15th November 2023 Today marked the start of my journey to Bulgaria. Sue, ever the trooper, dropped me off at Market Harborough station with my suitcase and rucksack before heading off to Corby to enjoy a film and a spot of shopping. I, meanwhile, was embarking on the grand railway lottery, which is the British… Continue Reading

  14th November 2023 On Friday, 3rd November, Sue and I revived our much-enjoyed family get-togethers, which had last taken place before the Covid pandemic lockdown in March 2020. As it was a fairly last-minute decision, the Newbold Verdons were unable to join us, having already made plans to attend a Bonfire Night display at… Continue Reading

31st October 2023 Within days of returning from our cruise to Canada, Sarah had set off on a Caribbean cruise with friends, and Charlotte and her family were holidaying in the Maldives. Meanwhile, back home in the UK, Storm Babet struck the north-west of the country. Fortunately, Leicestershire escaped the worst of its damaging effects,… Continue Reading

11th October 2023 It’s a very different Atlantic Ocean from the one we crossed a couple of weeks ago; this one is calm, offering no troubling motion for its elderly passengers. The air is still, occasionally allowing a thick sea mist to form, prompting the ship’s horn to sound a warning for any unseen smaller… Continue Reading

10th October 2023 Sydney, Nova Scotia, was our port of call today. Once a former city and urban community on the east coast of Cape Breton Island, it was founded in 1785 by the British. Sydney served as the colonial capital of Cape Breton Island until 1820, when the colony merged with Nova Scotia and… Continue Reading

9th October 2023 Overnight, the ocean calmed, and by breakfast, we were gliding through a tranquil sea beneath a clear blue sky that promised a fine day ahead. By the time we docked in Charlottetown, the capital of Canada’s Prince Edward Island, we were seated in the theatre, stickered up and ready to disembark. Charlottetown… Continue Reading

7th October 2023 It was early and still dark as we entered the small port of La Baie, situated 100 km along the fjord and one of three boroughs in Saguenay, Quebec. It lies off the Saguenay River, on the shores of the curiously named Ha! Ha! Bay. Due to the size of the Sky… Continue Reading

5th October 2023 A misty morning greeted us as we docked on the outskirts of the Port of Quebec. We had originally been scheduled to moor closer to the city centre, but the arrival of the liner Queen Mary 2 took precedence, and so we were obliged to take a shuttle bus into town. We… Continue Reading

3rd October 2023 Another sunny and calm day. Overnight, we steamed north at a gentle pace. We were travelling through known whale waters, and by maritime law, all vessels must proceed slowly, no doubt to give the creatures of the sea ample time to avoid the clamorous mechanical goliaths that ply this coast. I suspect,… Continue Reading

2nd October 2023 The clocks went forward an hour overnight, so we lost an hour’s sleep and didn’t make it down for breakfast until 8 a.m. The view from our cabin TV, via the ship’s bow camera, was promising: blue skies, a calm sea, little wind, and a temperature of 14 degrees Celsius. Definitely a… Continue Reading