Yearly Archives: 2010

The CL we’d booked for our stay in Bath was the very same one we’d stayed at this time last year when we’d just bought Nettle. My memory of it was a bit fuzzy but when I saw the horses it all came flooding back like it was yesterday. I remember waking up in the morning and seeing those same … Continue reading

When we got up the next morning, it was drizzling and windy outside — hardly auspicious cycling weather, so our hopes of going on a ride around the nearby parts of the national park were dashed. We dithered around for the rest of the morning, had lunch, then decided to head out on foot instead, and do a small circuit … Continue reading

We’re on the road again! It seems a little odd after so long — the fact that I can drive our home around seems to me a little like a Tim Burton concept or something. Driving along, I can peer over my shoulder and see the kitchen and living room following along. What the? We’re headed up to Bath to … Continue reading

I was making plans with a friend who’s coming over to Europe recently and told her of our plans to be in the Alps this autumn and that she should join us. I cautiously added that our plans have a tendency to change without notice and beyond all recognition, usually within a couple of weeks of having made them. Sure … Continue reading

“”Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” — Mary Oliver” I celebrated my 28th year on this planet recently. Twenty eight years of my one wild and precious life. This is what I decided to exchange a day of my life for on this particular day. The Eden Project in Cornwall … Continue reading

Katherine: Our one year digital nomad vagabonding anniversary came and went the day before yesterday unacknowledged. This time last year we awoke to our new tabula rasa life in a BnB in Camden, London having just flown in the day before. I think a little reflection is in order. Then On the 31st May last year I wrote this in … Continue reading

Dover’s now-familiar white cliffs approached, and with some anticipation we drove off the ferry and were waved past the immigration officials — Katherine remembered what side of the road I’m meant to be driving on at the last minute, so that was convenient. England! Ah, England. Our first stop, via an unsuccessful initial attempt to book into a site for … Continue reading

Our next day of driving began with our finally leaving Italy, or at least its official boundary. We drove by the lake near the border, emptied for some works on the drained lake bed and looking rather forlorn compared to the beautiful images Google Earth had shown me the day before while I was searching for potential wild-camps; then we … Continue reading

Sadly, our 3 months of Schengen time was again all used up! We’d booked a ferry from Dunquerque to Dover on the 19th, and we’d left ourselves a week to get there from Padova. So with some wistful thoughts, and looking forward to coming back to spend some time getting to know Andrea, Silvia and their friends better, we set … Continue reading

Apparently in centuries past this city glowed with bright colours. What a site that must have been! The romantic decay of the city recalled to my mind the Japanese philosophy and style called wabi-sabi. As described by artist Serena Barton, wabi-sabi refers to the qualities of imperfection, aging, cycles of nature, and cycles of life. It values rust, patina, burnishing, … Continue reading

There’s something about being in a place with friends who are locals to the area — it anchors the place, makes it feel more real and accessible than just being a visitor, on the outside looking in through the distorting filter that is tourism. So, we’d leapt at the opportunity to visit Venice with our new friends Andrea and Silvia, … Continue reading