Life 2025

We enjoyed 15 days in Northern Peru, being driven from Lima on January 4th, discovering several ancient civilizations and finally flying home from Chiclayo


Caval is 5000 years old, population then of 3000	Damp hotel near Huaraz	Next day outing to Chavin

Up to 4000 m and the Inca Way	A scam at Sagin	Trujillo. A vast throng of people for January 6th

The Lady of Cao at El Brujo	Cunbe Mayo with its sophisticated irrigation ditches	Secondary burial with ventillas

Leymebamba	Kuelap , accessed by a wondrous cable car	Karajía with sarcophagi near Chachapoyas

The Lord of Sipan	Gocha Falls	Bear Sanctuary near Chiclayo

We were than back in Moraira for about a month, mid January to mid February. There was a Burns Night tournament at JBC, which Nick and I won!. I had several games too with Didier, who was a pleasure to play with. David and I had a paella at Amante and we met up with Cilla and Ted at Maxims for a sunday lunch and with Marcela and Nick for lunch at the Food Bar


David and Chris at Amantes	Sunday lunch at Maxims	with Cilla and Ted

A rare walk from our house up into the country	With the view back towards Calpe	And the vintage car, here from 2004 at least, was no more

Rugby viewing at Carols- England beat France	The Boyzz and their father feigned interest	Didier, his wife and Marcela enjoy the food

After 3 weeks back in Moraira we set off to India in February 20th. A flight to Istanbul, Mumbai and then Hyderabad. Here we stayed in a magnificent palace. Then onto Hampi, ... We were most impressed by the buildings here and stayed in another superb hotel.

Then on southwards through the Western Gats to more luxury in a coffee Plantation. From here we visited a complex, Halebeedu Temple, with the most exquisite 12th century carvings imaginable


Taj Palace hotel	and a scrumptious afternoon tea	Hampi

Fantastic 12th century buildings at Hampi	and sunset up the rocks with the monkeys and Shiva	Hampi

Such exquisite carvings Hampi	Chikmagalur	Chikmagalur

Ox Cart at Kabini	Tiger at Kabini	and the sleepy, almost hidden, leopard

Coffee Plantation at Coorg	Tibetan Monastery at Coorg	Lotus Houseboat for 2 nights

Hermitage Hotel. Neeleshwar	Fish Curry demonstration	Shiva Festival

Following 18 days in India, we flew from Mumbai to Hanoi, and a pleasant day exploring the mist covered city from an executive room in the Pan Pacific hotel. We were then bussed to the Red River to board the Pandaw boat to take us through to Halong Bay.

The food was excellent and many interesting outings. Bussed back to Hanoi for another luxurious night, we then flew to Siam Reap, boarding another Pandaw boat along the Mekong, through Cambodia to Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City!

Initially there were only 11 0f us aboard the Pandaw Mekong through Cambodia but then another 9 joined us in Phnom Penn. The crew and food were not as wondrous as on the Red River boat. I enjoyed the films shown aboard both, such as The Killing Fields and Good Morning Vietnam. We had trips to local industries, such as silversmiths, metal works, noodle production and rug making. Also the lion dances and a scenic sampan trip through the swamps where the American troops battled in the 1960s. At the end of our journey we had a night in the Majestic in Saigon before flying home via Istanbul


Enjoying the Executive lounge in the Hanoi Pan Pacific	8th century temple, visible from our room	The start point for our trip down the Red river with Pandaw

Temple with a Unesco Cultural award for its dance	Rice paddies in abundance	Rowed- using feet instead of arms-

Canoeing in scenic Halong Bay	Such an enchanting area: enjoyed a swim from a beach here	And David;s feet got cleansed!

We toured impressive temples in a cyclo in Phnom Penn	And visited the macabre sites of the Killing Fields	Meanwhile the Mekong itself was a hive of activity

The locals reveled in their lion dances	And Chris' 80th was well celebrated back aboard	Early morning Tai Chi was a solitary occupation

The walk and subsequent sampan ride wa	A final night in the historic Majestic hotel in Saigon	Before acquiring Saigon Bear on the homeward journey

We were back in Moraira for 3 plus weeks before a 4 day visit to England. Here we stayed with Fiona and met up with Joanna, Stephen and Oscar. And hopefully we will now maintain contact with the 2 latter, after 3 years of silence. Then a delightful last night with Daphne and Tim

Back in Moraira we thought we had a new bridge over the pool, but discovered that almost 4000 euros had just supplied new handrails!. We attended an AGM and Peter Fox stood down as president, after 4/5 years and Katrina became the new president, with Tracy as vice . We voted for solar panels to supply the electricity for the pool pumps, and considered solar panels for our own needs. Visited the Dauphin a couple of times

Back in Moraira I resumed going to JBC twice a week and really enjoyed the social side of the bridge club for the first time. Had a special table with superb overhead light and found such pleasant partners as Didier, Anna Lise, Peter jackson, Catherine and Paula who both manned the bridge pads so well and called out all their bids and cards played . There was a Saturday torneo on May 31st and Didier and I came second, to Christian and Eric

