Day 3  I was awake well before the wake-up call came. The tour leader, Nalaka, had obviously arranged the calls so we all got to breakfast on time by 630am. Sleep is never my closest friend, but I did feel reasonably refreshed after six or so hours. Good pillows and decent mattresses make all the…

Day 2 Negombo to Dambulla Happy International Women’s Day! How fabulous to be on Holidays today spending it with a couple of my favourite women – Victoria and Emma. I miss my Mum every day – but on International Women’s day I am reminded of her more than ever. Her strength, determination and immense desire…

I’m curious… when you think of Sri Lanka what do you think of? Cricket (many of my friends will say that) Great tourist destination Fabulous Food Wars in the 90’s (Tamil Tigers were mentioned on the TV news most nights) Beaches and Surf Elephants I often have very specific thoughts about a country before I…

I have a few questions about going home that I don’t seem to be able to get answers for: Who is going to make my a lovely hot cup of tea the moment I get out of bed? Who is going to make me a delicious breakfast? Who is going to clean my room, make my…

Thursday was a day of rest, as anticipated. A couple of times I thought about heading out for a walk, but due to extremely sore thigh and calf muscles I actually couldn’t really move. It was a site for sore eyes can I tell you! Throughout the morning I managed to hobble to the day…

I’m going to tell you about dinner at Barbacoa on Tuesday night before I get into the thrills and spills of Wednesday. When Victoria, Will, Emma and I were here earlier this year we visited Barbacoa for dinner one night, and I have been looking forward to getting back there again ever since. Barbacoa is a…

Yesterday was back to ‘boring’, and happily so. Our usual early morning swim was missed as by the time we got up breakfast was nearly ready. After breakfast we did have a swim, making sure we did plenty of walking laps to keep our fitness up (haha). All this lying around and eating is dangerous! It…

This boring life is definitely the go! Monday was spent pretty much lazing about with a few simple activities involving pampering and eating in between 🙂 It seemed to be a little hotter yesterday, perhaps low 30s rather than high 20s. There were a few clouds about, but no rain, which is a shame. Its not like it is dry,…

I accidentally forgot to be bored yesterday… but had a fabulous day! What a great Sunday we had. We started with our usual breakfast of eggs on toast, fresh fruit, juice for Dave and a decent cup of tea (or three) for me. Each morning we have been getting up for an early swim. Dave has…

I do like a good book. Preferably lying somewhere comfortable, with no interruptions and interspersed with naps. Have you read Pomegranate Soup? I’m loving it. Thanks to Helen and Gill for recommending it, you are right its foodie romance genre makes it the perfect book for me! Breakfast each day is made for us by…

Did that catch your eye? Boring Bali!!! Social media seems to me mostly about the ups and the downs rather than the mundane. A great meal, a proud parent, an exciting holiday. A broken relationship, a hard day at work, unwell or difficult children. Because of this it can appear to those who skim SM posts that their ‘friends’ lives…

I’m sorry to say that our little trip to New Zealand is pretty much over ? We have had a lovely time topped off with another scenic drive – from Queenstown back to Christchurch yesterday and then today spending the day in Christchurch. After I posted the blog on Tuesday evening Dave and I wandered…

Today is the ‘fun’ day. Every day has been really enjoyable with lots of great activities and experiences. But today was simply about fun! We woke reasonably early (I have barely seen it dark as the sun goes down so late and comes up so early!) Breakfast was provided in the Air BnB. A range…

‘Wow’. It’s the word I reckon I’ve used one hundred times today. ‘How beautiful is this place?’ I have said at least a dozen times. When I first spotted the ‘Remarkables’ – a mountain range near to Queenstown, it was instantly obvious why they were called that. Remarkable is the perfect word to describe the…

Leanne, a good friend of mine, (and ex-travel agent and fellow obsessive traveller) often assists me with holiday concepts and planning. When we decided a short while ago to take advantage of time off over Christmas, I asked her advice with the following requests: Passport use Not too long a flight Not too hot Somewhere…

‘He’s making a list and checking it twice’ It’s the Christmas song that sticks in my head the most… not because of the ‘naughty and nice’ bit, but because without a list at Christmas I’d be lost! I am a list lover. For those of you who work with me you will probably know that…