ON THE ROAD SURPRISES - Part 1

We all love surprises and there is something particularly delicious about being surprised when travelling. I think this is because the traveller is looking at the world around him or her with heightened senses and is hoping to be surprised by something new at every turn in the road. So, when the surprise occurs, the traveller mentally punches the air with a vindicated: YES!

Straw Men pushing bales, France

I was touring in France, in the Midi-Pyrenees with my husband when we rounded a bend and saw a sight that made us slam on the brakes. Here is the fabulously witty open-air art installation that stopped us in our tracks.

If you can turn the surprise into a story or article, all the better.








I hope you enjoyed this travel surprise - I'll be posting more over the next few weeks.

A SOCK ON THE JAW - CAMBODIA

There are times when something happens on my travels which socks me on the jaw. When I visited Cambodia I met a bookseller in Siem Reap. He told me his story and I have never forgotten the impact it had on me.

I wrote a story based on that encounter and a shortened version was published on the Cafe Lit website and published in their Cafe Lit 3 anthology.

You can read the story

HERE

















I didn't take his photograph - it would have been too crass to ask his permission, so here are some other photos instead.

Wild Birds in West Cork

At this time of year the birds need a bit of extra help. 

Blue Tit

Our bird feeders are alive with blue tits, great tits, chaffinches, siskins and robins. The rooks and magpies make occasional attempts to snatch food from the feeders, with little success.

Thrush

Thrushes are shyer.

Curlew

Down on our local beach I often see cormorants, oyster catchers, herons, swans, herring gulls and curlews. 

Curlew

I’m still working on my ‘portfolio’ of bird photos! 

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous 2016

LATEST WRITING SUCCESSES

Hello again and Seasons Greetings

I’m home from my trip to Thailand where I enjoyed some phenomenal diving… more of that in the New Year.

In the meantime, several writing successes occurred while I was away.

I wrote a couple of stories for Café Lit.

The first story: Sex and Socks and Rock 'n' Roll was published on the 2nd December

Patpong, Bankok

You can read the story

              HERE

Red Hibiscus

The second story: Santaphobia was published on the 15th December

Frangipani

You can read the story

          HERE

Pink Hibiscus

The Best of Café Lit 4 Anthology was launched. I was delighted that one of my stories was chosen for the anthology.

The Amazon link for the book is HERE

Finally, I won second place in the 2015 Alfie Dog Short Story Competition. Licking an Ant's Bottom was a story I thoroughly enjoyed writing and I was satisfied with the result, so it was a real rush when my belief in its merit was vindicated.

If you’d like to read the story for an extremely modest 39 pence, the link to Alfie Dog is HERE

All in all, it’s been a great end to 2015 and I'm all fired up for more writing projects in 2016.

Wishing you a happy and successful New Year!

SIPADAN MAGIC - Malaysian Dive Article

I'm going away for a few weeks of scuba diving and exploration in Thailand, so I thought I'd leave you with an article I wrote for Air Niugini's in-flight magazine about scuba diving in Sipadan. 
You should be able to zoom in sufficiently to read the text.

I hope you enjoyed it - please leave a comment - and I'll see you when I return in time for the festive season.

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA - Mini-Market series

Mention Kuala Lumpur and the iconic Petronas Towers spring to mind.  

Although a visit to the towers is pretty much mandatory - I wanted to see some market life too. My time in KL was limited, but I managed to find time to explore Chinatown's Petaling Street.

I have to confess that these market stalls didn't excite me too much.

But the area had quite a vibe and seemed popular with the tourists.

Although there were plenty of locals too.

Ultimately I became more interested in the clash of old and new architecture than the market stalls.

Back near my hotel, close to the Petronas Towers, this covered eating area was full of locals with not a tourist in sight (which is a good indication of authentic food). I adore eating in simple eateries with the locals. People are almost always surprised and delighted when foreigners choose to eat in their establishments. It was a good decision because the unpretentious service was great and the food was utterly delicious!

I should have time to squeeze in one more post next week before I go on my travels in December.

OUZOUD - MOROCCO Part 3 - Market Mini-Series

Ouzoud in the Atlas mountains of Morocco is famous for its waterfalls - the Cascades d'Ouzoud. 

 Whilst the Cascades are a stunning sight, I'm going to focus on the market I visited in Ouzoud instead.

The area for cars to park was limited compared to the utterly delightful donkey parking, set within a glorious, shady olive grove.

Overflow donkey parking was also available on the football pitch.

The market setting by the river was serene and beautiful.




Vendors had erected awnings to protect their produce - and themselves - from the searing sun. The comforting smell from the slowly warming fruits and vegetables was strangely reminiscent of the kitchen of my childhood. 

The pumpkins in particular smelled gorgeous.

The relaxed atmosphere was palpable and the locals were more than happy to allow me to take their photograph.

The meat section was strategically shaded and whilst I didn't fancy one of those unrefrigerated turkeys, fortunately there was no whiff of tainted meat. 

I was slightly surprised that it seemed to be only men who were doing the shopping. 

Although there were plenty of women doing the selling!

Some of the children were taking market day seriously.

Others less so.













So there you have my experiences of Moroccan markets, in three parts. I haven't decided where to take you next week - watch this space.