Getting away from it all.

[Emil Miller]

The UK has had the wettest April according to records that date back to 1910 and the weather outlook is still unsettled. It is expected that, despite the severe economic situation, there will be a rush for foreign sunspots when the holiday season begins. Do LitNetters have a favourite holiday location. Do they prefer to stay at home with their books or perhaps take reading material with them to some exotic location?

[KCurtis]

The UK has had the wettest April according to records that date back to 1910 and the weather outlook is still unsettled. It is expected that, despite the severe economic situation, there will be a rush for foreign sunspots when the holiday season begins. Do LitNetters have a favourite holiday location. Do they prefer to stay at home with their books or perhaps take reading material with them to some exotic location?

My favorite holiday location is London.
While that is definitely true, I live in a summer resort area of Massachusetts, and we have some of the most beautiful natural beaches in the country, so I am spoiled rotten. I also have summers off because I work in a school, and this summer I will have eleven weeks!
I wish I could be at the Olympics, and we are hoping the weather gets better. We are hoping also it will bring some economic relief to you, my husband is keeping up with the news over there on a daily basis.
Most workers in the U.S. have two weeks off for vacation on average, which is one reason I like my job.

[LitNetIsGreat]

April in this country has been a disgrace. No really it has, it has really peed me off. May has not been much much better, less rain but still mixed. I have the fire on now and have just turned the central heating off, in May - damn country...

Unfortunately the foreign sunspots are not part of my current vocabulary. I think next year we are heading off to Spain though, I don't know. I find it hard to justify spending a great deal of money just for a week away. This is especially so when you are forced to go in the school holidays when the prices are more than double. That's another con. With the mortgage set up and the wedding in Ireland last year, this year's holiday is in Great Yarmouth, or as I call it, Yarmouth! I more or less detest the place but I know it makes the others happy so I suppose you have to give a little. There are some good things about it though, namely the day trips out of the place! I also have the school summer holidays off though so I have plenty of time to do other things so I'm not complaining at all. The local brewery in Southwold, Adnams, also has some fine brews.

Anyway, back to the weather rant. Last week I bought myself another jacket, this one a medium weight walking rain jacket from one of those outdoor stores. This is because I am determined to get out whatever the weather. I also bought myself a massive fishing umbrella, as fishing is my latest addiction. It is not that I am put off by a spot of rain because living in the UK means you are going to get that, but you can't do a 65 mile bike ride in constant down pours and hailstones, even snow! This has been my problem with the weather; the constant downpours disrupting my planned bike rides and tennis sessions. The late frosts also destroyed my few veg crops. What a month! Add to that my constant battle with illness and my recent tragically sad event; this year has been pretty bleak to say the least. Still I am in hope for better events around the corner for they can't be much damn worse. (Having said that my brother had his £1000 bike stolen yesterday which is yet another a major blow. No insurance. It certainly knocks back our plans once again - Jesus what a year!)

If I had my choice, maybe if money wasn't an object and the kids had grown up a little to appreciate it (maybe later a little later in life) Italy has to be my number one destination, easily, followed by the likes of France and Spain. A med cruise would go down well actually. Spain I have been to many times in the past and I think if you avoid the hot-spots still has its charms. These are not adventurous places to visit granted, but all the same it is an honest reply to where I would like/love to go to.

However, I also adore the likes of Cornwall, Ireland and the Lakes (I'm off to the Lakes for the day in July) and still very much enjoy my local Peak District. I am more than happy to spend a lot of time here getting away from all the pollution and nesbitts and so forth - or even just sitting in the 'garden'. I work, and more or less live, in the middle of Nesbittville, but I only have to go about 6 mile down the road to be sitting on the edge of the Peaks! This I find keeps me somewhat sane. Partially. I feel another trip to Haddon Hall and/or Chatsworth is also due to redress the balance. The minimum is a weekly fishing session (plus a tennis session to burn off steam). I'm sure without all of this I would go completely bonkers. I'm also determined to do a lot of Peak walks and sitting around there reading and drinking coffee from a flask. Such things just have to be done.

[Charles Darnay]

I'm not a huge fan of summery vacation spots. Beaches become monotonous after a short time. Give me a place warm enough to sit on a patio with some friends and beers, throw in a foreign city that has inspiring art and architecture and you have my perfect vacation.

