y

Hysterical Journey to Historic Places

SPORTS HEROESIf I had to make a list of family sports heroes it would be a short list. Jim Forsberg would be on it for football. Jim is also a war hero. Jims brother Richard and Richards son Andy would be at the top of it for over 50 yea




y

Strange Days Indeed

This has got to be the weirdest situation weve ever found ourselves in ehAs global citizens we gotta do our part. Stay home. Practice safe distancing. Wash our hands. Remain calm. Be respectful. Help neighbours. For me it all started when a




y

Dundee Beach Northern Territory to Barmah Victoria. January 2020

31st December 2019It has been a while since I last wrote 30th August actually. We were just back from Bali and waiting for the mango season to start. Well we never did get any work but that was OK. Danie has done a lot of




y

Derbyshire 92 Chesterfield Boris is back the clouds were social distancing rain ahead for the Bank Holiday

Shall I let you into a little secret oh go on then . I am quite enjoying this walking . Lying in bed unable to drop off to sleep I sorted out in my mind where I was walking to in the morning . The weather whas a let down . Over the past few weeks someone




y

Lakes Louise and Moraine Need I say more Canada September 2015

Well our first little one was almost here and Nikkie was really excited to go on a babymoon I mean as if we really need a reason to go on vacation but I guess this was as good a reason as any. As always it was a struggle to decide what to do not too




y

Iceland Day 3 the final day

As day three Dawn's upon our souls. We start the journey to the capital. Present in the moment as only Iceland can teach you to do. We follow the highway upon what I expected to be an ordinary drive filled with the same scenery as the days before. Be warn




y

Finland Day 2

Finland day two.The hotel is a bustle with people a conference is being held in the hotel. The lobby is stuffed with people groups of people laptops open discussing topics important to them. We make our way to the breakfast bar just off of the lobb




y

Derbyshire 93 Chesterfield Hunan ynysig A Simon and Garfunkle hit Is that rain I hear

Is that rain I hear Gently tapping on the window . I cannot hear anything as I lie under the bedclothes . I am sure it is raining . The work of fiction the weather forecaster got it right . April is going out in the way April should go out . Light ra




y

Surviving Covid19 Nacogdoches County Texas USA

A few months ago most people did not know what a pandemic was or how deadly it could become. Just common sense told me that the Corona virus could become a global pandemic with many sick and many would perish. A pandemic is an disease epidemic with a rapi




y

Derbyshire 94 Chesterfield the day did not start wella skip in the pouring rainrunning out of things to say and do

It was not the aching feet that were stopping me in my tracks . To be fair they were burning . This walking plays havoc with the arches of your feet . It was not my brain working overtime thinking of reasons not to go out . Although it would have been easy




y

Destin Vacation JuneJuly 2010 Just me and Mom

Destin Vacation Just me and Mom JuneJuly 2010Day 1Got up at 0410 and drove down using our GPS. Ate at Shoney's for breakfast before leaving. We got to Destin around 1400. We felt so good that we went grocery shopping. We stopped by our beach for




y

Oregon Trip 2011 week of July 4th Just me and Mom

Oregon Trip 2011Day 1We left the house at 0600 and ate breakfast at Shoneys before heading to Nashville. After dropping off the car at Alexis Inn and Suites and after Mom was finally able to get up into the shuttle van lol we were off.The fl




y

Things You Never Knew

To keep your mind off this terrible pandemic here is some totally worthless facts from Travel Trivia MSN and others to fill your hard drive. Although several countries lay claim to the worlds oldest flag the Dannebrog or Danish cloth h




y

Derbyshire 95 Chesterfield Bottom Road 125 days and counting down

Rain it can be quite therapeutic . When it patters on Gabbys roof it can lull you into sleep . When it hammers down it is worse than listening to Ginger Baker and Keith Moon on their drumkits on the roof. It does the garden good . But lying in bed listen




y

Hysterical Journey to Historic Places

FORT GIBSONThe 1830s would have been amusing times to have gone forth in America. In 1821 the Mexicans finally kicked the Spaniards out of their country and began to move forward with plans to settle Texas. In 1824 America responded to Mexican e




y

Derbyshire 96 Chesterfield Today should have been the day that's about all I can say

