August 09 - Ancient lands near and far

AUGUST. Kenwood house is set in Hampstead Heath, not too far from our place. We trudged off there one wet summers day (yep it was pouring down) for picnic in the park, and entertainment from Simply Red. Well we got wet, had some yummy food, and heard Simply Red – couldn’t really see the stage – so in hindsight could have sat inside nice and warm at home with the CD on! Paige ventured back into the world of working, and spent two weeks working for a Fashion Agency in Marylebone, and found one of her life callings. The company absolutely loved her, and she came home each day enthused and full of life.

We then whisked ourselves away to Egypt for a week. Taba Heights is a Tourist Resort Area, in North East Egypt. Our beach overlooked Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. Beautiful heat, warm waters of the Red Sea, snorkeling fun for viewing of stunning coral off our beach. We had a week of sun bathing, eating, swimming, reading and resting.


Day trips for snorkeling by an old fortified small island off the shores of Egypt, and a trip to Petra in Jordan were certainly highlights. When heading on tours you never really have enough time to explore, but the three hours we had in Petra were incredible and I know we will head back to Jordan one day. We returned with our small bottle of Jordanian sand, complete with camel images, nice healthy tans… and only a slight case of Egyptian Belly.

As if we hadn’t done enough, we headed away to the Peak District with Bevan and Hillary for the last bank holiday of the year. More beautiful countryside to explore, we visited Chatsworth House, Haddon Hall, Caves and ate more than our fair share. Chatsworth House has the most amazing Farm Store which sells food which actually tastes of something, unlike London staples which look the part but never really taste of anything. A lovely trip away, it is always fun discovering the UK.