[qimissung]

I'm not a huge fan of summery vacation spots. Beaches become monotonous after a short time. Give me a place warm enough to sit on a patio with some friends and beers, throw in a foreign city that has inspiring art and architecture and you have my perfect vacation.

While I agree with this wholeheartedly, I still love beaches! There's just something so free and easy about them, or maybe it's just the idea of them, I don't know. Anyway, I'm hoping (fingers crossed) to go to Padre Island this summer, and do lots of reading!

[prendrelemick]

Don't forget March was warm and sunny.

I can really do without Holidays , or the whole process of going on holiday - just more work really - arranging, traveling, sight seeing, traveling back and catching up with all the work back home. Why bother? However I don't have a stressful life and I live in the kind of place I would like to visit anyway.

[Helga]

Well here on the ice it has been ok all April and May, most people would probably say it's been cold though. I don't like beaches or hot weather at all so my favorite place to visit is London but in general I prefer to stay at home all vacation.

[Emil Miller]

As the current replies suggest, holidays are a matter of horses for courses, although I must agree that the hassle factor of having one's underpants searched for bombs does tend to blight foreign travel these days.
I am not a beach person but such has been the recent rainfall, that i am considering a trip to the south of France in search of sunshine. This is not guaranteed under Europe's recent topsy turvey weather pattern as last year was an unusually wet one on the French Riviera.
However, there is something very satisfying in sitting in the sun and doing nothing except drinking a decent red wine at some wayside restaurant and looking at a very blue sea. For anyone contemplating a holiday in Greece, however, prudence would suggest to either forget it or perhaps wear a bullet proof vest.

[LitNetIsGreat]

However, there is something very satisfying in sitting in the sun and doing nothing except drinking a decent red wine at some wayside restaurant and looking at a very blue sea.

Certainly. Very satisfying indeed. There's a few things I enjoy there, namely the drinking, the sun, the sea, and restaurants, but put them all together and wham!

I think it is also just about having a change of scenery. If you noticed, two people said their ideal location was London, which is ironic as that is the place you would like to escape from for a while. Personally, I can't stand the repetition of daily life, of work, rest, work, rest etc and seeing the same people, and places and having the same conversations - it drives me crazy, I just can't function like that, I start to cackle, I feel like Truman.

[Emil Miller]

Certainly. Very satisfying indeed. There's a few things I enjoy there, namely the drinking, the sun, the sea, and restaurants, but put them all together and wham!

I think it is also just about having a change of scenery. If you noticed, two people said their ideal location was London, which is ironic as that is the place you would like to escape from for a while. Personally, I can't stand the repetition of daily life, of work, rest, work, rest etc and seeing the same people, and places and having the same conversations - it drives me crazy, I just can't function like that, I start to cackle, I feel like Truman.

The thing about London is that it's steeped in history and, apart from the Japanese who turn up in Baker Street looking for the Sherlock Holmes residence, many foreigners do identify with it. I once met a barman (are there other people?) who was from France and he said he liked London but couldn't stand Paris, but I'd rather live in Paris any day. However, the south coast of France is simply magical and definitely the place to live if you have a spare million or two. I only ever once saw a nesbit there and believe it or not it was outside the casino in Monte Carlo; since the management demand a certain style of dress from those entering the building, I'm pretty sure he hadn't been in there gambling away his social security.
I notice you have a penchant for Italy and that's another great place, especially Rome, Venice and the Italian lakes, although since they joined the Euro, the false but enjoyable feeling of having untold wealth in the wallet, when there were 2000 Lira to the Pound, has gone.
It's a pity I haven't been able to publish my novel A Tangled Web, which is about literary plagiarism and set in Italy on the costiera Amalfitana, as I think you might enjoy it.

[Alexander III]

Yes, by god, this month is completely ****, and to make it all cheerier I had exams all month long. All year I was thinking how ridiculous the stereotype of england as cold and wet was, when in autumn the weather was perfect and the winter was perfect except for two or 3 cold weeks. But Now i understand.

