NEWS – Campervan teaches Photography

NEWS on PopPhoto.com…

Whatever next?  Check out this article, in which a campervan is being used to teach photography!

http://www.popphoto.com/news/2013/04/camper-obscura-turned-camper-van-mobile-camera-obscura

CAMPERVAN CAPERS 2 – Launch Celebration!

AFTER the recent launch of Campervan Capers, I’m happy to be able to announce the release of a free sequel, CAMPERVAN CAPERS 2.

As many of you will know by now, the book is an adaptation of the Campervan Capers blog entries from 2011, which I wanted to publish for free in a handy eBook format.

Now, I know the word ‘eBook’ will send shivers down the spine of a few folk who still haven’t got an eReader (ironically, you can count me in!), so it might come as a surprise to know that my publisher, Smashwords, offers all my work in formats not only for eReaders – like the Kindle & iPad – but also in formats for home printing – eg PDF – and reading on your computer screen.

Why release the Campervan Capers blog entries in book format? you may be wondering.  Well, although the blog is free to read for anyone with a computer or other internet-enabled device, publishing as an eBook will open our travel stories up to a-whole-nother audience.  In fact, since the publication date, only a few days ago, I’m amazed to see that the new book has already been downloaded 32 times!

For those who are new to this blog, it’s worth mentioning here that there’s also an original Campervan Capers book and, as with the blog/sequel, the stories follow me & my partner, Steve, as we embark on various mini adventures in our campervan.  My aim is to write in a style which is both light-hearted and practical, so as to entertain as well as pass on tips we’ve picked up along the way.

Now, I hope you’ll all forgive me for publishing Campervan Capers 2 slightly later than anticipated – my excuse being that I’ve been putting together more photos of our travels on Flickr and short videos for the Campervan Capers books on my new YouTube channel.

WHAT TO DO NEXT?

Well, why not visit my Smashwords Author page direct, where all my published works are listed.  Some, like Campervan Capers 2 and The Welsh Leek Conspiracy (adapted from the original Campervan Capers book), are free.  And you can sample 20-30% of the rest for free, too.

Alternatively, you can go to my Foley’s Forum website, where there’s information on all my books as well as a whole load of other free-to-view stuff such as short stories, articles, poetry & photography.

SUMMER SALE!

Did you read the recent blog about the Smashwords Summer Sale?  If not, just click the link to find out how to get discounts on all my books for the entire month of July!

COMING UP (SOON?)…

Steve’s still doing a fair bit of cycle training at this time of year, but I haven’t given up hope of pinning him down at some point to write something for the next Steve’s Cycle Shorts.  Once I do that, you can rest assured you’ll be reading about our latest trip up north in ‘Old Bessie’ (as Steve calls our campervan)…

In the meantime, if you missed the last Tour of Flanders blog, along with a ‘words & pictures’ video treat, then why not click the link to check it out?

As ever, I remind readers that, if you’d like to be kept informed of the latest news & offers, why not subscribe to the blog to automatically receive an email whenever new posts appear – thus saving you the hassle of checking for updates?

Hope you enjoy reading!

Steve’s Cycle Shorts 6 – A Day at the Museum

Back in March, you’ll remember that we went Bimblin’ Round Belgium in our campervan for a few weeks.  After visiting the French-speaking south of the country, we ventured on up to the Flemish-speaking north to check out the Tour of Flanders – and, of course, a trip to the national cycling museum in Roeselare was a must.

THE CYCLE OF TIME

The Wielermuseum‘s displays opened with the evolution of the bike, so we started off feeling as though we were walking through time, seeing the amazing changes in cycle innovations which have come & gone – and all within the short space of only about a century.  Most of the information was displayed in English as well as French & Flemish (in essence, Dutch) and everything was set out in a professional yet delightfully-simple way.

The first bicycle, the Loopfiets (aka ‘hobby horse’ or ‘running machine’) had rock solid wheels, as did all the earlier bikes.  These might not have been quite as hard as the kind you’d find on The Flintstones, but I’m sure riders must have breathed a sigh of relief when the rubber and pneumatic tyres finally came in.

DESIGN FEET

The Macmillan had a treadle-type setup to power you along.  Whilst it looked good, the design wasn’t the best, since your pedalling feet were likely to get caught in the front wheel when it was turned.  To me, the highlights were the four-seater ‘tandem’, the bike with a shaft-drive, and a two-seater contraption where riders sat side by side.  Try keeping your balance on that!

