No Place Like Travel

Back to back to back visits from our lovely London friends. Aunty Nic has been a star hostess with the mostest, double dutching at The Grazing Goat, munching on sweet treats in the afternoon and cooking the most delicious lamb roast for dinner. Champagne, pate and red wine. Great company. Who could ask for more? […]

It’s true what they say about kids and their toys. Forget the expensive stuff. Bring on the wrapping paper, cardboard boxes and wooden spoons. Thankfully Aunty Ali had an abundance of spoons we could take with us on our walk along the Thames. We had a lovely day exploring the neighborhood, walking along little side […]

England has changed in lots of different ways. According to English Hubby, everything has shrunk to a toy land size. Perhaps it is the stark difference between driving a 32 foot RV through Texas, the land of the big, then inching our way through the streets of London in a Honda Civic. One thing is […]

Aunty Nic came to visit today and have a good olde catch up. Little did she know she would be subjected to a riveting story time at the library and lunch at Pizza Express. Just like old days meeting up in London and grabbing dinner at the tried and trusted. There was a recent news […]

Off to Colchester to see Great Aunt S + Great Uncle B for a traditional English Roast lunch with all the trimmings. On a chilly day there’s nothing more satisfying. For English Hubby it was satisfying to finally finish his fantasy saga, a quarter of a century later.                […]

The little one has regained his appetite after yesterday’s fever. This morning was a messy face stuffing session. It’s been a few days of people and places, and today is a welcome slow down. With a walk into town, meditation in the garden, gym session and coffee. It feels nice to bend, stretch and breathe.  […]

Sunday lunch quickly turned into Sunday fever. Nothing makes you feel more helpless than a sick baby. A little sweaty ball of fire, he was burning up, needed cuddles more than ever and just not his chirpy self. Whimpering little cries just break my heart. Thankful to have remembered to pack the baby Panadol.    […]

We continue our tour with our little prized vegetable (as English hubby calls him), visiting friends and family from all over. This time over a lovely long lunch in Cambridge with the NeoNatal Dorling family and a surprise and wonderfully welcome drop in from the Lovely Anita. We gossiped until the sun set and drove […]

It’s worth contemplating how you measure a life well lived. It’s not the material possessions accumulated, that often we hold so tightly to. Having things may make you more comfortable but not necessarily bring true and lasting happiness. Perhaps it is the connections made with family, friends and perfect strangers. The invisible ties that bond […]

You know when you are a citizen of the world when you meet up with old friends from Canada, in England. Through the magic of Facebook Curly Sue and I realized that we would be a short number of miles from each other, which called for nothing less than an international play date at the […]

Not too bad a night considering we’ve just crossed the Atlantic. Baby Boy O is being thoroughly spoilt with kisses and cuddles from Mah Mah and Yah Yah. Not to mention a whole new winter wardrobe, some of which our tiny little one will have to grow into, and a big bag of toys from […]

We survived Baby Boy O’s first trans Atlantic flight. He was a superstar sleeper, in spite of the bright cabin lights that American Airlines liked to imbue upon him. Dear Yah Yah was waiting for his precious cargo at Heathrow. We have learnt that it is best to de-plane last to avoid the mad rush. That […]

Today’s our last day in the USA for the rest of the year. Off to London tonight, the first leg of our round the world expedition. Closing one chapter and opening another. Escaping the freezing weather. Thankfully we had our London clothes with us which helped shield us from the 40 degree drop in temperature.  Ready, […]

Best ways to get to know a new city is to eat and walk. We found a local gem (thank you Yelp) of a place – Cosmic Cafe – a Himalayan vegetarian restaurant. Good for the body and soul and even had a meditation center upstairs to boot. Our inner Om connected with our stomach […]

They say a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. They forgot to mention the speed bumps along the way. Little annoyances that slow you down, scrape the bottom of your car and test your ability to practice mindfulness and compassion. I am pleased to report that we got to Dallas in […]

In the midst of a packing frenzy. Trying to pack for three months abroad, five countries, seven stops, winter and summer seasons, three people, two bags plus baby gear. Add to that, packing up the RV for storage. As Irish Lass commented on Facebook, such a huge first world problem to have! As with any […]

