Kao Lak, then heading home...

 We have been at the beach for 10 nights on the last leg of our trip.  We have a beautiful air con villa with own pool and are right next door to an elephant sanctuary. My travel post is on my other blog CLICK HERE.

I was on a waiting list with the library ⁰to borrow the Kindle version of The Dressmaker of Dachau:  How lucky that it became available whilst lounging at the beach!

Its an absolutely brilliant novel about a London  dressmaking apprentice who ends up as a prisoner in Nazi Germany and is taken to the house of the commander of Dachau concentration camp where she becomes dressmaker to the German elite for the duration of WW2.

There are signs for Tsunami evacuation around the hotel. This is because in 2004 the last Tsunami to hit this coast claimed so many thousands of lives, they had never experienced this before and now have procedures in place for early warning.

9

There has been brief. heavy rain in Kao Lak the last few days for an hour or two , but there's always the beach bar, the elephant sanctuary next door (been twice), the sea and our villa if we need to dry off.

I'm not good at outfit posing but had to give this pretty kaftan some adoration, .monsoon, chiffon, very floaty!

Enjoying our last couple of days before heading home, here's some pics of the amazing food we have been tucking in to!

Weather has been in the 30s in this part of Thailand so not much clothing required, mostly kaftans and swimwear...

My crocs have been the most worn suitcase item!

I've just finished reading a book from the hotel library which was spellbinding right to the end, a murder mystery:

 There has been  heavy rain but usually only   for a few hours , it's the beginning of the rainy season.  We have a few more days and can swim in the sea in the rain so no problem!

Update: last day in Kao Lack there was torrential rain, we left 4 pm for phuket airport and the roads were flooded, poor visibility.  The monsoon has started! We got home safely but tired after about 16 hours in total including 2 long flights.

Thailand 2025: Chiang Mai

 Come over to my travel blog for another post on Thailand HERE

No idea what these are, cakes I think.  Im keeping travel posts on my other blog as  need somewhere to add video and more pics and keep tidy!  Infact I have last year's trips to add.  Blogger is a great place to store pics free until i find a better place for safe, free storage.  Ideas are welcome.

Travelling! Thailand

 Hi folks, I've decided to keep my travel posts separate on my old Travel blog HERE as I have quiet a bit to say... so if you would like to see more about Thailand. Come on over to my travel blog MAGIC CARPET TRAVELS! My first post is Bangkok.

Catch up

I joined Vinted and sold some of my Anokhi dresses (which I bought years ago on EBay so have actually made a profit!).  I've been shopping on there too, a copper bangle - I love copper.  When I Googled this one I found it was made by a British designer of the 60s and 70s, Moda of Malta, specialising in hand beaten copper jewellery.

I had a lovely week of lunches with sons ... Lunch made at my place by younger son and his girlfriend, a really nice afternoon together chatting and chilling out.... then on Friday I went on a train trip to  London to see my older son, we took a bus over to Spoons in Wimbledon and visited the Buddhist Temple, wandered the very peaceful grounds and asked a monk to do a prayer and blessing for us (and for a friend who is currently building her house in Sri Lanka) and we came away relaxed and refreshed.  

⁷

We've been having breakfasts like this and skipping lunch to lose a little weight.

Below is the Wimbledon temple.

On the subject of my Sri Lanka friend I am sharing a little of her house build which s in the Sri Lankan hills where it is cool and green (she spends half the year there, half in the UK.  She is rebuilding her family home.  The workmen prepared the area before starting work with ceremonial food offerings and smudging (smoke) from coconut leaf woven lanterns around the four corners of the plot, to keep away any lurking evil spirits, an astrologer determines the exact date work can start.  Some pics/video below that she sent me.

Swimming is becoming a regular event now I'm retired and I am now up to 50 lengths per visit.  I have made a few friends at the pool and there's usually a nice chat in the changing rooms after :)

I got a mixed  pack of seeds from 'Chiltern's at a reduced price.  they have given a lovely selection, radish, beetroot, carrot, dill, a variety of lettuce and tomatoes - should be fun seeing what pops up... last years pack gave me this beautiful.mallow in the mix.

I enjoyed reading The Bones of You,   A really good thriller and first book by a new writer, Debbie Howells Found in a charity shop.

Back soon with travel.news!

 

Middle of May

 Hi bloglanders, in the merry month of May I am beginning to relax into month 3 of retirement and not counting.

My first major retirement achievement has been to actually read a book without cheating and jumping pages.  The book was gifted to me last year by my friend *Vix* and I had tried to get into it several times last year and failed because I have a short attention span.  Im glad I tried again as it was a really good read: about a journalist who finds the love of his life in Egypt; the book gives a window into the social and dating scene, expectations and restrictions/taboos for modern day Muslim women in Egypt.  It was superb  and I like true stories. thank you Vix! 

I have been to Brighton twice this month.  I tried out my pensioners free travel bus pass - it took 3 1/2 hours! two buses, both taking a very long and winding tour of local towns and villages, it was a very rattling, bumpy ride and I wouldn't do it again!  Second time I took the train which is only 40 minutes into Brighton.   Both times involved a big afternoon sleep on the beach.  I love browsing The Lanes and this time bought a collar necklace from.my favourite All About ,Audrey.  These are my favourite stones (they aren't real unfortunately).   

