20th February 2023 Today we planned an excursion to the active volcano Kīlauea, located in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, along with a brief stop at the Mauna Loa macadamia nut factory. By the time we emerged from our cabin, the ship was already docked, but we were disappointed to find it raining on deck. Mauna… Continue Reading

15th February 2023  In contrast to the previous day, we awoke to a bright and sunny Californian morning. Our taxi to the World Cruise Centre in San Pedro arrived punctually at 11:15 am, and with light traffic, the 23-mile journey to the Crown Princess, waiting patiently at Berth 93, took just half an hour. We… Continue Reading

15th February 2023 We left the Luxor Hotel on the 7 a.m. airport shuttle. Although our flight wasn’t until 11:15 a.m., we planned to have breakfast at the airport, and an early start allowed for a leisurely meal and stress-free check-in. We had already checked in online the previous evening, but still needed to print… Continue Reading

13th February 2013 Sue and I marked the first day of the shortest month with an afternoon visit to Charlotte and Suraj. Coffee in hand, we settled in for a lively discussion on the one topic that seems to dominate the family Messenger thread these days, decorating. For a good couple of hours, we were… Continue Reading

30th January 2023 The International Olympic Committee ought to hang its collective head in shame. It’s bewildering and staggeringly naïve decision to permit Russian athletes to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, so long as they do so without representing Russia or any affiliated organisation, is as feeble as a teabag in a bath. I… Continue Reading

27th January 2023 Nine months of anticipation came to a joyful end on Thursday, 26th January at 12:25 a.m., just 25 minutes past the expected due date. Archie Ian Price arrived weighing a healthy 7lb 4oz, already boasting a fine crop of auburn hair. Sarah began feeling the first contractions on the morning of the… Continue Reading

22nd January 2023 The beginning of January saw the whole family in excited anticipation of the arrival of another family member, though the lead-up to the birth was far from smooth. Illness had swept through much of the Palmer family over Christmas, and there was a particular scare when Sarah experienced symptoms suggestive of preeclampsia,… Continue Reading

Christmas 2022 Funerals are never cheerful occasions, if there is such a thing, and it was with sadness that, on 19th December, I joined a church full of friends to attend the funeral of Eddie Gregory. Eddie, a fellow Market Harborough rugby player, had lost his battle with cancer. He was big in stature and… Continue Reading

16th December 2022 One bleak evening in early December, as I drove across town, I sensed that something wasn’t quite right. Upon reaching Welland Park Road, it suddenly dawned on me: in years gone by, nearly every other house in town would have been brightly lit with flashing Christmas lights of one sort or another,… Continue Reading

28th November 2022 RANT: “The World Cup is not just a great global sporting event, it is also inscribed with much deeper cultural and political importance.” – Martin Jacques Whether you have an interest in soccer or not, the game can, in many ways, serve as a measure of a country’s sense of humanity. The decision… Continue Reading