Our first thanksgiving as a family of three. We have so much to be thankful for. Our complaints are small, our challenges insignificant in the broader scheme of things, we have good health and a precious fortunate life. Today we had a great opportunity to give back and help others. We helped fold clothes, prep […]

Were getting ready for the next leg of our journey. There are an incredible number of things to think through. What to pack, what needs to be done first, dependencies, contingency, milestones, status reports…hold on wait…slipping back into work mode. Today we planned, ate watermelon and burgers, slipped in a second massage at the great […]

It’s been eight years since I started practicing meditation. Some days my mind races all over the place like a monkey swinging from tree to tree. Other days, there there are moments of mindfulness and calm. The world seems to be as it is and right here is where I need to be. Nowhere else, […]

Having a baby changes you in all the ways you can imagine, and even more the ways you didn’t know to imagine. Sleepless nights, constant feeding and care, crying, diapers, smiles and all that stuff came easily. The harder part is working out how to make this constantly changing symbiotic relationship positive and enriching. When […]

After what seems like a very long stretch of bad weather, the sun finally broke through. I don’t know how people who live near the poles cope. Darkness, clouds, rain and gloom can really be a Debbie downer. Today it was a sunshine day and we escaped to Sam Houston National Forest for a wonderful […]

Sometimes there’s sun, sometimes there’s rain, and then there are days like today when everything is stormy. The weather’s been crap, we lost power at one point and we’ve been stuck indoors for what seems like weeks. Baby Boy O was upset, sweaty and teething. Misery loves company.      Yesterday’s post: Pause Button Tomorrow’s post: Sunday […]

After three intense weeks of travel we have decided to hit the pause button and stay put for a little while. We are north of Houston, pointed toward Dallas where we’ll soon be heading off on the overseas leg of our travels. Storage for the RV is now arranged, next comes the packing of bags […]

Today’s soundtrack belongs to Otis Redding. Today we caught our breadth after a few hectic weeks covering many miles and entertaining very important guests. It was nice to bask in the sun, stare out over Lake Conroe and go for a walk. We got back to our half day split routine where English Hubby was […]

91 days oversees is starting to dawn and get daunting. The weather has a slight chill, which will be nothing compared to the wet English winter. It’s just occurred to me that we have nothing for Baby Boy O that is fit for snowy climes. So hi ho hi ho it’s off to Baby Gap […]

We say “see you very soon” to Mah Mah and Yah Yah, bidding farewell from a Walmart carpark. We will be seeing them in a couple of weeks time, which makes these goodbyes much easier. After the airport run we scooted off to Houston to meet Finnish Gal and Handyman Dan for brunch. A lovely […]

And so continues our crazy manic round trip to San Antonio and back to Houston. A day of driving and high fructose corn syrup excitement with a pull over in the rain stop at Buc-ees. This little beaver has been taunting us for miles, inviting us to stop in. Only Texas can come up with […]

The battle at The Alamo lasted only 45 minutes, much faster than it took English Hubby and Yah Yah to work their way through the museum and historical site. We made our last stand at the mall during which Baby Boy O sprouted a tooth, mastered calculus and graduated from college. Only after, English Hubby […]

When we did our road trip in 2005 we had countless days of sunshine, warm weather and only five days of rain. This time around it seems like San Antonio is intent on tipping that record on its head. Not sure if we were brave or foolish to head out in arctic conditions to dinner […]

Unlike many, I’ve never wanted to be an astronaut. I like gravity and oxygen too much. The predictable way water runs downhill, the abundance of air and not having to worry about freezing to death or being radiated by the sun to a crisp every time I step outside just suits me fine. Nevertheless spending […]

Heading west into the lone star state. Another day, another Walmart. I never thought I’d be a fan of the evil mega store, but when you’re traveling cross country, they sure are a convenient one stop shop for groceries (with a growing selection of organic produce), baby stuff and odds and ends. Hopscotching between grocery […]

Baby Boy O had his first close encounter with feathered and webbed footed friends this morning. It’s fascinating to watch as his reaction which swung quickly from nonchalance to a ‘you’re not going to leave me with them are you’ frown. Can’t blame the poor kid. They are noisy creatures and even more so during […]

Ankles were quite the thing back in the day. Seeing them on a lady meant one of two things – a pistol duel at dawn, or marriage. So walking up stairs was a logistical nightmare. Men had to head up first or be trusted to avert their eyes honorably. How the last couple of hundred […]