[Alexander III]

However, the south coast of France is simply magical and definitely the place to live if you have a spare million or two. I only ever once saw a nesbit there and believe it or not it was outside the casino in Monte Carlo; since the management demand a certain style of dress from those entering the building, I'm pretty sure he hadn't been in there gambling away his social security.

I notice you have a penchant for Italy and that's another great place, especially Rome, Venice and the Italian lakes, although since they joined the Euro, the false but enjoyable feeling of having untold wealth in the wallet, when there were 2000 Lira to the Pound, has gone.
It's a pity I haven't been able to publish my novel A Tangled Web, which is about literary plagiarism and set in Italy on the costiera Amalfitana, as I think you might enjoy it.

I agree Paris beats London, in terms of living.

Also I love the riveria, but for me it has been completely ruined by the elitist culture there. Last summer I was in saint tropez, and there all those of my age were spending literally thousands of euros, in clubs a week, and if you didn't spend like them you were considered a nothing and the girls would not even look at you unless you had a table and many bottles. The women there are all money whores and the men much the same, and if you do not compete in the game you are socially shunned. It is such a shame that such a beautiful place is ruined by such a culture. The ****ing nouveau riche have ruined it with their peasant like mentality. I would have loved to have been there in the 20's up to the 50's when it retained its cultural integrity and beauty and all the people there were of taste. Now it is swarmed by masses of the tasteless who equate money to beauty and worth.

Also I would if you sent me some extracts from your novel concerning descriptions of the costiera amalfitana, I went there when I was younger and It is one of the most beautiful pieces of Italy. I would like reading your take on it.

[Emil Miller]

I agree Paris beats London, in terms of living.

Also I love the riveria, but for me it has been completely ruined by the elitist culture there. Last summer I was in saint tropez, and there all those of my age were spending literally thousands of euros, in clubs a week, and if you didn't spend like them you were considered a nothing and the girls would not even look at you unless you had a table and many bottles. The women there are all money whores and the men much the same, and if you do not compete in the game you are socially shunned. It is such a shame that such a beautiful place is ruined by such a culture. The ****ing nouveau riche have ruined it with their peasant like mentality. I would have loved to have been there in the 20's up to the 50's when it retained its cultural integrity and beauty and all the people there were of taste. Now it is swarmed by masses of the tasteless who equate money to beauty and worth.

Also I would if you sent me some extracts from your novel concerning descriptions of the costiera amalfitana, I went there when I was younger and It is one of the most beautiful pieces of Italy. I would like reading your take on it.

Well as I recently mentioned on the thread dedicated to 'Rate the last film you have seen', Brigitte Bardot was responsible for turning St Tropez into a tourist hot spot due to the film God Created Woman made during the mid 1950s. After she bought a house there, many people went there in the hope of getting a glimpse of her as she was often seen in the town. It should be remembered that prior to her arrival, it was just a small fishing port that was seldom visited by tourists and the film captures that atmosphere very well. You might care to check out the video I posted on the above mentioned thread.

References to the coastal scenery and the town of Amalfi feature throughout my novel but to give you some idea of the writing, here is the beginning of the second chapter.


