Barnaby Grudge

Slept in the lounge on the floor just because it was cooler than lying on the cushions of the sofa/banquette which sink to nothing after a few minutes of sitting on them. I slept well and lay awake for quite a while before a call woke Assmae, enjoying the quite and time to myself. We got dressed and had a breakfast of sweet mint tea, poured from a great height into small glasses, returned to the pot and the same procedure repeated. More bread and chocolate spread and olives if you wanted them. We sat together for a while, Assmae and her grandfather and his wife talking and watching more Top Gear. Assmae then said she was going to leave me for a bit and she disappeared for maybe an hour. I read 'Nice Work' and got to within a page of finishing when she came back and we prepared to leave. We dropped in, unplanned, to someone else's house for a few minutes but involved ltos fo greetings and farewells and 'a la prochaine, inshallah'. At the same time I had a call about a job that later came to nothing. We left and took a taxi back tot he guys house and hung around drinking tea and discussing the state of British castles.

Abdullah had made us all a chicken tajine with onions, plums and boiled egg. The television, always on, was playing some very silly film about people stealing cars. After that, while I sat and watched most of another film, Entrapment, the others wandered off and did their own things and Assmae took 50dh from me to get a taxi to collect our bags from her flat and buy some things to eat for the journey. They called me through to the other room as the girls were dancing and I tried to join in but it's nothing like dancing back home.

When Assmae left to get the luggage, I started watching Fight Club above the deafening noise of someone taking, what sounded like a battering ram to the front door downstairs. I never really found out what was going on but they very soon cut through a wire and killed the television supply so I lay face down on a rug and slept soundly until Assmae to me we needed to head to the bus depot. Tyler was still on the screen so I can't have slept for more than an hour but I had been in a dead sleep and it felt like the middle of the night. We took a taxi and hung around waiting for our bus, taking photos of each other until it was time for us to leave. We said fond goodbyes and boarded seats 10 and 11. The evening's drive was uneventful, passing through towns and villages in the dark.

Their Mutual Friends

I slept very well on a bed made up for me and woke a couple of times during the morning before getting up around midday, thirsty but reliant on someone buying me bottled water before I can drink. Sat listening to and watching a channel of men singing from various Arab countries but all in long, white robes and head scarves. All five of us went out to buy our tickets for tomorrow; another long walk with sweat pouring off my brow al the time. En route we saw the usual donkeys and carts laden with fruit standing at the side of the road, scarlet hibiscus and purple and white bougainvillia pouring over walls and gates and the endless Yamaha Citizens laden with passengers and goods. We got back, drank water and rested. My ticket to Laayoune was 22o dhirams. We packed up half an hour or so later and took a taxi to Assmae's flat. She changed while I sat in the little room in the courtyard again. We crossed over the main road opposite the compound and found a place to eat. I generously stood a meal of a large salad and a baguette and fries each. I think it came to nearly £4! We had to return to the compound for something Assmae had forgotten, then we caught a taxi to near where her grandparents live.

They live in an area of Agadir that Assmae tells me is very popular. The roads are in a bad state and there are pedestrians everywhere and piles of stray kittens in raggledy mounds. We arrived at the house and as usual, a very humble looking entrance belies a well kept interior. We sat and were offered very sweet mint tea, small biscuits, bread and chocolate spread, olives, oil, sugared palmieres and pains au chocolat. I sat for a long time not understanding anything but quite content not to be doing much. Assmae then said we would go out and have a walk. We went round streets of souks and saw carts of fruit, mountains of watermelon, goats heads and hooves fronting butcher's stalls, shops with chillers full of improbably red sausages and mince, toys laid out on the floor and an assault of smells; bread, raw meat, body odours and a general stench from detritus on the street. It was very colourful and heaving with people. After walking the length of the souk area, Assmae suggested we stop and sit and pointed to a grassy area that was essentially a large central reservation between two main roads, one of them a dual carriageway. We made our way across and joined a few hundred other people who were sitting on the grass. Assmae shouted over the traffic that it was a beautiful spot. Oddly enough the cool grass under my feet and a holiday feeling with kids running round made it a welcome stop. We walked back and just before getting to the flat, Assmae spotted someone she knew and we called in and sat for an hour and a half with various friends, drinking fizzy apple and eating watermelon. People were friendly and spoke the few words of French or English that they knew but I pretty much just sat there.
Back at the flat I was introduced to the uncle Assmae had told me about earlier. We all shared a lamb tajine and then melon and watermelon.
I later took a shower and was just as hot and sticky as I had been before. Sent some texts and caught up on my journal.

Great unexpectations

Twenty four hours ago I had no plans for today. Now I am on the train to Gatwick to attend a wedding in the desert and reconnect with Assmae and Johanne.

Seven days ago I was in my overdraft with no income. Now I have experienced the lavish generosity of God who cares for more than just my needs and whose timing is perfect.

'All change' in some respects but true to form, I threw coffee down my white shirt before the train even pulled out of Bedford station.

Yesterday was stifling and close, today its throwing it down with rain. Tonight in Agadir, the temperatures are due to be in the high 90s. Thunder and lightning at Gatwick meant a delayed flight. We were in the air for about 3.5 hours - enough time for me to read 3/4 of a David Lodge novel; 'Nice Work'.

Met Assmae very easily and texted Wes to let him know I had arrived and quickly changed my FB status to let friends know I'd made contact and was safe. Assmae came with three friends and we started to walk from the airport. After a few minutes we stopped and talked to a taxi for several minutes then stood around for several more before getting in; three girls in the back and two guys sharing the front seat. We arrived at an apartment complex, Assmae tells me, just for girls where I waited downstairs while she went up to change. I took off my silk scarf from round my shoulders and savoured the few, occasional seconds of breeze while watching other girls covered in hijab, western clothes and Moroccan tunics. Assmae's girl friend is wearing mulafeh and I've used a few Hassaniya phrases already. I was mostly laughed at!

