My Dad loved painting with watercolours and while I've dabbled a couple of times, it's only now that I've decided to see if he has passed on his gift to me. I've enrolled on a day's watercolour class, Plein Air, run by Emma Wille at her studio, Shamuy Runa in…
Six of us set out from Cuenca for Vilcabamba on a wet Saturday morning. The monotony of the four-and-a-half-hour journey by minibus was broken by much storytelling, laughter and, of course, a stop for lunch at one of the many roadside restaurants along the way. Franny, the leader of our…
One Day - a street dog's story It’s been a cold night. I can’t control the shivering that wracks my body. My bones ache as I pull myself from the hollow that’s been my home for the last few months. I stretch, first one way, then the other, easing…
I'm off to India! India? Why when you're approaching the grand old age of 75? I hear you ask. As with China, (read about my adventures in No More Cups of Tea), India is a country I've always wanted to visit. I remember listening, fascinated, to my grandmother's stories about…
There's a great British expat community here in Cuenca and it was through the groups Whatsapp feed that I first heard of Joseph Kennedy. He'd recently interviewed John Lay, another Brit, who it turns out, worked with Jools Holland. The interview was fascinating and prompted me to contact Joseph to…
As a British expat, living in Ecuador, I occasionally get a craving for baked beans on toast. Sadly, our local supermarket doesn't stock much in the way of British produce. Undeterred, I set about trying to find a recipe that would give me a taste of home, comfort food for…
Mangoes are in season just before Christmas here in Ecuador, those lovely rosey red, sweet fruits that remind me of sunset back home. Besides loving them in salads, I also love making a chutney with them, great with cheese and cold meats over the Christmas holiday. I hope you like…
Juicy pineapples are available all year round here in Cuenca, so when shopping in our local market one day, I decided to buy a couple and try my hand at making a deliciously tangy pineapple and ginger chutney to go with the scrummy curries I'd made and frozen. On this…