Category Archives: Great Thoughts

All’s Well that Ends Well (Apart from Chaos at a Bavarian Market)

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Myra

My car was a write off after the autostrada accident, and I had to wait anxiously for the verdict as to who was responsible for the crash. (Knowing Italians, I suspected that the easy explanation would be that I’m foreign, … Continue reading →

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Dementia: Caring for Mother, 92

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Myra

My usual frequent trips to Italy have been cancelled because of my mother’s increasing frailty, physically and mentally. I realised that she could not longer live independently, mainly because she was forgetting to eat, and found what I thought was … Continue reading →

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Surprise trip to New York!

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Myra

My birthday, as readers and friends know, was something of a disaster, but then all was not lost when Bill spotted a “shopping trip” to New York for 4 days flying from Newcastle. It was a whirlwind visit, not helped … Continue reading →

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October Birthday Celebrations

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Myra

October is almost a whole month of celebrating my birthday, but it got off to a very bad start when our train to King’s Cross was delayed by 3/4 hour, with a knock-on effect. To make matters worse, the Gatwick … Continue reading →

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Quintessential England

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Myra

This weekend, staying with friends in a tiny village in Swaledale, Yorkshire, we drove to Easby, a hidden corner near Richmond where there is a large ruined abbey ( courtesy of course of Henry VIII) and the little church of … Continue reading →

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Feminists Have Lost their Way

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Myra

Funny how the girlie magazines are making such a fuss about high heels at the moment, with the sacking of a receptionist at PWC for wearing ‘flats’, and bare-footed film stars on the red carpet at Cannes, whilst the much … Continue reading →

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The Hypocrisy of Luxembourg and the Schengen agreement

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Myra

On Good Friday, we had planned to drive though Belgium and Luxembourg to reach Baden Baden, our overnight destination. As we approached Luxembourg, we saw electronic signs saying that the border was closed. It was hard to believe, given all … Continue reading →

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The Comfort of Strangers

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Myra

When I was in London recently, I was on my way to Tate Britain by Underground and found myself sitting next to a man who had rummaged around in his briefcase and pulled out a text which he proceeded to … Continue reading →

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Cosi fan Tutte

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Myra

Following my splendid evening at the opera in Venice, it seemed a good idea to go to Opera North’s Cosi fan Tutte this week. Of course it contains what is generally regarded as the most beautiful music ever written, the trio … Continue reading →

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Renewed enthusiasm for Paris

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Myra

Now that there are no direct flights back to Newcastle from Venice, we are trying various options, and decided on impulse this time to return via Paris, spending two nights in a little hotel in Place d’Italie where we used … Continue reading →

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