Visiting the doctor in Milan has meant basing ourselves in the city for a couple of weeks which, for us, is certainly no hardship – we love Milan. It’s also given us the opportunity to see a bit more of… Continue Reading →

It’s thought Shakespeare never travelled outside England, and yet the Bard set more than a quarter of his plays in Italy. There are all sorts of theories about why and how he did that, but it’s interesting isn’t it? One of those… Continue Reading →

After decades of writing for work, in recent years I’ve been having a go at writing that’s a bit more creative. It began with stories for children, the main character of which – Rosie – is shamelessly based on our… Continue Reading →

During our time in Italy we’ve accessed the local health system a number of times. The list of ailments for which we’ve had to consult the professionals is, fortunately, short and also varied: chest infection, allergic reaction, broken crown and,… Continue Reading →

The past few weeks have seen a series of destructive and deadly weather events in Italy – raging fires, wild storms and record flooding. People here talk a lot about the weather, and they’ll tell you weather patterns are changing…. Continue Reading →

In 2014 we attended the dawn service at the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in France. The ceremony, 100 years after the start of the First World War, was incredibly moving. Scudding showers and a biting wind were forgotten as… Continue Reading →

As you see this is a story about Austria, and we will get there – eventually. But first, consider this; if you were asked to describe the German rail network, what might you say? Even if you knew nothing about it,… Continue Reading →

One of the many great things we’ve been able to do in the past month or so is to travel with our children. We did a bit of touring around Italy and then ventured further afield into France, Belgium and… Continue Reading →

After our beautiful wedding Greg and I jetted off for a romantic honeymoon in Paris. Well, maybe ‘romantic’ isn’t quite the right word. Our destination was, in fact, Paris Disneyland. Our honeymoon plan was to spend four days there with… Continue Reading →

You won’t be surprised to learn there’s a backstory to the dress I wore for our wedding. In fact, it was quite the international effort to get it made and ready for the day. To start at the beginning; Greg and… Continue Reading →