Most of us are good at keeping our phones fully charged. We have a plethora of leads, plugs, adaptor etc to ensure we can top up, wherever we are. And just in case, we probably carry a fully charged battery pack. But are we good are we at keeping ourselves well charged? We also need…
Author: unwrapping
Vietnam Variations #2 – Pavements
Pavements, traditionally, are designed for pedestrians to walk along. The pavement design handbook says:- 1. They should be wide enough for at least one person, and ideally for a pushchair or a wheelchair. 2. They should be level, without trip hazards and free of obstacles and instructions. 3..They should ahave a kerb which encourages road…
Vietnam Variations #1 – Scooters
As a seasoned world traveller, I’m always surprised how many things are the same across the globe. Everywhere, people live in houses, typically in families. They cook and eat, wash and clean. They move around in various modes of transport on roads and paths. They work and play, buy and sell, laugh and cry, have…
Vietnam – emerging from the dark tunnels of tragedy
In 1945 Ho Chi Minh declared full independence for a united Vietnam, after long history of occupation from China and more recently France. It took 10 years for the French to completely leave the south, only to be gradually replaced by the Americans, who wanted to stop and reverse the spread of communism down from…
Enjoy Hanoi
Meandering through Hanoi past the endless myriad of miniature shops, offering everything from street food to foot massages, tuk tuk rides to conical hats. Every little business is fighting for a few feet of broken pavement to display and sell their goods. Competing with the shop next door, selling much of the same. All fighting…
Making Reasonable Progress
Does this remind you of your school report? Whilst you may have excelled in maths and flunked in history; in geography the teacher simply wrote “making reasonable progress”. Two months ago, I entered a Parkrun in Poland. We did not have a car as Wroclaw has a wonderful tram system. I had cleverly plotted a…
Seeking Solitude
I’m sat on my own in a pub in Robin Hoods Bay, a lovely picturesque little village wrapped around an impossibly steep hill; a crowd of tiny red-roofed cottages cascading down to the unsettled sea. I’m tucking into a tasty butter chicken curry in a room full of people. This is the only place open…
Changing the Rules of the Game
Rules are there to help us. If they are not helping, we should question them and either ignore them, or re-invent them. My two-year old granddaughter wanted grandad to play a card game. She tends to get what she wants. This was an elaborate version of snap, with circular cards, each with 6 different animals.…
Running in the Dark
Last night I ran in the dark, through a forest. No street lights, no moonlight, just my feet navigating a rather soggy, uneven path. It was hard to see the way ahead, and there were potential hazards all around – fallen branches, puddles, pot holes, werewolves and vampires. Sometimes our imagination runs ahead of us…
Where is your cool pool ?
Where is your cool swimming pool? I love to swim alone in an outdoor pool. I was in one today, cool, fresh and all by myself. It is refreshing and liberating. The water gently enveloping and supporting me as I glide effortlessly through it. Just an easy breast stroke, my head above the surface, my…
Unwrapping The World 