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June 2026 - Africa (and a little time at home)

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  Home for a brief rest as we head to Alaska and Canada at the beginning of July. The Africa and Alaska/Canada trips weren’t meant to be so close to each other but we’ll cope! 😂 Before I get to Africa, it was lovely to spend a couple of weeks at home. Caught up with our mums and spent time with all our kids and our gorgeous grandbaby. We even had a sleepover with our granddaughter to give her parents a break. She is a true delight and brings the whole family so much joy.  And, of course, we spent time with our much-loved doggies, Albus and Harry, who enjoyed a doggie holiday at the kennel whilst we were away. We are away a lot (although, usually, our daughters look after the dogs) and the dogs are so forgiving of us. Lick us to death when they see us and then act as if we were never away. I heard someone call dogs at our stage of life, “The kids after the kids grow up.” Truer words never spoken!! So, Africa…..WOW! We had a week (as a three-generation group of seven) at Mabali...
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May 2026 - The Bellarine, the Sunshine Coast and South Africa!

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We ended April by meeting the CEO and Australian Head of Sales & Operations for Panache in Sydney. We enjoyed a lovely “get to know you” breakfast and recorded some interviews. The CEO and Founder,James Cole, flew back to the UK later that day. We released our first interview on YouTube - https://youtu.be/yaG44N9BS9Y?si=hNvlJKF-F4HpIFPU where James talks about Panache and its expansion into Australia. It’s only about 15 minutes if you want to have a listen. Our second video with the Australian Head of Sales, Juliana Nasmith, is only five minutes - https://youtu.be/wyubaLcb6Bw?si=MoXnkVaOQdxQUZAH The next week, we spent two nights on the Bellarine Peninsula doing a famil (ie a trip organised for me where I have a story already commissioned ie presold/pre-ordered) and the following week we were off to the Sunshine Coast to see family. The week after that, we flew to Cape Town so it’s been a busy little period! First, the Bellarine. This trip had been in the works since February 2025...
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April 2026 - Singapore to Mumbai (with Rye and Sydney thrown in !!)

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We’ve basically been away all month. First in Rye for Easter then on an incredible cruise from Singapore to Mumbai. First, Easter. We had almost a week in Rye and all the kids (plus Baby granddaughter of course) came to stay which was lovely. The weather held out and we were able to host the extended family for lunch on Easter Sunday. Just after Easter, we flew to Singapore to board Crystal Serenity, our first ocean cruise in Asia and our first cruise with Crystal. I am writing a story about the cruise for MiNDFOOD magazine and Andrew is recording a couple of long-form YouTube episodes. When we’re invited on a cruise, we’re still trying to work out the balance between working and holidaying but it’s a good conundrum to have!! We loved the cruise. In no particular order, the ship, our Suite, the rockstar dining, the free-flowing drinks, the destinations/Ports. All of it! We didn’t realise until we boarded that this cruise was the last segment of a World Cruise which had started in Los A...
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March 2026 (From Flinders Island to Fiji!)

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^ Clothes and scenery to mtch the blue in Blue Lagoon Cruises!!  I wrote February’s entry rather nervous as I wasn’t sure how that Flinders Island trip was going to go. I have given an account of it in my Mamamia story – see link at the end of this blog entry. In short, I really enjoyed it! The solo aspect was much more fun than I expected, the physical aspect was harder than I expected (but being pushed is not a bad thing), the scenery was breathtaking, the food was fabulous and I loved the Eco Comfort Camp. Without documenting the trip too much (my Mamamia story does this I think), I’ll talk a bit about the solo aspect.  I have never lived alone. I have never travelled alone for work. I have been married for almost 34 years. I have four kids, two of whom still live at home. I have been surrounded by people all my life. I love that but, sometimes, I also crave quiet and the freedom to talk when I want and do what I want. Without explanation. Without permission. Travelling sol...
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