Mother’s Day In the UK the day we now call Mother’s Day, was originally known as Mothering Sunday, is a holiday celebrated by Catholic and Protestant Christians in some parts of Europe. It falls on the fourth Sunday in Lent, exactly three weeks before Easter. Wikipedia.  In the UK and Republic...

These lovely horses were standing beside St Moritz Lake on a sunny day in March. They takes tourists in a carriage around the popular and very chic ski town in the heart of the Swiss Alps. I was staying in St Moritz at the end of a train journey across Switzerland...

“We’re so excited. This year’s food and drink festival is jam-packed with sensational and varied food producers, chefs, street entertainment, master classes, cookery demos and unusual events. There really is something for everyone, whatever age and whatever foodie preference.” Cath Dutton, founder of Kendal Festival of Food is speaking in...

Gazing up through enormous sandstone walls carved into fluid waves, at the distant branches of enormous trees, it feels as if you’re in another world. A world where dryads, trolls, nymphs, dwarves and elves move unseen yet seeing, observing you from afar, luring you deeper into their universe, where who...

Herdwick sheep – Elterwater in winter So, what are your holiday plans for this year? Sunbathing on a Caribbean island? Winter sports in Switzerland? An African Safari? A cruise to the Arctic Circle? How about a few days in the lovely Lake District, in Cumbria, North West England? Often voted Britain’s...

It’s the smell of pine that greets us every morning. It’s the irregular branches and chunky needles. It’s choosing the right Christmas Tree; about 6ft tall, chubby shape, dense boughs and a pointy top on which Father Christmas perches. It’s bundling it into the car and having to put down...

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas … With only a few days to go, there are festive decorations in every city, town and village throughout the country. Christmas cards keep landing on the mat; last night I spent a few happy hours writing cards to old friends and sticking...