The 2024 Olympic Games finished some weeks ago, but the torch is burning bright again in the Jardins des Tuileries, now for the Paralympic Games.
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There’s a feeling of autumn in the air as we reach the end of August and head into September. And that's even though recently we’ve had some of the loveliest days of our rather patchy summer. Some leaves are beginning to turn, or even drop, and there are berries on many of the street trees in Ealing.
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It’s Pick a Word time again. Another month and another set of five words from Paula to illustrate. Always challenging, always fun! And as always I've trawled my archives to find some words that I hope fit her choices.
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While many of England’s grand houses were (and in some cases still are) home to the aristocracy, others were built by those hoping to emulate or even join that exclusive set. The so-called ‘landed gentry’ indeed had land but no titles, although they aspired to climb the social ladder. Among them was Sir George Bowes, a coal baron from north east England.
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The Coquet River rises in the Cheviot Hills on the border between England and Scotland, and follows a winding course through the beautiful Northumberland countryside before flowing into the North Sea at Amble. Just before it reaches the sea it loops around the charming village of Warkworth.
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What makes an English country garden? Is it the choice of plants? The generously filled herbaceous borders? Perhaps a wall, a gravel or brick path, and a statue or two?
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Like so many geological formations around the world, Lake Skadar is the subject of a legend. And as so often, it is a tale of unrequited love.
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The setting of the small old town of Kotor is very special. The beautiful Bay of Kotor on one side, the mountains surrounding it on the remaining sides, and still-intact walls encircling it, pierced by three old gates. And as a bonus for many of us, the town is home to a veritable clowder of cats.
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Phew, this has been a busy month! No travels abroad but plenty of other fun times. We started the month with a few days in Broadstairs, Kent. Despite unseasonably cold weather (we put the heating on in the apartment we rented most evenings!) we had a great time getting to know this little seaside town. We also had a day out in nearby Ramsgate.
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There is something rather special about exploring a city where layers of history are exposed. The story of the past is laid bare, no longer dry words but a series of visual clues to how things once were here. Past and present seem to coexist, and the lives of those earlier inhabitants are revealed as not so very different to our own.
