EXPLORING MY ADOPTED CITY AND BEYOND
Although the affluent residential town of Richmond is situated a mere 10 miles from central London, it once was rural agricultural countryside consisting of large houses and hunting lodges of the extremely wealthy. One such estate, a 17th century treasure trove, lies nestled among the naturalistic landscape along the banks of the river Thames. Tucked… Continue reading
What must Florence have been like during the city’s Age of Enlightenment. Brunelleschi was constructing his ground-breaking dome that would soon perch high above the city’s red brick skyline, presiding over the people with steadfast assurance and monumental beauty. How must it have felt to wander through the rabbit warren of brooding Medieval alleyways, to… Continue reading
“I was offered a free villa in Hollywood, but I said no thank you, I prefer to live in Italy.” – Ennio Morricone Travel is a privilege that gives us the opportunity to observe, and hopefully learn from, cultures and customs that are not our own; especially when it comes to food traditions. Some places… Continue reading
Cornwall may well be firmly attached to mainland England, but this spectacular county on the rugged southwestern tip has its own blend of unique charm and beauty that perfectly separates it from the rest of the country. Cornwall’s reach extends considerably into the Celtic Sea, forming a jagged peninsula culminating at the promontory of Land’s… Continue reading
“The heavy golden sunshine enriched the old brick with a kind of patina, and made the tower cast a long shadow across the grass, like the finger of a gigantic sundial veering slowly with the sun. Everything was hushed and drowsy and silent but for the coo of the white pigeons.” – Vita Sackville-West There… Continue reading
An awful lot of people have childhood memories of holidays in Cornwall, and the holidays are old-fashioned and hugely successful. You stick a child and a dog on one of the beaches, and they just light up: they just love it. ― Martin Clunes, Actor Cornwall has been high on my list of places to… Continue reading
With spring well under way here in England the variety of wonderful things to see and do seems almost infinite. Grand old homes with their well tendered, enveloping gardens fling open their gates to allow curious visitors the chance to witness these properties at their most glorious. Many of the country’s historic manor houses sit… Continue reading
Although abundant with interesting things to see and do, the Cotswolds is a place that very quickly charms you into slowing down. There is a rural, old-world atmosphere here that evokes images of time immemorial when the skill of the craftsman was revered, and the unhurried nature of a hard day’s work was measured by… Continue reading
“…[Nature] ever bearing witness against man that he has deliberately chosen ugliness instead of beauty…” – William Morris When we were planning our long weekend in the Cotswolds, a visit to one of the many grand heritage gardens that reside here was a necessity. Like resplendent precious jewels adorning a royal crown the gardens of… Continue reading
Is there such a thing as too much beauty? When people think of England, they conjure romantic images of fairy tale villages filled with honeyed stoned cottages enveloped by a seemingly infinite terrain of undulating pastures made verdant by the generous summer rains. The homogeneous landscape, with its endless patchwork of quaint chocolate box hamlets,… Continue reading