The Macmillan – Nice design but you could easily ‘put your foot in it’!

PHOTO FINISH

Still, you can’t beat actually experiencing what it must have been like riding one of these old bikes, so hopping onto the museum’s fixed Penny Farthing (no safety harness provided!) was a treat.  Press a button and your photo is taken as you pedal, then it’s posted online for you to view later (click here to see mine if you want a laugh).

At the back of the building was an impressive bicycle workshop, the contents of which were donated to the museum by the Hallaert family, famous for Belgian frame- and saddle-building.

CYCLING DOWN MEMORY LANE

Moving along, there were many inspiring exhibits of past Belgian cycling champions – including, of course, Eddy Merckx.  There was old footage of famous rides, cycling magazines, trophies; and many champions had also donated their winners’ jerseys and old bikes (probably would’ve ended up in landfill otherwise anyway).

Jean-Pierre Monséré (affectionately nicknamed Jempi), the famous Belgian rider who died in a head-on collision with a car, had a whole section dedicated to his life, and bits of his shattered bike were even on display.

BIKE TUNING

The finale of the tour was a jukebox with music linked to cycling (eg Tour de France by Kraftwerk).  We discovered that several of the past Belgian cyclists have clubbed together to release their own brand of cycling songs.  And as we went to have lunch back at the camper, parked only a stone’s throw from the museum, we were regaled with more Flemish cycling tunes booming from a speaker at the museum.  They reminded us a bit of bloky British football songs.  I’m sure they were meant to be inspiring, but if you ask me, I reckon the guys would be better off sticking to their cycling – ‘cos they sure ain’t gonna win any medals at singing!

WHEELY GOOD VALUE

My trusty Cycling Widow, Alannah, accompanied me around the exhibits and was surprised that the three hours we spent there had gone so quickly.  She hadn’t got bored once (at least that’s what she told me) – so it just goes to prove you don’t have to be a complete cycling nut to appreciate what’s on offer.  The staff at the Wielermuseum were most helpful (and spoke better English than we did Dutch) and, at a mere five euros, we thought the entrance fee was excellent value.

The following day was the Tour of Flanders race, and you can look forward to my next blog where I tell you all about our escapades there…  So tune in next time, or sign up to the blog to receive it automatically via email.

And there’s more…

If you’ve been following Steve’s Cycle Shorts for a while, you’ll probably already know that Alannah has written a book called Cycling Widows, but did you know she’s now released her Campervan Capers book?  It’s a light-hearted yet practical travel tale about our first year in the campervan.

Why not check it out and sample 20% of the book for free on Smashwords?  Or you can download The Welsh Leek Conspiracy, a short travel tale adapted from the book, also for free.

All downloads are in a wide range of formats – for eReaders, screen reading or home printing.

COMING SOON…

Campervan Capers 2 will shortly be on its way to the publication mill, too.  This will be an adaptation of the Campervan Capers blog entries in 2011 and will be available as a handy, free eBook, also in various formats.  So whether you have an eReader or prefer to print stuff off to read, there’ll be a format for you!

As always, all info about Alannah’s writing & photography are on the Foley’s Forum website, where there’s plenty of stuff that’s free to view.

And if you’d like us to keep you posted about more news & offers, or to hear when new blogs come out, feel free to sign up to the blog (in the panel on the right).

Edible Trailer…?

Ever seen a trailer that looks good enough to eat?

Click on the link to visit the WEIRD RVs website and check out this weird & wonderful sight!

Set in a garden as it is, I reckon the trailer looks like it could be a contender for the Chelsea Flower Show – the Urban Garden category, perhaps?

Alannah

Photos – New Section on Blog

Are you one of those folk who’ve enjoyed the photos on the Campervan Capers blog?

Since starting the blog last year, I’ve had several comments from readers saying they’ve enjoyed the photos that accompany our stories…

So I’ve decided to put together a brand new section with a selection of our travel photos, presented as collages.  Click the link to see the new Photo Tab on the blog.

If the collages leave you wanting more, then you can always check out the Campervan Capers photos on Flickr.  These illustrate the stories in the Campervan Capers blog as well as my recently-published Campervan Capers book, and more will be added as time goes on.

If you missed out on the blog about the Campervan Capers book, why not click on the link and check it out.  You can currently read 20% of the book for free on Smashwords.

In addition, I’ve released The Welsh Leek Conspiracy, a light-hearted travel tale adapted from the book, as a free download.