We then got into another taxi and my case was thrown on top of the car in a shallow kind of crate and held down by gravity. We came to another flat where my case was carried up and I think is the home of Assmae's two male friends. Assmae holds my hand when we walk and even though I can only understand when someone speaks French, I'm not disposed to ask to many questions about where I'm spending the night or what is happening or where we are headed as we jump into various taxis. It's fun to live totally in the moment and just see what happens. I've been promised a henna tattoo later and a trip into town.

A plate piled with pastries arrived on the table and what looked like a bowl of milk. Top Gear is on the television with Arabic subs! The large mixing bowl was indeed milk, as I later discovered. It was mixed with sugar and apparently it's something they do when they have a visitor or someone new with them so I was invited to start and then it was passed around the circle. After a while we all went out and walked through town. We walked past an enclosed park that had dozens of animals that were like mountain goats and some with very cute babies. Assmae said there were monkeys in there too - neither native to Morocco. There was also a loud chattering of birds I couldn't see or recognise from the noise. We caught a taxi part of the way to the beach and walked down the really touristy area and walked the length of the prom past clubs and restaurants. At the far end we got onto the beach and began to walk back. It was lovely to have cold sand under my feet after such a hot day. We walked in the surf and the water was really warm - cooling but no jolt of cold that you expect even after hours of sunlight. WE came across this enormous oddity that Assmae could only describe as sea butter but it looked just like an enormous, white jellyfish to me but she laughed when I asked if it was alive. She pushed a bit off the top with her fingers and it looked as though it had a jelly-like consistency. It was the shape of a big-domed fried egg and about the size of a car wheel. We sat down on the sand and sat quietly for at least half an hour until I was just beginning to get really chilly and then we walked for about 45-50 minutes then took a taxi the rest of the way back to the guys flat. I had lost all track of time but knew I was really exhausted. Before passing out I checked my watch - 3:30 a.m.

Sardinia: Day 8

In the morning we said various goodbyes and Sonia went to look around the Botanical gardens and amphitheatre area as she hadn't explored this before. I just walked to a local cafe for coffee and to catch up with my journal, partly because my leg would prevent me from walking without pain.

I wrote in the visitor's book at the hostel and was equally amused and ashamed by the previous comment of an Englishman who accused the hostel of infringing human rights by playing music later than midnight!

Sardinia: Day 7

Sonia and I took the bus to Baia Chia together. She has not already been to this beach. The sky was more cloudy but still warm. We laughed about how we crept in last night and then the moment we got to bed the two German girls came crashing in and turned the lights on and how Francesco had made signs from paper plates with numbers to grade 'Miss Hostel' in an event that never took place. We laughed about the woman we'd seen at the traffic lights with long tapered toe nails and how I'd said she looked like Wolverine!

The sea was quite a bit colder than yesterday at Villasimius so after sunbathing for quite a while, we went and sat under the palm leaf parasols by the cafe shack, had lunch and talked more and watched the spotted flycatchers going to and from their nest in the top of the umbrella we were sat beneath. I swam once more before leaving, knowing that in all likelihood I wouldn't return to that particular spot again. My leg was still giving me considerable grief walking back to the bus then hostel.

We stopped for fried potatoes and mixed vegetables in the place opposite and returned to the hsostel with them. There was already quite a lot of people in the outside bar area and we were soon a group of about half a dozen - two portugese girls who are now in our room, who Sonia made particularly good friends with as she is of Portugese descent. Bart joined us and a new guy called Joel who is Lebanese, living in the States, speaks four languages and is here to humour himself with an 8 day stay on his tour of the Mediterranean, studying the remnants of Phoenician history and language. He is 21. In late autumn he is going to Chennai to work for an NGO promoting the rights of women. It is a delightful reprimand to meet people who are really pursuing what they want to do, learning multiple languages, studying somewhat niche areas of interest and being so open, friendly and driven by a love for life. We stayed up 'til 2, talking ancient history, etymology and travel.

Sardinia: Day 6

After breakfast we headed to the bus station and bought tickets for Villasimius. It's a longer ride that to Chia but the views are stunning - no flamingoes but a coast like Cornwall with translucent, aquamarine blues. We passed beach after beach, little coves with boats and almost unpeopled stretches of sand. It was a 15-20 minute walk to the beach but i started to have really painful shin splints in my left leg and I was soon limping. We stoped at a little mini-mart for bread, cheese, fruit and water. The beach was equally beautiful to Baia Chia - the water as transparent with the same fish swimming at our feet. I didn't get to read as Sonia and I talked lots and I had a doze too. I just loved getting to practice my French so much. There was a constant wind and the sand was deep in my ears, covering my eyelashes and I had a whole other beach on my scalp. After eating our flatbread and emmental, there was sand between our teeth also! We were there for about five hours. The walk back was really painful for me but once I was on the buse and stopped weight-bearing the pain went.

Back at the hostel it was so good shower out the sand and wash off the white, salt residue from my legs. We went out for dinner at Restaurant Olympic. I had a really god spaghetti carbonara. We spent the rest of the evening, 'til about half 12, sat in the 'outside-inside' bar talking with Simon, the English guy from York who is teaching English, Hisham, the Moroccan who claims to speak French but clearly cannot, Simone the Italian guy who works in the bar and Bart, the Pole with excellent English accent who is studying interior architecture in Holland and has come for a 2 or 3 day workshop. A really great melange of cultures and languages which is what I so love about travelling and hostelling.