There were a lot of colourful characters around who just loved having their picture taken!  

Up at the allotment things are beginning to sprout and due to the unusually high temps in the UK, watering has been almost daily.  We now have a group (Sprinklers) on Whatsapp. we volunteer to water for each other during holidays/absence on a rota.  I have been doing 2 other allotments and it is a great way to see what others are planting, how they space things out, companion planting,  the recycled resources they use to cover their seedlings (wire freezer drawers are popular to deter birds from pulling things up) and what grows well together - I'm learning from the experts, some of whom have been there about 10 years.

On my 60 x 60ft plot I have planted:

Potatoes (early and maincrop)
runner beans
dwarf beans
red onions and garlic
carrot and beetroot
radicchio, cauliflower and celery
sweetcorn
pumpkins, gerkins and tomatoes.

I cut two thirds of my huge rhubarb crop and froze in chunks to make crumbles.  I left a third to die down so the crowns have enough nutrients to give a good yield next year.

I have started planting on some of the little paths on the plot as the soil is good and it's wasted space.  Also stocking up on spent filter coffee which hubby gets from the airport coffee shops for me - they are happy to give bags away which would otherwise be disposed of and they make great slug deterrent and compost.

In the garden - I planted about 50 flower bulbs, a few are surfacing - we have poor soil as the woods is directly behind our fence and the trees take a lot of the nutrients, also it's north facing/shady - but it looks neat and I am enjoying afternoons under the trees.

At the end of last year I had my brows microbladed and my lips tattoo'd (I had almost no natural brow and used to draw them in - time consuming - also I lost a lot of natural pigment in my lips).  It takes some months for things to settle down and see the benefit, I am very pleased with both as had asked for a natural look.  I have never been one for wearing makeup so this is ideal for me.

We postponed our trip to India this year, there is unrest so it's just as well, but we hadn't planned the trip enough and decided to go to Thailand - soon!  Although we have a huge 30k luggage allowance on Emirates, the internal flights allow 20k so I am thinking carefully about what to pack.  

My oldest brother lived in Thailand for 10 years and brought his Thai wife and 2 children to the UK some years ago.  I remember his wife (who used to run a small Thai cafe in the North) bringing a tiny little suitcase when the famly came to stay here; it contained not her toiletries, but her herbs and spices for cooking, she took over our kitchen during their stay and cooked some delicious food and I watched carefully, but as she spoke no English the recipes are still.a mystery!

I've just swum 50 lengths at our local pool and am off to relax in the garden now.

What's happening in your part of the world? how's your garden growing? Where are you travelling to? Comments welcome.

April

 The month went fast, 2nd month of retirement and not counting.  I spent all my spare time at the allotment breaking up clay soil and planted potatoes and the sweetcorn that I had raised on my windowsill.  I also planted beetroot and carrot.  It's turned really cold so I doubt much will germinate just now and have therefore planted bean, squash and pumpkin seeds for window propagation to be on the safe side.  Tonight is the weekly gathering of likeminded plot holders, we rarely discuss the obvious topic and drink plenty of alcohol.

I reorganised my wardrobe (again due to OCD I do it often) other half did too.  We found our clothes are too tight and we need to get out more, use our rowing machine and eat less.  Should be straightforward.  A clear sign that we are now thinking comfort before fashion is that we both now have Crocs (shoes).  I have so far resisted elasticated trousers though.  I bought a weighted hula hoop and returned it - it says on the box causes bruising - it certainly does -- that can't be a good thing?  Back it goes.

Crocs (Amazon) great for home, garden and ...holidays?

Over Easter both sons plus girlfriend were here and I went mad and made cakes, chocolate chip muffins, carrot cakes, rhubarb crumble (allotment crop) and roast dinner followed by a fiddly curry the following day.  Everyone ate well but I exhausted myself, think I really must stop thinking the way to a mans heart is through his stomach - something my grandmother swore by - my husband and sons will still love me if I don't feed them to excess.

I have been on several walks to see bluebells around here, there are plenty - my favourite wildflower I think.  Wood anemone grow in the same places and the combination of both has been spectacular in the nearby woods.

We  have been watching Feud on Channel 5 (UK)  it was very good, but the ending was rushed.  We also tuned in for the new series of Race Across the World Series 5 (BBC1 UK).  This is epic, travelling across China, Nepal and India.  I want the young Welsh kids to win, they remind me of hubby and me at that age, full of eagerness for travel and adventure, a whole World to explore .... and to be fair we have explored a lot of it, and still going...

Our neighbours are having a feud over a kitchen extention and a tree that is in the way.  It's an elderberry and, of course, I am fond of them so you know what side I am on.  There are a surprising number of closet pagans in our road and so we have been furtively sending vibes and circles of protection for the tree.  

Cicily Mary Barker, Flower Fairies of the Trees, 1961: source: Google

Thats all my news for April, what's yours? feel free to fill this blank space with your news...