The houses in the cathedral square
I was prepared to be underwhelmed by Basel, having lived in Geneva for three years. There’s nothing wrong with Geneva, it’s pretty enough, and we had lots of lovely friends, but it is just a bit grey in all senses of the word – culture and architecture. So I am pleasantly surprised by how pretty Basel is, and absolutely stuffed with excellent art galleries.
The noses…
I never thought I would say this, but I’ve started drinking Chardonnay. It’s taken the Australians almost 40 years to explode the myth that all New World chardonnays are undrinkable, looking and tasting like pee, over-oaked and over here (ie in England). Of course we all drink French Chardonnays without batting an eyelid – who’s going to say no to a lovely glass of Meursault or perfectly chilled, crisp Chablis?
Looking towards our rooms at Cape Lodge
Walking along the fabulous deserted beach to the point
We are sad to leave Sal Salis, but fear we will die of over-indulgence should we stay longer. A bit of a contrast to our basic self contained apartment in Coral Bay!
Swimming with a whale shark – you get an idea of how huge they are! 5m…
‘Humpies! Fins on’. We are aboard the 40ft fishing boat Live Ningaloo on a mission to swim with humpback whales. We are surrounded by pods of them on their annual migration from Antarctica up the west coast of Australia to breed and give birth in warmer waters before returning south for the Antarctic summer and their feeding grounds. Extraordinarily they do not need feed on their migration. Continue reading
Enjoying Singapore’s national dish – Chilli crab
Here I am sitting among boxes as I wait for the packers to remove our final belongings as we prepare to leave Singapore. It’s been an experience, mostly wonderful. We came here as refugees – from the emotions surrounding the loss of our daughter Louise and the wish to mourn in a private and fulfilling way, by adventuring and ringing the changes. The deep sense of grieving never goes away and, as I have said many times, time is NOT a healer; but it is possible to fill your mind and your heart with happy experiences that take the raw edge off that insistent nagging realisation that every day you wake up is another without her. Continue reading
Me chilling above the reef (photo Janusz Draminski)
Eleven days ago we set off for Bali to kick off another bucket list adventure: a trip to dive with manta rays and see the Komodo dragons, aboard the luxurious vessel, Dewi Nusantara (we sailed round Raja Ampat on the Dewi 18 months ago and loved it so much we vowed to return!) Continue reading
Tommy pouring champagne to celebrate the new kitchen
Sitting at Heathrow airport after a couple of months back in London. What should have been a joyous time of moving back into our old house, happily renovated and divided into two flats, has been a nightmare of gruelling proportion, admittedly interspersed with some high spots. Best of all was spending so much time with beloved Tommy. Continue reading
The girls at Two Brydges
Back in London! I wish I could say that this has been a joyous time, full of the excitement of moving back into our recently renovated house, but in truth the last 10 days have been a nightmare, albeit with one or two highs interspersed with what I call the nadir of the pits.
My November visit to the United World Schools we have built in NE Cambodia inspired me to do something tangible to make a difference to the children’s impoverished lives in these remote villages, where our schools are a beacon of hope for their future.
Sydney is one of those iconic cities: the opera house and the bridge are some of the world’s most memorable structures. Continue reading
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