Vintage I love everything that’s old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine.” -Oliver Goldsmith We’ve had two road trips in recent weeks, both to big wine events. The first trip took us to Simonsig Wine Estate, a family-owned farm, the home of Kaapse Vonkel, South Africaʼs… Read More »TRAVEL
Thoughts on being kind “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” ― Desmond Tutu It’s almost a year since the Arch passed away. This tremendous man, with such a mighty… Read More »SLOW
Our Mother City adventure The year was 2002 We had just travelled back from spending Christmas and New Year in South Africa. It had been the perfect trip and we had been bowled over by Cape Town. We wondered, could we go back and make a… Read More »TRAVEL
When will there be a harvest for the world? All babies together, everyone a seedHalf of us are satisfied, half of us in needLove’s bountiful in us, tarnished by our greedWhen will there be a harvest for the world A nation planted, so concerned with gainAs the seasons… Read More »SLOW
The Last Tourist “An ethical traveller isn’t selfish. They don’t just see travel as being about them. Their trip is shared not only with other travellers but with residents and with the environment” – Arnie Weissmann, Travel Weekly I recently watched The Last… Read More »TRAVEL
Australia Wine & friends are a great blend – Ernest Hemingway We just got back from Australia. It was amazing to make this trip over recent weeks, especially when you consider how long haul travel has looked for so long. It all started with a… Read More »TRAVEL
Rimini La Dolce Vita City “Nothing is known, everything is imagined” – Federico Fellini (The Voice of the Moon) We just got back from Rimini, on the Adriatric coast, in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna. The province borders the independent Republic of… Read More »TRAVEL
Malta “Choose your country, use guidebooks to identify the areas most frequented by foreigners – and then go in the opposite direction” – Dervla Murphy We’ve come across the writing of Dervla Murphy many times over the years. We’ve liked her thinking. And… Read More »TRAVEL
“Words of Wine” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo It’s five years since we first travelled to this stunning region in Central Italy. It can be found between the Adriatic coast and the epic Gran Sasso mountains, about 90 minutes drive from Rome. Abruzzo has been full of surprises. First there’s… Read More »DRINK
Skin deep A personal perspective “We may have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all belong to one human race” – Kofi Annan My mother in law was Irish. When she used to talk to me about London in the 60s and 70s, I was… Read More »SLOW