A walk around Pomena

View up Pomena `high street´

I am on the island of Mljet, one of the southernmost islands of the Dalmatia region of Croatia. It has a population of just over 1000 people ( residents) and is 3/4 National park and the island is 84% forest.

I am staying  in the village of Pomena, in the northwest corner of the island. It has approx 62 residents. There is only one hotel on the island The Odisej, ( where I am staying). I will show you more of the hotel in a future blog.

The boat of doom

There is a small marina by the hotel which has mooring for many yachts, ferries and of course the boat of doom.

The Yanks have arrived

Yesterday (Monday) seemed to be the day that all of America descended on the island, some disappeared into the national park, some went swimming in the sea, some took up residence at the local restaurants. If I closed my eyes I could have been in Kansas, or New York or some other American place, luckily at 2pm the sound of 3 long toots meant that they all boarded the boats and yachts and sailed on. Peace. (they are VERY loud)

looking down the `high street´

 To walk from the hotel to the start of the national park ( up the high street) takes approx 1 minute unless (like me ) you stop to chat to the waiters at your favourite restaurant.

Across the bay

The village is a crescent shape, with the hotel at one point and the only house that was for sale in Pomena when I was here last, being at the other point, so I set out to walk it and take in the view from the other side of the bay ( it took 3 minutes)

I took in the flora on the way 

Pomegranate

Bougainvillea

hibiscus 

more hibiscus

looks like an acorn but the leaves are not oak leaves 

Rosemary hedges

more rosemary hedges ( and me)

view from the other side ( see the boat of doom!)

A yacht in from Marseille, I met the family, they are  on a sailing holiday

This is the house that was for sale in May (650K). 

This house has been sold and the new owners are doing a lot of work on it, it is the last house in the village or the first depending on how you look at it.

It has an extensive garden with an orchard and a pool ( yes I looked at it online but didn't win the lottery)

The views from the side of the house, the views from the balconies must be stunning.

 Someone made their mark

I haven't photographed the restaurants, there is one at the hotel, and 7 others , they all get their fair share of trade during the day with the tourists that come over. 

And Monday on the island? well it was very hot, I spent most of the day rotating my bulk on a sunbed.

and walking the village.

Have a great day.

Bok za sada ( bye for now, yes, I am learning a little Croatian)

Here we go with October ticks.

Here we go with October ticks, this started at 1.30am on Sunday morning, my party loving neighbours, had been in full force since  the weekend before and so I decided to just head to the airport and maybe get an hours sleep in the car park. The A1 was more like the M25, I have never seen as much traffic at that time in the morning.

Parked up and headed to the get my case in. The lovely lady on the desk was chatting with me and suddenly said, 'I'm going to change your seat, there is a row of 3 empty seats near the back and the plane isn't full, so you can have a stretch out', and just like that I had a whole row to myself.

Straight through at the scanner, no removing of laptop, make up bag, or anything else, even my underwires didn't trigger alarm bells and a strip search, winner winner!!!!

Up for champagne and eggs benedict. By this point I was truly flagging!

Onto the plane and trying to get some sleep, but just couldn't nod off, so read with my feet  up!

 

Spectacular views as we came into land in Dubrovnik.

Out of the airport and over to the Jet2 gang. Lovely Croatian girl, very excited to get me matched up with my driver, 'oh' she said, nearly bouncing up and down.

' You are off to the port for your boat' 

'Car ferry or hotel boat' askes me warily !

' the hotel have sent their boat for you' she says nearly spinning on the spot with delight.

'Have you ever been on this boat. askes me.

' oh not' she says.

ME, ' you seriously would not be that excited if you had'

1hr 50 minutes drive on the 'skid mark' road (named by me for 2 reasons), this road is carved out of the cliff face and skirts round coast line, it has landslide warnings every 100m!

It does also take you through  the wine region which is stunning.

We arrive at the 'one boat' town, and there she is, the boat of doom, the stuff of my nightmares in May, and there is Captain Hari , I found out his name as he kept ringing my driver en route, either to see if we had fallen over the cliff side or how long we were going to be.

