Hello, I’m back...

I've just returned from a much-needed holiday in Italy where I spent a week staying in a beautiful cottage in a small hillside village in Liguria... a week of walking through sunwarmed olive groves; handfuls of wild cherries straight from the tree; views of a bright blue sea; befriending local cats; discovering tiny sun-faded churches; meadows sprinkled with daisies, wild sweet peas and butterflies; eating spaghetti scoglio, stuffed courgette flowers, local figs, foccaccia and torta verde; drinking prosecco and homemade grape juice; and by night, watching fireflies and hearing owls hooting to each other in the dark.

I'm spending the next two weeks on holiday in Dunbar, Scotland - this is a picture I took there for this blog over three years ago! It's difficult to believe this blog has really been around for such a long time.

It's been ages since I had such a big chunk of time off work, and I'm looking forward to a chance to relax, including lots of blustery walks along the cliffs and across beaches like this one, curling up with a book and a cup of tea in front of the fire, watching seals from the window, wearing wellies, eating delicious fresh fish from the local fish shop, and most importantly, catching up on a long-standing writing project which it is high time was completed! And who knows, maybe there will even be time to fit in some overdue blogging too...?

Hello! Anyone still there?

I'm back to blogging business after my extended break - and with a picture of pigeons wearing hats too, just to strike a suitable note of celebration.

Normal service will resume shortly: the next few posts will be dedicated to a few notable and/or interesting things I've seen during my weeny blog holiday.

[Image from Nassmerder via Tumblr]

I'm taking a short break from blogging for a while. I'm not sure when I'll next be back here, but in the meantime you might find me on tumblr here, on twitter here or even on delicious here.

Au revoir for now!

[Image from A Child's Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson illustrated by Brian Wildsmith -- via Tumblr]

As promised here are some pictures of my holiday.

I suppose there's probably something very boring, and perhaps even rather egotistical about posting one's holiday photos on one's blog, somewhat "ooh, look at me and my fascinating life".

My holiday photos are sadly, not very fascinating, but I make no apologies. I was hoping to use my time away to write stories and other wonderful and interesting things which I could have posted here; however somehow I didn't quite get round to it (possibly because I spent so much of my time eating and sleeping instead) so you'll just have to put up with photographs.

Actually, I'm quite proud that I managed to take any at all given it rained for most of the holiday. The sky is even blue in some of them.















Excellent wellington boots. Essential for walks in soggy French woods.















Mmmmm, tasty vegetables - a present from our friendly neighbours from their garden.















Dinner - a very important part of the holiday. This is a picture of some boeuf bourginonne which was extremely nice. It is a slightly blurry picture, but possibly I had already had a glass of wine at this point.






















Spooky ruined tower - la tour du rochefoucauld.






















Flowers from the garden.

I am not here. I will be taking a screen break for about a week.

I am on my happy holidays in France.

I may well be eating a croissant at this very moment.

I will be back soon...