All my work is available on Smashwords in a variety of digital formats – for eReaders, home printing or computer screen reading.  For more info, visit my Smashwords Author Page or the Foley’s Forum website.

HOPE YOU ENJOY THE PHOTOS!

Campervan Capers on Flickr

CAMPERVAN CAPERS fans will by now know that the long-awaited Campervan Capers book is on its way to being released within the next few weeks…  It is, of course, a light-hearted yet practical travel tale which follows me & my partner, Steve, on our first year exploring the world of campervanning.

Due to us Bimblin’ Round Belgium recently, of course, there has been a slight delay in getting the book out, but I do like to keep our readers happy.  So in the meantime, I’ve not only published The Welsh Leek Conspiracy - an extract from the book – but have now put together a whole bunch of photos on Flickr, taken whilst on our mini adventures.

Click on the link to check out the photos on Flickr, and if you missed The Welsh Leek Conspiracy, then just log onto Smashwords.  It’s a free light-hearted travel tale downloadable in various formats – for eReaders or home printing.

As soon as I’ve finished putting the final touches to Campervan Capers, I’ll let you know.  In the meantime, enjoy the photos!

Steve’s Cycle Shorts 5 – Bikin’ In Belgium

BIKIN’ IN BELGIUM – March/April 2012

When Alannah & I first decided to go to Belgium, it was originally to explore some of the caves which are abundant in the Ardennes area of the country.  I realised, of course, that in a cycling-crazy culture, this was a perfect opportunity to notch up a few hours on the bike…

GETTING INTO GEAR

On the journey down to Wallonia, the French-speaking south of Belgium, we stopped to take in the sights at the riverside town of Dinant.  Early on a Sunday morning, it was amazing (and heartening) to see so many folk out and about: some walking, others cycling in groups or solo.

We parked up next to a chap struggling with his racing bike, his young son patiently waiting beside him with his own racer.  They were both adorned in swish-looking cycling kit.  Getting out of the camper, it was obvious the guy was having trouble with his gears, so I dusted off my schoolboy French and offered my assistance.

For ten minutes, we worked together to get his gears into some sort of satisfactory shape, during which time he told us (speaking a mixture of French and English) that he was training for a triathlon & had already lost a lot of weight – although he admitted losing a few more kilos wouldn’t go amiss in enhancing his performance!

TIME TO REFUEL!

Evidently chuffed with my intervention, he offered up some energy drinks & gels he’d got from his sponsor – which was great, as I hadn’t bothered to bring any specific nutritional products along with me.

We thanked him, heading off to find a pâtisserie with tasty morsels with which to refuel my energies after the gear-mending session.

CYCLING HQ

Moving further south, we eventually found a picturesque campsite we decided to call ‘home’ for a few days.  Situated between the towns of Remouchamps & Aywaille (south of Liège), it was a perfect area for cycling in general, so we purchased a cycling route map which highlighted the VTT (Vélo Tout Terrain) trails as well as the roads. And with my trusty ATB (that’s ‘All Terrain Bike‘ to the unitiated), I had the choice of switching between road and off-road and could go out for a few jaunts with Alannah (on her old MTB) as well.

FLEMISH, NOT PHLEGMISH!

At the start of our holiday, Alannah spotted a Flemish chap (called Gaston) cycling back to the campsite.  Thinking of me, she asked if he’d like some company on his rides, so we teamed up for a few afternoon jaunts.  Now, Gaston was 70 years young and able to cover 70 or 80kms with relative ease.  But he also delighted in telling me of his cycling colleague back home in Antwerp who, at 82 years of age, was faster than him.  So much for the idea that you have to become a wheezing old codger when you get older!

Gaston knew the area well and we had a good few rides together in perfect weather.  The cycle trails were suitable for any bike and the roads had lanes marked out for cyclists.  Pedestrians & motorists alike seemed to accept our presence, with the latter giving cyclists a respectfully-wide berth – in contrast with many of my experiences in England.  Along the trails everyone greets each other with a ring of their bell or a simple “Bonjour”.

THE LAST LEG…?

One day, returning from some sightseeing in the ‘van, we spotted a cyclist waving at the top of a hill.  Was he beckoning the two other cyclists further down?  We weren’t sure, so we pulled over just in case.  The chap asked where we were going and if he could possibly have a lift.  He was obviously a serious cyclist: his cranks were fitted with an SRM power meter.  Wondering why he needed a lift, I enquired what the problem was with his legs, light-heartedly prodding his quad with my finger.  I immediately regretted doing so, as he explained (in excellent English) that he’d crashed some time before & was struggling to turn his legs over.

