“When I grow Rich” say the Bells of Shoreditch

Gay go up and gay go down (that’s actually part of the rhyme, really it is) To Ring the Bells of London Town “Oranges and Lemons” say the Bells of St. Clements “Bullseyes and Targets” say the Bells of St. Margaret’s “Brickbats and Tiles” say the Bells of St. Giles “Halfpence and Farthings” say the Bells of St. Martin’s…

Coal Drops & Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms

Really great to see the latest architectural wonder in London – the recently opened Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross. Designed by UK’s ‘star of the moment’ architect Thomas Heatherwick, the conversion of two 19th coal warehouses (whose roofs now take flight and reach out to touch each other) is superbly done and forms the centre…

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Arrived back in London for the dressing of the Christmas tree – and what a fine tree it is too! Guy and Rachel have a great collection of baubles and decorations gathered from all over the world, so once Guy had struggled with the tree on the bus and got it home in one piece,…

Bournemouth – The English Riviera

After North Wales we hot-footed it down to Bournemouth via Euston and Waterloo. Perhaps not so surprising that the 9.30am Virgin Rail service out of Chester was packed to standing room only on a short train. We had reserved seats thankfully, but apparently no seats is normal for regular travellers, and at £86 each for…

Hawarden (Penarlâg)

  We’re finally back in Anthony’s home village of Hawarden (Penarlâg) in Flintshire, North Wales and home with Dad for the first of several visits. Enjoying some chilly winter weather, perfect for a short drive over to The Wirral Peninsula for a spot of lunch (slap up Cod & Chips of course) at The Ship,…

The Crystal Palace

A bracing stroll through Crystal Palace Park this morning in the wintery gloom was made intriguing by the chance to walk through what now remains of The Crystal Palace itself. Originally created to house the Exhibition of the Industry of all Nations and staged in Hyde Park in 1851, it was eventually moved piece by…

Santiago pit-stop

After a short delay getting out of Buenos Aires, due to arriving G20 dignitaries (specifically, the arrival of Canada, Turkey and India), we finally arrived in Santiago for an overnight pit-stop. Nice to be back, albeit briefly, and a nice new hotel in Lastarria, Hotel Cumbres to rest our heads. Flight to London later this…

Hasta Luego Buenos Aires

Sadly, it’s time to say adios to Buenos Aires. We’ve had two glorious fulfilling months here, a longed-for dream, now incredibly realised. We will be back though, sooner than later actually. After our time in the UK our adventures continue in Chilean Patagonia – yes, that’s yet to come folks. Then we’re back in BA…

Canned again!

Further to my last post regarding the Copa Libertadores final between Boca and River, it’s now been cancelled for good, with no date set. A very sad and disappointing end to our stay in this wonderful, but increasingly troubled city. Boca are now calling for nothing less than disqualification, with the governing body hinting at…

The belt tightens

Since we’ve been here the financial squeeze has become noticeably tighter for Porteños, so you can only imagine what people feel about having the G20 summit crash smack in the middle of Buenos Aires this week with the likes of Trump, Putin, Macron, Merkel and May (and possibly the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia) all…