Sardinia: Day 5

Bad idea!Last night I smothered myself in, newly purchased, after sun. This morning I look like a bullfrog. My eyes are bloated and nearly shut with swelling from having put some of the cream near my eyes. I went down to breakfast late with a peaked cap and a sullen air. The guy who runs the bar asked how I was and took my 'so-so' as an indication that I was hung over - an honourable excuse here! I went out to find Saturnino church which was (one of?) the first locations of the early church. Its plain, rough interior and restoration work going on outside was, for me, a lot more attractive than the more ornate churches full of marble and gilded shrines. I went on to where I expected to see art (Exma) but found it was shut, despite what the guide book suggested so I just sat for a while with a cappuccino. Next, I walked round an area I hadn't looked at before. There were no particular attractions but the narrow, pedestrianised streets were very pretty and many of the inhabitants had made lush gardens along their outside walls with potted plants, most of which would only grow in a conservatory in England. Today has been roasting again with occasional patches of cloud.

I stopped at an outside cafe in front of Bastione St Remy and ordered a meat-stuffed aubergine which was delicious, covered in toasted breadcrumbs and served with a small helping of warm, oily salsa. Very good. An entertaining, the increasingly aggravating elderly man who worked at the cafe stood at the doorway shouting offers, greetings and directions to all passers by. I finished my insalata mista and ordered a cupuccino. He enthusiastically shouted to someone inside to bring coffee with 'dolce' for the lady and out came my drink and a plate with two cakes, neither of which looked very appetising nor was I prepared to pay for. I didn't pay for the sweets but a bill of over £18 was a rip-off whichever way you look at it.

Went back to the hostel to charge camera batteries. Bought a two-scoop cone on the way; Ferrero Rocher and Raffaelo. Went out and spent quite a while at the internet cafe replying to job agencies that had called and mailed me in the last day or two. Found another cafe and drank a Pilsner. Felt a bit bad about not doing much today but I finished 'Grimus' and reading was one of my main priorities of holiday plans. Returned to hostel to get the next book! Sat and decided what to do tomorrow, checked cash flow and caught up on journal.

A new girl arrived in the room - Sonia, une francaise et voila pourquoi je n'ai pas ecrit mon journal depuis deux jours! We hung out together and decided to go to the beach together the next day.

(At this point my journal simply reads '*This was the evening of Luca & Francesco' and that is how I shall leave it!)

Sardinia: Day 4

Made it to breakfast this morning for about half nine as I had to catch the bus at 11. Said goodbye to Giuseppe and walked to the bus station. Loved the adventure of catching a bus out somewhere I'd never been before. Arrived in Baia Chia and was settled on the beach by 12:30. It's a really gorgeous location. Sparsely populated, found down a long sandy path before arriving at a large expanse of sand with a tower at one end, up on a hill, lakes surrounded by tall reddes behind the beach and a small cafe with tables and palm leaf parasols. Rocky hills in the background and altogether a perfect place to spend the day. The beach drops into a shelf a few steps into the water. It is like glass in clarity and even when you are nearly neck deep, you can look down and see sandy white fish with black stripes swimming around your feet. I stayed 'til 6:45 when the last bus arrived back. It was overcast and a little too cool for a lot of the day but the last hour or two were very hot with blue skies. I dipped, dozed and carried on reading 'Grimus'.

I went back to the hostel and showered. Shortly after, I went out to get something to eat and ate close by in the Marina quarter. I had a small, watery spaghetti bolognese that I made palatable with a heavy-handed helping of parmesan. I had a bargain basement carafe of chilled house red. Quite dreadful. I decided to try a Sardinian cake - sebadas - to drag a memorable meal out of something bland and forgettable. What was put in front of me looked like a round, possibly deep-fried popadum but with some depth and drenched in hot honey. The outside crispy pastry and honey was quite pleasant and inside there was something that looked like melted mozzarella but tasted of almost nothing - if pushed I might concede uncooked pastry. The customers were serenaded with unsolicited music from a gentleman and his accordion who demonstrated no discernable talent for playing his instrument or when to stop asking for money. I returned to the hostel and decided to get an early night. I was in bed by 11.

Sardinia: Day 3

I stayed in bed all morning, missing breakfast but thoroughly enjoying the freedom to do nothing, guilt-free. It rained while I switched between resting and dozing.

I eventually left the hostel around midday and with the only thought being to check a bus timetable at some point, I wandered a short way before stopping for a late breakfast of orange juice, croissant and cappuccino at E4. I finished reading Murakami's 'After the Quake', feeling totally content to just be, without plans or the sense of having to achieve anything to make the day worthwhile.

I found an internet cafe and charged my phone a little while I checked for mail and wrote to Wes. I walked to the bus station and booked myself a ticket to go to Baia Chia tomorrow.

Back in the Marina district I found a pleasant cafe with outdoor seating where I had a mushroom risotto, onto which I piled excessive yet delicious amounts of Parmesan. Having realised that the Iris Murdoch I had brought with me I have already read, I returned to the hostel, changed books and decided to visit the Botanical gardens. They were beautiful; a waterfall, ponds, caves and shady walkways full of exotic trees and interesting foliage. I think I saw siskins and certainly a greenfinch, a blackcap, maybe a spotted flycatcher and another small bird with a speckled front, a forked tail and a fine beak - perhaps a juvenile flycatcher. Must check. There was a trefoil shaped pond with water pouring from an urn which then trickled into a stream through dense ferns.

After the gardens, I wandered some more and ended up in St Michele Church. Silent and cool. I lay on a pew admiring the vaulted dome then caught up on my journal. I left the church at 18:40.

