11th January 2014 With Christmas and New Year celebrations now all done and dusted, the normal routine at Willow Bank has settled back in. Following a twist on Family Curry Night, where Jamie and Charlotte treated us to a couple of impressive Mexican dishes, Sue and I visited the Cinnamon Lounge the next evening with… Continue Reading

4th January 2014 Late afternoon on Christmas Eve, all the Palmers gathered around the dining table at Willow Bank, enjoying what would be the first of many meals before the festivities concluded. The decorations were up, the tree sparkled with lights, and the logs crackled in the wood burner. Despite relishing the freshly made chestnut… Continue Reading

22nd December 2013 Sue and I joined a council walk on 23rd November. As it turned out, it was the last one of 2013, as Colin, the organiser’s father, died that morning. We suspected something was amiss, as his mobile repeatedly rang during our amble. He said nothing about his unfortunate circumstances, even during lunch.… Continue Reading

21st November 2013 Since my last blog, written despite the endless warnings of foul UK weather, Leicestershire’s climate seems to be in a state of limbo. By now, we should be enduring Arctic conditions (and perhaps some are), but not here in idyllic Harborough! Yes, I’ve been out with the leaf blower this week, gathering… Continue Reading

28th October 2013 Not having written a blog since my return from Bulgaria, through an atrocious storm, it’s now a British storm prompting me to put fingers to keyboard once again. Plus, with Sue in bed for the past two days with a tummy and chest bug, and another morning painting the garage ceiling wearing… Continue Reading

17th October 2013 David returned from Gabrovo with grim news: the car was very sick. He didn’t think it’d make it back to Ritya and Crassy’s garage couldn’t get the part until tomorrow. Undeterred, he limped into Dryanovo to see if the garage there could save us from car purgatory. They promised the part by… Continue Reading

The thunderstorms promised by the forecast never truly arrived. A smattering overnight, yes, but hardly worth a mention, unless, like David, you gauge rainfall by the dampness of your garden wall or the depth in a coffee cup left out for two days. By his reckoning, it was officially “nothing to write home about.” In… Continue Reading

15th October 2013 A murky but dry morning greeted us, and I managed to coax David into joining Banjo and me on our morning walk. We took our favourite route, and while the only wildlife we encountered was a woodpecker or two, we were treated to a rare appearance by the sun, offering spectacular views… Continue Reading

14th October 2013 I woke early to a dreary, murky morning. Rain had crept in during the night, leaving our once-neat pile of dry, cut logs outside the wood store looking soggy and despondent. So much for the Bulgarian weather forecast; they clearly speak with a forked tongue. We’d planned a mountain outing, but with… Continue Reading