Feb 13
For our honeymoon we went to South Africa. We drove from Cape Town through the beautiful winelands Stellenbosch and Franschhoek to Oudtshoorn, where I sampled ostrich and crocodile for the first time. (Both were delicious!) While in Cape Town we drove south to the Cape of Good Hope. A small funicular brought us to the top of the point, where we found a signpost with distances to various destinations. Here’s a small selection of photos (taken with an old camera, so please excuse the quality), including one with my new name! Read more
India has been on my bucket list for many years, primarily as a food destination. I watched Rick Stein and Gordon Ramsay travel around India in search of authentic Indian dishes. I was enchanted by the diversity of both the food and the landscape. I felt I would never get true Indian food anywhere except in India, no matter how many cookbooks I bought or restaurants I visited. I would have to go there myself. Read more
A clear blue sky can be a thing of beauty. It brings warmth, clear air and a bright, happy mood. But sometimes a dark and sinister sky can be far more interesting. I find myself weaving tales as I look at these photos – will Thor suddenly appear with his mighty hammer, will a truck pull up to plant some meteorological measuring device into the centre of the impending cyclone, or will the houses simply lift and spin upwards into the sky, leaving grey Kansas for a Technicolor land of magic and munchkins. Read more
It’s almost three years since we set off on our tour of Europe and I still love looking back through the photos. This was taken in Rioja, one of the most scenic places we passed through. This was one of the many occasions when we appreciated the fact that our camper van was dark green. We could park in stunning locations and blend into our surroundings. We were not a disturbance, but instead were in harmony with our environment. If we ever replace the van (and we hope to), we will get something very similar. Read more
How long does it take to create the perfect snifter of brandy? Based on these photos from my visit to Hennessy House in Cognac (France), the perfect blend can contain brandies that are over 200 years old. Like a child finding their name on a mug, I was delighted to find a barrel with my year of birth, 1974. Later, I spotted a cask from 1874. Before the tour was over, I had seen barrels from as far back as 1800. Read more
They say the camera doesn’t lie. I disagree. Sometimes I capture a scorching sunset only to find later that the photos don’t show the vibrancy and range of colour that my eyes saw. So I’ll admit it – I have boosted the colour in these photos, if only to better reflect my wine-tinted memory of the most romantic sunset I have ever witnessed. Photos taken at Budgewoi Lake, Jervis Bay, NSW (Australia) in the summer of 2012. Read more
As the evenings grow ever shorter and the year draws to a close, I have been looking back on the last year and, indeed, over the last three years since this blog began. Both the blog and I have come a long way. Initially it was a food and travel blog, covering our journey through Europe discovering the wonderful food and drinks on offer. Then we settled here in Lithuania and it became more about our personal journey with food and our life here, growing our own vegetables and enjoying country life. Read more
It feels like the weather for the past few months has been on a timer, changing abruptly from month to month. It rained for the whole of July, then not once in August. September saw rain again, but mixed with warm, sunny days – perfect for sprouting mushrooms. October was crisp and clear with a fascinating array of sunsets as the sun moved lower in the autumn sky. It remained clear until after All Saints’ Day, a very important date in the Lithuania calendar. Then, on November 2nd, the sky became grey and overcast and the air damp and heavy. Read more
I’m pretty easily pleased, really. My needs are simple – good food, love, laughter and an occasional open road. Give me a pair of walking boots, a walking companion and some decent terrain and I’m in my element. These photos were taken in Australia’s stunning Blue Mountains. The vast mountain range provides walks for all levels, from a few hours to a few days long. There are sheer cliffs, waterfalls and lush green forests. Add one beautiful husband and it’s a place just made for taking photographs. Read more
One of the many things I love about travelling is the diversity to be found across our planet – diversity of people, language, culture, food, weather and landscape. So often, our food and culture is influenced by the landscape around us. If you are surrounded by sea you will likely eat lots of fish and seafood, if you have boggy earth you will burn turf. And if you have fields full of limestone, you will build walls. Travelling through northern Spain, close to the border with Portugal, we encountered these stone walls. I was immediately reminded of the stone walls found across the west of Ireland and which I thought were unique to our fair isle. The Spanish construction is a little different – I don’t think I have seen walls constructed around big stones in such a uniform way in Ireland. But the resemblance is striking. Amidst all the diversity there are always similarities. We’re not all that different, really. Read more
A change is as good as a rest. Or so they say. As my limbs were weary and my bones heavy from a summer of growing, harvesting and preserving, I took myself home to the motherland for some much-needed rest and recuperation. Read more
Well, I made it. Sydney and back in two weeks. In the past when I’ve travelled to Australia I’ve gone for at least 4 weeks to allow for recovery from the long flight. This time, however, I was squeezing the trip between weedings in the garden and couldn’t afford to take longer than two weeks Read more
The question people most often ask me about living in Lithuania is whether or not I miss Ireland. My answer is always the same – it’s not so much Ireland that I miss, but my family and friends. There are other things I miss occasionally, like the music and craic in a good Irish pub or living near the sea and the abundance of fish & seafood that the sea provides. But mostly it’s my friends and family that I miss. Read more
My Food Odyssey 