Pictures of Malta

Sliema - Malta's most popular tourist destination

Sliema

The backstreets are narrow but incredibly quaint and certainly make for interesting driving.

A lot of the buses are very old and, I'm told, very uncomfortable. The good thing about them though, is that you can catch a bus from just about anywhere to get to just about anywhere else.

The sea surrounding Malta is said to be the clearest in the Mediterranean

Washing hanging out to dry in the street. It's a good job Malta doesn't attract the lager lout crowd or I doubt they'd be left hanging there long.

Popeye Village - the location of the film 'Popeye' starring Robin Williams

Marsaxlokk Harbour - a beautiful fishing village where life seems to have stood still for a very long time

Marsaxlokk is famed for it's colourful fishing boats (Luzzu)

Maltese Lace blowing in the breeze at the daily market

Mosta Dome - apparently the 3rd largest unsupported dome in the world

Inside Mosta Dome - an incredibly beautiful church

View from Gozo towards Comino and Malta. To be so far south, Malta and Gozo are both incredibly green and lush.

And finally, my baby, relaxing in the shade of an outdoor restuarant

Photo Tag

Yet another tag. This time it was Donna over at A More Green and Simple Life that tagged me (it must be tag season) and the idea is to go to the sixth photo folder on your computer, pick the sixth photo there and post it. Simple enough.



This is a photo taken on a canal boat holiday I had with my friend Carol last October. The weather was wonderful and the scenery beautiful. It’s the Shropshire Union Canal, which was constructed way back in 1772, taken somewhere between Nantwich, which is part of the borough I live in, and Market Drayton. Even though we holidayed VERY locally, you see your surroundings from a completely different perspective from the canals. Canal holidays are a lot of hard work but very, very peaceful.

The tag now goes to:

Green Lettuce Soup
Blog Virgin
A Piece of Wood
Lizzie’s Home World
Catz Corner
The Reductionist

Sharon J xx

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Was It The Fog?

As most of you know, LM and I were supposed to be heading for Malta on the afternoon of Saturday 29th November. We were at the airport bright and early and thought all would be fine and dandy - as you do.

The first problem I encountered was that I had to pay for two of my three boxes of medical supplies. Granted, they’re rather large boxes but they’re vitally important and I can’t travel without them yet even though I told the check-in clerk that I’d been able to take them free of charge last time I’d flown with EasyJet and that when I booked I informed the lady on the phone that there were three of them and she told me they’d be carried free, still I had to pay. Apparently, they’ll only carry one box free. Granted it was only £12 a box but even so, I really don’t think I ought to have been made to pay when I wasn’t informed beforehand. Had I been, then I’d have had my home-care company pack everything into one box.

Anyway, that out of the way, we made our way to the gate and along with a couple of hundred other passengers, we looked forward to sunshine and warmth. Boarding time came and went… no plane. Delayed because of fog, apparently. Strange considering other flights were coming and going but we figured it wouldn’t be long. Wrong! Several hours later we finally got on a plane only to be told by the crew that they’d had to land in Leeds (this was in Manchester) because they hadn’t had enough fuel to circle while they waited for a pocket in the fog. The delay meant they’d be going into overtime and while they’d agreed to follow the flight anyway, for an extra £100 each, EasyJet had declined, offering them a measly £30 each instead. Needless to say, they’d refused.

We were then told that a new crew would be waiting at Gatwick where we’d land for a crew change before finally heading for Malta. Fair enough - we could deal with that. Did it happen, though? Did it heck! Apparently they couldn’t raise a crew that were trained on that particular aircraft so off we got again only to be told that the flight had been cancelled and we’d have to spend the night in an airport hotel.

Now that doesn’t sound too bad on the face of it, but for me it meant not being able to feed and that again means no fluids. I can eat and drink until I’m blue in the face y’see and it doesn’t do a blind bit of good. My nutrition and liquids have to be pumped directly into my veins. And we all know that flying dehydrates us, don’t we? I’d already be dehydrated before I boarded the plane so I can’t say it was a flight I was looking forward to. But I was determined to get to Malta - I needed that sun for a vitamin D top up as well as actually getting away from freezing for a while (I feel the cold something horrendous due to my condition) so we were up before five the next morning and checking in at six for a flight leaving just before eight.

