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Autobiography
Book 1: A loving academic childhood in the UK
Book 2: A 28yr fairytale of true love, motherhood, science and music in the UK, US & Portugal.
Book 3: A widow following a path of music & smiles led by Jesus, earth angels & rock n roll Read more Óbidos, Portugal
  • TravelerSE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
    Day 85–90

    Farewell Asia, until next time.

    March 13 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    Sad to leave but what an experience and what a blessing to have had this opportunity. It reminds me of how fortunate I am to have been born in a country with a passport that affords me passage around the world. I intend to continue to take advantage of that for as long as I am physically able.
    Goodbye Thailand. I'm going to miss your focus on peace, the genuine smiles from all, the delicious cheap streetfood, the choice of a dozen bands a night, the sunshine, the lemongrass, basil and galangal, the mangoes, and of course the bumgun!    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
    Day 83–85

    Chaing Rai

    March 11 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    The blue and white temples in Chaing Rai are mind-blowing in their beauty, in the statements that they make in this modern world.
    At 1st sight, the Blue Temple or Wat Rong Suea Ten appeared a little fickle, reminiscent of a Disney representation of a temple. However, on closer inspection, it is a very sophisticated masterpiece. The artwork is airbrushed, and the colour transitions are so subtle and reminiscent of the natural beauty of tropical birds and insects. The vivid blue and gold is the perfect background for the imposing but welcoming white Buddha statue inside.
    The White Temple or Wat Rong Khun is another level of breathtaking, thought-provoking, sometimes shocking beauty and took me to a profound, peaceful place. It is the ongoing masterpiece of Chalermchai Kositpipat and is set to be complete in 2070.
    The Temple structures are dazzling pure white in the bright blue sky, sparkling in the bright sun from the mirror mosaic 'sequins', representing wisdom, which adorn every surface.
    No photos are allowed inside the temple and to be frank, I didn't want to join the Instagrammers missing out on the experience just snapping away. There are plenty of photos online if you're interested, but I'll try to at least describe the inside
    Entrance to the ubosot is over a lake with a mass of hands reaching up to grab you. They represent the cravings and desires of this earthly life, the pull to seek transient happiness. Inside the ubosot building, your attention is immediately drawn to the glorious imagery of Buddha and enlightened souls. The back wall, however, represents modern earthly suffering. Plenty of gruesome images such as the attack on the twin towers are interspersed with objects of human admiration, including Michael Jackson, mobile phones, Superman, and Elvis. I assume that the idea is to remind us of the danger and futility of living to gain pleasure from these transient, meaningless idols. It reminded me that there always has been suffering on earth and there always will be. The life of each of us is so fleeting. At the time, any suffering seems permanent and unbearable, but it is not in our power to remove it. Learning to accept suffering and to focus on understanding and finding personal peace maybe the key to fulfilment. Imagine tourists in 200 years looking at that back wall and trying to understand what was so compelling about Elvis or devastating about the Twin Towers. I found huge significance in our insignificance, comfort in how negligible I am, which somehow fills me with a drive to share joy in the present moment.
    There was also an incredible cave that started out like a chaotic house of horrors and opened into a bright cave of peaceful splendour. I hope beyond hope that we will each reach such a place at the end of this life of earthly suffering. Not the artist's buddhist perspective, of course, merely my personal Christian belief.
    So, make your way to Chiang Rai, what an experience!    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
    1
    Day 69–73

