At 8.15 am on 6 August 1945, an atomic bomb, code-name ‘Little Boy’, was detonated above the city of Hiroshima in Japan. The explosion caused thousands of deaths on impact and thousands more in...
Mum’s Gone To Japan: Things to do in Tokyo
A bucket list trip? Yes. A retirement present from my husband to himself? Absolutely. This was always going to be the trip of a lifetime. A holiday in Japan coinciding with the 2019 Rugby...
Cobh Heritage Centre and Titanic Experience
If you’re ever in Ireland and planning to visit Cobh, let me give you a tip. It’s pronounced ‘cove’ not ‘cobb’. A big thank you to the woman at Cork station who sold us...
Ayscoughfee Hall Cafe has the recipe for success
If you live in Spalding, or visit as a tourist, you’re bound to make a beeline for Ayscoughfee Hall. It dates from the mid-15th century and is a Grade I listed building. Whilst the...
A city break in Cork at Christmas
In the run up to Christmas last year we took a trip to York. It was fabulous: a Christmas market, lovely hotel, lots of shopping and eating: an ideal way to prepare for the...
10 reasons to love Japan
After nearly a month in Japan, following the Scotland team as they played the pool matches in the Rugby World Cup, it’s fair to say Dougie and I are completely smitten with the country....
A visitor’s guide to toilets in Japan
Top of my Christmas list this year is a TOTO Washlet. No, it’s not a flannel for Dorothy’s little dog but a high-tech Japanese toilet. The all-singing, all-dancing lavatories we discovered in Japan were...
A tale of Typhoon Hagibis and the Rugby World Cup
It’s Saturday 12 October 2019. We’re in Tokyo waiting for Typhoon Hagibis to hit the mainland of Japan. The advice is to stay indoors so we’re sitting in our room, on the 22nd floor...