The finest view of the Costiera Amalfitana is from the hill town of Ravello, which occupies a plateau above Amalfi, and it was on a July afternoon, some two months after his conversation with Julian Hogwood, that Jerome Wakefield sat in the garden of the villa Rufolo and scanned the magnificent coastline.
During those months he’d travelled the length and breadth of Italy in search of a home and it was in Amalfi that he had decided to settle. It had an atmosphere that suited him because he found its small town ambiance more to his liking than the country’s great cities. Now it was high summer and the tourists were much in evidence, so he had rented an apartment located away from the areas they were likely to frequent and could avoid them if necessary.
Gazing at the blue expanse of the Mediterranean he thought of those whose supplications had caused him to flee abroad and muttered under his breath, “They can’t touch me here.”
And indeed they couldn't, for nobody knew where he had gone. As far as anyone in England was concerned, he had gone away to finish his next novel: not knowing that it was already finished and had been for almost three years. He would spend the rest of the summer enjoying the splendours of Italy and return to England to present his agent with the manuscript for Home is the Hunter and if, as he strongly suspected, it had the reception it deserved, he would be able to buy a villa in Amalfi and give up ‘writing’ altogether.
He gave a faint sigh of satisfaction as he breathed in the flower-scented air of the garden and watched a distant ship making its way under an azure sky towards the port of Salerno.
At fifty, Jerome Wakefield had become something of a sybarite who enjoyed the luxurious lifestyle his new-found wealth had brought him, although he had never been short of money.
His father had been an electrical goods manufacturer and the Wakefield name adorned many an household appliance in the United Kingdom but, when he died, his estate had to be shared between Jerome and four other siblings.
Jerome’s share was substantial enough to ensure that he could give up working for the business that had been taken over by one of his brothers, but it wouldn’t allow him to be profligate and he kept a sharp eye on his investments to ensure that his relatively small fortune remained intact.
He had never married, he didn’t like women very much and preferred his own company to that of his fellow human beings. This tendency to introspection had led him to buy Woodbine Cottage when it became vacant on the accidental death of Martin Padderborn, as he had grown tired of living in London and sought the peace and quiet of an English village. He did, however, have a curiosity about the world around him and had travelled to a number of countries before buying the cottage and discovering the manuscripts.
Italy was a particular favourite of his. Admittedly, the Italians were noisy and excitable but the beauty of the country made an overwhelming impact on him and he determined that one day he would live there. Now, sitting in the shade of a palm tree, he considered the various coastal resorts he had visited since his arrival and decided to visit Capri the following day. A group of tourists came into the garden and with a sigh he got up and left.

[Scheherazade]

I cannot afford to go abroad so instead come to the Forum to get away from it all.

[Emil Miller]

I cannot afford to go abroad so instead come to the Forum to get away from it all.

But if you could, where would you go?

[papayahed]

I do so love the beach however after a couple of days of waiters bringing me margarita's even I get bored. I like a little history with my beach, perhaps a few museums or ruins thrown in is the perfect vacation for me.

:leaving:


I cannot afford to go abroad so instead come to the Forum to get away from it all.

Aside from the forum of course..:skep:

[JuniperWoolf]

Yes, by god, this month is completely ****, and to make it all cheerier I had exams all month long. All year I was thinking how ridiculous the stereotype of england as cold and wet was, when in autumn the weather was perfect and the winter was perfect except for two or 3 cold weeks. But Now i understand.

My town just got five inches of ****ing snow today. It's still snowing, I'll post pictures when I'm somewhere that has wifi tomorrow.

But do we Canadians complain? Yes. Often.

[Alexander III]

My town just got five inches of ****ing snow today. It's still snowing, I'll post pictures when I'm somewhere that has wifi tomorrow.

But do we Canadians complain? Yes. Often.

Yea but that's Canada, I was talking about civilization.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Even by British standards though this weather is horrendous. It feels like November today and it is close to the end of May!

[Emil Miller]

Even by British standards though this weather is horrendous. It feels like November today and it is close to the end of May!

I was speaking to a neighbour of mine a few days ago and he was just back from a holiday in Poland. He said that the weather there was marvellous throughout his stay and that he hadn't looked forward to coming back to the UK. The conversation didn't last long because it started raining quite heavily and he didn't have an umbrella.

[Helga]

It's been sunny and warm for a few days now, at least by ice standards. I hate it, I feel like there are bugs and spiders everywhere and if the sun is shining I am hot then a cloud comes and it's cold. The dogs sit out in the garden for five minuets and then bring in all the dirt and spiders, I hate summer.

I am jealous of Juniper, I'd love to have snow!

[KCurtis]

As the current replies suggest, holidays are a matter of horses for courses, although I must agree that the hassle factor of having one's underpants searched for bombs does tend to blight foreign travel these days.
I am not a beach person but such has been the recent rainfall, that i am considering a trip to the south of France in search of sunshine. This is not guaranteed under Europe's recent topsy turvey weather pattern as last year was an unusually wet one on the French Riviera.
However, there is something very satisfying in sitting in the sun and doing nothing except drinking a decent red wine at some wayside restaurant and looking at a very blue sea. For anyone contemplating a holiday in Greece, however, prudence would suggest to either forget it or perhaps wear a bullet proof vest..
LOL!!! Am I the only one who finds you funny? I certainly hope not. Anyways, I suggest you all come over here and I will take you to the beach. I plan on sitting at the beach-sitting and reading F. Scott Fitzgerald, who should only be read at the beach. Then after that I am going to sit at the beach with Jane Austen. All summer. In between books I shall go have my kidney stones checked out, :rage: but they better behave this summer!!! I named them all Karl, after Karl Pinkerton, the Idiot Abroad guy.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Karl Pilkington, but yes he is funny and the beach sounds fantastic. I can't remember the last time I was sat on a real beach and it was hot, maybe 10/15 years? :nopity:

