Author: hashtagtravelling

I'm a freelance writer with a special interest in destinations, lifestyle, arts and culture, food and wine. I believe a life well lived is about experiences and I aim to provide readers with informative and evocative stories. Follow me on Instagram at @hashtagtravelin. Memorable moments include a 2,500-mile road trip in a vintage Healey Silverstone, clocking up 11 border crossings in three weeks and quad biking in the Sinai Desert at sunset. I have a particular soft spot for the Balearics, particularly Mallorca where I lived for a year in the fishing port of Puerto d'Andraitx.

This week… this too shall pass

Cities, Destinations, Food & wine, This week

I’m in a funny mood this week. In the midst of conflicting emotions, I think it’s melancholy. The news continues to be conflicting. On the one hand, we all want a break from lockdown, to continue our life as we know it, or knew it. On the other hand, the WHO warns that the numbers in the pandemic are rising globally. My heart goes out to those who are back in lockdown, those actually suffering this disease, and to those who have lost loved ones. It’s heartbreaking.

The rest of us continue as best we can, one day at a time. Every day is precious and I do my best to make the most of each one, counting my blessings, which are many.

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This week… adjusting

Art and culture, Food & wine, Hotels, Sustainability, This week

This week my mind has been decidedly on food. I grew up eating fruit and vegetables my dad grew in the garden, supplemented by produce shared by the community. One person in the neighbourhood might have an abundance of Victoria plums and another a plentiful supply of rhubarb, and as children we were encouraged to fill our baskets. We gathered nuts and berries from hedgerows, collected windfall apples (while watching out for dozy wasps, drunk on fermented apple juice) and went scrumping for cherries (keeping an eye out for the irate farmer). I cannot recall where that last scavenge took place but in the spirit of making amends, I apologise. What can I say, I was only around seven or eight and the luscious, ruby red, low-hanging cherries were too much of a temptation.

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This week… adjusting

Art and culture, Hotels, This week

Although we’re no longer officially under national lockdown in the UK, life remains uncertain and unsettled, and it shows. One thing I’ve learnt from the past four months or so is that a routine is essential. If you let the days slide into personal anarchy you risk getting lost down the rabbit hole.

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This week… recovery from lockdown

Destinations, Food & wine, Hotels, This week

I’ve been battling with admin all week. A necessary but tedious round of paperwork, bills and similar chores has left me feeling caged up. I’m missing travelling. Much as I like my home, all I want to do is escape to somewhere warm, sunny and new. Finally, one morning I woke early and decided to play hooky (where do I get these Americanisms from!). I packed a breakfast picnic and headed for the beach. Walking for miles I made it out to the sandbanks, only revealed when the tide is out. The fresh sea breezes brought me literally back to my senses. A couple of hours later, like a child I returned home with sandy feet, windswept hair and soggy trousers from splashing through the pools of clear, warm water. Bliss.

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This week… escape from lockdown

Reviews, Sustainability, This week

So the UK is more or less out of lockdown. It feels weird. Or rather it’s a strange experience trying to revert back to life-as-usual. After over 100 days of lockdown the world has turned and it feels we’re like waking up in another dimension altogether. Stepping outside your front door and picking up where you left off simply isn’t an option. This week I visit the dentist for a check-up and the experience leaves me a little shaken, I have to admit.

Despite a careful process of masks, face shields, sanitiser and more, lying captive in the dentist’s chair with someone inches from my face, after weeks of isolaton, is a little scary. This is the new reality. We have reemerged from hibernation and the goal posts have moved. I wonder if Cinderella felt this way after 100 years of slumber?

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