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Reflection of 2025

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Firstly and foremost John and I wish you happy festivities wherever you are in the world .

2025 started slowly for us. John had two eye operations which slowed our travelling down. We also had a February deadline for another of our books – “50 Gems of Bedfordshire” it will be published February 2026 by Amberley Books. …I think this will be about Johns 30th book with Amberley Publishers…and my 2nd!

In April we headed to Norfolk with my Dad. We hired a lovely bungalow near Sheringham for a week. What a lovely week it was, meandering around our beautiful countryside.

May saw John and I heading to Portugal and Southern Spain….we fell in love with Praia de Luz ….wonderful apartment for a week, super beach, restaurants and “Jackson Mystery Tours” around the countryside….(that’s Johns name for exploring and getting lost).

A wonderfully relaxing and “chill out” time.

We travelled up to Spain and spent time in an intriguing village called El Rocio….a real throw back place on the edge of a national park which is home to the highest number of Iberian Lynx in Spain…needless to say we didn’t see one…but we did very much enjoy our time there.

We travelled on up to Seville for a week…hiring a strange apartment in a residential block. We enjoyed the Cathedral, horses and carriage sight seeing, a river cruise and a flamenco show.

Driving back into Portugal we stayed a week in a holiday complex apartment near Albuferia….ummm not one of our best accommodation choices…. But we made the most of it with beach days and exploring the area.

Back in the UK we had a variety of days out with Dad, such as a coffee on a longboat on the Grand Union Canal

The end of July we headed for Devon. A fantastic occasion which saw my sister as a truly radiant bride as she married Mark….a day which was such a happy occasion.

September came and yippee! we were off to South Africa…..

Much joy as we met up with good friend Gill and our dearest Cora

Then off to Kruger for 3 weeks of heaven…..this year we started at the most southern point and went right up to the northern tip……Mother Nature blessed us and we saw some truly magnificent sights…

Our cameras didn’t stop clicking…but we did take a few shots of people..

And of course there were some fantastic sunsets…

Back to the UK we went with Dad to the New Forest in mid November…although it was cold it was still fabulous to see the ponies and we sat watching them on several occasions from what was my mums favourite spot….a joyful occasion we repeat every year…

As we reach the end of 2025 there is nothing left to say except to wish all our followers a Very Happy 2026…we hope your year is filled with adventures, laughter and love.

Jenny & John

Milton Keynes – A morning of Leisure – 29/08/2025 – “Messing About on the River”

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It seems to have been a busy year to date…..lots of domestic necessities, a few medical musts, my sisters wonderful wedding, not to mention the unexpected an undesirable destruction of the rear end of my car when some poor soul lost concentration and redesigned the car leading to the ongoing saga (literally 🤣) insurance companies and hire cars. ………. All of which has meant we haven’t been out and about as much…However our pending trip to SA is looming and I will post our pre trip planning documents shortly. In the meantime we have been alleviating our “At Home” status with some excellent day trips out and of course visiting some of our favourite restaurants…..I think I’ll have to add a “Recommended Restaurants” to our blog menu, because we are certainly adding to our long list of great eateries at all ends of the price spectrum.

Back to our trip out in Milton Keynes….I was looking for some light relief for both of us and my Dad. My surfing led me to a boat trip on the Grand Union Canal, starting from Milton Keynes. Yeah!!! That ticked a few boxes…easy to get too, not too far away, something that both my Dad and John enjoy…Further investigation led me to see it offered a wide menu of trips…afternoon tea, fish and chip suppers, family cruises, booze cruises and the one which tickled my fancy..morning coffee and cake. At £24 per person and a choice of coffee, carrot or lemon drizzle cake, coffee or tea…it was a definite “must do”.

The Electra Milton Keynes Community Boat website was very easy to navigate and I soon booked our 3 tickets. At the time of booking you also select your cake choice. The confirmation gives you full details of where to park and how to get there and what time you need to arrive. It also gives your electronic tickets which you can either download to your phone or print…I always screenshot these just incase my signal drops out just when you need it.

The boat leaves from Campbell Wharf, just outside the marina. There is literally no parking there, not even disabled, but you can drop off and go and park. With our back to the canal we turned right at the roundabout and in no time at all there are car parks to the right facing the moored house/ longboats and the canal. If you walk back to the wharf through Campbells park, there is a very good path. You cross over the canal twice but it is all easy ramps, no steps. You could I suppose walk back along the grass verge of the road, it might be a tad shorter but nowhere near as picturesque.
Unfortunately it was raining, but our high spirits were not to be dampened and the three of us raised the brollies and stepped out along the footpath. It took us no more than 10 minutes and we certainly weren’t racing. On arriving the volunteer boat driver/ pilot – Tim- assisted us on and introduced us to David the inside host.
The Electra had two seater tables down each side and a maximum seating capacity of 12. It was comfortable and not squashed. There were only 8 of us and as we had all boarded well before 10.30am we set off early. Our particular trip took us from Campbell Park Wharf to Great Linford Manor and back again. Depending upon the amount of traffic on the water depends on the length of the trip. It could take up to 2.5 hours.
The Electra is as its name suggests an electric boat so totally silent. It has thrusters at the front for when it needs to turn and this is the only notice you occasionally hear. Consequently you see quite a lot of canal side water fowl and bird life.