Bought plasters for my blister and kind chemist accepted all my small chnage even though I was a few sous short. Started reading Salman Rushdie's 'Grimus' over a coffee. I sat there 'til I was cold and returned to the hostel but stopped at the potato place opposite and had a cone of deep-fried vegetables that were actually a really nice alternative to chips.

Got back to the hostel and sat reading in the outside bar. Saw a guy sat on his own looking bored so after a few minutes I plucked up the courage to talk to him. He called himself Joseph but later transpired he is called Giuseppe, is 29 and was in Cagliari for the day to do some work before returning home to Naples. We went out for pizza and beer, walked down by the docks/marina, came back and hung out with him and four other people at the hostel bar and sat talking 'til about 2.

Sardinia: Day 2

Got to breakfast just after 9:30 and had strong coffee, very good rolls with white butter, jam, a poor croissant in a plastic bag and an apple I kept for later. Rather a disappointing first meal but I was distracted by plans for the day. After checking with the receptionist who told me the wether was going to be bad - cloudy and maybe rain - I thought I would get the bus to Il Poetto and see if I could spot some flamingoes. I stopped en route for postcards and wrote them while having an espresso on Via Roma.

I didn't reach the bus station where I was going to ask about connections to other places on the island as I saw my bus approaching and had leapt on before realising I didn't have a ticket. I got off at the same stop as a party carrying buckets and spades and headed for the beach, temporarily putting the birds to one side as the sky was blue and it was hot. Found myself a spot on the boiling hot sand and spent maybe 2.5 hours between the sea and sand, luxuriating in the fact that I could read, swim and sunbathe at will. I thought the clouds were coming over so I packed up and walked the length of the rest of the beach to the marina and took some photos.

I hiked down the main road beside a fence with 6-8 foot high reeds blocking my view of the marshes for the most part. Although I couldn't see a way of getting in, there were several points when the reeds gave way and I could see lots of knock-kneed flamingoes sifting their outsized beaks through the water. I provoked a number of beeping cars and shouts as I stood on a low wall and hung onto the chain-link fencing to crane my neck and see the birds more clearly!

I rejoined the beach and had a roll and water and read some of my Murakami, 'After the Quake'. Feeling a little sore from the sun, I suddenly felt the need to get back, shower and cool down. I caught the PQ bus back into the city and enjoyed using the direct route back to the hostel, unencumbered with luggage.

Forgot to mention I visited a couple of churches this morning - the first was San Sepolcro immediately next to the hostel. There was a congregation of two and a woman reading intensely at the front but I had a lovely time praying. The second church was full and had people standing. Some lively worship was taking place and people singing modern songs with gusto.

After getting back to the hostel, I realised just how much I had caught the sun. (In retrospect, I hadn't. I learnt just how burnt I was over the next three days when every move was painful!) I showered to cool down as much as anything then lay down and slept for two hours.

I woke slowly and gathered myself to go out at around 20:30. I planned to do some wandering around and find somewhere to eat eventually. I took a road I hadn't been down before and after a few minutes developed a raging thirst that dwarfed any appetite. By this point I was heading away from the main town centre so I could either go ahead and uphill with no guarantee of finding anything or kill all remaining morale and retrace my steps. I kept on uphill! I was feeling increasingly like a Paul Bowles character until I found a stall near the Roman Amphitheatre selling water. I could only drink the icy water slowly but once I had, my hunger came back and I walked for a long time before realising I was going the wrong way. By the time I was sat on the Piazze Yenne, eating a beautiful, oily pesto, cheese and walnut pizza, it was 23:30 but as busy as the middle of the day and only just beginning to cool. I was back in my room by 12. Two German girls had replaced the Brazilians.

Sardinia: Day 1

Greta suffered my misdirections to Stanstead and drove on single track roads for too much of the journey!

Hostel Marina is a short walk from where I got off the bus and it would have been a delightful stroll if it hadn't been an almost vertical climb up a series of crumbling steps and winding streets whose names bore only a passing resemblance to what was indicated on the map. The hostel is down a secluded passageway with a pretty little square directly outside with just enough room for three tables. I mistook this as belonging to the hostel when I arrived but it actually services a cafe specialising in almost circular chips served in cones, stapled by the patron.

The hostel, on arrival, was clamourous. It was heaving with people in the reception area and the receptionist and I had to raise our vvoices at each other for me to pay my E138 balance and be issue my cared key for room 215. I was expecting a 6 bed dorm but it is only a 4 bedder with just one other girl currently occupying. She's no volunteered any conversation yet. She is on the upper floor of the room so I have stayed downstairs for now. (As I'm writing, two other girls have arrived so maybe I'll get some conversation. I don't recognise their language yet.)

Once I had dropped my kit at the hostel, I went out in search of water and was so thirsty I drank 3/4 bottle of fizzy water, not caring that I hate the taste. I bought a 'pizzette' which was a folded over rectangular deep-pan style bread and cheese affair for E1.50 and admired the insane range of gelato that I would come back to later.

I began to walk at random through lanes that took my fancy and came across a lift that took you up to another level, so feeling like I'd joined some double-yer-points video game, I got in and found myself effortlessly at the highest point of the city, at the Bastione St Remy in the Castello area of the city. The views of the city are panoramic and you can see a mass of sandy-red buildings piled up the side of the hill, punctuated with various sized domes and out, beyond, to the salt marshes and the sea. At one point I came across a public address at an outdoor cafe with a film crew and a panel of four, discussing the foreigner in Italy. It was a literary festival - of which I could not understand a word! I kept walking and saw a newly married couple posing for photos beneath an ancient arch on cobbled streets. I walked down dark, narrow alleyways with tall apartments either side that cut off all but a streak of blue sky, parallel with my route. Artisans had easels and tables out displaying their creations, people were hanging out of high windows and balconies were festooned with lines of washing, typical of many Mediterranean countries. I suddenly discover I have walked a full circle and have happily arrived back where I started! I walk on a little further to get some gelato that I have offset already with two pieces of fruit from a grocery store! I order yoghurt and nutella. I discover that only the yoghurt is ice-cream. The nutella is in fact, pure nutella and I have a very generous scoop of it in my tub. I put in a valiant effort and stop just short of feeling sick! I return to the square outside to get a coffee and am refused milk, receiving instead a E1 shot of espresso.

