Hi Everyone, we have one of those windy days and for once I am secretly pleased and happy to stay inside even though I did spend some well needed time on housework!!

We are back in Tarras but not before a couple of nights with our son Richard, daughter in law, Holly and grandchildren Asher and Emme, as we did when we departed over 2 months ago. We have missed the remainder of the winter and lots of photos have been arriving of our tulips and blossom.

On day 3 we embarked on our first of two big days out, firstly to Siena then Umbria. I had a guide booked at 10.30 and our drive was over an 1 and a half especially when you take in buying the ticket for a bus to be able to drop you off and pick you up.

I’m not quite sure where to begin. Firstly, this is the first villa that I have rented for a group. It was sitting in the picturesque Tuscan countryside, had panoramic views from every window of the rolling hills, rows of iconic cypress trees, the famous Crete Senesi (rock formations), and the ochre-coloured ploughed landscape.

Lots of yellow in Sorrento honouring the lemons that grow under wooden chestnut structures and covered with netting to protect the trees that fruit 3 times year.

I was well aware that Rome, along with many other major cities in Italy, was grappling with the challenges of too much tourism. However, Rome has always been a centre of tourism for hundreds and hundreds of years and it is staggering how thousands and thousands of visitors move around the city daily.

It’s been an eventful week of covering hundreds of kilometers, starting from Portsmouth and making our way to visit our dear friends Charles and Lissa in St. Andrews.

Three and a half weeks in France from Cote D’ Azure in the South to Britany in the North. I have no idea how many kilometres. Our route was planned through research for a new tour, visiting dear friends, staying in places we visited 28 years ago and exploring new regions with the intent of crossing the English Channel by ferry to Portsmouth in early September

Decisions for travel always needs hours of consideration and there are so many choices every tourist must make. In todays world the numbers of tourists has increased dramatically everywhere. Most popular destinations are heaving with people and along with the heat this summer it is best to pay attention to the time of the year and have a flexible daily schedule.

After departing from Saint Remy over a week ago, we embarked on a journey to visit our dear friends Claire and Hubert. They live in a beautifully secluded property surrounded by Holm Oaks in the Pyrenees, to the south of Perpignan.

Our seven nights in Saint Remy have flown by, and unfortunately, we’ll have to save some of our intended visits for another time. The temperature has consistently reached 42 degrees Celsius on most days, which certainly adds to the exhaustion when exploring medieval towns constructed from rock and stone.

We are currently in St.Remy, enjoying our stay in a very cute Cabanon for the next 7 days. It is a simple, all-in-one-room accommodation, but the setting is charming; we have access to a refreshing plunge pool and are very lucky to have a continuous supply of produce from the lovely Jordanes vegetable garden.

We easily fell in love with the old medieval town of Cagnes-sur-Mer. Though it stands as a city in its own right, its modern counterpart extends from the base of the old town to the Mediterranean.

And here we are. It’s hard to believe that after 3 years, we have finally planned a new tour to Italy. The tour is set to start on September 15th. However, for the next few weeks, we are embarking on a road trip through France and the UK, with the intention of potentially planning a tour for 2024.

I am sitting rewriting this blog as Winter finally arrives in Central Otago and the rain is pelting against the windows, the temperatures have dropped significantly and the wind has been gale force. However, we have experienced a few weeks of unseasonably sunny weather and it gave a chance to us to mulch and put our garden to bed before spring.

Our only very wet day of course had to be the day we drove through the Grampians to Halls Gap. It wasn’t even worth stopping at any of the lookouts since visibility was so poor. Kangaroos and Emus were noticeable from the roadside and the many trampers, walkers and bikers would certainly have had a miserable day. Coffee shops and a lunch stop were hardly inspiring in places like Halls Gap and Ararat.