Our outward journey didn’t give us many photographic opportunities as the rain was quite heavy.

The weather slowly began to clear. John was quickly on his feet and standing in the more open bow with his camera at the ready…….whats new!!!!!!!

We passed under some bridges with some excellent art in the form of mosaics, paintings and some carvings.

Just before Great Linford Manor our coffee and cake was served to us….yummy..

Our return trip allowed for a greater amount of wildlife viewing…..

A big shout out to The Electra Community Boat Milton Keynes and its volunteer crew.

We had a wonderful morning “Messing about on the River”…well! Actually not the river..The Grand Union Canal. …it was a very good price for coffee and cake and the adventure. As you depart the boat there is a collection box, not a tips box, and the money is used to help those less able to enjoy this wonderful experience. Thank you very much.

Day 8- Friday 17th May 2024 – Par to Penzance- Cornwall Staycation.

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Lovely azure blue sky to welcome in our final day in Cornwall. We were planning to walk to the station, but like all good intentions……we decided we needed a trip to CO-OP on our way home to replenish my water supplies and pick up some sandwich filler for tomorrow…so it was easier to take the car so we could go straight off. A repeat of the last couple of days occurred…I dropped the men at the station and took the car up the street next to the pub. By the time I had walked back John had bought the group ticket which worked out as £9.20 each for a return to Penzance. We sat waiting for the train in the sun.

It is a lovely stretch of line, taking about an hour from Par…..the beautiful rhododendrons shining purple along the line. The first stop from Par is St Austell, the nearest big town to Par. Following this is Truro. Truro is a cathedral city, being the only city in Cornwall it is Cornwall’s county town and the centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its population was 18,766. The people of Truro are called Truronians. From the train there is a great view of the cathedral.

Three train stops further on is the picturesque village of Hayle. The estuary and the beach area look more than a little inviting from the train.

The next station is St Erth. It is also a park and ride. This is a quaint but very busy station. Many disembark to take the branch line to the famous village of St Ives. We’ve done this many times , as St Ives is a village on a beautiful beach, with many fish and chip, cafes etc on the beach. A walk through the tiny shop fronted lanes takes you to the harbour, where boat trips depart and ice-cream vendors are kept occupied. The quaint lanes are home to many art, craft, beach wear, slightly hippie/surfer style shops…..we decided to give it a miss today, John breathed a sigh of relief as did his wallet !!! We continued on toward Penzance. The train runs along the sea front and there is a good view of St Michaels Mount. St Michael’s Mount is one of 43 unbridged tidal islands accessible by foot from mainland Britain. You can enjoy the walk across the causeway to reach the island at low tide, or if the tide is in, you can  take a short boat trip across. This iconic rocky island has a medical church and castle perched right on its top. ….the oldest of these buildings date back to the 12th Century. The Mount is still home to the St Aubyn family as well as a small community …it is jointly managed by the family and the National trust.

We disembarked in Penzance. The station is on the sea front, next to the bus station, fishing dock and the Tourist Information.

I visited the later, tourist information, and a very helpful lady explained about the sightseeing bus. It goes around the peninsula to Lands End and up the northern coast of Cornwall to St Ives before going inland to St Erths and back to Penzance the same route as the train. It takes 4 hours, you can get off at any of the view points but it’s 2 hours before the next bus comes. The price for a full day ticket is £9 per adult…..it was due to leave at 13.15. We ummmed and arrred about it but decided by the time we’d done it and got back to Par it would be a very long day…..so plan ‘B’ the lady told be about Mermaid boat trips. They do several fish or wildlife trips…we fancied the 2 hour wildlife trip which informed us that you could see seals, cormorants, dolphins and if you’re lucky whales. The kind lady in the Tourist Information pointed out where we had to go and off we went. After a short stroll we found the shop and the lovely lady rang through to see what time the trip was going….unfortunately it was full….never mind. We decided to do plan ‘C’ which was actually our original plan….we had a bacon butty from the bus station cafe …great place, it’s been there for years, used to be called the ‘Greasy Sausage’!! We sat outside and enjoyed our fat bacon butty in the sun, before wandering back to the station. We didn’t need to wait long for our train and we returned to Par….

Supper tonight was delicious fresh dressed crabs, freshly boiled new potatoes, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, beetroot and celery & nut salad…it was truly scrumptious.

Tomorrow will see us packing up and heading north back up towards home, we’ll take it steadily stopping over night on the way.

.