[Emil Miller]

Karl Pilkington, but yes he is funny and the beach sounds fantastic. I can't remember the last time I was sat on a real beach and it was hot, maybe 10/15 years? :nopity:

I'm afraid I don't know who Karl Pilkington is but perhaps that's the benefit of not owning a television. Nonetheless, while I don't necessarily eschew beaches, they are places that become somewhat crowded during fine weather and therefore best avoided. A place that I like is Toulon which, although being a French Naval base, is devoid of a beach but has a broad esplanade where fishermen sit for hours waiting for fish to bite. The seafront is aligned with cafes and just sitting there with the myriad masts of sailing boats all about while the sun sparkles on the water is something that stays in the memory when lesser things have been forgotten.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I'm afraid I don't know who Karl Pilkington is but perhaps that's the benefit of not owning a television. Nonetheless, while I don't necessarily eschew beaches, they are places that become somewhat crowded during fine weather and therefore best avoided. A place that I like is Toulon which, although being a French Naval base, is devoid of a beach but has a broad esplanade where fishermen sit for hours waiting for fish to bite. The seafront is aligned with cafes and just sitting there with the myriad masts of sailing boats all about while the sun sparkles on the water is something that stays in the memory when lesser things have been forgotten.

Oh wow that sounds fantastic, absolutely wonderful.

No I'm not necessarily a crowded beach person at all (the offensive word being crowded of course). I could certainly find so much joy in quiet rocky bay somewhere though - sat on a rock with a beer and a rod etc, or permutations around that - book, tea whatever. I have some very fond memories of doing such things in Torquay with Mrs N or in Spain with my dear late grandfather; just us around fishing and then drive in for a little swim afterwards. Absolutely priceless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ymgPYkdSIg&feature=relmfu
Oh if you have not seen An Idiot Abroad I can highly recommend it, extremely funny stuff - Youtube it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7gL9ofxl0g&feature=relmfu

[Paulclem]

You could try Mablethorpe. It has a fantastic beach which stretches for miles. Just be sure to take a coat for the North Sea breeze. The quote below will give you a flavour of the place.

Landmarks

Just over a mile to the northeast of the town, near the Seal Sanctuary, is the Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal, which supplies 5% of the UK's gas. To the west is the Bambers wind farm which opened in November 2004 and has 8 turbines which produce 5MWe. The Bambers II windfarm, an extension of the first, opened in November 2006 producing 5MWe with 6 turbines. The two turbines at Mablethorpe wind farm, which produce 1.2MWe, were the first wind turbines in Lincolnshire when they were built in July 2002. All three are owned by Ecotricity and situated at the corner of West Bank and the Trusthorpe Drains. The Star of the East is on the sea front.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mablethorpe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mablethorpe_Beach.jpg

[Emil Miller]

[QUOTE=Paulclem;1141965]You could try Mablethorpe. It has a fantastic beach which stretches for miles. Just be sure to take a coat for the North Sea breeze. The quote below will give you a flavour of the place.

Great! I can't wait to see the Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal and the wind turbines at Trusthorpe Drains. You can't beat an exotic holiday location for getting rid of those winter blues.

[MANICHAEAN]

If I get a chance of a break now, it's the short hop journeys across to Europe and some of the places I knew as a student: Madrid that never sleeps and where they cut off chunks of suspended ham to have with your wine, seafood and crepes in St Malo, dunkel beer in Munich, the backstreets of Rome & dawn on the Bosporus with a blonde Polish girlfriend. Ah, that one could turn back the years!

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

As a family it seems our interests vary and therefore we rotate among each other's preferences on where to vacation. For me personally, any opportunity to head west into New Mexico is a dream; Mesas, mountains, rocks, cacti, no humidity, Zuni, Anasazi history, Aspen, fir, Juniper, Ponderosa Pine, Pinyon, stars, Milky Way and Chama.

