Week 31 - One daily Positive, Project 366, SnapHappyBritmums - Expat travel

I'm still on my travels. I left Dubai on July 2nd, travelling to South Africa, UK and Germany. Peter joined me on the 25th, flying into Birmingham and we drove to Manchester, Cumbria and Leeds before basing ourselves in Monmouth for a week, where we visited the kids, family and friends.

This week we've visited Gloucester to see our daughter and spent 3 nights in Malvern, booking into a hotel, to chill out, walking the Malvern hills, visiting as man pubs as possible, meeting our tenants and carrying out a house inspection and visiting friends. We are currently in Lyme Regis for the weekend with an ex colleague of Peters and while the men have been fishing and Barbecuing, us wives have been gossiping and shopping.

I'm now ready to go home, I've had enough of living out of a suitcase and eating out most days, my feet are sore from all the walking and my calf muscles are screaming at me when I climb the stairs.

Summer has followed me around on my travels, I was hoping for a typical British summer with plenty of rain and while it is cloudy today, most of it will be spent in the car.

Next week we have a lot of paperwork to sort and sign, coffee dates and lunches with friends, bike rides and days out with our 5 year old niece, all in and around Gloucestershire, South Wales and Bath. Next Sunday I'm off to London for a day with the Daily Mail, Peter and the teen fly out to Dubai on the 15th from Birmingham and I start the last part of my journey, via the train to St Albans before returning to Dubai on August 19th for a rest before I return to work 10 days later. We have overnight visitors at the end of the month on route from Europe back to South Africa, the teen returns to boarding school in the UK at the end of the month and child 3 of 5 is then visiting for 2 weeks with his girlfriend.

That's it then till my Mother arrives late November for 3 weeks, followed by child 4 of 5 joining us for Christmas and child 5 of 5 arriving for the New Year with my 24 year old niece.

My Week in photos:

Day 213 Sunday. Gratitude-Enjoying Sunday Lunch in the pub.


Day 214 Monday. Bathtime-Playing in the rain with my niece.

Day 215 Tuesday. In My Garden-Hotel Garden.

Day 216 Wednesday. Shoes-I don't think I can walk any further.

Day 217 Thursday. Sweet-Meeting my blogger friend Izzie.

Day 218 Friday. Fashion-Living out of a suitcase.

Day 219 Saturday. Blue-Peter returning from his fishing trip.

HDYGG in St Albans Abbey

My travels around the UK have extended from St Alban's to South Wales, Cumbria and Leeds and this weekend I'm dropping down to Lyme Regis for a few days.

One thing I miss, living in Dubai, is the variety of colours and the depth of the landscape and trees and hedgerows and old buildings and fields and trees.

I'd forgotten how green the UK is and I've been wandering around with my camera and iPhone taking pictures and it's only when I come to write a post I realised that all my pictures are of trees and views and not of plants and flowers as I've focused on in previous photo's.

I spent a couple of days wandering around St albans and for a City on the outskirts of London, I've seen a lot of greenery and old buildings and I've stayed away from the shopping centres to explore the  area further afield on foot.

These photos are taken from a visit to St Albans Abbey and gardens.

Animal Tales on my travels, South Africa, Europe and the UK.

 I started the beginning of July in Dubai with Bonnie the Foster Dog, who I'm pleased to say now has found her forever home.

 I spent a week in South Africa and went on a Day Safari to Kruger National Park.

 I said goodbye to the cat and dog back in Dubai and headed off to the UK.

I spent a few nights in St Albans Cat Sitting

I stayed with a friend, her husband, child, dog and two cats.

I went to Germany. This is Max, he relocated from South Africa to Munich a few months ago, along with his doggy friend Mya.

There was a snake in the village of Wolfrathausen, thankfully it was already dead.

Horse Guard Parade

The friendly Pit Bull on the train, from Birmingham to Gloucester.

We rarely saw other dog owners in South Africa, despite taking Bob out every weekend. In Dubai we see other dogs being walked around the houses and of course out at the lakes, but never in shops and cafes and definitely not on public transport.

Aunty Cathy's cat in Manchester.

Amanda's dog in Cumbria.

Cow plant pot in Settle.

 Seagulls and Pigeons in Gloucester.

 Swans on the River Severn in Worcester.

 And finally, Pudding the Royal Worcester Factory Cat.

The countryside has been full of fields of cows and sheep, the bird song in the gardens has captured my attention, even the Seagulls have been a welcome sight and sound, despite being a nuisance. In Dubai we see the odd camel or Oryx if we travel out into the desert, an occasional Hoope or Lilac Breasted Roller in the garden and the Flamingoes at the nature reserve. There are loads of stray cats in Dubai, but apart from that we see little wildlife or animals in public places.

This weekend I'm heading off on my travels to Lyme Regis, Peter is spending the weekend fishing on his friends boat and I shall be exploring the seaside towns and eating ice-cream.

Week 83 - My Sunday Photo - The Crematorium

Visiting the UK and making time to visit my Gran.

Sadly my Granddad died 4 years before I was born.

My Gran would have loved to have heard about our travels and life abroad. 

From time to time I pick up a post card or a small gift to give to her, then I remember she's not here anymore.

Week 30 One Daily Positive and Project366 Travel around the UK

It's been another busy week of travel, but this week I've been joined by Peter who flew in Birmingham on Monday for 3 weeks and we've been visiting family and friends. 

The blog has been neglected again, and I keep meaning to get round to uploading my photos from my trip to South Africa on my Facebook. 

Monday afternoon we drove north to Hyde to visit Aunty Kathy. Tuesday we called in at Bury to drop off the Tim Tam order with Kylie @kykaree then arrived in Cumbria to stay the night with Amanda and family @mulledred. Wednesday we drove to Leeds to collect child 3 of 5 from where he lives, he'd traveled down from Newcastle to meet us. Thursday we pottered around Monmouth, sorting out banks, wills and other paperwork. Friday we headed off to Gloucester with child 3 of 5 to see child 1 of 5 for the day and in the evening we went to the music festival with child 2 of 5. Saturday with friends for a BBQ in Newport @welsh_si and @ladywl 

Next week is just as full and includes Bath, Malvern and Lyme Regis. 

I'm hoping to meet a few more twitter people on my travels, starting with Pat @halfwelshdragon and Chloe @Indigochlo on Monday.

My photo prompts for the week

Cake-Mugg and Bean in South Aftica with a friend.

Working Hard-fish and chips in Hyde

I Remember-Peter reminiscing about his childhood

What I'm Wearing-My pjs

Now-Monmouth Music Festival

Aeroplane-KFC advertising on the road to Mozambique

Cook-BBQ at friends with Peter and Olivia 

HDYGG in Wolfratshausen - A town in Bavaria, Germany

I've traveled a fair few miles in July, from Dubai to South Africa to Dubai and the UK and a trip to Germany to visit my South African friends who moved there earlier this year.

Wolfrathausen is a town with just under 20,000 inhabitants and is 19 miles South West of Munich. 

It's summer in the Northern Hemisphere so the town is in full bloom, with over flowing window boxes, flowers beds and gardens, it would appear though that from my photos I focused more on the highly decorated houses and building and green open spaces.

Of course there were the mandatory hydrangeas at the local garden centre.

Not so friendly signs warning you about the cat in this garden which translates as Battle Cat.

Plenty of information boards on the local area.

Yellow post boxes which took me a while to work out weren't dog poo boxes.

And random cigarette machines which require you to swipe your German ID to prevent underage sales.