Dear Friends, Sometimes it seems as though there is some kind of magic in the air, and Tuesday was one such day for me and for Wasihun Asnake Mengsta. We met first in Geneva in 1991, and now 28 years later we meet again in Washington DC. With Wasihun in his apartment with one of [...]
Dear friends, This is my fourth and last story from my short but most enjoyable visit to Tasmania last month. The island proved to be a chilly as people had said, with some mornings really cool at 14 C while just an hour's plane ride north in Adelaide the temps were sitting in the mid-30s. [...]
Dear friends, Been a bit slow getting this third blog up about Tasmania but finally, here it is - a quick hop through two days with a look at the wonderful Corinda House Hotel, a walk in the botanical gardens, and a day trip to see the WALL then a short hike in the Mount [...]
Dear friends, Last month I spent a short week with my friend Verity in Tasmania and what a great few days it was too. I am sure that none of you need be reminded that Tasmania is the island state of Australia and lies off the coast almost directly south of Melbourne across Bass Strait. The [...]
Dear friends, Most summers I visit Europe but it has been a while since I visited any of the Nordic Countries, so this year I decided to do just that. It was a bit of a nostalgic trip for me as I have previously spent a lot of time up in the north, but also [...]
Dear friends, Lucky me to spend 6 weeks in Europe from mid-June to early August, visiting friends in the UK, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Everywhere the weather was beautiful, the friends welcoming and the weeks passed so quickly in a whirl of delightful meetings, delicious dinners, gorgeous scenery and a few special treats [...]
Dear friends, Another really fun happening in Chiang Mai last weekend when I took a painting class with the talented Chris Chun. He had generously offered a class, even with bubbly and cakes as an extra attraction, as one of the auction items at the Skills for Life Foundation fundraising event some months ago and three [...]
Dear friends, This will be my last blog from Madagascar, and I've got some great shots for you ... It's not as though I haven't been showing you a lot of lemurs in my blogs, although the several different species we saw are just a fraction of the some 60 species and sub-species of lemurs [...]
Dear friends, As we had to travel to the north, then the south and then to the east, the capital city, Antananarivo (usually shortened to Tana for obvious reasons) was a pivotal point on our trip and each time we stayed at the elegant old hotel, The Colbert with lovely views out over a part [...]
Dear friends, Another day, another National Park - this time we explored Amber Mountain, lush green rainforest and many creatures hidden within. It is so called because, in the evening sun, the earth glows a rich dark amber. The park is about an hour's drive from the town of Diego Suarez in the far north of [...]