I am now in my room after a very necessary shower, with the tall french windows open, a thin flame of waxing crescent moon barely visible. There is live music down in the bar which sounds very good but is made up entirely of drums and I have no chance of dropping off while it continues so I shall pick up D.H.Lawrence's 'Sea and Sardinia' again that I read a third of on the plane here.

Morocco begins...

The sea is always such a shock when you fly, suddenly there’s a massive line through the landscape and a sold grey-blue surface like burred steel. Flew over the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands – the sea was rough around their Cornish-like coast. I could see the straight, sleek line of the French coast running away South-East. Another sizeable island with a scalloped north coast and a hot-fat fried pancake south coast, then an expanse of water dusted with white peaks like eraser rubbings. Next we crossed the Brest Peninsular of France, past a bay with a couple of hundred boats all moored in neat curving lines, mirroring the mainland. Over Spain, opaque cloud like a snow drift ended abruptly over the Pyrenees, some cloud pouring down the side of the mountains. I saw long lakes carved between mountains, sandy beige tracks webbing over ridges like contour lines. One lake resembled a woman’s figure with a full skirt and cinched waist, triangular arms and distorted head. Remote roads zig-zagged and chicaned across the moleskin brown countryside giving some hills a terraced appearance. Wind farms added to the relief of deeply veined rock then the ground became red. I saw what looked like a deep rift snaking out of a lake and running to meet another deep valley like a geographical t-juntion. The water came more clearly into view as it wound west and towards our flight path. At an oxbow curve there was a bridge and dam spanning the river. I saw a motorway junction like a treble clef. The land soon began to break up as the river dramatically expanded and peninsulars of land splayed out into the water in soft rounded shapes like the fronds of a fern. The ground gave the impression of rusty brown and sandy mottling like a tie-dyed cloth, then suddenly the southern Portugese coastline came into view and I began to get very excited at seeing the coastline of a new continent. Africa!

So began my journal of Morocco but now I have to do some college work so it will just have to wait!

ROME

All photos from this trip can be seen on my facebook pages. This is just the travel journal as it was written each day.

Thursday 13 August

Got off work an hour early to get the train to Gatwick just before 6pm. I am now very much sold on Yotel as a chain. The décor is very stylish, the lighting ambient, the corridors have a pleasing purple-pink glow and the place could have been designed by Apple. The bed is large for a single and is rather like a top bunk but in a recess half the way up the wall with a curved box edging. The sheet glass doors to the bathroom and wall to wall mirrors are immaculate and have an agreeable look of a white iPod with its clean lines and rounded corners.

I had every intention of getting a really early night but ‘Mock the Week’ was on TV, followed by Clive Anderson hosting a funny, political programme and then I needed to shower and straighten my hair! Tomorrow is a 5am wake up call.

Friday 14 August

Arrived in Rome at 10:15 and met up with Margaret and Marianne a little after 1. We got a taxi to the apartment that has a gorgeous leafy courtyard with banana plants. We heaved our cases up four storeys and fell into a lovely cool apartment. It's a lovely space with an open plan upstairs. We headed out and wandered all the afternoon and evening. Saw St Peter's Square, the castle, bridges over the Tiber... Had my first carb hit in 3 weeks with a huge chocolate and yoghurt ice cream. It was ridiculously good. Later we ate at a little cafe down a side street and I had really good roast chicken and salad. Enjoyed getting a feel for the city. The weather was blisteringly hot with an occasional breeze. Had a few minutes at an internet cafe then went back via a grocery store for showers. Margaret and I sat and chatted in the garden while Marianne went in to shower. We chatted about ideas for the rest of the week - looks like I may get a lifetime's dream fulfilled by visiting Capri - then headed for bed.

Saturday 15 August

The day started well and ended well. We finally got moving about 1pm after sleeping in til 12. Found a lovely market just down the road and I bought a dress for 15 euros. By the end of the day Marianne and I had shared a bottle of Branciforti red Sicilian wine which was excellent. In between I reckon we must have easily walked 10 miles and my feet were killing me. Saw lots of stuff that had just closed (!); Pantheon and Colosseum. Great to see (outside) of Colisseum at dusk. Saw innumerable white edifices. Place Venezia was very cool. Walked up steps and had good views. Ate gelato (pineapple, white chocolate), walked along the Tiber in the evening where there were tents erected as makeshift bars and restaurants. We saw the Trevi Fountain in the day which was superb. Drank so much water from street side taps because of the heat. I enjoyed putting my feet under the freezing water and filling up my bottle over and over again. Temperatures must have been mid 30's at least. Saw Bernini's elephant, looked through crack in door at Pantheon as we had gotten there after 1pm. Big national holiday today so many places shut - seems it's traditional for Romans to leave the city today. Finally travelled back to apartment on the metro. I showered back at apartment and ate 2 boiled eggs while Margaret and Marianne went for something to eat. They ordered pizza and ended up with some vile warm bread and cheese combo.