    Pai, 5 star Hippie wonderland

    February 26 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Pai is a small town in the mountains of northern Thailand, which randomly has become a mecca for backpackers. It's cause for concern when the bus ticket advises you to take travel sickness medication in advance of the journey! My preventative measure was replacing my ritual morning mango smoothie with a lime soda. Fortunately, the bus was so full of gigantic backpacks that it would have been a soft landing if I had been hurled out of my seat. Hundreds of switchback turns later we arrived in Pai.
    Pai is a beautiful mountain town with the River Pai meandering through, crossed by bamboo bridges, a bright white buddha always visible high up in the mountains.
    There was the expected hippie vibe, but it soon became apparent that the 'dog on a rope, no need for soap' hippies were few and far between. They had been replaced by the 'barefoot but carrying 3 pairs of shoes in my backpack..... where can I get my feet scrubbed?' young, clean, rich, modern hippie. They were mixed in with yoga body perfect vegans and the occasional hundredfold pack of hoo-ha drinking gap year backpackers. It was a wonderful place to be transfixed alternately by glorious nature and then by watching glorious people.
    We did, of course, climb up to the White Buddha. Pottered around on a moped to waterfalls and canyons, even passing a couple of playful elephants.
    The music scene was again vibrant with live music in every other bar. The Jazz House run by American Brian features 3 diverse bands every night. We caught a 'Geography of the Moon', show, a duo from Italy/Scotland who permanently tour many of the clubs in SE Asia that we played. My 1st true indie, shoe gaze gig. A curious experience, indeed involving a lot of looking at the floor of the stage.... either at the guitarist fiddling with his peddles or the singer striking dramatic poses on the floor. What a sweet, charming couple though.
    We were sitting contemplating the river, wasting time until the bus back to Chiang Mai, when the peace was shattered..... the river was soon a mass of pink flesh.... the aforementioned gap year backpackers on the 'tipsy tuber' daytrip. They seemed to be having a good time, although the river was low, so I'm sure that they were dragging their bums on the river bed. A genius way to relieve them of their money in exchange for 1000 inner tubes, gallons of beer, and metres of bandages and antiseptic! I now finally understood why so many of the Pai tourists were bandaged and hobbling around.    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
    Day 62

    Chiang Mai. Home from home

    February 19 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Returning to Thailand was as refreshing as a lime soda, welcoming as a mango smoothie and exciting as the turmeric and cardamom in a bowl of Khoa Soi. The contrast in the chilled out vibe from the ruthlessness of Vietnam was so striking. Chiang Mai has welcomed us with open arms. We've already played 2 sets of music with 2 different drummers and 3 more sets already booked. The local music community is varied and vibrant. Last night's open mic featured Australian country, vaudeville by a Sri Lankan, adult singing students taught by a young Goan girl, another Goan lad singing country, and various Canadian, German, and American musicians.
    Chaing Mai itself is a beautifully clean, safe, interesting city with stunning temples on every street. The locals are confused by the tourists locking their bikes and walking around with their helmets. They state that nothing gets stolen; it does seem that they may be telling the truth. Perhaps the benefit of a Buddhist culture. There was a big Buddha festival last Saturday called Magha Puja day. It celebrates Buddha preaching to a spontaneous multitude and is a day to gain merit. As a result, the sale of alcohol is banned, and people try to do good deeds all day. My Catholic mind, of course, wonders about whether any merit can be gained by doing good solely for the purpose of reward, but what a beautiful day.
    That was the 1st of many spiritual experiences here. I attended a lively, inspiring English Mass at the cathedral, or as the Grab driver called it at the 'Christ Temple'!
    We rented a moped and happened upon a temple celebrating it's 650th birthday. The temple was set in woodland with a stream and waterfalls. It was a peaceful place to wait a couple of hours for the free concert which was a collaboration between the Thai symphony orchestra and local hill tribe musicians. They even provided delicious free local food.
    It's such a pleasure to taste turmeric, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon again. One of the local dishes, Khanom jeen nam ngiao, has cubes of chicken blood in... very tasty if you close your eyes and only 1€ a bowl. Contrary to my expectations, the food isn't too spicy up north. We're still adding generous spoonfuls of chilli paste to everything. You'd think we were risking our lives by the expressions on the cooks' faces.
    The travellers' trend seems to be to rent local costumes and hire a photographer to follow you around. I'm sure that it makes for a memorable portfolio, but for some reason, it gets my goat. As a result, I've not taken many photos, so there's little for me to upload to share Chiang Mai with you visually.
    I'll try to do better in Pai.    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
    Day 56–63