Eight o’clock came and went - still no plane at the gate. Things were looking decidedly dodgy. Then, about half an hour later, as if by some miracle, a plane emerged out of the fog….




Having only had a few hours sleep and feeling decidedly dehydrated, when we finally got the hotel I just zonked out on the bed and didn’t wake up again until it was dark. LM and I jumped in the hire car and off we went, round Valletta and out into the countryside, taking tiny narrow lanes and having no clue where we were or where we were going. We enjoyed it and although poor LM had caught that dreadful bug that’s been going round and had her holiday somewhat ruined by it, she soldiered on and we had a good week.



I shall be contacting EasyJet to complain though. According to a lawyer who was on our flight, we’re entitled to compensation but whether or not we’ll get any is a different matter. It’s worth a try though.

Sharon J xx

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Malta Tomorrow

For the first time this year, I’m going away ‘properly’. No jaunting down to London (anybody remember The Tomorrow People?) for a mad dash around what’s probably my most hated place on earth or a week or three courtesy of the NHS - oh no, this time I’m actually going on holiday!

Back in August I wrote a post outlining my financial goals, one of which was to save £500 for a bonding holiday with my younger daughter. Well I managed to get there (well, almost - after emptying the coin jar I was £20 off) so LM and I are off to Malta tomorrow for a whole week of doing nothing other than what we want to do. Bliss!

We booked it about a month ago. I found a cheap deal online through EasyJet that included flights, hotel accommodation and car hire for the week for just £200 so off we're jolly well going.

I’ve flown with EasyJet before and been really satisfied. They make no fuss about carrying my extra 30kgs of medical stuff free of charge and offer wheelchair assistance from the check-in desk to the gate. I still have to book parking and for an extra tenner I can have them meet us by the terminal to take the car to the car-park and then bring it back to the terminal again when we return. For me, who has difficulty walking and carrying anything heavy, it's more than worth the extra ten pounds.

Having a hire care for the week means I can easily get around. We both drive so if I’m having a bad day and just want to stay at the hotel, LM can still go out and do things on her own. She’ll also be able to take over the driving should I feel ill while we’re out and about. It’s just a little car but then that’s all we need and I certainly don’t want to be spitting out more co2 than necessary. It’s enough to have to take a plane and hire a car, without increasing the problem unnecessarily. Not that I could afford anything bigger, but that’s besides the point.

The hotel’s nothing spectacular but that doesn’t bother me. As long as the bed’s reasonably comfortable and the kettle works, I’ll be happy. It's just a base, after all :)

Anyway, I’ll catch up with you all when I get back. In the meantime I've been lucky enough to have some of my favourite bloggers write guest posts that are scheduled for publication while I'm gone. If there’s an Internet café nearby or the hotel has access, I may even pop in and post something myself, you just never know.

Oh, and I'll be borrowing one of LM's cameras so expect some photos when I get back.

Look after the place for me :)

Sharon J

UPDATE: Richard has kindly offered to drive us to the airport so that'll be both easier, and save a bit of money that can be better spent enjoying Malta. Thanks, Richard.

And thanks to Sam too for offering to look after my pets while we're away. What would I do without friends?

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Image Credit: Kriskae

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Beauty & The Beast

Image: Bootsandpaws.co.uk

Being a beautiful day, my friend Carol - who I haven’t seen for ages - and I decided to drive out to Middlewich yesterday to look for a fishing lake I’d heard about. I’ve been keen to get back into fishing y’see, but hadn’t yet found anywhere in the local vicinity that allows ‘my kind of fishing’. By the I mean coarse fishing without all the palaver of ground baiting, huge poles, keep nets, landing mats and the likes - I just wanted a place where I could sit in relatively peaceful surroundings with a simple rod, a baited hook and wait for the bite while I ponder life.

Shakerley Mere turned out to be quite beautiful and very accessible for somebody like me who has mobility problems. The path around the lake is even, there’s plenty of parking, and lots of open pegs to fish from. The lake's stocked with perch, tench, roach and bream (slimey suckers - yuk!) along with, apparently, some pretty huge carp, although fishing for the latter holds absolutely no interest to me - way too much faffing about. Ideally I’d like to fish for brown trout, the way I did back in Norway, but that appears to be impossible here without fly fishing equipment and expensive day tickets.