There had been a lot of friction at JBC since November, when president, Wendy Farrant, was forced to resign, Carol stepping up in her place but then collapsing within 10 days, so Tony Myles then took over, but he suddenly quit in April and David Toze took over. Hopefully things will now quieten down

I had numerous visits to the optician, Mercedes, and received nerdy binocular type glasses, and am trying to convince my brain on how to use these

On may 8th we set off on our annual pilgrimage to visit Gaynor and Vic in the Dordogne, 3 months earlier than normal. We stopped at the modernist hotel, Chateau Viuera, in Rioja. Then 3 nights with Gaynor and Vic at St Priest les Fougeres, visiting the national monument of Oradour, where 600 French were murdered by the Waffen SS in 1944. Then onto Burgundy and Chateau St Sabine for 2 nights, visiting the 12th century abbey of Fonteney, the ancient town of Semur,Epoisses, Meursault and Alex Corton . And a fantastic discovery of an ancient village, Mantells, near Girona for a very interesting stop en route home to Moraira.

Had lunch with Bill and Brenda on May 26th at a Michelin Restaurant in Pedreguer, the Ausua

Carol and Paul had come to lunch with us, no photos , and then we went to a birthday bash for Paul on May 27th . Peter and Helen came to lunch after I had played bridge with him a couple of times@ he wanted to meet the elusive David!

We met up with Cilla and Ted before flying to Dublin on June 21st, before boarding the Silver Wind for a 14 day expedition to Iceland and back


A night's stay at the Gresham Hotel, Dublin	Before boarding the the Silver Wine at North Wall, Dublin	First stop was Duart Castle on Mull	And then our third successful landing on St Kilda

Then Djupivogur on a super jeep	And a very wet landing at Tumavik	A walk round Hofsos and its museum	A miraculous ascent made at Dragney - only for the brave

A visit to an abandoned, decayed, fish factory at Djupavik	Eskifjordur. An interesting trip to natural hot springs at 40 degrees	The rainbow path through Seydisfjordur, leading to 58 years	of marriage 28 June 2025

Whale watching and a whale museum at Husavik	Yet another visit to the Giants Causeway & Portrush	Tea at Dublin Castle	And an evening at Riverdance at Gaeity Theatre

We were back for less than 2 weeks before taking off for Rwanda. See David;s site for more details. We left Spain on 12 July 2025. We flew via Istanbul to Kigali


Breakfast at Kigali Proteus Hotel and then set off to south west ..	.Rwanda with Jean Luc. An ethnological museum en route.	Then Hilltop View Hotel. Home of the disappointing buffets	David got some shots of Colobus monkeys on the first hike

Then on to a canopy walk, a slight challenge but well worth it for	..the views	An early start to see chimps, not too abundant	A welcome overnight at Lake Kivu. Great food and views

On to Mountain Gorilla Lodge for 3 nights.	The boys enjoyed playing the drums there	And we were both impressed with the Dian Fossey Museum,	..although the boys were mobbed by the local young mafia

The climax was trekking to the mountain gorillas, white trainers ..	..turned to dark brown (swiftly restored to white by the hotel).	The allotted hour with the mountain gorillas was magical	Final trek to Golden Monkeys. before driving back to Kigali

Then during our brief stop in the hotel in Kigali, I managed to sprain my ankle, so had to proceed to Dar es Salaam, via Entebbe and Addis Ababa, in a wheelchair!


A night in Dar Kilimanjaro Hotel. We met Mr Vos the next day .	, and he addressed 56 of us about the trip on the Pride of Africa	We walked round a small town, Makambako, with bike shops	And then the more serene waterfalls at Chisimba

Enjoying several Margaritas on the train	2 Nights luxury at S Luangwa Park no greater a contrast with ..	..our train cabin would have been possible	I was enamoured by the trees in the park ..

And the animals were quite impressive too			Lawrence and the "Fixer" at DRC Border

Little number from Dublin	The rail track was very dodgy in many places	Walking the corridor on a moving train was not fun	Dinner with Tim Butcher was always interesting

Irresistible force meets immovable object	Dinner with Nicholas, the historian	More tanks for the boys to play on	The ghost of the Benguela Railway Museum in Huambo

Lawrence & Mart say goodbye to the boys	Baobab trees in magnificent countryside approaching Lobito	Waiting for our flight to Luanda in Lobito Hotel	The boys enjoy a Pasteis when passing through Lisbon Airport

Despite my troublesome ankle and the fact we both suffered from very bad colds, this was a memorable holiday.

A cortisone injection once back in Moraira has hopefully solved the ankle problem

And in August there was another celebration of John Hall's birthday: he being absent with Anna Lise on holiday in Galicia !