Sunday 16 August

First thing, well about half ten, Marianne and Margaret went for a run. After, we headed out for the beach. It was a fabulous day. Weather was incredible - again. Really hot and clear blue skies. We had a short stop at ?Orista Antico because Marianne had been told that was the right place - it wasn't but I had a great latte there! Got the next train to the end of the line. Just as we are getting out, there's a bus about to leave - I assume it's taking us to the beach and so leg it to get on. M&M follow. Once the doors shut and we are pulling away, Marianne asks; 'Where is this bus going?' and Margaret and I said together; 'Back to Rome'. We thought it was hilarious. We laughed so hard - only made funnier by the fact that the bus is rammed with people. Anyway, we got of a couple of stops later and ended up on a private beach, were met by Joanna, one of the owners, charged 2 euros each and shown where to buy drinks etc. We ran as fast as we could across boiling sand to pitch our spot and stayed there for hours. The sea was warm, they had shower blocks and toilets you didn't have to pay for, a couple of places to buy eats and drinks. It was pretty crowded but I loved it. Read some more of 'The Gum Thief' and had a freckle explosion. Was in and out of the sea loads. My feet don't hurt anymore after yesterday. The beach closed around 7:30 and we headed back to Rome. It was a long wait on the train before it left and it seemed like a much longer journey back into the city than it had been getting out there. On the way back there was this quirky looking guy - either an intellectual or a little unhinged - it's a fine line (!) - anyway, he was clearly listening to everything we were saying. So we forced him to have his picture taken with Margaret - it's a holiday tradition. He looked pretty astonished at first but then had this look of excited bewilderment - it was rather sweet! Margaret later said; 'Thank goodness primal fear never stops me. I have to tell you I was ready to run. He was a crazy wide eyed man with a lit cigarette in his hand' It really was a very funny moment. Back in the city and hunger hit. At this point I had eaten 2 eggs all day.We went into a kebab shop and I had chicken and salad - then blew it next door with yoghurt and bacio gelato. So good to get back in and shower off the sun tan lotion, sand and salt. Another event I was reminded of by Marianne was 'the guy with his foot in the door'! This man tried to get on the bus back from the beach but there wasn't enough space. We weren't even going to fight that one. All of him bar his foot made it out of the bus before the doors shut and the bus pulled away! This poor guy was shouting, hopping on one leg and hammering on the door of the bus. He made it but we all thought we were about to see something catastrophic.

Monday 17 August

Well I thought yesterday was good. Wow. Today we went to Capri for the day and I realised a dream of getting to the island which is the last resting place of Graham Green and holiday haunt of Iris Murdoch! It was truly stunning. It took us approximately 5 hours either end of the day to get there - metro to 'Termini', train to Naples, bust to port and hydrofoil to the island - but it was well worth it. The town climbs up the mountain from the port under a faultless blue sky and barricaded on either side by sheer craggy rocks that tower hundreds of metres above the sea. The town has a dipping, curved skyline of white houses and other buildings. The sea is incredibly clean and green/blue - particularly as it breaks onto the rocks. No sooner had we stepped off the hydrofoil than we saw boat trips round the island advertised so we got on immediately as it was about to set off. Everything about the trip was stunning - the cliffs, pitted by the sea and worn into caves all along sea level, the tiny coves with people diving off their boats into turquoise water, the architecture of the landscape with rocky arches, holes through vast rocks that boats could fit through and the clarity of water so clean you could see huge rocks on the sea bed many metres below the hull of the boat. I was longing to submerge myself. After the trip we walked round part of the town by the port, had gelato (Milka white chocolate - probably even surpassing lemon meringue flavoured ice cream in Venice!), bought bits and pieces (I found a lovely metal lizard). M&M wandered a bit more and I borrowed Marianne's costume and swam in the sea for ten minutes before catching the hydrofoil back to Napoli. Spent the rest of the evening getting home!

Tuesday 18 August

Today didn't start well for me as the bank wouldn't give me money and I couldn't get through to arrange a transfer. It all worked out in the end but it took most of the morning and I was horribly embarrassed. We stopped by the Trevi Fountain again as it was close by 2 churches we wanted to see and we needed to kill some time before they opened. The first one we went to was truly macabre. It had a crypt of several vaulted rooms decorated with thousands of human bones and full skeletons. Marianne, as an anatomy and physiology teacher was so excited to be there, Margaret was deeply moved by it and had to leave before we did. I was impressed by the visual impact but had questions about the morality of making chandeliers and grim reaper sickles out of human remains. A really memorable visit. Then we went on to the church I wanted to visit - ?Santa Maria della Vittoria - as it had the Bernini sculpture I wrote about in my M.A dissertation; The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa. It was another dream realised for me. After that we went on to the Colosseum - this time while it was open! It was incredibly hot but well worth the effort and 12 euros. Chilling to see where they kept the animals and gladiators. Sobering to remember the christians who were martyred there. There was an interesting little expo there about Vespasian and the Flavian dynasty. Headed down towards Place Venezia for something to eat. Sat and ate chicken salad at the same place we had take out from earlier in the week. We each got a gelato at various stages of the journey home. In the evening we sat sharing most embarrassing stories. Have read half of Marianne's Hemingway book this holiday; 'Garden of Eden'.