    Danang, Hanoi, good bye Vietnam

    February 13 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Vietnam continued to over stimulate in sound (beep beep), smell (standing water, grease and stock), sight (carvings, caves, traffic chaos, tiny plastic stools everywhere, clean yet filthy), touch (sumptuous fabrics), taste (shrimp paste) and texture (slimy, cold, dense, gelatinous). The people are style conscious, proud of their food and love to tell you where to sit and what to eat. Don't imagine that you'll get the menu item that you choose, you can't possibly know what you should be eating! We tried all that we were given and all I can say is that I can't wait to get back to Thailand....I can't wait to taste some fragrant spices again, to cook again. It's a telltale sign that we didn't come across a supermarket at all in Vietnam. Even the food market stalls were few and far between. The general population don't cook. They rely on street food. Maybe that's why most dishes are filling and bland. It's not so dissimilar to Portugal.
    Tet continued for over a week. Gorgeous outfits and ladies posing for selfies everywhere. So beautiful to see the blossoms and flowers, sad to see them expired in the bin. The New Year superstitions are another level. No bananas because the word in Vietnam is similar to the word 'descend'. Fires outside each property, burning fake money and lucky paper symbols.
    The marble mountains were breathtaking. It is impossible to describe the beauty.
    So, that's it, good bye Vietnam.
    Our gig in Laos never came to fruition, and flights are expensive, so we've opted for another month in Thailand. Hello Chiang Mai. The difference in feel was instantaneous on stepping off the aeroplane. Everybody acknowledging each other, all interactions polite and calm. The exception being the taxi driver who told us there was no public bus.... just as one drove past!    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
    Day 52–56

    Hoi An

    February 9 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Chuc Mung Nam Moi
    That's a happy new year to you and me! It's taken hundreds of repetitions to get somewhere close to pronouncing that phrase correctly. Fortunately, the holiday lasts for days, so I'll get some use out of it yet. It's a great way to politely move on the hawkers.
    What a gorgeous town Hoi An is. We're actually just soaking it up at a leisurely pace. There's plenty to see in the old town just strolling around.
    The new year fireworks were spectacular as was the mass exodus of the mopeds as soon as they finished. There are so many superstitions surrounding the turn of the year. The best one is no fighting or speaking negatively on the 1st day of the year. A slightly dubious, although picturesque one is floating a candle in the river. The cardboard containers must have floated downstream and congregated because the river was overflowing within a couple of hours.
    I'm off to Mass in English now, what a treat. I'll pray for a happy new year for all of you.    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
    Day 48–51

    Da Lat in the run up to Tet

    February 5 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    What a beautiful time of the lunar calendar year to be in Vietnam. The year of the dragon starts on Saturday. Everybody is sweeping, washing, decorating, and flowers abound. Apparently, it's bad luck to sweep and clean in the new year, so it's all done now. The streets are packed with cherry blossoms, gladioli, and chrysanthemums. The transport of big trees on the back of a moped is a sight to behold, although a 2m fridge takes the biscuit!
    We took a sleeper bus.... in the daytime (?!) to Da Lat. A refreshing mountain city with the most relaxing monastery by the lake that Thich Naht Hanh preached at. I thought that Joe was going to stay. It was a transformative experience there for sure. The bonsai trees were a testament to man and nature working in patient harmony. Post tour was a good time to take stock and renew our spirits and resolve to be better human beings.
    The chill air is refreshing and gives the locals a chance to wear woolly hats and ear muffs... at 18C! At night-time steps transform into seats for abundant street food. Unfortunately, it's all the same and not very interesting to our spoiled palates.... but it's a delight to see children excited to eat cold, congealed noodles.
    We're currently waiting for the 12 hour night bus to Hoi An, actually at night this time. We bought a very cheap guitar today (30€ with a case), so we're ready to hole up for the holidays. Apparently, it's difficult to find any food for 5 days, so we'll be instant noodle experts by the end!    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
    Day 44–47

    Hoi Chi Minh or Sai Gon?