With groin strain and a scuffed arm, this guy was going nowhere for the moment, so we strapped his bike onto the back of the camper and set off.  As I drove, curiosity got the better of me & I had to know his average power output for the ride.  He had covered 80km at an average of 245 watts.  Impressive!  It turned out that the cyclist had driven down from the Flemish-speaking north of Belgium specifically to ride this heavily-wooded area.  By the time we dropped him off at his car in Aywaille, he said he’d be fine – in fact, he was more concerned about the grazes on his bike than the ones on his arm (no surprise to all you Cycling Widows out there!).

WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE

On another day, Alannah and I thought we’d check out the local area using our newly-acquired cycle route map, and we ended up knitting together bits from several different routes.  This would give us a shorter, closer-to-home route that would be suitable for Alannah’s abilities.  Or that was the plan, anyway.   I’d noticed beforehand that part of the route was in fact used for the 1998 VTT European Championship Course, and might have neglected to mention this to my other half!

Not long into the ride, we entered the woods and the terrain soon became rather steep.  I was impressed with how well Alannah was managing to get her heavy old bike up the slope – although she did complain that she’d hoped to actually ride her bike that day, not push it!  Finally, though, at the top of the hill, the terrain levelled out, giving expansive views for miles around.  Then we wound our way down the sheer valley, soon to return to Campervan HQ for a hot cuppa.

I could have stayed in Remouchamps for much longer but after a week we had to move on, as we’d planned to go north to check out the Tour of Flanders…

SO, STAY TUNED…

…because another post is coming shortly on Steve’s Cycle Shorts, our Campervan Capers sub-blog…  Not only will you get the low-down on the Tour of Flanders, but we’ll also be exploring the Wieler Museum in Roeselare!

If you’d like to automatically receive the blog in your inbox, just enter your email address in the ‘subscribe’ box in the panel to the right of the blog.

HAPPY CYCLING (and campervanning), FOLKS!

CAMPERVAN CAPERS BOOK UPDATE

If you’ve been waiting to hear about the forthcoming release of the Campervan Capers book, you’ll be pleased to know that the end is now in sight!

Alannah has been busy getting the book finalised for release within the next few weeks…  In the meantime, why not whet your appetite by reading THE WELSH LEEK CONSPIRACY, a free download adapted from the book, or by checking out some of the PHOTOS ON FLICKR taken during our trips?  Click on the links if any of these take your fancy.

The book will be released in a variety of digital formats – for eReaders as well as for home printing…  So keep your eyes peeled for news of the book’s release on the Campervan Capers blog, on Facebook, or on the Foley’s Forum website.  Feel free to subscribe to either blog to hear more, or ‘like’ us on Facebook to receive news in your feed.

Around the World in Eighty Years – Travel Photography

Hi folks!

Just thought I’d pass on a link to some lovely travel photography that I came across by James O’Donnell…

Unfortunately, couldn’t see any shots of campervans.  Nevertheless, there’s bound to be something in here to please the eye.  This link shows landscape photography and there’s a drop-down menu for other types of photos.

http://www.aroundtheworldineightyyears.com/galleries/landscapes/

Love the title of James’ site: Around the World in Eighty Years!

I’ll be in touch soon with more info about the Campervan Capers book and links to some photography of my own taken during the time in which the book was written.

Happy travels!

Alannah

Bimblin’ Round Belgium

Destination: Belgium
Date: Mid March – Start April 2012

When you think of Belgium, what comes to mind?
Blond beer, fine chocolates, Hercules Poirot?

Well, in contrast to most folk, I’m no beer or chocolate lover, and Agatha Christie’s detective is a fiction, so when Steve & I took a trip to Belgium recently, it seemed we’d have to discover what else the little country had to offer.

The first part of our holiday was spent in the French-speaking south (aka Wallonia) and in the second part, we looped back up to the Flemish-speaking north to check out the Tour of Flanders cycle race.

As we went away for a few weeks, the blog would be pretty long if we mentioned everything.  So instead, I’ve distilled the experiences of our first campervan jaunt of the year somewhat…

ARRIVING A DAY EARLY for the ferry to Calais, we had time to kill…

So we biked up to South Foreland Lighthouse at Dover.

