Firstly, happy, happy, happy, birthday to Pamela. I hope you have had a lovely day. Today is only just starting here, you should pop in for a birthday breakfast with us 🙂 Thank you for all that you do for Dad, but especially thank you for making him very happy. In turn, it also makes me very…

Today was a day of highs and lows. The highs were pretty high. The lows were not actually very low. We started the day slowly, but managed to get organsied in time to catch the 1130am bus to the city of Lugarno, just a 15 minute trip around the side of the lake. It was…

Campione d’Italia. Have you heard of it? Neither had I till we started to plan this trip. Dave, who knows more about world geography than anyone I know, suggested we visit this town as soon as Northern Italy was touted as a holiday destination. Campione d’Italia is an exclave of Italy. It sits around 20kms…

Beds. I like a soft bed. Supportive and not too soft. But not hard. Pillows. I like a fairly firm pillow. Large, but not too large. Not thin and flat.  A good hot and spacious shower, clean sheets, thick fluffy (but absorbent) towels, a nice view, thick walls, good heating and cooling, fast Wi-Fi… the…

I’ve always considered myself a pretty positive person. I naturally see the good in most situations. I look for the wins, not the losses. 2016 has really stretched my ability to be positive. Dave’s cancer diagnosis earlier this year was a shock. I was indignant about the impact on our seemingly perfect life. It was of…

Reconnaissance: the exploration outside an area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about natural features and enemy presence. (Wikipedia) or… the process of obtaining information about the position, activities, resources, etc, of an enemy or potential enemy (thefreesdictonary.com) To recce: to check out the scene (Dave Morley) “Time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted” Major Arthur Rowley (British mate…

Our day in Venice yesterday was terrific. I don’t know where to start to tell you what we enjoyed most… But first to clarify my declaration yesterday about my desire for ‘simple’. By simple, I don’t mean boring. By simple, I don’t mean lacking intelligence. By simple, I don’t mean bread and butter for dinner….

Simple. I’ve decided it’s the best way. Simple thoughts, simple conversations, simple values, simple food. Things don’t need to be complicated. More is not necessarily better. We are here in Venice after a long but pleasant trip. We both arrived in Sydney on separate flights within five minutes of each other. Victoria picked us up and…