Started off the day playing with our new toys. Baby Boy O tried out his play seat and we took the Shark out for a spin. It’s probably not natural to get this excited about a vacuum cleaner, but ever since starting the road trip we had been holding down the fort with a hand […]

Time to say farewell to New Orleans, crisp white sheets, rainwater showers and housekeeping. Back to the reality of life on the road, lunches in Walmart car parks and exploring the big wide world, notching up hundreds more miles under our tires heading as we head west along the scenic plantation route toward Houston. This is […]

Whilst English Hubby and the In-Laws were off on a cemetery and swamp tour, Baby Boy O and I had a marvelous time wandering around the French Quarter on a photography safari playing with apature, shutter speeds, perspectives and angles. Natasha talked about the ‘establishing shot’, one that gives the audience a sense of place, […]

Food can tell you so much about a place, a culture, an history, a moment in time. Which is why one of my favorite ways to experience a new city is to do a food tour and what better place than the melting pot of New Orleans. We learned about Creole and Cajun food, and […]

Mah Mah and Yah Yah have arrived after 19 hours in transit. Plans almost foiled by a missed plane connection, a mile long train which stopped strategically so no road traffic could actually pass, and an intricate logistics shuffle to leave the car back at the RV park and get to the hotel in the […]

We may be in the big easy, but it wasn’t an easy night of ‘sleep learning’ for Baby Boy O. He cried for the better part of an hour, perhaps even more. Did I say cry? I meant wailed, sobbed, heart breaking howls until he fell asleep, dried salt crusted tears on his face. It […]

After driving 200 miles yesterday and hop scotching across Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, Sunday was a vey welcome day of rest. However that desired calmness was to be shattered by one little baby boy who, in the last 24 hours, refused to sleep longer than a two hour stretch and an iPhone who decided […]

Access to healthy food choices is so important to overall health. It’s fascinating to see how variety differs significantly as we drive through towns in America. On the whole, access to fresh produce has improved since we did our last road trip in 2005. It is nice to see Walmart stock more organic products and […]

Happy Halloween! Poor little Baby Boy O doesn’t know what hit him. After a long drive along the Natchez Trace Parkway he gets stripped and changed into a ridiculous outfit and made to pose for pictures for his mum and dad’s viewing pleasure. After all that effort he doesn’t even get candy. Life’s tough buddy.  […]

Ever since watching the documentary “The Business of Being Born” I’ve been enamoured with the idea of The Farm. The commune that was established back in the flower power era was, at one brief point, on the list of potential places to give birth. In my mind’s eye we would make the 1,000 mile pilgrimage […]

Simple predicament…bridge clearance = 11ft, RV height = 11ft, destination = half a mile past the bridge, alternative route = 21 miles around.  Sometimes life throws things at you and in these moments you recognize that if you can’t go through it, under it or over it, it’s time to go around it. It may […]

If today had a theme, it would be cars. We paid a visit to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. A car collection and memorabilia mecca for enthusiasts. Not being a rev head myself, the most fascinating part of the museum was created in February this year, when a giant sink hole (like […]

Mammoth Caves National Park rocks! Pun intended. We descended 280 steps, ducking and weaving our way 250 feet underground to the largest cave system in the US. A maze of tunnels 400 miles long, created by water seeping its way through limestone over millions of years. Baby Boy O did remarkably well spending near to […]

One of the pleasures of road tripping across America is being able to sample various fast food “restaurants”. Living in New York City quarantines you from the delights of interstate dining where clusters of eateries vie for your dining attention. For miles leading up to the turnoff are signs advertising all you can eat buffets, […]

Kentucky sure is proud of its bourbon heritage. Two tours and several tastings later I’ve come to intellectually appreciate the art of bourbon making, however the enjoyment of the drink itself still eludes me. Nevertheless loving another glorious day in the sunshine.                           […]

Lexington was what we pictured it to be. Louisville was not. It was way cooler! To our surprise there is a great vibe and a laid back feel. As Maria the ex-New Yorker said, “it is a city with small town culture”. Loving Louisville.                         […]

Lexington Kentucky is exactly how I had pictured it – long white fences, green rolling hills and lots of horses. Personally I’ve never been a horse person, but one can’t help but appreciate the majesty of these fine creatures when you get to see them up close and personal.             […]