What I didn’t like about Shakerley Mere is the fact that the M6 - the country's busiest motorway - runs right along one side of it and although the lakes is big (we’re not talking Great Lakes big but bigger than a pond) and we were on the opposite side, the noise from the motorway definitely destroyed the feeling of peace. Sitting on a bench amid beautiful trees and shrubs clothed in their dazzling autumn colours whilst looking out across a peaceful lake where swans, ducks, geese and moorhens gently glided through the water should have been tranquillity itself, but with the constant drone of high speed traffic, it just wasn’t. Still, I’ll probably give it a try next year once the fishing season gets underway again as it’s the best place I’ve found so far. It’s just such a shame that such beautiful nature spots are so easily destroyed by our modern lifestyles.

We also got talking to a man who was waiting for the RSPCA to arrive. A bird had caught its wing on something on one of the two islands on the lake. Possibly left-over fishing line although I can’t say for sure, but as the carp tend to sit around the islands (an online search revealed this particular piece of information) it's a fair bet that carp anglers aim for them. The poor thing was flapping desperately and clearly becoming tired but even though it was already an hour since the RSPCA were called, they’d yet to arrive. By the time we returned to the same spot, at least another hour had past, the bird was hanging quietly by this time, probably exhausted, but still there was no sign of the RSPCA. Do they only arrive quickly when they have a camera crew in tow? It makes you wonder.

Nature has provided us with an incredible amount of beauty but man has an uncanny knack of destroying it.

Sharon J

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Lion King, The Lyceum & Andrew

Image: mpozzobon

I’ve promised a few people that I’d write a post about our visit to The Lyceum Theatre to see Lion King while we were in London a couple of weekends ago so here goes. It’s perhaps not quite the story you’re expecting though.

The day started out bad. We were stuck in traffic, had to dash about to find a dress for LM to wear, and get something to eat. We’d had nothing since breakfast and as my mum had given us the money to go and get a decent meal on her, we wanted to find a nice restaurant. Could we find one? Not on your nelly!

London’s splitting at the seams with pubs and restaurants but along our route from Stratford to Central London via Bethnal Green, Mile End and Aldgate, there wasn’t much to get excited about. Well, there were plenty of Indian, Chinese, Thai, Caribbean & Italian restaurants but we wanted English food. Not that we have anything against ethnic food, we'd just made up our minds, that's all. In the end we decided to settle for a pub meal but even that went wrong. The waiting time was too long for us to be able to eat and get to the theatre on time, so we upped and went again.

We parked up close-ish to the Lyceum and headed for the theatre via an Italian restaurant where we booked a table for after the show. By this time we’d given up on English food. Once that was sorted, we joined the theatre queue. A long queue. Oh dear… and on legs that already hurt from walking the 200 meters from the car. But it moved surprisingly quickly so I was feeling more optimistic when I walked inside only to be faced with at least 100 stairs up to the Circle.

WHAAAAAT!!!???

I couldn’t believe it. Where were the lifts? Out of action, I was told.

How I ever got up those stairs will forever remain a mystery to me. My legs were hurting, my heart was beating so hard it felt as though I’d have a heart attack at any moment, my chest was hurting, my back hurt… I was, to say the least, a bit of a sorry sight. But I got up ‘em through sheer stubbornness. I’d paid £35 for that ticket and I’m was blowed if I was going to waste it!

We managed to find our seats easily enough but half way through the performance I needed the loo. That meant climbing back up the 20 or so steps to the back of circle again but I figured it was better to do that than pee myself. Well… you would, wouldn’t you? What I didn’t realise is that once you got beyond the door marked ‘toilets’, there were another 6 flights of stairs heading down to them. I stood at the top, wondering whether I’d be able to hold it for the rest of the performance and go on the way out. No, I knew I couldn’t. I had to tackle those stairs.

Getting down was relatively easy but once I’d relieved myself came the task of getting up them again. By the last flight I was counting them. Just three more… just two more… just….. ARGGHHHH!