Today should have been the day. It is going to be a day of would have could have and should have again. We would have been waking up on the park and ride paid our fee to exit and driven the M2 down to the tunnel . We should have been sitting in the car




y

Day 07 From Tatsuno to Hiroshima Jun 2019

Saturday 29th June 2019Before heading to Hiroshima in the afternoon I made a brief stop at the town of Tatsuno. This is home to Japan's only Soy Sauce Museum. Access to Tatsuno is relatively straight forward with frequent trains departi




y

An extraordinary journey to.....our HOMES

They say a person needs three things to be truly happy in this world someone to love something to do and something to hope for. Tom BodettThe latest statistics from the WHO dashboard published at 0200 am on 1st Ma




y

Trip to Destin JuneJuly 2013 Rob me Laurel and Mom

Trip to Destin JuneJuly 2013Day 1 June 29thWe left the house at 0730 and drove a very LONG 12 hours to get there due to traffic. We went and checked out our condo which was really nice then did some grocery shopping. When we got back Rob and




y

Trip to Oregon May 2013 Rob Me and Mom

Trip to Oregon on May 2013 Honeymoon tripDay 1 May 25thWe left Knoxville at 1240. We had a very long flight to Oregon that included long layovers. But had some awesome chocolates at the Charolotte Airport. We didn't get to the hotel in Medford




y

Day 08 And so my journey ends at Hiroshima Jun 2019

Sunday 30th June 2019Breakfast was a happy affair at Royal Host one of the nicer restaurants in the city that opens early in the day and closes late into the night. I liked how well my scrambled egg turned out to be creamy soft and f




y

Day 01 Kuching Aug 2019

Friday 9th August 2019And so here we are on our annual MC retreat to the state capital of Sarawak with some of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. About 40 of us assembled at the airport on National Day 2019 for our flight to Kuching.




y

Derbyshire 97 Chesterfield small random acts of kindness The Five tests The R word Here comes the sun E45

Goedemorgen to you all . We would have probably woken up in Belgium this morning having dined on waffles or frites last night . I am sure that the sun would be shining as we rose . The sun has arrived here so the chances are Belgium would have been just as




y

Hysterical Journey to Historic Places

SOMETHING FOUNDOne of the best western movies ever made was called ltem stylemsobidifontstyle normalgtThe Searchers starring John Wayne. It was about a little girl named Cynthia Ann Parker who was abducted by the Comanche




y

Derbyshire 98 Chesterfield walking in the footprint of Wingerworth Hallwhat is the connection between Wingerworth Randolph Hearst and the St Louis City Museum

Did you know that there was a connection between our large 7000 inhabitant village of Wingerworth Randolph Hearst and the a museum across the pond in St Louis No neither did I until I treated our village as if I were a visitor on a first visit . As a v




y

Hysterical Journey to Historic Places

KNOXVILLEThe Department of Energy got underway as a branch of the Tennessee Valley Authority beginning in about 1940. The Manhattan Project in which we developed the atomic bomb originated at the Oak Ridge Laboratory outside of Knoxville. Scie




y

Around the Adriatic Croatia Split Monday 2019 April 8

Leaving Mostar was almost sad because we had enjoyed the compact city as a group and on our own. We headed into the hills where towns or villages lined the road for a considerable distance. Rain was falling for the whole drive. I noticed none of the unr




y

12 Jyotirlingas Manifestations of Lord Shiva History Heritage blog

According to our Shiva Mahapurana one day Vishnu and Brahma had an argument over their superiority. Shiva appeared in front of them in the form of a raging fire and asked them to each find the tip of the fire. Whoever reaches the tip would be superior bet




y

Derbyshire 99 Chesterfield No news is good news The Wingerworth Sheep Dip Five ways to stay happy

Yesterday was Day 45 Our five o'clock briefing was delivered by the less than charismatic Mr Gove who told us more of the same . He spelled out the numbers of deaths the numbers of tests that had been undertaken. The numbers rolled off his tongue . Traf




y

An extraordinary journey to.....our HOMES

Negativity is like burning plastic while destroying itself it annoys everyone with its stench. Charbal TadrosNo point kicking off with WHO statistics on Covid19 as it is very easy for anyone to access the data on their websit




y

Derbyshire 100 Chesterfield my five a day challenge100 who would have believed it closed footpaths

Reaching Blog 100 on Chesterfield who would have believed it Not me. Sometimes I would write something about my home town. Most of the time though blogs were about somewhere else . Covid 19 has scuppered any chance of a blog from out of town for a whil




y

Boy's Day Now Children's Day May 5

This year Children's Day is May 5. Of all the childrencentric holidays I miss Children's Day the most. Why I felt it was special for Japanese American children in a culture that cherishes tradition family and outright spoiling of children. Writ




y

Hysterical Journey to Historic Places

COMMUNITY PRIDEWinnemuccca is a bustling five brothel railroad town in north central Nevada. When you next visit there and perhaps might grow weary of drinking and carousing make your way the northwest corner of Bridge Street and 4th




y

Derby Day 2008

Back in 2008 we finally got to attend the most exciting two minutes in sports the Kentucky Derby. The Derby is always run on the first Saturday in May until this year. We finally arrived in Louisville around dinner time on Thursday. Our plane to Ch




y

Half way to Mustang

Driving trip from Siliguri to Mustang Nepal1st March Day 1 Drive along Asian Highway 2 across Bagdogra to Panitanki and crossed over the Mechi River bridge into Nepal. Obtained Vehicle permit from the transport office after paying INR 2200. Mercif




y

Derbyshire 101 Chesterfield 7000 steps by 9.30 from frost to blue skiesSkype. Risk assessments and telekits will life ever be the same again

