Easter Holidays (Apr08)
Snow fights and snow men are unusual activities for an Easter holidays. We’ve managed to fit them in around camping – it wasn’t that cold – Easter egg hunts, a rope assault course, dens, bike rides and a trip to London. Went to see Mamma Mia in the West End. With adaptations of Abba […]
Between the Sheets (Apr08)
I spend quite a lot of time staying at hotels or other people’s houses, often for only one night at a time. And I realise that I’m getting quite obsessed about sheets. Well actually, not just sheets – pillowcases, towels, bathmats and anything else that has to be laundered. Most of you will have seen […]
How green is the London Eye? (Oct07)
Much as I love having my children at home, a two week half term at this time of year can be quite difficult because work is in full flow. However, I had a brilliant day in London with my youngest son, Monty, who’s eight. Monty enjoying the view We went to Trafalgar square on the […]
Steamy experience in Istanbul (Oct07)
One of the most fascinating experiences I had in Istanbul was having a Turkish Bath. When I entered the large steamy room and saw the mass of nude bodies on the marble plinth it was like a scene from a painting. And it made me laugh. Naked bodies abound in Istanbul’s baths I joined the […]
The fabric of Istanbul (Sep07)
As my plane turned towards Istanbul I saw the dry landscape below. It was ploughed into fields but there seemed to be no dividing hedges. The only visible green was trees edging the numerous creeks. Apart from that, every inch seemed to have been tilled by man. I don’t know what they were growing, but […]
Eco-holidays in Trelowarren (Sep07)
There can’t be many things more exhilarating than surfing – or body boarding to be more precise. Watching the huge waves rolling towards me, I was among a throng of fellow surfers at Polzeath, poised to catch the best roller, so I could skim on its back towards the shore. The wonderful thing about surfing […]
Getting into the swim (Sep07)
Last year I didn’t have a proper holiday – a couple of days camping in the rain in Cornwall. In fact I can’t remember when I last had a holiday in the sun. So this year’s family trip to stay with friends in the South of France was really exciting – the first week in […]
Holiday dilemma: fly or drive? (Jul07)
My family are going to stay with friends in the South of France for our summer holiday. But how should we get there? We’re going by ferry and by car. In theory this is greener than going by plane – that was certainly part of my thinking when I planned the trip. But I’m not […]
Save the rainforests (Jun07)
South American travels Cool Earth has really hit the news this week. So much so that when I went to look at their website it had crashed from too much interest. To me that’s really good news (the popularity of the site rather than the technical problems) because the main aim of Cool Earth is […]
Personal Carbon Allowances (May07)
In principle personal carbon allowances seem like a good idea. Everyone in the country would be allocated a certain amount of carbon that they could emit from their homes and for travel. If they exceed this limit they would have to pay someone else who has not used so much. This is called carbon trading. […]