My legs gave way and I went head first into the concrete wall. As I went down my lower knee hit against the metal edge of the stair pushing my knee cap up and I soon found myself laying spread-eagled on the landing in considerable pain.

Enter Andrew.

Help was called for (thanks to a young girl who happened to be standing on the landing at the time) and Andrew, a young Australian guy, appeared. And what a wonderful bloke he was! He had somebody bring me an ice-pack, sent somebody else to find my daughter for me, and once the worse of the pain had subsided, helped me get down to the stalls where he found us seats at the back (it was a full house so he had to bring in two chairs especially) and did everything he could to make sure I was comfortable. At the end of the performance he came back, waited with me until my daughter had brought the car round, helped me get out of the place and then cleared the area outside of rik-shaw people so that LM could bring the car right up to the main entrance.

I’ve just emailed The Lyceum praising Andrew for the way he helped me. He really did go beyond what I would have expected.

Anyway we go home, still starving but too late and too tired to get anything so had to make do with a take-away pizza for lunch the next day. It wasn’t quite the same. What's more, we'd been given a parking ticket because, unknown to me, my blue badge isn't valid for parking other than in designated disabled spaces in the City of Westminster. Buggar! Another £60 to fork out.

As for the show itself, if you’re ever in London and want to see a good musical, I’d definitely recommend Lion King. It’s different to anything I’ve ever seen before. I’m still amazed at how they’ve managed to re-create such a complex story in such a simple but unique and artistically challenging way.

Sharon J

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I'm Off To London

Image: Dimitry B

Later this morning LM and I will be heading down the M6 to visit the Queen my mum and Paul in London. We’re staying in Woodford, which makes East London, where they are, easily accessible but without having to stay in the dreadful hotel that we used last time. The beds were like slabs of concrete and I’m afraid I like a little more comfort. My bony body doesn’t do hard very well and my days of crashing out on floors and in bath tubs are well and truly over.

I’m really excited about going because, for one reason and another, it’s almost two years since I last visited Mum. Not only will it be really nice to spend time with a lady whom I have huge love and respect for, but I’ve been missing Paul a lot lately too. What's more, I’ll get to eat Pie & Mash and there’s nothing quite like a good ol’ East End Pie & Mash dinner, with lashing of liqour!

I’ll also get a spring roll from my favourite Chinese take-away. It’s been there since I was just a girl and the recipe doesn’t seem to ever have changed. It’s the best spring roll in the world! Well… probably. Obviously I haven’t tasted them all but it’s by far the best of those I have tasted.

Tomorrow evening we’ll be going out for dinner followed by a visit to the theatre to see 'The Lion King'. Oh, the indulgence! But hey… it's also two years since we last went to the theatre (to see a ballet performance of 'Cinderella') so it’s not as if we do it every week. And even though I'm supposed to be saving as much as possible, I really don't mind spending a bit on some quality entertainment and time spent with my daughter. Mum and Paul won't be coming - Mum because she can't leave Dad and Paul because he won't leave Mum on her own. One day we'll all do something together.

LM’s driving - I’m not sure I’m strong enough to manage the long drive back after a busy couple of days yet, so we’ll be poodling down the motorway in her old Corsa. It’s not let her down so far so finger’s crossed it won’t conk out somewhere between here and East London.

I’ve scheduled a couple of posts to go up while I’m away but obviously I won’t be responding to comments or reading other blogs. I’ll do my best to catch up once I back home and rested, though.

Have fun while I’m gone.

Sharon J xx

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I’ve Been on Holiday!

Image: Adam79

Ok, so I haven’t been on holiday as in the usual sense of going on holiday, but I’ve still been on holiday. Let me explain.

A while ago I decided I’d try to recreate a meal that Richard and I had both enjoyed during a holiday in Tenerife a few years ago. It was a relatively simple meal - just pork steaks in a creamy mushroom sauce with sautéed potatoes and a salad but there was something about it that was incredibly more-ish. As I’d found a recipe for Spanish style sautéed potatoes, last night I made the meal. LM wasn’t home so it was just a meal-for-two eaten by candlelight (a stab at being romantic) and, even if I do say so myself, was actually quite delicious.