[Lokasenna]

Hmm, the weather's been... alright, I suppose. Neither wonderful nor horrific.

Generally speaking, I don't really believe in going back the same place again and again. My parent's have a bolt-hole in Spain, which I'm allowed to use if I want, but I've never actually done so - a sun, sea and sand holiday has never really been my thing. I'd rather go somewhere new and exciting, and experience a new culture.

That said, one of my private dreams is to own a second home some day - somewhere remote and northern (possibly Scotland, possibly Iceland), miles from anywhere, with just an abundance of wild, untamed and yet peaceful nature around. That would be my bolt-hole, somewhere I could go to escape from the world for a few days and enjoy a bit of meditative solitude.

[LitNetIsGreat]

If I get a chance of a break now, it's the short hop journeys across to Europe and some of the places I knew as a student: Madrid that never sleeps and where they cut off chunks of suspended ham to have with your wine, seafood and crepes in St Malo, dunkel beer in Munich, the backstreets of Rome & dawn on the Bosporus with a blonde Polish girlfriend. Ah, that one could turn back the years!

Hmm, that sounds better than Mablethorpe...


That said, one of my private dreams is to own a second home some day - somewhere remote and northern (possibly Scotland, possibly Iceland), miles from anywhere, with just an abundance of wild, untamed and yet peaceful nature around. That would be my bolt-hole, somewhere I could go to escape from the world for a few days and enjoy a bit of meditative solitude.

That sounds pretty good if a little cold. OK if you wrap up and go for walks I suppose. I went fishing today which is also great for mediative solitute, only in the end it was too cold - I had four layers on still my fingers were turning blue.

[Paulclem]

Hmm, that sounds better than Mablethorpe...





It certainly does. I spent a week in Mablethorpe once. At that time they had a brieze block construction called Spanish City which was a cafe with plastic chairs and a bingo/ amusement arcade thing. Not nice.

We did have a trip down to Skegness for a day out which was "not nice with crowds".

[Lokasenna]

That sounds pretty good if a little cold. OK if you wrap up and go for walks I suppose. I went fishing today which is also great for mediative solitute, only in the end it was too cold - I had four layers on still my fingers were turning blue.

Ah, but that's what a real wood fire is for! Nothing in the entire world is as life-affirming as a proper fire on a cold day.

[Emil Miller]

Hmm, the weather's been... alright, I suppose. Neither wonderful nor horrific.

Generally speaking, I don't really believe in going back the same place again and again. My parent's have a bolt-hole in Spain, which I'm allowed to use if I want, but I've never actually done so - a sun, sea and sand holiday has never really been my thing. I'd rather go somewhere new and exciting, and experience a new culture.

That said, one of my private dreams is to own a second home some day - somewhere remote and northern (possibly Scotland, possibly Iceland), miles from anywhere, with just an abundance of wild, untamed and yet peaceful nature around. That would be my bolt-hole, somewhere I could go to escape from the world for a few days and enjoy a bit of meditative solitude.

When I was younger I went through a phase where I simply wanted to get away from the plague that is antithetical to serious thought: namely, the human race. In looking for a job that would facilitate that endeavour I came across an advertisement for a lighthouse keeper. Short of going into a Trappist monastery, nothing would have fitted the bill more adequately but I didn't follow it up.
Then I went to Germany and discovered that serious thought was the basis of society and not an isolationist concept. I holidayed in Germany for years thereafter and never regretted the experience. Others might be content to visit the nearest beach but people usually do what they want to and that's the way it should be.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Ah, but that's what a real wood fire is for! Nothing in the entire world is as life-affirming as a proper fire on a cold day.

Oh I think you read my mind I was going to add a real fire into the mix. Don't you just love real pubs with real fires as well?

[KCurtis]

I'm afraid I don't know who Karl Pilkington is but perhaps that's the benefit of not owning a television. Nonetheless, while I don't necessarily eschew beaches, they are places that become somewhat crowded during fine weather and therefore best avoided. A place that I like is Toulon which, although being a French Naval base, is devoid of a beach but has a broad esplanade where fishermen sit for hours waiting for fish to bite. The seafront is aligned with cafes and just sitting there with the myriad masts of sailing boats all about while the sun sparkles on the water is something that stays in the memory when lesser things have been forgotten.


