Malta Diary The feast of Illuminations ‘L-Imnarja’ – but this time in a lesser light …
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: The 29th of June, date of the feast commemorating Saints Peter and Paul, has been a major event in...
Gently Does It at Stratford Butterfly Farm
Ann Evans shares the good news of Stratford Butterfly Farm emerging from lockdown in all its splendour. As Covid restrictions are gradually eased and life takes on some...
A Stranger in America; Introduction to North Carolina
North Carolina is one of the few american states that people excessively move to according to statistics. Soon as I moved to that state, the world went chaotic and...
NGS Reopen Their Open Gardens!
Ann Evans brings great news for garden lovers! The great news for everyone who loves gardens and gardening, is that the National Garden Scheme’s open gardens are...
Coping with Coronavirus 22. Edwardian Parlour Games.
In the Victorian and Edwardian eras, people were a lot more trusting. Guests would arrive, armed with an introductory letter, or introduced by family or friends of their hosts,...
The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild challenge starts today!
More people than ever are turning to nature during the pandemic, Ann Evans explains how you can get involved. 30 Days Wild is the UK’s biggest nature...
Go wild – it’s good for you!
Will you be taking part in 30 Days Wild with The Wildlife Trust in June? Ann Evans points out just how good it is for us. ...
Virtual English Gardens
A sprinkling of England’s horticulture hotspots Dusty pink geraniums, draping wisteria, beds and borders overflowing with floral displays and packed plant pots jammed full of colour, the English...
Coping With Coronavirus 20. Plants & Recipes
Remember how I told you how to grow tomatoes from tomato slices? Well, look at the results after another week. And remember how I told you about the...
Kent, A County Full of Surprises
The English county of Kent, known as The Garden of England, is as pretty and as charming as its name suggests. Rural Kent, with its gentle rolling hillsides, rich...
Coping With Coronavirus 19. Why are the Garden Centres Closed? + Growing Tomatoes From Seed
Why are all the garden centres closed when everyone wants to buy compost, seeds, and lots of garden plants; flowers, vegetables, salad plants and herbs? There’s a lot more...
A Walk on the Wild Side
Photos by Rob Tysall, Tysall’s Photography. Ann Evans asks how you are spending that precious hour out of lockdown. While life as we knew it has been...
NGS REAFFIRMS ITS SUPPORT FOR NURSING AND HEALTH CHARITIES
Ann Evans reports on the National Garden Scheme’s support for nursing and health charities in this time of crisis. In a new campaign led by Britain’s most famous...
Dream trip to Bomarzo, a fantastic Italian garden – World Meanderings (n°82)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny This incredible garden was created in the middle of the 16th century for Prince Vicino Orsini, It’s located in a...
Enjoy a Glorious Springtime in the Garden with the NGS
Photos courtesy of the National Garden Scheme. Forget your troubles and enjoy Spring now that it’s here. Ann Evans has news of the NGS Open Gardens Spring has...
Rachel’s Wanderings in Spain Small Critters, Big Problems
It’s animal life again that rules my life, not because the fibre cables have been chewed through, see Ups and Downs (and Ins and Outs) of (Animal) Life...
The “Invalides”, a witness of French history since 1670 – Meanderings through France n° 211
ByAnnick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny We all know the “Invalides” museum for being the place where Napoléon’s tomb is, but this huge place has much more to...
A city-break in Paris side by side with Napoleon
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny When Napoleon took power as France First Consul in 1799 he already knew that he wanted Paris to become the most beautiful...
Steve’s Sojourn’s : Allier France
Cradle of the Bourbon dynasty the department of Allier, in the Massif Central in the most northerly part of the Auvergne, is famous for its landscapes. Its also has...
Nimes boasts its Roman heritage – Meanderings through France n° 207
By Frédéric de Poligny & Annick Dournes Nimes is a French southern town created in ancient times by the Roman invaders. At only a few miles away from...
Snowdrop time!
Photos by Rob Tysall, Tysall’s Photography Ann Evans is eagerly awaiting the first signs of spring when those snowdrops start peeking through. We know spring is on the...
