I may be a Londoner by birth but since I was very small it has never been my home. Instead I’ve roamed settling for a few years here and there, although London has been a constant feature in my life through family who live here or the 7 years I commuted in from... Recharging my batteries over the last week has been a marvellous boost. It’s not until you slow down that you realise how unthinking life has become. In this dash about and have it all world we live in finding time to sit back, relax and think seems incredibly hard... At first my trip seemed like small speck on the horizon, then I arrived in the UK and it felt like I was standing on a hilltop looking out to a big view with limitless time to explore. Alas time is running out all of a sudden. London is calling again and I can faintly... Visiting gardens in the English National Garden Scheme is enough to bring on an attack of horticultural obsequiousness. As much as I can admire the gardens of others it’s hard not to feel completely idiotic in the company of learned hardy planters. Luckily I... 
People often mistake a basset’s doleful looks as a sign of low intelligence. But no, bassets are deeply thoughtful dogs who act almost entirely in service of themselves. Asking a basset hound to co-operate for your benefit is a short cut to insanity. They will... 