Author Archives: sheg4184

A Gastronomic Road Trip

Posted on 6 August 2015 by sheg4184

“If I just keep putting one foot in front of the other, it stands to reason that I’m going to get there. I’ve begun to think we sit far more than we’re supposed to.” He smiled. “Why else would we … Continue reading →

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Lazy Days on the Riviera

Posted on 29 July 2015 by sheg4184

We arrived at the far end of the French Riviera in the early evening, in a ruinously expensive taxi from the Airport Côte d’Azur, to discover Menton, la perle de la France a small, bustling tourist town once conjoined with Monaco, … Continue reading →

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Down the Dart: from Dartmoor to Dartmouth via a vineyard

Posted on 22 July 2015 by sheg4184

The Dart. A picturesque and tidal river that rises on Dartmoor and meanders down through voluptuous hills and green leafy valleys to Dartmouth on the South Devon coast. Here the estuary is guarded by a pair of stone forts, somewhat … Continue reading →

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Reconnecting with Nature

Posted on 12 July 2015 by sheg4184

The best thing I have discovered this week about the people of Devonshire is their huge pride in their beautiful, largely rural county. It has been a week of delightful discoveries. At the risk of sounding like a tourist brochure, it … Continue reading →

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Just My Cup of Tea

Posted on 5 July 2015 by sheg4184

London isn’t everybody’s cup of tea Often you hear visitors complain Noisy, smoky city but it seems to me There’s a magic in the fog and rain Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner That I love London so Maybe it’s … Continue reading →

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Marble Splendour in Abu Dhabi

Posted on 24 June 2015 by sheg4184

“Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun…” ~ Noel Coward As I sit in London, in Holland Park under scattered clouds and mere wisps of blue sky, amidst all the lush flamboyance of summer foliage, it seems … Continue reading →

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Kitchen Table

Posted on 16 June 2015 by sheg4184

Twenty years ago we bought a kitchen table. We bought it in Kuala Lumpur, as our family expanded to five, and it is made from the local rubberwood. Rubberwood is, according to Wikipedia, high quality, hardwood timber with a tight … Continue reading →

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Stop and Smell the Flowers

Posted on 9 June 2015 by sheg4184

“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”  ~ Walter Hagen It has been unbelievably hot in Manila this past month or more. Every day for weeks … Continue reading →

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Thunder Storms

Posted on 1 June 2015 by sheg4184

Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow! You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout Till you have drench’d our steeples, drown’d the cocks! ~ William Shakespeare, King Lear The rainy season is almost upon us. Tonight the thunder and lightning pre-empted … Continue reading →

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A Birthday Surprise

Posted on 26 May 2015 by sheg4184

An unexpected shake-up of carefully choreographed plans found me spending my birthday, not in the south of France with a good friend, but in the country lanes of Hampshire with our older son, on the rim of the South Downs … Continue reading →

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