While we were eating Richard commented that the sound of the kitchen fan that was extracting steam was somewhat reminiscent of the air-conditioning in the restaurant where we’d first enjoyed the meal I’d tried to recreate. I agreed and we were transported back to Los Cristianos.

After our meal, whilst still in the ‘holiday mood’, I suggested that as I don’t need to hook up to my feed pump on Saturday evenings, we could drive to his and I could stay over there. I haven’t been away anywhere this year, not even for a night, and really felt like ‘getting away’, even if it was only to the other side of town.

You’ll probably think we’re daft as brushes but because Richard hasn’t been able to lay carpets or install much furniture yet (he’s also living frugally - things will happen when they’re meant to), there’s a lot of echo there so we pretended we were in a caravan. Ok, childish it may be, but it was fun and that’s what mattered.

For breakfast we had a traditional English fry-up (not healthy, I know, especially after a thick sauce and sautéed potatoes the night before, but you have to indulge yourself sometimes and we were on holiday!) and then, for lunch, we decided we’d head for Scandinavia and have a my favourite smørbrød (open faced sandwich) - a slice of thick white bread with prawns and mayo on a bed of lettuce and garnished with red pepper and a slice of lemon (for squeezing over the mayo and prawns). Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you, Richard, for going out to Asda especially to get the prawns.

Then, once lunch was digested and a cup of coffee had been enjoyed (another rare treat for me), we jumped in the car and headed for the countryside, choosing narrow B-roads that we hadn’t explored before. We passed through some beautiful places that are right on our doorsteps before stopped by the canal (Trent & Mersey - although I‘ve no idea just where we were) to eat a custard doughnut and drink our cartons of 12-fruit juice before taking a short stroll along the tow path.

This was, beyond any doubt, the most enjoyable 24 hours I’ve spent so far this year and proves that real pleasure can be found in simple things - it’s just a matter of using your imagination.

Sharon J

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Simple and Frugal Outings That Will Keep The Kids Amused

Image Source

With the school summer holidays looming, knowing how to keep the kids occupied without having to spend a fortune isn't always easy.

Like many hundreds of thousands of others, I’ve been to Alton Towers with the kids, bought a games console, and spent far too much on cinema visits. I’ve done lots of other things that have cost an arm and a leg too, but all that was a long time ago and during a period where I, for reasons that I no longer understand, thought that they had to have and do the things that other kids had or were doing. It's that old 'keeping up with the Jones's' syndrome.

I was wrong. Those things haven’t played any part in shaping them into the adults they are today. Sure, they were fun at the time, but they haven’t given them any lasting memories or taught them much worth knowing. Those things have come through the simple things we’ve enjoyed together - the things that hardly cost much at all.

If you’re looking for ways of entertaining the kids on a budget, here are a few ideas.

1. Take a walk in the countryside. My kids used to love picking wild flowers that they'd later press, and collect twigs, cones, leaves and such to make into things or stick on cards. They'd try to spot wildlife, whether birds, mammals, reptiles or insects, and look for berries and wild fruit. This opens up for another opportunity - you can go to the library together and find out more about what you’ve picked or seen.

2. Use your local park. Most towns have one but if they aren’t used often enough by enough people, they’ll eventually disappear. They’re often inhabited by squirrels and even though grey squirrels are classed as vermin, kids love feeding them and park squirrels are often bold enough to approach us two-legged giants.

3. Play board games or cards. As well as bringing the family together, these teach children how to be gracious winners and accepting losers, something they often miss out on otherwise.

4. Go camping. It’s cheap, it’s fun and everybody learns to pull together for it to be successful. My kids had more fun camping than on any other type of holiday and just a night in a tent can be lots of fun.

5. Visit a beach that isn’t attached to a tourist hot-spot. That way you won’t be seduced into buying all sorts of useless rubbish and there will be a better chance of spotting wildlife, finding shells and bits of driftwood, not to mention burying Mum or Dad in the sand.

6. Go fishing. You don’t need fancy, expensive equipment - just a simple rod, reel, line, hooks and suitable bait will generally do the trick. You’ll need a license but unless you’re after salmon or trout, a full season’s license costs £24.50 for an adult and £5 for juniors (12-16). Under 12s won’t need one. More information can be found here. My girls learned to gut and prepare fish as well as how to kill them humanely, things that are far more useful than knowing how to press the right button on a computer console so that they can blow up a human enemy.

