Dear friends, When telling my family and friends that I was going back to where I taught 50 years ago, and that I had booked a flight out to Fera in the Maringe Lagoon off the island of Santa Isabel, they asked if I also had a hotel reservation. 'What, no hotel near there, [...]
Dear friends, As promised, here is a quick look at a trip I made out of Honiara along the north coast to Lela Beach to check out a weaving festival which I saw advertised around town. The site was right on the beach and not so many people around in the morning although I gather [...]
Dear friends, This month I had the wonderful experience of revisiting the Solomon Islands, fifty years after I taught there as a young volunteer. I spent a couple of days in Honiara, exploring the city, meeting a few people who have been my contacts, visiting the local market and a weaving festival. Honiara was buzzing [...]
Dear friends, After my couple of weeks in Canada, I ventured south over the border to the beautiful state of Vermont to visit another friend. I had thought to do just a single post from Vermont, but even in the short two-day stay with Lois I realised her garden alone was worth a story, and [...]
Dear readers, My last blog from my recent US/Canada trip is from the beautiful Green Mountain State of Vermont where I had a brief two-day visit with my friend Lois. We had one day of sunshine and one of rain, but either way the countryside and the places she took me were grand. So here [...]
Dear friends, Before and after the wedding of friends Andree and Denis, we had the chance to look around the environs of Bromont, the town where they live. With just 9,000 inhabitants it is a small town but with skiing and nature trails all around, it welcomes nearly 2 million visitors each year. The main [...]
Dear friends, One of the highlights of my North American trip was to be able to attend the wedding celebrations of a dear colleague and friend Andrée to her charming partner Denis. Together with a few other Red Cross colleagues we spent several days with Andrée and Denis at their home in Bromont, Quebec, and then joined [...]
Dear Friends, A brief visit to the wonderful city of Montreal gave me a chance to shoot a few photos of buildings and graffiti around town and to enjoy a little of the Summer Music Festival. The city is celebrating its 375th anniversary. The mighty St Lawrence River close to Montreal. Approaching the city of [...]
Dear friends, As I mentioned in a previous blog, my friends Pauline and Mark have a Nursery Garden and Landscaping business with an emphasis on unusal and very scented plants, so their company name 'SCENTSATIONAL' is very appropriate. Their garden is full, full of fabulous plants and now in the summer many of the flowers [...]
Dear friends, On Canada Day, this year celebrating 150 years, we began of course with a truly Canadian breakfast - pancakes, bacon, maple syrup and strawberries - YUM! We were joined by another old primary school friend, Judi and her husband Tim. I had found an old school photo from 60 years ago, and Pauline, [...]