Rachel’s Wanderings in Spain What a Busy Year Since My Introduction in April – Me and ‘my’ bit of Spain
I’m very happy to be joining this eclectic group of rambling writers from all around the world. I’m in Spain, but let me start at the beginning and introduce...
Taxi Noir: Boris Johnson’s Channel Bridge
So, Boris Johnson has been mandated to govern the UK for another four years. I shan’t be drawn into making value statements on the outcome of the recent General...
Bedgebury Christmas Trail
Bedgebury Pinetum is in Kent, just over the Sussex border. The arboretum is an award-winning site with lots to do for everyone, from walking to cycling, or a visit...
Malta Diary Mary, Mary, quite contrary – how do Maltese gardens grow?
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Coming from a family of brothers that includes one of Malta’s most-loved, prominent and highly-famed stage and television comedians...
A Place to Stay; Sally Port Cottage, Cornwall, & Winchcombe Lodge, Cotswolds
Sally Port Cottage, Cornwall Sally Port Cottage at St Anthony’s Lighthouse is situated at the furthest point of the beautiful Roseland Peninsula. A perfect romantic retreat, Sally Port Cottage...
Malta Diary Princess Elizabeth’s former villa residence to become national museum to reflect 150 years of Anglo-Maltese relations and connections to the British Royal Family
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: After many years of procrastination in which nothing was done, the current Government announced...
Amboise, Royal city and Leonardo da Vinci’s last home – Meanderings through France n° 202
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny French king François I undoubtedly is the symbol of French Renaissance and during his reign he built and transformed...
Malta Diary A statutory wedding vow in days of yore by the groom to his bride – “I solemnly promise to take you to the Mnarja Festival every year”
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Over the centuries the Maltese developed the knack of corrupting foreign place names in the...
A festive “grape harvest day” in Cheverny – Meanderings through France n° 197
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny For the ninth consecutive year winegrowers and winemakers of the Cheverny DOC organize a wine festival on Saturday 7...
Harry’s Ramblings Eastbourne Seafront
This is an hour long stroll along Eastbourne’s seafront from the pier to the bottom of Beachy Head, called Holywell. It is all on the flat, is about 4...
A Place to Stay. Hotel Bon Sol & Spa, Majorca
I spent two nights at the Hotel Bon Sol Resort and Spa, five miles from Palma, Majorca. Mallorca (or Majorca – both spellings are acceptable) is still a virtually unspoilt...
A Place to Stay. The Bonham, Edinburgh
If you’re looking for a hotel in Edinburgh do have a look at The Bonham in Drumsheugh Gardens. Lying in the City’s vibrant west end it has been recently...
Rachel’s Wanderings in Spain – 7 – Summer Nights, Capers and Caperberries
So August is here. The earth is hard baked and any ground foliage golden brown but there is one wild plant that is resplendant at the moment and...
A Place to Stay. Hadlow Tower, a Wonderful Place for a Weekend!
Hadlow Tower, in Hadlow village, near Tonbridge in Kent, known as May’s Folly, is a Grade 1 listed building and it is up for sale for £2 million, you...
Exploring the National Herb Centre
Photos by Rob Tysall, Tysall’s Photography Ann Evans explores the delightful National Herb Centre in Oxfordshire The culinary and medicinal use of herbs...
Blois, much better than a history book for a glimpse of French Royals’ life – Meanderings through France n° 193
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny Blois is only a two-hour drive from Paris and an ideal starting point to explore the Loire Valley and...
How about taking part in the day-to-day life of Alsatian winemakers? – Meanderings through Francece n° 191
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny All summer and autumn long Alsatian winemakers organize an amazing great number of events during which tourists are invited...
Holland Park’s Safestay Hostel. Is it London’s Cheapest Place to Stay?
I was surprised to find a hostel right in the middle of Holland Park. It seemed to have been dropped there one dark night. It just didn’t belong there....
Harry’s Ramblings. Idyllic Madeira holiday
Madeira is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, about a thousand miles off the northern coast of Africa. Don’t ask me to be specific, it’s not particularly relevant. Many...