Having had a very drawn-out day on Saturday 4 November, (only leaving for Gatwick on the 17.38, and staying overnight in BLOC after a surprisingly good vegetarian meal in the Garden restaurant of the Hilton) we checked in our luggage at 06.00 on Sunday 5 November and breakfasted in Wagamamas before a very easy spacious … Continue reading Piemonte 17: three glorious days in Monferrato: 5 – 8 November 2023

Friday 13 October  We left the house on foot (and in waterproof trousers) in the pouring rain, to catch the 09.06, whose restricted speed meant a late arrival at Waterloo, eating into what had appeared to be generous margins to reach Euston. We were safely seated on a full train only 8 minutes before departure. … Continue reading 13 – 17 October 2023: A wedding in Glasgow and an impromptu stay in the Lakes

Monday 18 September  This area in the south west corner of the island,known as Sulchis, has a very distinctive and long history of unusual wines. We started learning about these at Cantina Mesa, with Luca Fontana, brand ambassador. After showing us the extraordinary black polished marble interior of a very large and striking modern winery, … Continue reading Sardinia 3: 18 – 21 September 2023

Friday 15 September We left a quiet Nuoro at 08.45 to travel to Oristano (about an hour) first to leave our luggage with the helpful Davide at Locanda da Renzo, in Siamaggiore, and then to visit La Cantina della Vernaccia at 10.30. The journey went smoothly, and the Locanda is a good example of a traditional … Continue reading Sardinia 2: 15 – 18 September 2023

Monday 11 September  The journey from Andover on the 12.38 to the 16.55 Easyjet flight from Gatwick to Olbia couldn’t have gone more smoothly. This was a huge contrast to the journey to Brighton we’d made two days earlier (on the hottest September day ever recorded) to see Jez and Emma, and briefly Helena, Paul … Continue reading Sardinia part 1: : 11 – 15 September 2023

May produced some extraordinary flowerings - after a wet winter and a showery spring: and as the deadline for the text of David’s book loomed (30 May) the half term holiday brought some excitements for the younger members of the family (books AND cricket!!) : June was hot; very, very hot (but not as hot … Continue reading Summer in Andover 2023

Wednesday 2 August We made a very slow morning start at the modest Hotel Cavour in Asti. Yesterday’s activities had taken their toll and David felt under the weather as well as weary. Our train left at 11.13 from platform 2 at the station immediately opposite the hotel, scheduled to arrive at Follonica at 15.50. … Continue reading Tuscany : Massa Marittima 2 – 7 August 2023

Saturday 29 July The afternoon’s 38 minute windy drive from Diano d’Alba to Castiglione Tinella was a glorious reminder of the sheer size of the territory to the east of Alba where Langhe and Monferrato meet. We passed the unfinished Gaia white wine winery at Trezzo Tinella looking unloved and rough. The very steep slopes … Continue reading Piemonte 16: loose ends in Monferrato : 29 July – 2 August 2023

Sunday 23 July The journey to Gatwick was easy despite the late July spate of train strikes, and our passage through check-in and security was surprisingly rapid given this was the first weekend of school holidays. Lunch was at Wagamama’s.  The plane left on time, and the car hire (Drivalia, within the airport’s foyer) efficient. … Continue reading Piemonte 15 : loose ends in the Langhe; and a music festival : 23 – 29 July 2023

It is the light that makes St Ives so special. Like Constable’s Suffolk, or Felton Road’s Central Otago, in this part of Cornwall’s coast its brilliance and clarity is immediate. It attracted artists and early photographers in the 1870s, and the arrival of the railway a decade later guaranteed its popularity. Building the gallery only … Continue reading Tate St Ives: 2023 spring exhibition of Barbara Hepworth’s Art and Life