Day 4 – Monday 13th 2024- Par to Exeter – Cornish Staycation

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After 3 magnificent days of dawn to dusk sunshine we got up today to find the weather forecast, for once, was correct…drat…. It was chilly and pouring it down with very heavy rain….. but it’s ok because our Entertainments Manager – John ( I am the planner, booker and driver and Dad is the navigator!!), had it all under control. He decided that today was a good day to take the train through to Exeter and back via a stop at Plymouth. It’s a great sightseeing trip even in the rain and it kept us warm and dry.
We took the car to Par station… lazy yes!, as it’s only 0.5 miles away from where we are staying. However it was definitely the dryer option. I dropped John and Dad at the station and went in search of somewhere to park…. Rather crazy most of the parking spaces are ‘Staff Only’ and the little carpark at the end of the road is also ‘Staff Only’ … that leaves a couple of disabled parking bays and 8 bays for rail users!!! (There are 3 times more than that for Staff!!). Every available bay was full except of course the staff and disabled bays which were totally empty …. Rant over!!!… so I drove out and parked behind another rail user in the road behind the pub, I then followed him down the footpath to the station… so I did manage not to drown !!! John had purchased the tickets at about £24 each and his was around £16 with a rail card … day returns were cheaper than Rover tickets on this occasion.
We took the slower stopping train to Plymouth. There were some lovely views albeit through the rain splattered window.

We were a few minutes late getting into Plymouth but the connecting train to Exeter was being held. So we dodged the rain and boarded it. The next part of our journey is fairly spectacular, even through the wet train windows. From Teignmouth along to Dawlish the train runs parallel to the sea front. We were fortunate that the tide was in and the spray was splashing over the sea wall … lovely sight.

On arriving in Exeter Dad and I bolted for Starbucks.. a coffee was required… pleased to say we both gave it a 8/10 … so very acceptable.

We stopped about an hour at St David’s Station, Exeter, before retracing our train rides back to Par. Somewhere around Lostwithiel it finally stopped raining, but most the beautiful scenery had been passed. It was nice to get off the train and all of us walk in the dry back up to the car. The good thing about renting a house is that tonight we are staying in. Supper will be lasagne with fresh spinach, followed by Ginger pudding, which was kindly given to us for our trip by a good friend in Dads village. We will probably play Rummikub, and try to get our own back on Dad who won both hands last night, and watch quizzes on the TV and look forward to more exciting adventures tomorrow.

Day 2 – Saturday 11th 2024 – Arriving in Cornwall

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We woke up in The Premier Inn Frome after all of us having a hot and sweaty night……don’t start me off about the legislation which prevents hotels from having windows which open to let air in…..grrrrr….anyway at 8.30 John had walked to Gregg’s Bakery and purchased 3 ‘bacon butties’ and we were all sat in our room eating them and drinking coffee……we don’t go to restaurants for breakfasts when we have a long drive ahead of us…we prefer a light bite and off we go.

We decided to stick to the ‘A’ roads as much as possible and only use the M5 to scoot around the edge of Exeter. It was a very scenic drive…we took the road towards Glastonbury before branching of to Bruton, small town famous for its Private Schools. It has two longstanding secondary schools- Kings School founded in 1519 and Sexey’s School founded in 1889. The later was named after Hugh Sexey who was born locally and attended Bruton Grammar School and was Royal Auditor to both Queen Elisabeth I and King James I. We off course passed the usual crude jokes with regard to the name of the school !!!. On entering the town one is struck by the splendour of St Mary’s Church which dominates the centre of the town.

Following this town we joined the A303 into Devon, and went on the infamous Honiton bypass. We then detoured off the A30 ……Devon and Cornwall don’t have motorways traversing their counties but the A30 is of a motorway standard in all ways except name.

Our detour took us into the village of Ottery St. Mary. Here we visited the garden centre. It’s well know to Dad who often visits it when staying with my sister who lives in Devon. We had a nice coffee and stretched our legs, before carrying on.

As we left the village a long convoy of assorted cars in all shapes and sizes.

We continued on through some typically Cornish lanes….very narrow, with passing spaces and high banked sides…the banks at this time of years are filled with beautiful wild flowers……so a very picturesque trip.

We stopped in Liskeard to pick up a picnic lunch and sat at the station to eat it. The station is always a pleasant place to be….the mainline trains arrive on the two main platforms with the branch line train to Looe departing from platform 3 which is at right angles and across the road from the main lines.
After lunch we continued to Par. We picked up the keys of the house from a prearranged point and found it easily enough (might have been easier if I hadn’t mixed up my 6 & 9 !!!!). The house is very nice, it could easily sleep 6 …..it consists of a lounge, dinning room, well equipped Kitchen, 2 bedrooms with King Size beds and one with twin beds and two bathrooms, a conservatory and a garden. I booked it through http://www.sykescottages.co.uk. This is a company we have often used to book holiday accommodation . It was £800 for the week. The welcome pack was very nice. We had arranged for a Tesco food and household goods delivery an hour after our arrival. So we are now all set for a very comfortable week.