Surfacing this morning was difficult . It is a work day today . Last night we had a frost . Not a heavy one . Not the sort of frost you get in the Winter . Not the sort of frost that you have to scrape off the car windscreen. But a frost nevertheless . The




y

A Brew for My Bro

It is not secret among our family and friends. My brother is the kind of beer drinker not so much for the volume of beer but the fact that he is often photographed with a cold beer in his hand. And on these coming hot days of summer a cold beer sounds




y

Planning a Road Trip to Pai for Our Family Visit in November

I'm so excited to be planning a road trip to Pai this coming November My husband and I are planning a trip for his family when they visit from Australia and I'm so excited to show them around We'll be driving from here in Chiang Mai to




y

Derbyshire 102 Chesterfieldwe might be able to go out and exercise twice a daythe story of the Napoleonic prisoners and the 1 and a half mile milestone

It is dark when I wake . It is Day 48 of the lockdown . The sun has not risen and the birds have not woken. It is Thursday . Sage are meeting today with our government . Sage used to be that herb that you stuffed up a chicken together with onion . Now it i




y

More Snobby Wine Facts

Since you seem to like my wine emails here is a subject near and dear to us Californians. French wine. Let me start out by saying this about the French. They love to bad mouth Napa Valley after their BIG loss decades ago. On most wine tours in Franc




y

Hysterical Journey to Historic Places

OLD HICKORYAndy By God Jackson was our fine countrys seventh President. He was a war hero too by virtue of defeating the Creeks at Horseshoe Bend and stealing their land and then by defeating the pesky Redcoats at the Battle of New Orleans.




y

Derbyshire 103 Chesterfield Day 49 another bridge another country VE day celebrations or is it remembering

I woke early again . The bedroom was still in darkness . Tossing about I found I could not get back to sleep. My mind was going round and round . Odd thoughts . Day 49 how many hours have we been locked down. 1176 hours or thereabouts. I could have begun




y

Back to More Bubbly

My love for sparkling wines has not wavered. My trip to Champagne several years ago remains one of my wine tasting highlights. Here is more information should you decided to visit. Champagnes not hurting for name recognitionbubbles are nearsynon




y

Derbyshire 104 Chesterfield Smocked cloudstodays plan is mostly about washing the car

Morning she shouted across the road . Morning I replied . Busy isn't it I thought it was lockdown Yes seems like a lot of people still travelling in their cars was my reply. We agreed the lady on her morning walk and I that this was a lovel




y

If You Could Go Anywhere Right Now Where Would You Go

So during this shelter in place or quarantine period many friends have asked me this question. My short answer is I would go anywhere it is safe and happy. Narrowing it down I would say New Zealand Thailand and Cape Town. Why If things were s




y

DAY 1 Update

No photos as internet connection in hotel very slow. Will need to wait until tomorrow.Day 1 Siem Reap to Battambang. 172km. Saddle time 6hrs 59 mins. Total time 10hrs 1 min. Avg Temp 34 degToday was a reminder of what a wonderful country Cambodia




y

Salty soak in Salt Lake City

We came close to learning the meaning of life in Salt Lake City. Visiting the Mormon capital of the world of course we had to check out some Mormon activities at their headquarters Temple Square. There is a building called Tabernacle which has very spe




y

Day 30 Torino

Slow start again we started packing everyone was sharing photos etc. After lunch of rolls tomato prosciutto and cheese we headed into the Antonettiano Mole one of the symbols of Torino and home of the Museum of Cinema. The museum was very cool with a




y

New Zealand Day 2

I have totally lost track of the days. Today was jammed pack of learning and fun. Many of you know I always like an adventure and try something fun. It is winter here and snow is on the mountain tops. This morning several of us opted to take a jet boat rid




y

Hot Springs Arkansas Days 67

Wayne had the FULL bathmassage experience at the Buckstaff Bathhouse this morning. He loved it I shopped around downtown while he was there. The nicest shop I found is called Girlie Girls. They design their own jewelry and it is beautiful. If you are th