Page 28 - Blog

Otterly Lovely from Herend

One of the most charming moments I can remember is when our family went to a wildlife park and we witnessed the captive otters and their babies singing for their supper. They gathered on a little bridge over their pool and sang so beautifully we almost cried with laughter and with our heart strings tugged we felt like better people afterwards. It is true that otters make...

Man’s Best Friend

For all you dog lovers there is nothing finer than being greeted by Fido when you walk in the door. The family might have had a bad day, the work or school might have gone sadly wrong, but the affection you get from your pooch never fails to warm the cockles of the heart and often puts mud and dog hairs on your clothes too. Dogs are the most loyal of creatures and that’s why we give...

Black Friday Queues: Are You Hungry for a Bargain?

Are you good at queuing? Do you think Black Friday is more important than ever as we go into a tough winter in a cost of living crisis? Then expect bargains to be the target of competitive shoppers and perhaps even some unruly behaviour. We all remember times when Black Friday events got out of hand. In one incident a few years ago Greater Manchester...

Little Donkey

The picture of the two donkeys isn’t because we are practising for a Nativity scene, but from our recent trekking  expedition near Carcassonne. The donkeys are Bamboo, the bay and Ballotte the black and they were hired from a donkey refuge to take us rambling. We were inspired by that great writer Robert  Louis Stevenson  and his early work Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes...

Latest Posting Dates 

It’s time to get cracking with posting those cards and presents to friends, family and loved ones abroad. 31^st October is the last day for the USA and Canada, so happy Halloween! Beat the rush and see the festive season in with less fuss.

Posting to HM Armed Forces

Posting International Economy...

Gin’s It!

Everyday’s a school day they say and for me it’s often true. Can you bring me Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz I was asked by one of my friends in France, I can’t get it easily here? When I had figured out it didn’t really involve swearing, I said I’d give it a go. It seems this is an Australian gin and it’s twice been voted Best Gin in the World. Well you could have knocked me down with a feather...

Come on Baby Light My fire

We have friends in Carcassonne in the south of France and we love visiting the place and went there for our honeymoon and it’s one of the few places that it’s okay to fly direct to and we pop there when we can. And this time there was an even stronger reason than normal to visit. It was a fire place. We have a fantastically efficient German log burner which with the current...

A Busman’s Holiday

Well you know how it goes, the prospect of a significant birthday and the weather at home isn’t all that, so a birthday abroad is just what the doctor, if not what the bank manager ordered. And being well, in the business of fine glassware why not take a peek at the making of glass across the narrow sea. The first stop on the holiday though was to Rome. There were plenty of glass...

Whisky in the Jar,  But Few Pennies

Cash is disappearing at the fastest rate, I had to hunt for the pennies and silver in the picture. We have a jar for loose change and the rule was that any pennies, two pennies, five Ps and twenty Ps would go into the jar. Over a year we might tot up a tenner or so and it was worthwhile, but since Covid and the near death of cash there was nothing but a few pennies...

Sam Heughan's TV Future is in Doubt

If you like Highland drama you’ll have been captured by the time travelling romance Outlander  which you can watch on those streaming services so popular now. But after numerous series the show is about to run its course, but not before the series producers have announced a new prequel series, which are all the rage at the moment  what with Game of Thrones currently...