7. Visit museums. Your kids may think this sounds pretty boring but there are a lot of fun museums around. Science museums usually have special areas for children where they can try things hands on (this was one of my children’s favourites), and some history based museums are a lot of fun too as some give kids a real feel for what it was like to go to school, work and play in ‘the old days’. Follow this link for a list of UK museums.

8. Use the library. Local libraries often arrange a variety of events that appeal to all ages so next time you’re passing by, pop in and pick up their events leaflet. Most are either free or cost no more than a few pounds.

9. Visit your local swimming pool. If you’re lucky to have one nearby, swimming is good fun and exercise for all the family.

10. Arrange local get-togethers. Just think of how the old street parties used to bring communities together. Talk to neighbours and/or other parents at the school gates and ask whether they’d like to get together for a picnic in the park, a barbeque evening, or whatever else you can think up. The children get to spend more time with other kids and you get to know other parents better.

11. Make something. Crafts help children develop their creativity and imaginations whilst teaching them that you make things yourself instead of buying everything. Teaching them how to cook is always fun and useful too.

12. And once the kids are tucked up for the night, have sex. Why give your hard earned money to babysitters and pub landlords when you can enjoy a glass of wine with your partner in bed, instead?

While the occasional visit to the cinema, a theme park or, better still, the zoo, are all fine in small doses and as long as your purse can take the strain, it’s perfectly possible to keep a family entertained without having to throw large amounts of money around and the results will probably be far more valuable.

We're off on a picnic in Delamere Forest today. My kids may be adults now but they're my guests at the moment and I still have to keep them happy without breaking the bank.

Sharon J

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Other posts that may be of interest:

• All Feet To The Pole
• Fishing

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Fishing

Image: Old Shoe Woman

For years I could regularly be found either by the sea, a lake or river, or in our boat, fishing rod in hand, waiting eagerly for ‘the bite’.

By regularly I mean at least once a week during summer, often more, but then fishing was so easy in Norway. No matter where you are, there’s always a lake, stream or river within easy hitting distance (cycling distance) and as the coast line’s long with fjords digging deep into the country, the sea’s usually not too far away either. You just sit on the rocks, and wait.

The peace and quite I felt whilst fishing was enormously good for me. I’d contemplate and theorise about all manner of things while I was surrounded by beautiful nature and didn’t care whether it rained or was late at night. As long as I was dressed properly, I was happy. Really happy.

Fishing can be such a simple pursuit and yet whenever I see anglers along the canal or at lakes here, they seem to be making such a big thing of it. They’re bogged down with all sorts of equipment (don’t ask me what they use it all for - I haven’t a clue) and in order to make a catch more likely, they’re stressing over which ground bait to use.

To me, fishing is a matter of a rod, a reel, a hook, some bait or a lure, and a box of extra line, hooks and other incidentals. A Y-twig to rest my rod on, should I need to leave it, is always good if I can find one but if I can’t, I’ll just make do.

Sometimes my partner and/or kids came with me and the children soon became almost just as keen as me although Paul, bless him, couldn't use a real hook because he didn't understand the danger and ended up with one firmly embedded in his hand. The photo at the top actually reminds me of Lise's first catch - that was a tiny perch, too.

Unlike most inland anglers here, what we caught was generally eaten. The only exceptions were young fish that would be thrown back in to hopefully be caught later once they’d grown or inedible fish that just happened to take the bait. Cod would be frozen down and used in fish cakes, fish pies, casseroles, or just eaten as fillets; trout would be grilled or barbequed the next day; and If we had too much fish for ourselves, we’d give some away to friends and family.

I really miss that kind of fishing so I’ve decided that next time I visit my family in Norway during summer, I’m going to buy myself some simple fishing equipment, take myself off somewhere early in the morning and fish until I feel ready to point my nose back towards ‘home‘. No rushing and nobody hassling me for something - just me and nature and complete relaxation.

I shall leave my gear over there so that I can fish every time I make a late spring/summer/early autumn visit. Ice fishing, I’m afraid, is off the agenda now. It was never as much fun anyway and now that I feel the cold so much, I don’t feel the least bit inclined to try again. I just hope I can still remember how to tie a knot!