1 hour ( and no mishaps) later I am on my paradise island and checked in .  I would not like to be on this boat with 40 people!!!!

And I have a room with a balcony!!!( last time I just had a sea view so this is a bonus)

Facing the gardens and also with a sea view, just perfect.

I headed straight down to Restaurante Adriatic.

The waiters looked up and then shouted 'Caprese',  obviously not some variation on a Game of Thrones character, but after the salad that I ate every day that I was last here. Lots of hugging and laughing and chatting. 

Salad eaten, 2 glasses of  Croation white wine down the hatch, and I was good to go to the sun lounger.

I fell straight to sleep, and managed another hour when I got back to my room.

I had some consomme for dinner and then headed back to my room to drink champagne which I  had smuggled in! ( yes the warnings are still in the room about bringing your own drinks into the hotel and doing washing!).

 I don't care, I am back, and another tick for my month, I've never been to Croatia twice in a year!

The sun is up, the sky is blue, the sea is calling, but first stop is the shop for more contraband.

Happy Monday

Getting ready

 

So its the middle of September and I am no where near having a tick  for this month.

Its been a very difficult 16 days with two losses in a week and a very heavy heart.

I was trying to gee myself up to booking to get away in between Christmas and New Year, but at the moment, just getting through a day at work is my main aim.

Tonight I am going to be proactive and get the 'valise' out of the shed, and maybe pack some things for my ever nearing jaunt, in just under 3 weeks.

As of yet I have not disclosed the destination but you'll all know when I get there.

To be honest I cannot wait, just to get away and do holiday things, like drinking at 9am, I suppose I could do it at home, but my boss might complain.

I DO NOT  really drink at 9am on holiday, I try to wait until 10am!!!!!

I need sleep!, I need to just be on my own and process the last few weeks. I also need to make plans for  what I want to do next. This may see me packing up the house, rather than a suitcase, but we will have to wait and see.

This big birthday year has gone by very quickly, but not without its hitches. Its not panned out how I hoped it would.

That aside, it has been a great year doing some things that I haven't done before, and that's what it was all about.

I've had a little thought of what I want to do for my birthday next year and I will begin planning that soon.

It does look as if I will not have a tick for September, but c'est la vie.

Onwards to my next jolly.

Goodbye to August

 

Well that's August done and dusted and I managed to fit in a couple of ticks for the month.

Firstly , I NEARLY bought myself a little motorhome, just to help me on my wanderings, it was a little beauty but sadly the bed was not adequate for my 6ft+ frame, and after driving, I would need some comfort, so still keeping my eyes peeled.

First tick of the month  was a trip out to Piercebridge ( an historic Roman settlement), where I had Sunday lunch with my oldest girly friends. One of whom I met the day we moved to Newton Aycliffe, she was in her grans garden dressed as a present, it was carnival day, a tradition that has fallen by the wayside.

We headed to The Fox Hole , and had a fabulous meal along with a bottle of bubbly sent by one of the husbands ( very kind gesture). We are all entering 60 season so what better way to start it off.

A wonderful afternoon was had by all.

Fast forward to the last weekend in August and I gained another tick. For the million years that I have been going to Headingley, I have stayed in a variety of hotels ( good and bad) but I've never stayed at Hinsley Hall.

Situated on Headingley Road, a mere minutes from the cricket ground, it might as well be a million miles from anywhere. A grade II listed building, built in 1868, it is now a hotel, conference and pastoral centre.

With grounds that shelter you from any  busy road noise, surround you in peace and  tranquillity.

My room was a single, en suite. This is not a spa or boutique hotel, but it is perfect for an overnight stay and to be honest who needs a gym with beautiful grounds to walk in. Everything was perfect and exceptionally clean. There are no tea and coffee facilities in the rooms, but there is a lounge with free coffee and tea 24/7. 

Breakfast was included and was in a beautiful dining room with a vaulted ceiling, and the food? it was piping hot and plentiful with so much choice. Huge tick in my book, ( salad did not build this body!)

I can see me going again.