The Birthday Cake	The Brown Thomas dress gets an outing	Dinner on the hotel balcony	A Pisco Sour

Relaxing with the Boyzz	Taking photos in the hotel garden	The Boyzz and the clapped out jeep	Word Heritage Temple

The Gozo Citadel	It was hot up there	Salt pans by the sea	Birthday Dinner

Top of the World breakfast	Fireworks at Naxxar	Big, big bangs	A full lunar eclipse

Durung 2 weeks back in Moraira, both Carol & Paul and Bill & Brenda came for a salad lunch, and we went to Catherine's & John's for dinner

We went to India in October. Full details of this trip up Hoogly River, then across northern India can be found on these links to David's site . Hoogly River and Northern India . A brief synopsis follows here


We stayed in a Club room at the Calcutta Taj before boarding the Pandaw boat. Then 2 days exploring the city, of which a wrestling training ground and the flower market were the highlight We enjoyed the last night of the Durga fiesta

We spent 9 days aboard the boat seeing scenes of rural India. An inspiring English teacher impressed me. We then continued by road to Bodhgaya, where the Buddha obtained enlightenment, and visited Sasaram en route to Varanasi,

Saying at a luxurious Palace there. Then onto Allahabad which 12 million had visited in January 2025. In Lucknow the highlight was visiting the Residency, besieged in 1857 - also tea with the Nawab

Saw the Ganga Arte ceremony, performed each day ay dusk, both in Varanasi and Rishikesh: the latter home of the Beatles' Ashram in 1968 . We expected the Simla toy train to be the highlight of our holiday, but were sadly disappointed.

The mountain views from outside the town were uplifting. Stayed at Chapslee House home of a Maharajah. A night's stop at Pragpur en route to Dharamsala, actually McCleod Ganj, and no Dalai Llama received us!. Amritsar

was wondrous and we enjoyed the 1919 Massacre site, the Golden Temple , both at night and in daytime with its feeding kitchen for 30,000 daily, and the dusk ceremony at the Wagha gate. A really interesting 30 days

Once back in Moraira, Edda had a farewell party at JSBSC: My first visit there for several years Corrie brought cake to JBC to celebrate her birthday!. I suffered from constipation and was on laxatives for several weeks before having a colonoscopy on Novenber 24th. During these weeks Sally and Margaret came to stay for 4 nights and we just stayed close to home!


Alot restuarant for the first time		Superb weather between Nov 10 and 14th

Alot which was once Zensitaz	Fosa restaurant in Calpe


A night stay in iMed, Benidorm	After an enema I was back home the next day	These were installed on November 17 & 18

Whilst I underwent a colonoscopy!, Nick and Carol held a joint birthday lunch celebration in Maxims on 25 Nov

Then off to Taiwan, Philippines (click for David's site and a fuller story) on Nov 29..


Visited Taipei 101, a tea plantation and a whisky factory in Taiwan.. 80 passengers aboard and 2 Explorer craft to ferry us ashore to many different islands . Lectures on board were not great, nor was the food anything outstanding, but we enjoyed all the outings,

the local dancers, the pampering the Boyzz received from the room staff, seeing the minute Tarsiers,, a river cruise and meeting Gail and Elfie

We spent 2 weeks in Sri lanka, with six 2 nights stays in Galle, Tangalle, Ceylon Tea Trails, Kandy and the 2nd and 1st kingdoms, before a final night, New Years Eve , in Colombo. I was overwhelmed by the beauty and the vastness of the tea country . Also by the opulence of the hotels and by the Budha caves at Dambulla


Tony Mules with Chris and Nick	Sarah, Tony, Frazer and wife with the Haggis	Douglas Dallas Dhu, proud of his mater with prize

Sarah and Chris	Lunch at the Food Bar. Nick and Chris	with spouses, Marcela and David


Fiona and big brother, David	Joanna, David, Dick and Fiona	A walk in the water meadows. Dick and Chris

Chris and Joanna	David, Stephen and Joanna	David, Chris and Oscar, plus flags

Stephen and the Boyzz	Oscar, David and Stephen	Chris and Stephen


The modernistic Hotel Viera	Winter quarters still at Gaynor's	An illuminating visit to the massacred town of Oradour

Luxury in Chateau San Sabine, near Beaune	A surly shop assistant in Epoisses	And the discovery of the enchanting town of Mantells


About 20 people for Paul;s birthday	Delicious cakes		Helen, Peter and the Boyzz	Helen, Peter and Chris


Nick, Edda & John Taylor	Jan & Carol	Anne Muir. Carol provided the food	Corrie and husband


Boyzz flaunting their new, Coolie, hats	and Chris at the Dauphin		A yummy easter Bunny received from Joanna


not quite a new bridge over the pool		New chairs, none too soon, for the balcony


Brenda, Bill and Chris	Chris,Catherine, Peter & John	Paula, David, Marcela,Chris & Peter


After 2 nights in Taipai, and another CT Colon scan in a Taipai Hosppital, we cruised through the Philippines for 2 weeks aboard the Coral Geographer


	Bucolic bliss , soon to be sold,	in West Kingston


Chris, Carol, Paul	Carol	Termites in a stair tread