Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone to experience new, exciting things. I received a tweet a fortnight ago asking if I would like to do a baking demonstration at one of the agricultural shows up in North Yorkshire. I was staying...
Now the adventure really began, we had arrived in Syria…… So I’ll pick up where I left off: Travelling from Istanbul to Aleppo on the Toros Express Train. We had crossed the Turkey/Syria border with no problem. We hadn’t even had to leave the train,...
In January 2008 we embarked on a grand adventure around the globe, a trip that would see us to far off lands and the exotic places I dreamed of. In any trip you have to begin somewhere, we chose Istanbul, on the edge of Europe....
Lincoln is an attractive Cathedral city in the eastern midlands of England. We found ourselves over there at the weekend on our drive back up north. Always wanting to visit new places, this turned out to be a perfect destination. Mr VB had been here...
Batsford Arboretum is hidden up a lane off the ancient {yet still a main road} roman Fosse Way near Moreton in Marsh. This pretty Cotswold market town is not far from Stratford upon Avon and Oxford making it an easy day trip. Tuesdays are the...
I’ve blogged Welsh Cakes before but I’m including them again as I made these to serve as a Welsh cream tea. Proving that all you need is a frying pan to make that quintessentially British treat, the cream tea. I had bought a tub of...
So I’ll pick up from where I left off in the last post, from Tywyn we headed south, towards Aberystwyth. We crossed the Dyfi Estuary and spent the day at Ynys Hir an RSPB nature reserve. Fans of the BBC’s Springwatch programme will know it....
A gap in our house-sitting bookings gave us some summery freedom to roam Wales. I haven’t even crossed the Welsh border since the late 90’s, before that we used to holiday here throughout my childhood, it was good to be back. I’d arrange to meet...
I’ve just got back to the real world after a week in the wilds of Wales. I’m now buried under a pile of photos to edit and blog posts to write, I hardly touched my computer for over a week! We stayed on farm campsites,...
So we went to York for the day, last week it was! The primary reason was to visit the Mallard 75 train exhibition at the National Railway Museum however the sun was shining and the beautiful streets of this historic city were calling us… We...
The blue engine in the photo above is the Mallard, 75 years ago this month that sleek machine broke the world speed record for a steam engine, reaching 126 miles per hour. It has never been beaten. To celebrate this the National Railway Museum in...
We head down to London once or twice a year to visit friends who live in the capital. It always make a fantastic contrast to the mostly rural life we lead, none of the small cities and towns we usually frequent match the sheer energy...
London can be an expensive destination, there are so many brilliant things to spend your hard-earned cash on, not to mention the cost of accommodation. When the sun comes out however, London can become your thrifty playground! Obviously you can’t plan your trip around the...
Kenilworth Castle. While we were in Warwickshire we treated ourselves to a day out at Kenilworth Castle, possibly my favourite British castle. For me, Kenilworth stands out because it is red and because it is in a fairly ruinous state. I love ruins, they inspire...
We have spent a blissful couple of weeks hanging around my childhood haunts this spring. My brother asked us to house sit for a few days while they headed off to France so that became our base. Our summer calendar is quickly filling up with...
A cake dressed up for my favourite day of the year, May 1st. Underneath the ribbons is a raspberry sponge, filled with raspberry jam and covered in white chocolate buttercream. The cake is decorated with a ‘Maypole’, complete with colourful ribbons, representing the traditional village...