    February 1 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    Vietnam is a bit of a shock after Cambodia and Thailand. You can feel the Western influence. The general feeling here is that people are looking inwards, not outwards. I'm missing the instant human connection, the fleeting eye contact that leads to a smile. The respect and acceptance shown through body language. Crossing the street took some getting used to. The best trick is to walk beside a local and weave through the 4 lanes with them. I strangely don't feel at all nervous even with a bus coming straight at me!
    However, despite the more anonymous feel, once again, I feel so grateful for the music. The wonderful Russ saw posts that we were playing here tonight and contacted Joe through Facebook. Turns out that he went to school with a mutual friend in Portugal. What a beautiful coincidence. He opened up his home to us and we spent a fabulous night there for Jess's 40th birthday. I'm now sitting in Yoko Cafe waiting to play. The reception from our support band and the club staff is like that of long-lost family. True connections through music and we didn't even play yet.
    The Universe was smiling at our endeavours today. Joe and I went for a stroll down to the Riverside. I asked him to keep his eyes open for a flower shop (we're dressing the stage with fresh flowers every show), in the blink of an eye he spotted some uprooted marigolds lying by a bin. We did draw some strange looks for the rest of the walk carrying uprooted flowers.... looked like we pulled them out of a Tet (new years, 10 Feb) display. A lesson in not worrying about the judgement of others, we only answer to our own conscience.
    We're staying in Little Japan. A warren of streets lined with stunning, young women in uniforms of white robes, red dresses or tartan mini skirts. Sadly, they are indeed all offering massage with extras. I'm not sure how a punter would choose which of the damsels to approach... they are all on their phones and avoiding eye contact! Our window looks into their backroom, playing cards and bank notes are flying. At least they seem to have fun between shifts!
    The last 2 shows of the Wild Flowers Tour are coming up. Let's rock!!    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
    Day 37–40

    Phnom Penh again

    January 25 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    We were welcomed into the Phnom Penh music scene with open arms. We were originally booked to play at The Deck but they lost their music licence due to an over enthusiastic touring metal band. The wonderful musicians and venues quickly came up with an alternative venue for us at short notice. The Deck still graciously allowed us to stay above their premises for free. Rock hard bunk beds and cold showers seemed appropriate after we visited S21.
    S21 is a genocide museum set in the old school which the Khymer Rouge turned into a horrific torture camp. The atrocities committed were beyond horror films. Anybody thought to be an intellectual or artist rounded up, tortured and massacred. Just wearing glasses was a risk factor, identifying you as intellectual. Phnom Penh was the centre of the vibrant GoGo music scene until almost all those musicians and singers were rounded up and massacred. The Cambodian people give the most genuine, warm, uplifting smiles that I have ever experienced on masse and yet their history is so dark and tragic. What a lesson in forgiveness and positive spirits.

    Our alternative venue was Copacabana. The owner is from Brazil and greeted us in Portuguese. He was a very welcoming host to a rather strange venue. It felt like a cocktail bar but before long spaced out kids were buying nitrous oxide balloons. Surreal indeed. We met several local artists and people with very interesting stories and tales of how they come to be in Cambodia.
    The next gig was Oscar's on the Corner. A girly bar which seemed weird but the stage and sound were top notch and we had an amazing show. A couple were there who we had leafletted in Siem Reap. I was chatting to them and got moved by the Madam of the house. We were in a delicate situation, engaging with our audience but not interfering with the girls sitting with the old white guys buying them drinks. Dancing to the support act was frowned upon too, so we encouraged them from the side stage wings.
    Penpal were a joyful 3 piece, 2 guitars, vocals and occasional glockenspiel. The lead singer, Arianna later became a super fan of Wild Flowers and was inspired by our reckless energy on stage.
    It was a rocking show and we made a firm fan base keen to have us back. In tribute to the lost era of Cambodian rock, we included a song from that era in the set with English words that I wrote to sum up the joyful resilience of the Cambodian people. Even the Madam sought me out for a hug after we finished!    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
    Day 37

    Thoughts from a bus journey

    January 25 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    This isn't what this platform is for. Please forgive me, but it's 2 years today since my Paul left this world. I owe everything to him. Today's bus ride gave me time to reflect..... here's what I wrote to him.

    2 years since you left me alone
    Never to again stare deep into my other soul
    Where are you now?
    Can you still feel my love?
    Does it hold you firm in your strength?
    Would you take back the pain to be in my arms again?
    I want you to be free, to look forward not back and I'll do the same.
    Our love will never die. That's what gives me the strength to survive.
    So let's make a pact. You don't worry about me and accept the blissful knowing. I, in turn, will use our love as an invisible blanket coat to protect me while I live in the present. I will accept love and joy as gifts and share all positivity, walk away from negativity and evil.
    When we meet again you will already know where I've been and we'll be our true selves.... together with George, Jimi, Gary, your Mum and Dad, Aunty Zu, and Mother Teresa!

    I'm going to rock Phnom Penh for him tonight!    Read more

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