Maybe one year I’ll hire a boat that we can all poodle around the fjord in, while I look for the places where nicely sized cod tend to gather, hoping for that exciting moment: ‘the bite’.

Sharon J

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Cheap & Cheerful Holidays

Image: RobW

A lot of you will probably already have booked your summer holiday but I know a lot of us frugal folks tend to wait until the last minute because let’s face it, it’s generally cheaper that way.

Unless you insist on 5 star luxury in far flung places, you’ll hopefully find a few ideas here that will appeal to you. Some I’ve tried, others I haven’t, but they all have one thing in common: they give us a chance to have a good time on a shoe string.

Share The Cost – Take a holiday with another family or couple and split the cost. That way you can either save yourself half of what you’d normally spend on accommodation or you can upgrade for the same price. I’ve personally tried both versions and they’ve generally worked out well. It is important that you know the other family well enough to be sure you’d enjoy a whole week of each others’ company.

Visit Friends or Family – If there’s somebody you haven’t seen for a while and you know they have room, why not visit them for a few days? My daughter often nips over to Norway and stays with one of my close friends for a week or two. She enjoys the company of her two teenage sons and my friend likes having her there. All it costs is the price of a flight, some pocket money and a bit towards her food. Be warned though, staying for any longer than a week can often mean you’re outstaying your welcome.

Go Camping – Once you have the equipment you need (an remember that word need – equipment suppliers will try to convince you to buy all sorts of unnecessary bits and pieces), camping is without doubt the cheapest way of getting a holiday. In the UK you’ll generally have to pitch your tent at dedicated sites although this isn’t always the case in Europe so if you’re going abroad, check local regulations. For more information about camping, you might want to take a look at this post.

Beg, Steal or Borrow – Well, maybe not steal but if you know somebody who has a caravan or holiday home or even an apartment they rarely use, why not ask if you could hire it for a reasonable figure? An apartment in the city may not be the ideal holiday for those with young children but for a couple with teenagers or no kids at all, it could be an interesting alternative. After all, holidays aren’t just about lazing on the beach. One of the best holidays I’ve had was with one of my teenage daughters, exploring London as tourists for a week.

Book Last Minute Accommodation – I received an email yesterday from a guy I once hired a caravan from. His usual rate for this time of year is £700 a week but as he had a few empty weeks he wanted filling, he was offering it for £450. A saving of £250 could mean the difference between “yes, we can afford a holiday” and “no, forget it”. When Richard and I visited Marracech (Morocco) we booked a last minute flight and hotel deal. We ended up spending 4 nights in a 5 star hotel (very cushty, I must say) for less money than 4 nights in the same hotel without flights would normally have cost.

Barter - I’ve heard that it’s perfectly ok to barter with B&B owners that still have rooms available because many would rather earn less than have the room stand empty. I haven’t had the nerve to try this one, though.

Travel Off Peak – Not always possible if you have school age children but for those who can, travelling out of season can shave tens or even hundreds of pounds off the price.

Volunteer – While there are few volunteering opportunities for families with young children, finding something we can do to help others and get away from home at the same time shouldn’t be too difficult for the rest of us. Take a look at this list for some ideas.

And finally, Steer Clear of Money Suckers! By that I mean don’t head to the kind of places that are likely to seduce you into spending more than you'd budgeted for. Huge holiday complexes like Butlins, resorts such as Blackpool and cities like London are all going to cost you a lot of money if you’re to make the most of them. And who wants to hear the kids saying “can I have one of those... these... that...” for a whole week. If the temptations aren’t there, you’re less likely to overspend. And I haven’t even mentioned the ‘joys’ of endless queuing.

If you’re going away this year, I hope you enjoy every minute of it. I’ll be off to Norway for 4 nights in September. I’m staying with my daughter so it won’t cost too much.

Sharon J

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All Feet To The Pole

Image: FlickrDelusions

Once upon a time our family used to go camping. We didn’t have a fancy tent with lots of rooms in it or anything, just two simple dome tents, one for me, my other half (at the time), Paul and one dog, the other for the girls and dog number two. There wasn’t much room to store anything so most of our stuff stayed in the back of the car and food was prepared and eaten al fresco. If it rained we’d find a café to have a meal in but generally we managed without spending very much money at all.