Wednesday 19 August

Started earlier today than other days and headed first for the Pantheon. Saw the tomb of Raffael with flying, bronze birds above and the huge circular aperture that has previously acted as a sundial. We then went to St. Peter's Basilica and queued for about an hour before realising that the Vatican Museums took in their last visitors at 3:30 (2 hours time) and then skipped the queue. It became apparent that we could still get inside the church and that was free. We all went to go in but they were not being consistent with the dress code and Marianne was barred entry even though her shorts were several inches longer than other people who were allowed entry. This riled all of us and Margaret and I went round very quickly and took a stack of photos then left. We then went to the Vatican Museums. I don't think I have been to any museum so extensive. We decided to walk through to the Sistine Chapel and look at other exhibits on the way back once we had seen what we really needed to. It was just as well because the walk to get to the sistine was miles worth of corridor from the entrance. The room was dimmer than the others and packed with people but as with much on this trip, worth the traipse. After the museums, we just needed to eat. We went into a supermarket and I offered to cook. I made chicken stuffed with pesto and cheese, wrapped in speck with green salad and Prosecco. We read for a bit and I did the girls nails with funky designs of ladybirds for Margaret and dandelion heads for Marianne. We went ou tfor our final gelato and I had 'yoghurt with honey and pine nuts' and 'nutella'. It was the best we'd had in rome. We came back, packed and read.

Thursday 20 August

Alarm off at 6. Fabio the taxi at 7. Flight at 11. Great break away.

Brighton rocks

Elaine and I had a day down in Brighton yesterday. Just decided to go away the day before and amazingly we had probably the best day's weather we've had this summer!






Spent the first 2-3 hours on the beach which explains why i am now mostly bright red. I'd thrown my costume in just in case and of course I couldn't resist the sea once I was there. Just the best feeling to be swimming in cold water on a boiling hot day.

We then headed for The Lanes and got some lunch. Sat in the shade just to be sure our limbs didn't end up as charcoal. I had a passable crayfish salad and a glass of Pinot Grigio but the leaves were sat in a pool of juice. They asked at the end if everything had been ok so I pointed out that I'd had to mop up loads of water from the salad and I got a free glass of wine!

I couldn't find the area of The Lanes that I remembered from last time which had stacks of quirky antique shops and, more importantly, second hand book shops but we did go into some interesting boutiques and I have another lizard to add to my collection now.

We came across a fun gallery with hollow paper towers hanging from the ceiling. I didn't entirely 'get' it

but they looked beautiful and must have taken months to put together!

After wandering round a bunch of groovy little shops we headed back to the beach and came across some live music on the front. A big crowd of people cheering and dancing to 'Insomnia'. We had another short stint paddling and caught the train home.

My last trip to Brighton had been for work so it was great to be able to spend the whole day there and not once have to think about profit margins and how to sell things to people who don't have enough money to buy them.

Today it is just as hot but without the sea I can barely stand the heat. A very fab day.

mini adventure

me and the dogbert en route for adventure

So, the rain stopped long enough for Alimal and me to put up my modest little affair of a tent.

2 hours.

with help.

This tent didn't come with instructions so we had to fall back on our impeccable logical thinking, rational explanations and ultimately 2 blokes from a nearby tent.

Thought they deserved some recognition for their effort! Mind you we had been working on it for about an hour and a half before they offered to help! Once they'd finished one of them commented about the size of that they knew where to come for their evening's entertainment, then added, I feel somewhat unnecessarily, that we'd offered quite some entertainment already!

Now I knew it was an 8 berth tent before leaving but

with clouds threatening and no

instructions I rapidly became aware that this parachute sized piece of material was going to be a monster. We dubbed it the marquee.

We had a great evening eating a French paced meal with one mess tin over a single stove.

Entree

Balsamic tomato and red pepper salad served with homegrown,

freshly cut basil and mint.

First Course

Prime sausage and onions

Second Course

Fried eggs with runny centres

All served with an excelled Ogio red.

Service compris.

Spent the evening playing 'would you rather', finishing off the wine and catching up on how we are both doing.

The night, for me, was equally 'entertaining'. At 1 am, Monty needed to get up and go out. At 4 am, Monty needed to get up and go out. At some time after that he started throwing up in the inside of my pod. It looked like carnage in the morning but the clever chap had done most of it on his bedroll so that just went in the bin!

Breakfast was something of an event. Having bought way too much to eat in one evening we set up the barbeque and had chicken kebabs, salmon steaks and sea salt, asparagus and the last egg.

I think everyone should start their day like this.

Taking down the tent was a doddle so we bundled it all up, threw it in the car and made it to church (some of us with more mud on our legs than others) for 10:45.

unexpected fun

Had a tap-tap-tap on the door this evening when the rain was bucketing down and found Lainey drenched to the skin coming to see if I was ok after she had called my phone and not heard back from me! Gave her a towel, dry clothes, dinner, watched Palin in South America and played Trivial Pursuits. A fun, spontaneous evening.

white horse

i most certainly did not drink several large glasses of cinsault and get home and find the room spinning. that would be ridiculous. how dare you.

dragon breath

...and tonight I ate the hard work that went into making the chick pea chilli. I'm within a couple of mouthfuls of spontaneously combusting.

Zeds & 'Peckers

sorry if you were expecting something else ;)

Surely it's not normal, even in this heat, to come in most every evening from work and sleep for between 1 and 2 hours? Woken up by Surfina coming in to say hello and Adnan bringing me a handful of raw chickpeas - I'd never seen them before! They are pistachio green and fuzzy all over and you can eat them raw. They taste rather like peas out of the pod.

Walked Monty for 40 minutes or so and saw 4 green woodpeckers dipping and yaffling over the river. They were stunning in the bright early evening glare and close enough to see the red on their heads. Bumped into the usual selection of known dog walkers.

The Hangover

A fairly predictable film with a cliched premise that managed to have a reasonable helping of funny moments to make it - if not exactly worth every penny - then at least a moderately harmless diversion.

a little of what you fancy

Add an hour to the clock and a musical education from Carla Bruni to Lebanese shisha via heavy rain and you have a similarly fuzzy idea of what my evening looked like as I have.

living vicariously

This evening I sat and indulged myself in the finer things of life. A chinese take-away and 3 hours of Palin. Have had 'Full Circle' on my shelf for quite a while before getting it down and it is gripping. His mix of absolutely English, comic and explorer make him an impeccable ambassador for Blighty.

