10th October 2024 Upon my return from Romania, Jamie departed for Dubai to attend the 2024 Forex Exhibition. With tensions mounting in the Middle East, he was fortunate to secure a seat on one of the last available flights to the region. With a few days to spare before the exhibition commenced, Jamie took the… Continue Reading

2nd October 2024: Bucharest Just after 1 a.m., I collected a rather weary-looking Sean from outside his house, then trundled across Harborough to scoop up Jim before heading out of town to rendezvous with Suraj in Rothwell some twenty minutes later. Our little band of adventurers was off to Transylvania to soak up a bit of… Continue Reading

31st August 2024 On the final day of August, Sue drove me to Leicester General Hospital for an eye injection. On this occasion, the dosage was higher than usual and intended to extend the interval between future treatments. The only noticeable side effect was the appearance of numerous dark bubbles in my vision, although these… Continue Reading

1st August 2024 The morning of the 1st brought a much-needed shower of rain. Although it wasn’t enough to satisfy my watering-can-dependent vegetables, an afternoon thunderstorm added considerably to the water table, welcome news for farmers, allotment holders, and gardeners, though rather inconvenient for me. At 5.05 p.m., Sean, Jim, and I caught the bus… Continue Reading

3rd August 2024 On a rainy 3rd of July, I drove Sue to Leicester General Hospital for her operation. She was first on the list for surgery that morning and needed to be there by 7 a.m. Naturally, we arrived early, at 6.30 a.m., and found ourselves waiting outside the still-closed doors of Theatre Arrivals.… Continue Reading

20th June 2024 Whilst in Ecuador, I was contacted by my Welsh cousin David, who informed me of the sad news that his sister, Pauline, had sadly passed away. As soon as we returned home, I spoke to my Aunt Josie, found out details of the funeral, and made arrangements to attend. As the UK… Continue Reading

16th June 2024 Last night, we took a final amble along the Boardwalk. The evening was cool, and being a Saturday night, it felt as though the entire population of Guayaquil was out, especially families with children. All kinds of entertainers were performing in the numerous open-air auditoriums scattered along the walk, while food, trinkets,… Continue Reading

11th June 2023 Although we were leaving San Cristóbal, we were taking plenty of bright, sunny memories with us on a day that was itself warm and radiant. Our hotel pick-up was scheduled for 9:45 a.m., which gave us ample time for a leisurely breakfast and for me to enjoy one final explore. While Sue… Continue Reading

7th June 2024 Despite staying in a lovely hotel and a sumptuously furnished room, we slept poorly. The constant travel, time zone changes, and a general lack of sleep from so many early starts meant my mind refused to settle into anything resembling a REM pattern. A disagreement over which (if any) optional tours to… Continue Reading

5th June 2024 The four hours we spent in our rather sumptuous Holiday Inn room yielded little in the way of sleep. We hit the pillows around 1 a.m. and were up again by 4 a.m. to shower, drink coffee, and prepare for another day of travelling. Despite our exhaustion, our minds continued to churn… Continue Reading