They were simple holidays and weekends away but we enjoyed them; we had no desire to jump on a plane and fly off to some foreign place that would end up costing an arm and a leg. We were happy and contented with what we had.

Sometimes we’d stay at campsites where the kids would get to know other children and spend all day playing before zipping themselves exhausted into the sleeping bags at night. Other times we’d just pitch the tents in some remote spot and spend the time exploring the area with the kids, fishing with them, making food over a real campfire and, perhaps most importantly, letting them use their imaginations. They’d make boats out of twigs and leaves that they'd sail on a lake or river and pine cones and twigs became animals that were use to act out stories they’d make up. They learned to put the tents up, gut fish and prepare them to cook for our evening meal, to recognise animal foot prints and the different birds, how to dig out an earth toilet and fill it in and cover it after use and how to safely use a knife to make pointy sticks for cooking sausages over the fire.

Sure, they may have learned a bit about different cultures if we’d chosen to go further afield, but it would have cost us huge amounts of money that we used on other things instead. And if I’m honest, I doubt they would have learned anywhere near as much. Maybe how to say “can you move that towel?” in German or “A burger and chips, please” in Spanish but not much more. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I don’t regret the choice we made and neither do the children. Neither of them feel they missed out on anything but they all say they gained a lot. The one holiday we took in Majorca certainly didn't leave us with anywhere near as many good memories as a week in a tent always did.

Only once have we experienced such extreme rain that the tents leaked. Believe me, they really did leak that time, though. But hey… you take the rough with the smooth, eh? Things can go wrong on any holiday. If you want to know more about that particular experience, you can read about it here. Looking back, it was actually very funny.

If you’ve never tried camping and know somebody who has equipment you can borrow, I’d definitely suggest giving it a go. You may well be surprised at how much you enjoy it and it’s certainly a cheap way of getting away from it all. Getting back to basics is good for the soul and if you decide that it isn’t for you, you won’t have lost much. Just a couple of days, whatever it costs to get to the camping site and the pitch fee. Hardly much to get upset about. And in these days of tightening the belt it's gotta be worth giving it a try.

Should you be worried about toilet facilities - and I know some people are - most campsites have modern loos and shower blocks. In fact, I believe they have to have them these days, although I wouldn't swear to that. If you have a large tent it's possible to use a chemical toilet although I know some people don't even like the idea of that so won't even 'go' in a touring caravan let alone a tent, but each to their own.

Unfortunately, camping isn’t easy for me anymore. As much as I hate it, things have to be planned more these days. Large amounts of medical supplies have to go everywhere with me (and believe me, we’re not talking a couple of packs of pills here), and I have to be able to attach myself to a pump at night. I can, however, manage one night without most of the meds or the pump so I’ve decided that it won’t beat me - once I’m strong enough the camping equipment is coming out of the loft and I shall be off. I have a couple of friends who have said they’ll come with me (Richard doesn’t do camping) so there shouldn’t be a problem.

I also have a charger for my pump that can be plugged into the car, so once I’ve tried one night, I might even go for two.

As they say, “there’s no such thing as a problem, just a challenge” and I intend to take up the challenge. I love camping too much to give it up completely. It’s been too long already.

One step at a time, though.

Sharon J x

To find campsites in the area you’d like to visit, see UK Campsites


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10 Places I’d Like To See Before I Die

I’ve just been reading a few blogs with lists of "places to visit before you die" and got to thinking about which ten places I’d like to visit.

Here's my list, if you're interested.

The Midnight Sun - Norway, North of the Arctic Circle

Oban, Scotland

Havana, Cuba

Granada, Andalucia - Spain



Limousin, France



The Maldives, South Asia



Copenhagen, Denmark

Plitvice, Croatia

Halkidiki, Greece

County Cork, Ireland

The Maldives and Havana are both long-haul flights so a bit naughty really, but as they’re probably the only two long-haul trips I’ll make in my lifetime – assuming I actually get to them – I’ll forgive myself. And I’ll plant some trees to help compensate. Honest.

Sharon J xx

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