Getting to Australia from Singapore was not so easy! Friend Linda picked me up from Kathy’s to take me to Changi airport for a just-after-midnight flight to Melbourne. She’d just come back from visit her son who’s studying in Melbourne, so we hadn’t had the chance to meet up and it gave us an opportunity to natter on the way. She assured me that I’d love Melbourne and Ballarat. When we arrived at departures se pulled up outside and I ran in to check if I was in the right terminal. There was my flight with Scoot airlines on the board ...... but retimed to 03.30 in the morning. It was now only just after 9 in the evening. Linda lives quite near the airport so I jumped back into her car and went back to ... read more

Snow Birds -that’s what they are called here in Chiangmai........ the people who flee winter in the northern hemisphere and migrate to Northern Thailand. I don’t quite qualify as I’m only here for a month ......... but it’s certainly something to aim for. Over breakfast we chatted about the acupuncture. Nui thinks it’s really helping her to sleep well. I mentioned planning to have some sort of spa day treatment. But was told that Upin, the masseuse, can do coconut oil massage as well as Thai massage.....It will be booked! Michel and I express an interest in the Ayurvedic treatment centre ( Nui and Kung have tried everything!) We agree to have a nose detox and a foot detox. It is booked for us! It was the last day of my pottery class, so I got ... read more

Tuesday again, and today I’ll have been here for a week. I reminded myself that my aim for this year’s winter break is to do as little as possible. Friend Carol had given me a book called’ Nelly Dean’ by Alison Case. It’s based on the character of the housekeeper in Wuthering Heights, and the untold stories in Emily Bronte’s book. It’s a long time since I read the original so I downloaded it onto my Kindle and set myself to reading it again before I attempted Nelly Dean. Well that kept me occupied for the day , other than a wander around Wararot Market across on the opposite bank of the river. In the evening I went to Woo cafe and had the most enormous and delicious Kaew Soi, a Northern dish of noodles and ... read more

It’s time to start my travel ramblings..... so put your hands over your ears if you don’t want to hear! This year I’m planning a gentle, relaxing time away and hoping to replenish body and soul. I’m planning to do a lot of walking, eating, reading and resting so it may be a bit boring for you, the reader. But I like to do it and it helps me to remember where I’ve been and what I’ve done ..... otherwise the days melt into each other between leaving and returning. Pat dropped me off at Malvern station to get the train to Birmingham International. I’d left Lottie-dog at home with Ruth, who’s going to look after her and the pigs and the house while I’m away. My flight to Zurich was delayed by 40 mins, and ... read more