Of course, watching him only serves to lengthen my 'must go to' list which is doomed never to be completed.

Current musts are;

* Japan in spring bloom

* A tour of west coast America

* Trans-Siberian railway

* The remaining countries in Europe I haven't yet visited

* St Petersburg

* Egypt

By the end of the year I will have been to 15 European countries and added another continent to the list.

...which reminds me, I have innoculations at 8:30 tomorrow morning for Latvia. MUSTN'T forget.

couldn't get this bally photo to save after rotating butwhat a cutie eh? this is me holding Dave. he rocks. completely get why c.n is probably spending every waking moment gazing into his little round eyes...although you'd have thought we would have learnt our lesson spending time with reptiles. so far Dave hasn't tried getting us to eat forbidden fruit.

my heart belongs to dave

This is Dave. He's a Chinese Water Dragon and I wish he were mine. He's very cool. He has millions of tiny scales all different colours and Catherine is lucky enough to own him.

...and other 16 year old, scholarly pursuits

It was hot and sticky. Motivation was low. There were 3 women with an overgrown sense of childish rebellion. So we decided to mess with the manager's head. A & C were in their office with the door open. I walked past the manager in reception, went out the back door and round to A & C's office. They then closed their door to indicate that they were in a private meeting. I climbed in the window. A climbed out of the window. A then went round the back and in through reception to join the meeting I was having with C. The manager was well and truly confused.

"I thought you were in there...?"

" No it's J & C in here."

Opens door to show us sitting in the office, deep in conversation.

gcse english oral exam

Wish I'd paid more attention to myself when I talked about the thing what does the wotsit with the er... you know those little things. My GCSE english oral exam was about hayfever and how it affects your ...immune system?? cells?? Really can't remember - bringing on a scary 'Flowers for Algernon' moment. Anyway it produces some kind of reaction at a very basic level that has nothing to do with pollen tickling your nasal hairs and subsequently makes me want to cut my nose off with scissors, scratch my eyes with barbeque skewers and wrap my toothbrush with sandpaper just to reach that itch at the back of my throat. Only irritated more by the fact that this is the first night in ages when I've wanted to pull the duvet cover over me before going to bed rather than pouring myself onto the top of the bed weighing up how long it will take science to create an ability for humans to turn cold-blooded in the summer. As opposed to at the drop of a hat.

3 happy moments in my week

It's just a sunflower but this sunflower was given to me by the next door neighbour when it was just a stem and two tiny leaves. This is a sunflower in a garden that has no beds but I've turned my front step into a little forest and it shouts look at me I'm gorgeous. The sunflower happens to be one of my good friends favourite flowers and this one gave me an excuse to text her a picture of to brighten her day. It's just a sunflower but it made me disproportionately happy when I left the house for work to see it's outer petals first peeling open.

I walk my dog, Monty, every evening in the same place but since we've had this really hot weather it's been so much more of a pleasure. One day this last week my friend Elaine joined me to tell me some good news and we paddled. Monty used to be really frightened of the water but with the encouragement of some other dogs he's been getting braver in the water and I love this snap of him balancing on a log and Elaine pretending to kiss him! These silly moments in random half hours need celebrating.

Earlier this week I had a text from a friend saying; 'You'll love the market outside m&s' so after my meeting I headed down and there was stall after stall of Tunisian goods. Even a stall selling red shoes! Uncanny how well my friends know me. I have a growing tug towards the Arab states of North Africa so I couldn't resist these hand painted tiles of doorways. Just a touch symbolic! At least three of them are ajar. And of course, looking at them reminds me of my upcoming trip to Morocco at the end of August.

Pinchmill Islands

Went to a very cool place with my learners today: Pinchmill Islands near Sharnbrook. It's a series of islands in the river connected by bridges in places.

The water can be shallow and still, knee deep in weeds, still pools deep enough to swim in and fast running currents that the light bounces off so you can't see where you're putting your feet for paddling. We got the chicken, kebabs and prawns cooking

on the barbeque and the brave ones waded in - some getting wetter than planned!

Can't show pictures of learners obviously so here are a couple of snaps to give you an idea of what the place is like. Arun is back on the team and is here immortalised hitching up his britches! The river is teeming with fish - I thought maybe chubb but i'm no expert. Particularly enjoyed just letting the young people talk today. Sometimes a day with no formal structure is the best for developing relationship, finding out about the issues they are facing and getting to know them better. Loved watching two guys get to hang out together for the first time - neither of whom you'd imagine ever giving each other the time of day in mainstream school but a camera fired them both up and got them talking. I love this job!

Persepolis 2.0

If you haven't already read the first two graphic novels called Persepolis, I urge you to. They are excellent, accessible and important. In brief it's about growing up, emigrating and returning to Iran. Written autobiographically by Marjane Satrapi, I can't think of a better way to spend a few quid or if you're feeling really tight and live nearby, I'll lend you mine.

Just received this today persepolis http://www.spreadpersepolis...about Iran's post-election uprising. If you've been awake you'll have noticed what's been going on recently. This piece of work is based on and inspired by Satrapi's original work. Dated from June this year, you can't get more hot off the press, up to date, relevant art.

edibles

Curry,

courtesy

of

my

next

door

neighbours

last

night

and

a

dessert

sharing

platter

from

The Park

this

afternoon.

visual history continued

summer drinks

stroked a tapir at linton zoo

gave gifts to friends

paddled