The lighthouse has protected many (but by no means all) ships from being sucked into the sand banks around the bay.  From the lighthouse, you can see a white house in a distant cove – apparently it used to be owned by Ian Fleming of James Bond fame.

Our tour guide reckoned the local bus Ian Fleming used to take was the number 007!  Hmm…  Can’t see it myself…  Wouldn’t he have had his own car?  An Aston Martin per chance?

MAP CRAZY

Only as we journeyed down to the south of Belgium did we realise our map of Europe was wholly ‘unfit for purpose’.  We got pretty dizzy (not to mention stressed) circling the town of Mons several times, but finally managed to escape and find an ‘aire’ to stay on overnight.

In essence, aires are municipal parking places for tourists.  Some have facilities for motorhomes such as water, toilets, waste emptying, etc.  They are apparently abundant in France, but there are fewer elsewhere on the continent.

From here on in, we did lots of bimblin’ about, so rather than give you a blow-by-blow account of our hols, here are a few photo collages to give you a flavour and show you the highlights:

CAVE VISITS

The forested region of south Belgium known as the Ardennes is rich in limestone caves.  Prior research revealed that many are closed, or have limited opening times, out of the main holiday season, so we ‘only’ managed to visit a handful.

No picture can really do justice to the impressive formations which have been created over thousands upon thousands of years.  Still, to illustrate what you might find underground, here are some photos taken in several of the caves…

Caves visited: Han-sur-Lesse, Remouchamps, Hotton, Neptune, Dinant and Folx-les-Caves (the latter is a manmade cave with no limestone formations).

RELAXED PITCH

Normally, we move from place to place when we’re travelling.  But after a busy few months prior to our holiday, we were up for some R’n'R.  So when we found the Chateau Dieupart site at Remouchamps (near Liege), we decided to book in for a week…

Our pitch was right alongside the river and there was also plenty of scope for bike riding and walking.

NINGLINSPO

A short drive away was Ninglinspo.  Sounds like a made-up tongue-twister or a song by the Goons, but it is in fact the name of a river.  The surrounding area is a mix of evergreen and deciduous forest with cycling and walking trails running through it…

LOCAL FARE

… And of course, it was only polite to check out the Belgian fare at the local market and shops.  The Aywaille market near Remouchamps may not have been that big, but we found plenty of interest: cheeses with names like ‘dent du chat’ (cat’s tooth…?), breads of a size fit for a giant, and rows of potted flowers that looked pristine enough to rate in the Chelsea Flower Show.

HEALTH & SAFETY GONE MAD…?

Sad as it sounds, we got quite excited with the supermarket’s bread-slicing machine.  You just select a bread you fancy, place it lovingly into the machine, and out comes a freshly-sliced loaf baked that morning.

Couldn’t imagine having anything like it in England, what with the ‘Health & Safety gone mad’ theme running…  I did get some curious looks from the staff as I took a photo of the machine – nearly backing into an electricity socket poking up from the middle of the floor as I did so.  A rather laissez-faire attitude if you ask me! 

We also loved the fresh bread “vending machines” dotted round, the fact that they sell frozen veg in boxes and not plastic bags, and  obviously, we had to try out some of the patisserie delights…

Bread "vending machines". Am I the only one who thinks this looks a bit like a Tardis?

 

Well, that just about covers the first part of our trip in south Belgium…  and Steve’s Cycle Shorts will be back on the blog shortly to cover the second part of our holiday in the north.  So stay tuned for the low-down on Belgian cycling at large, the Tour of Flanders and the infamous cycling museum, the Wieler Museum, in Roeselare.

If you prefer to receive the blog automatically whenever we post, see the panel to the right of the blog & sign up to receive Campervan Capers in your email inbox…

COMING SOON…

As you can see, my time’s been taken up recently gadding about Europe, but plans are still afoot to put the finishing touches to my Campervan Capers book over the coming weeks with a view to publishing it with Smashwords.

If you don’t know what it’s about yet, click on the blog’s THE BOOK tab to read the blurb, or visit the Campervan Capers page of my website.

If you can’t wait till the book comes out, why not read The Welsh Leek Conspiracy, a short light-hearted travel tale adapted from the book.
Click to visit the Smashwords website, where it can be downloaded for free
in a variety of formats – for eReaders or home printing.

