World Wide Walkies

Collecting The Beast, Our New Expedition Truck: Part 1 – Staffal to Rotterdam

20200304_112142 — The Beast waits patiently in Rotterdam. But would Mark ever get there?!

Monday: Staffal – Pont St Martin

As part of our Brexit-Busting plan to abandon Europe for Mongolia, Mark and I have bought a 24.5 tonne truck to convert into our new home. She is a Volvo N10. She is HUGE, so we named her The Beast.

We fully accepted that the purchase, unseen, of an unregistered, 30-year-old Belgian army truck in Holland to import into the UK was not likely to be 100% straightforward. With blithe determination and the conviction that ‘there’s always a solution’, we jumped through the many administrative hoops and squared that circle. Yet throughout the build-up to Mark going to collect her, it seemed the gods were trying to tell us something.Continue reading “Collecting The Beast, Our New Expedition Truck: Part 1 – Staffal to Rotterdam”

Stuck at Home and Running Out of Ideas? 5 More Things To Do in Lockdown

forget-me-not-257176_640 — The days are getting longer; keep busy! Self-Improve as you Self-Isolate.

Coming up to our fourth week in isolation in Italy and unable to leave the house for over a week, we have had to get creative. Here are a few more ideas to help you while away those hours productively!

In case you missed them, you can also check out 10 Tips to Make Covid-19 Isolation SPLENDID! and “Do More, Feel Better” – Why Not Learn A Language? Continue reading “Stuck at Home and Running Out of Ideas? 5 More Things To Do in Lockdown”

A Life Without Ligaments – And How to Avoid It!

“Most of the All Blacks don’t have A.C.L.’s (Anterior Cruciate Ligaments).”

This was the advice given to me by the orthopaedic surgeon. At the time, in the early 1990s, he also advised me that recovery from the surgery to put things right would be worse than the injury itself; that he couldn’t reproduce the function of a natural A.C.L., whose structure, in layman’s terms, had ‘differential stretchiness’ between the outside and the core; and that if I got myself a CTi knee brace and kept my muscles strong to support the joint, I would be able to ski again. If New Zealand’s fabled rugby union team could play at a professional level without their A.C.L.s, there was hope for me.

“Do More, Feel Better” – Why Not Learn A Language?

In Lockdown? Learn A Language Free At Home

On Tuesday 24th March 2020, the UK followed many other countries around the world and went into lockdown. With so many of us forced to find a way to cope with isolation, I hope to offer you some ideas, support and puppy love from Mark, myself and The Fab Four.

I was privileged to make a contribution to this article on learning a language, published on the excellent website, TravelAwaits; ‘A website by the 50+ Traveller for the 50+ Traveller.’

Please click the link to find out more about…

“Social Distancing? Here’s How To Learn A Language At Home During Your Downtime”!

Continue reading ““Do More, Feel Better” – Why Not Learn A Language?”