Last December, I spent a magical long weekend finding out a little more about a new client – the glamorous French Riviera, haunt of Hemingway, Churchill and Picasso and the habitués of the famous Train Bleu – the overnight train from Paris to Nice. En route, here’s three discoveries that I just didn’t expect to…
Category: Europe
HP: The Passion for Brown Sauce
The British are falling out of love with brown sauce according to the newspapers this weekend, citing a Mintel report indicating a drop of 19 per cent in sales last year. Can this be true, I wondered? My brain swiftly went into panic mode. It’s my fault. I haven’t bought HP Sauce since, well, I…
The story of the Christmas Tree
It has to be said, I love a good Christmas Tree. It brings a joy to my heart with the anticipation of Christmas and the start of a new, better year beyond. I was a little hazy on the origins of the Christmas tree however. It’s a northern Europe tradition, said my brother, and so…
With a name like Lowry, Manchester is my kinda town
With a name like mine, the most common question is – are you related to LS Lowry. Sadly, I am not. We do however share a great love of the arts and an admiration for urban grit so why oh why didn’t I visit the magnificent city of Manchester before now? When I did so,…
London’s Triumphal Arch
If you have ever wandered over onto the roundabout at Hyde Park Corner, you will have seen an arch, but it never occurred to me until reading more about it, that this was to celebrate Wellington’s victory over Napoleon so follows in fact from the Roman tradition of triumphal arches. Today it is known as…
Wellington Remembered
With all the furore concerning the upcoming anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo and the Napoleonic Wars, it seemed an appropriate time to visit the Duke of Wellington’s home in Central London – sometimes referred to simply as Number One London. My friend Gill insisted on our walking through the pedestrian tunnels and I am…
Pawprint Series: Wimbledon Common
Every time I come up to town, with my faithful four legged friend in tow, we make a point of visiting Wimbledon Common – it is quite simply the most beautiful oasis of calm in the bustle of South London life. When I lived in London, this was my safety valve and I value it enormously –…
Pawprint Series: An Autumn Walk
West Walk, Forest of Bere My favourite time of year is when summer turns to Autumn and you see a final burst of activity in the forests and woods around Hampshire, where leaves turn golden in the intermittent spotlights of sunlight, streaming through the trees and undergrowth. Park Wood, Forest of Bere As you walk…
Take three castles …
Over the last 12 months, I have had the good fortune to visit three castles – all with The Hound in tow – and they couldn’t have been more different. Take Southsea Castle, where in my mind’s eye, I can visualise a stressed and desolate King Henry VIII, standing proudly whilst watching his tried and tested flagship,…
Pawprint Series: Park Wood
It might come as no particular surprise to discover that Park Wood on the old London Road in Waterlooville was once part of the ancient Forest of Bere that covered most of southern England. Nurtured today by a group of friendly and committed volunteers under the overall purview of The Woodlands Trust, Park Wood is a small…
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