The good bits of August 2025. UK and Australia.

We started August in Northern Ireland and ended the month in Australia. It's been really busy, too much travel, jet lag and on the go non stop in the garden also.

But I wouldn't have it any other way (other than Business class flights if the price was right)

UK

Nightly hedgehog visit.

Loads of books read this month.

Three football matches.

Recreating photos with our granddaughter.

Work in progress in the garden.

We sifted all the soil from here to the front, now we can start on our new path.

I've been really surprised with the growth of these melons.

We do love our coffees out.

Australia.

We're still doing the same things, just in a different location and lots more walking, with beaches and lots of meals out.

Animals. Nuggie

Out for a walk in Centennial Park

Holiday cat

Beach Turkeys

Bin Chicken

Books

Sport - SCG

Olympic Stadium

Grandchildren - Breakfast for grandson, dinner for us.

Gardening - wondering what this is. A cabbage fern.

Not identified this yet

Coffee - Not so sure what they've drawn here 

I'll be writing separate posts about the places we've visited, the walks we've been on more about the flora and fauna of Australia over the coming weeks.

Week 31 2025 - One Daily Positive and Project 365

I've only added 6 days this week as I keep forgetting to post on the Sunday till late. I'll bring the post forward a day and continue with posting on Saturday till the end of the year.

We drove up to Scotland on Sunday night and camped about an hours drive from the ferry at Cairnryan. We brought the awning with us to give us more space for the week and camped near Lough Neagh about 15 minutes from child 4 and his family.

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Collected grandson on arrival and off to the campsite to set up. He did a good job helping us set the awning up. Took him home after tea and had baby brother cuddles and I did bed time and had 8 books to read.

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A lazy morning in the campsite. Met son, DIL and baby to go shopping, collected oldest grandson from nursery and home to play in the garden, bake cakes and bedtime stories. Back to the campsite site to get ready for the night, reading and supper.

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A lazy morning and a walk to the Lough followed by collecting this one and with his dad off to the park for the afternoon. DIL and baby joined us then after ice creams it was home for dinner, bath and bed time stories and loads of baby cuddles.

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Day out to Castle Coole, National Trust. Picnic in the campervan, new books bought and read on the way home. Dinner with the outlaws and back to the campsite around 8pm.

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Tent all packed up to be dried when we get home. Off to say bye to the grandchildren and a trip to the park. Ferry delayed over an hour but we made cups of tea and cooked pasta in the van at the port. Smooth crossing and drive to campsite for the night. New book bought started.

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Awake around 7am, a shower, dressed and packed the van. Peter drove for the first hour for breakfast then sat in the car watching the Rugby while I drove down to Birmingham where her dropped me off for the football. Train home. Peter had unpacked most of the van. Bath and to bed early.

 

Things to make you smile:

Grandson declared he didn't like me anymore as I was going home. Our two other grandchildren are arriving to visit them on Sunday and our grandson wanted us to bring them over with us. Our grandson loves to take photos with our phone. Here are some of his better ones.

Things that made me happy:

Time with our grandsons, child 4 and DIL. All the grandchildren will be together on Sunday, however we left on the Friday afternoon. Stopping off on the way home from Scotland to watch Birmingham City play. Our hedgehog is still visiting us. The author of the latest book I read replied to me on twitter.

On the blog this week:

My Garden in July 

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week

WOTW - Camping

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My top three travel bucket list destinations

I'm currently visiting the UK from Dubai and I moved there from South Africa. Travel was never something I'd considered until I met my husband in 1999. We merged two families making us a family of 7 so I still didn't think travel was going to be possible other than an annual family holiday. As a family and just the two of us and often travelling alone we've visited Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and California many times. We've also traveled to Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia as well as nearly every European country, even if its only been on our way to somewhere else. I've also been to Denmark and hubby travels freely with his job. We've also explored everything South Africa has to offer in terms of destinations and experiences.

I know it's corny, but there is a hole world of opportunities out there for me, there are places in Wales, outside this window I've yet to see.

But there are 3 places I'd like to visit, that I've never been to and going somewhere new is what appeals to me. In June I'm off to Canada, why? just because I can, I have a twitter buddy and pen friend there who said 'if you're ever passing' 

I carry my passport with me at all times

My case seems to be permanently packed

Given the opportunity when dropping family and friends at the airport, I'd be on a plane someone, if I could. This year also sees me return to the UK in September and back to South Africa in October and November, but if I have time and money here is where I'd like to visit.

1. Scotland - I've only been to Edinburgh twice and both times only for a weekend. I'd love to explore more of Scotland, see the wildlife, camp under the stars, visit the beaches, catch a ferry to the numerous islands. Living abroad people always tell me how much they'd love to visit the UK, I lived there for 39 years and never saw half of it.

2. Peru - The Inca Trail. I would love to travel back in time and see how the Inca's lived. I have no knowledge or opinions on what Peru would be like, the culture, the history or even the food and accommodation, but that's what appeals to me the most, a voyage of discovery.

3. Australia - I have family there, a friend is emigrating there soon, it's a continent I've never visited, like Peru, there is noting in particular that stands out for me to want to see, but I'd love to travel by train across the country, stopping off where I wanted to for as long as try my hand at surfing or at the very least take some photographs.

Geography lesson for stupid people

There's not much doubt that most people know where England is, but what a lot of people don't know is that the land mass they refer to as England is actually called Great Britain and contains 3 countries called England, Wales and Scotland.

I'm fed up of being asked where I'm from when I travel and I usually reply England for 2 reasons. If if say 'Newport' a lot of people have no real idea where Newport is and if I say Wales, I'm often asked where that is. A twitter friend told me the other day that when she was in Spain and said she was Welsh, the other person replied 'Oh that's in England, isn't it' her eye is still twitching.

In America once a woman told me of her trip to England, she meant London, then proceeded to tell me she loved the Eiffel Tower, I told her that was in France and her response 'Oh I didn't know that' never mind that the currency and the language was different, she was near enough in her mind.

So to clarify things

Britain is England (yellow) and Wales (pink)
Great Britain is England, Wales and Scotland (yellow, pink and green)
United Kingdom is England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (yellow, pink, green and purple)
And France (red) is bottom right........

and while we're at it, people....Africa is NOT one country, it is a continent.