7th June 2022 “It wasn’t quite such an early start today, we left the hotel at 8 am, heading for Fianarantsoa, one of the island’s largest cities. Although the journey was described as taking four and a half hours, we didn’t arrive at the hotel until 6 pm.” We began our journey with a tour… Continue Reading

6th June 2022 Other than the gentle sound of surf on soft white sand, a good night’s sleep was aided by complete silence. We were among the first to arrive for breakfast at 7:10 am, and the fare was the best we’ve had so far. The only issue was the rectangular slabs of butter, which… Continue Reading

(4th June) A bleary-eyed breakfast at the ungodly hour of 5.45 am was the prelude to a long and arduous journey to Morondava, in the arid southwest of Madagascar. Our marathon trek, lasting 14 hours, began and ended in darkness, leaving us thoroughly exhausted and more than ready for bed. We set off from the… Continue Reading

1st – 2nd June 2022 With all the paperwork (hopefully) safely stowed in my rucksack, we set off at 8 a.m. for Birmingham Airport in a taxi driven by one of the parents of a child I used to teach, Rebecca Pearson. The journey proved an interesting one, as we caught up on family news.… Continue Reading

31st May 2022 With the arrival of May, the family’s determination to ‘get sorted’ has gathered pace, keeping everyone busy both indoors and out. In Rothwell, Newbold Verdon, and Waltham on the Wolds, walls have been papered and painted, gardens mown (or even hoovered), beds planted up, and a great deal of carpentry and construction… Continue Reading

27th April 2022 Fortunately, I tested negative for COVID-19 on 4th April and was able to attend my six-monthly dental check-up. Sue, meanwhile, continued to cough up phlegm and tire easily, though she was showing some signs of improvement. Both of us have been struggling with the chilly weather and have taken to lighting a… Continue Reading

31st March 2022 Jamie moved in with us on my birthday, and after work the following day, he drove to Bottesford to spend the weekend with Ruth, planning to return to Willow Bank on Sunday night. With the easing of Covid rules, Ruth’s parents had flown from their home in France to spend a few… Continue Reading

4th March 2022 In the early hours of 9th February (3 am), CNBC, the American pay-television business news channel owned by NBCUniversal News Group and primarily focused on business day coverage of U.S. and international financial markets, interviewed Jamie. This is yet another welcome sign of the growing reputation of his Fx Learning company. The… Continue Reading

28th February 2022 It had been quite a few years since I had driven for more than three hours on a journey, and this trip was no exception. Our target, the beautiful county of Durham, lay three and a half hours away, so an overnight stay in Knaresborough was planned. We arrived at our accommodation… Continue Reading

28th January 2022 The family made it to 2022 relatively intact, although Sarah and Lee (and probably Alice) began the year suffering from some form of Coronavirus (unsure which variant). The world is a very different place compared to two years ago, fraught with challenges and anxieties brought about by the tiniest of life forms,… Continue Reading