of Diamond Head Crater. Starting from the hotel, it is an 8 mile round trip. I’m all for catching a bus to the trailhead, but daughter no 1 will not be persuaded; we are going to walk the whole way. The Visitor Centre is actually inside the crater, so we must skirt around the bottom then walk through a tunnel which passes through the middle of the volcano. Then after purchasing a ticket, we can begin our ascent. The first part is along a concrete path, then as we climb higher and steeper, we follow a trail around the crater. The final part consists a large flight of steep stairs, a tunnel and finally a spiral staircase inside a vertical tunnel. To make it harder, masks are ... read more

This morning we are up at 6 am for our flight to Honolulu. We have already checked in, uploaded our vaccine QR codes and completed the form to obtain our Safe Travel Hawaii QR code, so once we have dropped off the hire car, we can go straight through security to the gate. Here, we are offered the chance to show our QR codes to obtain a pre-clearance bracelet, thus negating the need to wait in a 1-3 hour queue in Hawaii. Sounds like a no brainer, although it feels a bit weird when the government official applies the wristband. In the past, wearing such a wristband meant festival access (in my youth) or all-inclusive hotels (in middle age). Now it’s proof I’ve been vaccinated against a virus…. At least it will be something for my ... read more

Today daughter no 2 has lab time booked – lab time makes her very stressy so we say we will entertain ourselves, then return via the shops to buy/prepare food, so at least when she comes home, dinner is sorted (this is our intention – in reality, she returns to find us in the jacuzzi drinking cocktails). We are now well acclimatised to the US; not only do we sleep until 7.30, but we have blueberry waffles for breakfast. Waffles consumed, and daughter no 2 despatched to the lab, we head to the west coast, droning down Route 1 to Año Nuevo State Park. Here, you can follow a trail to a bay where elephant seals breed. Mating season is in December - we arrive just as the male seals are starting to come ashore to ... read more

We have an early start this morning – not a big deal for daughter no 1 and me, as our body clocks haven’t adjusted to the 8 hour time difference and we are up and raring to go by 5.30 am. When the kids were little and recently arrived in the US, I used to take them to Walmart in the middle of the night as it was the only place open where they could run around and let off steam until the rest of America was awake. Now she is older and less hyper, we make do with tiptoeing to the living room and checking our social media. This morning, daughter no 2 and I are running Byxbee parkrun. Daughter no 1 cannot be persuaded to join in. Byxbee park is an area of wetland ... read more

It's our last day in Kiev but our flight isn't until evening, so there's time for one last outing. We take the metro into town and then the funicular between its 100 year old art deco stations to Kiev's blue and gold domed skyline with St Sofia's cathedral, St Michael's Monastery and Saint Andrew's church. We round off our visit in style with lunch at 100 Rokiv Tomu Vpered (100 Years Ago in the Future), a restaurant run by the winner of Ukranian Masterchef. The food is a modern twist on traditional Ukranian dishes. There are some whacky things on the menu; I skip the edible bees and the celery with ash and order the chicken with beetroot kvass (bread made with fermented black bread). The chicken is served naked, whilst the waiter brandishes a blown ... read more