Good reads

Holidays are for catching up on reading, among other things.

I took a book of short stories: in fact ‘The Best British Short Stories, 2012,’ edited by Nicholas Royle. Quite how we can have the best short stories of 2012 half way through the year, I’m not quite sure – but this was a fine collection, including my favourite ‘The Heart of Denis Noble’ written by Alison MacLeod, which won the  BBC short story award in 2011, (which again raised the question of the title claiming to be the best from 2012) so you may have head it read aloud on the radio. Continue reading “Good reads”

Gorge de Verdon

The scenery in Southern France around the mountains above Nice is fantastic. High mountains, rivers, gorges, villages perched on high cliffs – all so perfectly photogenic!

We had several days out, but my favourite was probably the day we walked along the Gorge de Verdon

Firstly we drove to the top to look at the view. The colour of the water gave the gorge its name.

Continue reading “Gorge de Verdon”

A Lay Made About the Year of The City 1 (swiftly cobbled together for OZ)

With apologies to Thomas Babington Macauley

Aeneas of the ‘topless towers’,
By Helen’s choice laid waste.
Fled the ruin, death and fire
And westward sailed in haste.
To Dido came and thought to stay,
But duty called at last.
He hurried on and rushed to meet,
The fate his Gods had cast.
Continue reading “A Lay Made About the Year of The City 1 (swiftly cobbled together for OZ)”

Rain stopped play in Copenhagen

We’re back home from the capital having bailed (almost literally) a few hours early owing to cloudbursts at noon yesterday – until which juncture the whole expedition had been a great success. As always it’s the basics that count! We stayed in a northern suburb in the Scandic Eremitage – a train ride back to the city centre. So parking was convenient and free, and the accommodation more than adequate, with a breakfast buffet thrown in. We’ve used the Scandic group for years around the region – in Uppsala, Stockholm, Bergen and Oslo – and they usually come up to scratch. They do a frequent guest scheme which offers the keenest prices. Continue reading “Rain stopped play in Copenhagen”

Driving in France

We rarely argue, but one thing that can set us off is driving. I get travel sick and can’t navigate from a map when moving. He’s not a good passenger. The invention of the Sat Nag has, to a certain degree, helped – but when we picked up the hire car at Nice airport I drove, as the Sat Nag refused to work.

So there I was, driving on the wrong side of the road, my feet operating the pedals (which are of course in the same order as they are at home) while my arms were trying to remember that the gear stick is on the right, the opposite side to what I am used to, whilst trying not to make my darling husband too nervous as he issued directions to me, often three times, with increasing volume, sometimes confusing his left and right. You can imagine, therefore that, after an early start (5 am) and little food Continue reading “Driving in France”