Another 'tick' involved me walking back to the hotel  and entering the driveway, I was trying to get my phone out to take a 'snap' when 'someone' tapped me on the arm. I turned round and froze. Those of you who know me well will know I am terrified of frogs and horses, and staring me straight in the eye was a horse, which was in a field just on the driveway. The cheeky boy had taken the opportunity to frighten the merde out of me.

I stepped back and headed up to the hotel, only for the horse to follow me along the fence to the end of its field.

When I stay again I will be walking on the right hand side of the drive!

Now lets see what September brings up.

That early morning chill

 

I wandered out to water the garden at 5am as I do most mornings, however in the space of 7 days I notice now that there is a chill in the air, the early mornings no longer giving a hint of warmth, they are hinting at what is to come.

I wrapped my dressing gown tightly round me as I hurried to finish my first job of the day, little realising that when I left the house a couple of hours later it would be raining!!!

It is coming up to our late summer Bank Holiday weekend here in England and I usually go away, sometimes cricket, sometimes just for a break. This weekend, I cancelled my original plans and am staying at home, with a couple of dinners and lunches out to look forward to. I'm tired and still not functioning at  100%, and so I have taken back some time for me, not something that I do very often. A mini holiday at my house.

I think that I will be packing my suitcase for my jaunt in October, which to be honest will be here before I know it. A chance to catch a little bit of late summer/ autumn sunshine.

Autumn is a strange season, ranging from 'Indian summers' to icy blasts. It always  seems to be over in the blink of an eye as we head to winter, not a time I like, dark mornings, dark afternoons and cold! Brrrrrrrrrr!!!!

And so I realise that I have to make to most of any sunshine, dinners in the garden will continue for as long as possible as the nights are starting to draw in, and early morning coffee may involve a blanky to ward off the chill. 

We are heading into September at a rate of knots, my big birthday year is  going by quicker than I wanted it to and not quite in the way I wanted it to  either.

August has been a month when I haven't done anything exciting or that I haven't done before......................except, I am starting to clear out my life, selling anything that stands still long enough to be photographed for my various selling sites. 2025 is going to begin with a tidier life.............and of course more travels.

The 2025 travel plans have started

 

Well, its nearly the middle of August and I have already booked my first jaunt for 2025.

I know I have holidays this year which I haven't disclosed, but I am so excited to be doing this in 2025 that I have to tell.

I am off to Norway ( again ), to Bergen ( again) and I am going on the Flam Railway and a Fjord cruise!

The train journey alone will please my inner engineering geek as well as my landscape love. The fjord cruise ( I've done one before) will be amazing.

I love Norway, I have since the first time I visited. 

Bergen with its funicular railway up to the top of Mount Floyen ( amazing views over some of the most beautiful natural harbours). Edvard Grieg's house ( I visited there the last time I was in Bergen), are always great to visit, however I've already sorted out my 'strange' museum to visit, and found a charity shop, which is a tram ride from the hotel.

Even though its months away I am excited. Its good to have something to look forward to

I am there for 4 nights and travelling on a Jet2 city break. 

One booking down, now where will I head to in the summer of 2025????????

August is here

 

Its that time of year, the time of year when all the English who have complained about the rain, cold, wind, snow and fog, can now complin about the heat.

We are having lovely weather at the moment and although we've had some showers the sun continues to shine and I continue to love it.

I do appreciate that its no fun looking at it through the office window, but rather that than 6 in of snow coming down to scupper my drive home.

I have just paid for my last jaunt abroad this year, so I am feeling ready to delve in to 2025. Dale and I have been having discussions about where I want  to head to next year, and we have a couple of ideas.

More about those as they materialise.

I have been having a look at popping away for a few nights in between Christmas and New Year,  It falls oddly for me at work this year so may usual trip to the cottage in Yorkshire is not  going to happen.

Am I the only person looking this far ahead?

I need to plan in advance so that I know I have something to look forward to, am I the only person who thinks like this? I tend to think that it is because I only have to think about me.

And so I am heading out to sit in the office garden and have 20 minutes topping up my vitamin D levels.

Happy weekend