Wheals of Clay

 WHEAL MARTYN
China Clay Country Park
 St Austell, Cornwall

Daytrip – Mid-October 2011

Ever wondered who made the ‘pyramids of Cornwall’?  Or what Cornish commodity could possibly be more lucrative than the pasty?  Stay tuned to find out…

For two days in October, members of the local Friends of Luxulyan Valley (like ourselves), were granted free entry to Wheal Martyn, just a few miles from St Austell in mid-Cornwall.  Thanks to them, I can pass on these insights into this China Clay site which is a combination of museum, showcase of past & present clay working, and nature park.

IT’S MINE – ALL MINE!

Barely had Steve & I crossed the threshold into the visitor centre than we were greeted by a kindly volunteer guide who told us a bit about Wheal Martyn – ‘wheal’ being a Cornish word meaning ‘mine’ or ‘pit’.  We were surprised to discover that the slopes surrounding the site are the result of waste materials being piled up over the years. 

Just in case you weren't sure... This is a dummy, not Steve! (Steve hasn't got a moustache.)

After walking through the gift shop reception, we were led through a series of inventive displays relating the story of Cornwall’s China Clay heritage…  A ‘talking portrait’ of William Cookworthy telling you how he first found local clay in 1746…  A Victorian ‘Kettle Boy’ at the door of a work shed painting a picture of his working day…  Videos showing how the clay was (and still is) taken from the opencast mines and processed before it heads off to various countries around the world…  And much, much more…

Before Cookworthy discovered that vast amounts of clay could be obtained from Cornwall, the British got their clay from China – hence the name given to crockery made from it.  However, it’s used in countless products (eg paper, paint & cosmetics) and Cornwall now exports clay to the rest of the world.  Unfortunately, the pasty hasn’t fared so well!

 

Spot the tiny Tonka truck! (Clue: it's yellow & it's somewhere in the bottom left-hand corner.)

WHAT A SITE!

The indoor exhibitions give you a great introduction as to what lies outdoors on the 26-acre site, where you get to explore the separation tanks, drying areas, etc used to process clay, as well as Cornwall’s largest working waterwheel.

 

Taking a walk through the forest nature trail, we eventually came to Pit View which overlooks a working quarry.  From here, work vehicles look like tiny Tonka trucks.  If you have kids, you can double-back to the play area or have lunch in the café – it certainly smelled good when we were there, though alas, we’d already made sandwiches to eat in the camper!

As we left the centre, we looked around.  It was quite something to get your head round the fact that all these hills were the result of years of clay mining.  Wherever there is Cornish clay mining, you’ll also see the huge ‘sky tips’.  These ‘pyramids of Cornwall’, made of waste from the mining process, no doubt gave the Egyptian tourist board something to worry about when they first appeared!

The Eden Project (also near St Austell), has turned another of the county’s legacies – an old quarry – into a thriving tourist attraction with its famous, iconic biomes housing tropical and Mediterranean plants.  And a whole network of Clay Trail routes has been created in the area – you can even walk or cycle from Wheal Martyn to St Austell and the Eden Project after your lunch if you fancy it.

We’d definitely recommend a visit to Wheal Martyn China Country Clay Park: Cornwall is about much more than scenic cliff-top views and beach resorts… although there’s no harm in checking all that out while you’re down here as well!

 

Again, a big thank you goes to Wheal Martyn and the Friends of Luxulyan Valley (click links for more info).  There are also a couple of articles on my website referring to the Luxulyan Valley, if interested.

 

TAKE A CHILL PILL!

Cluey readers among you will probably have noticed how shockingly long it’s taken me to post this blog.  All I can do is apologise to my faithful subscribers, who have no doubt been pulling their hair out waiting for it (not!).  Unfortunately, my blog entries have had to take a backseat to other things on my list lately…

 

COOKING THE BOOKS

I’m still plugging away at the Campervan Capers book as well as getting sets of photos ready to accompany it.  And as I’ve also been spending time publicising my other recently-released eBooks (click links for more info), I’ve put back the release date to around springtime next year.

COMING SOON…?

I’ll keep you all informed as things progress…  We’re still popping out in our camper occasionally, but nothing significant enough to write about at the moment.  In the meantime, have a fantastic Christmas break and we look forward to more CC blogging in the new year!

PS  Do you remember our Underground, Overground trip where Castle Drogo needed a decent wedge of money to fix its leaky roof?  Well, the good news, according to the National Trust, is that they’ve had a cash injection now of just over half a million.  The bad news?  They are still a few million down.  Luckily, lottery funding may able to help to ‘plug the gap’ – err… both literally and metaphorically!  Click for more info about the appeal.