This morning, I had an email from my Icelandic publisher, Gunnar, whose dog, Diamond, graces the front cover of the Icelandic edition of my book One Hundred Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human. (Well, there have to be some perks to being the publisher’s dog.)
262,468 Thank yous!
My thanks go to the 262,468 people who bought a copy of One Hundred Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human, since it was first published in 2003. It …
Snapping Sunshine
Well, I wasn’t the only one out snapping photos in the glorious sunshine today but, and I know I might be slightly biased here, I think she saved the best …
Sentinels Along The Way
They stand, like two rows of regimented soldiers, lining the long ridge of Shropshire’s Linley Hill. It was once thought these sentinels were planted by Napoleonic prisoners of war, but tree-dating technology proves that these beech trees were planted circa 1740, long before there was even a Napoleonic prisoner-of-war camp at nearby Bishop’s Castle.
On The Waterways
“Every time someone opens these lock gates,” says Mike, the engineer, “we lose 40,000 gallons of water.”
We’re standing at the bottom of Lock 72 of the Trent & Mersey Canal in Middlewich, Cheshire, thanks to one of the Canal and River Trust’s Open Days.
Newcastle on Clun
Check out the Spring issue of Country Walking magazine, for my ‘middle’ route around Newcastle on Clun. It roams the ‘middle’ of nowhere, found somewhere along the ‘middle’ of Offa’s …
Free Range Borders
When is a free-range egg, not a free-range egg? When it’s the wrong side of the border.
I know they like to speak Welsh in Wales, and English in London, but sometimes, you’d think the bureaucrats in the big cities (London and Cardiff) would occasionally get together and speak the language of common sense on matters of disease control.
All Change
Put a border somewhere and there will come a point when it needs to be crossed. Put two different governments in charge of life on either side of that border and life gets a little more complicated when you need to cross that border.
Take trains, for example. On mainland Europe you can travel by rail through several countries without needing to change. The Venice-Simplon Orient Express runs a service from London to Venice, travelling through England, France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Once you’ve crossed the English Channel, it’s the same train all the way to Venice.
But when it comes to the English/Welsh Borders, things could become a little more interesting.
Out of Place – Senior Travel Expert Competition Runner Up
My entry into last year’s Senior Travel Expert ‘Off the Beaten Track’ competition has just been published. To read the full entry, click here. Weston Park is a fabulous …
Snapper Simon Snaps Snow
Snow and fog in one photo today. Well, it was probably low cloud, rather than fog. But it was flippin’ freezin’ up on the top of Ragleth Hill today. Still, …