12th June 2018 Checking out of motels in the Canadian wasteland doesn’t seem to happen in the usual way. We are simply asked to leave the key in the room and shut the door behind us when we leave. No reminder of the checkout time, nor any apparent check on whether we had made off… Continue Reading

11th June 2018 A lazy morning. A late 9:30 am start under a blue, cloudless sky, heading along a ridiculously quiet Highway 11. I motored along at a steady 90 kph (the legal maximum), staring blissfully ahead at the endless tarmacked road stretching to the horizon, flanked by a 50-metre grassy apron on either side,… Continue Reading

10th June 2018 We had a much better night’s sleep; the TV snorer from the previous evening had gone, and with only two other guests in evidence, the night was completely silent. We set off just after 9 am for the Polar Bear Habitat, a five-minute drive away. Astonishingly, the motel owner had no idea… Continue Reading

9th June 2018 It wasn’t a good night. I woke at 3:30 a.m. to the sound of a loud TV in the next room. Judging by the accompanying snoring, the occupant had fallen asleep with it on. Sue was also awake, so we decided to try the trusted method of knocking on the wall. No… Continue Reading

8th June 2018 We breakfasted on coffee, blueberry muffins, bananas, and an apple. Not my idea of a full English, but that was what was on offer, and it filled the same hole. While we ate, we chatted amiably with the young man in Reception. He had once been in the Navy and now ran… Continue Reading

7th June 2018 Again, I rose well after Sue and Gwenda and found them sitting in the small dining annexe, drinking tea and chatting merrily as I descended the stairs and headed to the kitchen to prepare my own brew of robust coffee. Annoyingly, I spied a lovely day through the window, no dark clouds… Continue Reading

5th June 2018 Breakfast was to be taken at the Subway conveniently located next to our hotel. Bright and early, Sue, Sean and I sat outside waiting for it to open at 9 a.m. Sean clutched a breakfast voucher for the three of us, triumphantly acquired from reception at the NU Hotel, as though it… Continue Reading

3rd June 2018 They say retirement gives you the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Lovely theory, except in practice, “freedom” still involves more planning than a military operation. Since my last blog, most of what Sue and I have been doing is preparing for our Canadian adventure to visit Aunt Gwenda.… Continue Reading

20th May 2018 I remember way back in 1981, 37 years ago!, when, to avoid the much-publicised wedding of Charles and Diana, a like-minded friend and I fled to Towyn, Wales, hoping to escape the relentless coverage on TV, radio, and in newspapers. Even then, I had a nagging sense that no good could come… Continue Reading

29th April 2018 It rained yesterday, it’s raining today, and there’s no rugby on the television or at the club, at least none worth watching. And it is a Saturday! Mia stayed with us overnight while Lee and Sarah were in Peterborough racing, cheering on much slimmer and faster versions of their Mia as they… Continue Reading