Karl Pilkington, but yes he is funny and the beach sounds fantastic. I can't remember the last time I was sat on a real beach and it was hot, maybe 10/15 years? :nopity:

All the more reason to come to Cape Cod, on the coast of Massachusetts. The beaches I go to are not that crowded, if you compare them to other places- I can always find a private spot without feeling closed in, or without people right next to my stuff. That's the nice thing about our coast here-we have so much coast to choose from in this country, so people are spread out. Also, vacations for most are not more than two weeks, so everyone doesn't come at once. Weekends get crowded, which makes sense, but I have the luxury of having the summers off. My poor husband has to suffer the crowds, but then again, we know the secret beach areas too.

[LitNetIsGreat]

That's sounds good and when I Google images it looked great (better than Mablethorpe) but then I came across this:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2403744/Jaws-shark-returns-to-Marthas-Vineyard-after-30-years.html

:yikes::yikes:

[LitNetIsGreat]

Well with this week of nice weather, summer weather, who would want to get away and even Neely is happy yes? Lambs are jumping around (apparently) lawn mowers are whining incessantly and the joyful tunes of 'smack your ***** up gangster rap' can more than occasionally be heard floating in the gentle breeze, around council estates up and down the country. Of course, a brief stroll out of the war zone means joy and nature does it not? Well, not really, for me, seeing as I'm ill to the knees and have been confined to the house since Wednesday! Damn and blast. This year is just not happening is it? Hopefully I can load up on enough painkillers to catch a few hours out fishing tomorrow morning. The plan is to get up early and go.

Anybody else enjoying the freak normal weather?

[Emil Miller]

Well with this week of nice weather, summer weather, who would want to get away and even Neely is happy yes? Lambs are jumping around (apparently) lawn mowers are whining incessantly and the joyful tunes of 'smack your ***** up gangster rap' can more than occasionally be heard floating in the gentle breeze, around council estates up and down the country. Of course, a brief stroll out of the war zone means joy and nature does it not? Well, not really, for me, seeing as I'm ill to the knees and have been confined to the house since Wednesday! Damn and blast. This year is just not happening is it? Hopefully I can load up on enough painkillers to catch a few hours out fishing tomorrow morning. The plan is to get up early and go.

Anybody else enjoying the freak normal weather?

Well I hope your health situation improves as there is nothing more daunting for an Englishman than missing out on those sparse occasions when the sun actually lasts beyond a few days. Yesterday was fantastic and after having a drink among the nesbits I had some passport photo's done as mine ran out last month and on the train returning home there were a couple of people actually complaining about the warm weather. A neighbour is having a barbecue this weekend and has invited me along. I only ever went to a BBQ once and didn't really see the point in it but as long as there is some beer there I'm not too worried about the food. Anyway, it's difficult to refuse someone whose cat you have had castrated so I shall make the best of it.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Well I hope your health situation improves as there is nothing more daunting for an Englishman than missing out on those sparse occasions when the sun actually lasts beyond a few days. Yesterday was fantastic and after having a drink among the nesbits I had some passport photo's done as mine ran out last month and on the train returning home there were a couple of people actually complaining about the warm weather. A neighbour is having a barbecue this weekend and has invited me along. I only ever went to a BBQ once and didn't really see the point in it but as long as there is some beer there I'm not too worried about the food. Anyway, it's difficult to refuse someone whose cat you have had castrated so I shall make the best of it.

Yes thanks I'm feeling better and managed a spot out for a bit today which was good. Also the champagne for Mrs N's b'day has gone down well too.

I don't mind BBQs minus the music, though I don't go to many. I like them because they involve three things I like: the outdoors, eating and drinking, though overall they are usually a disappointment in all three when you think about it - I find at least.

Poor cat, but it is probably for the better or is that dogs?

That's it with the British. I can well understand why people get frustrated with us; constantly complaining about the weather being cold and then one day of sun and people are complaining that it is too hot! I think this is because people feel the need to dash out in it and sit there all day looking at it and are surprised when they burn! The British are just not cut out for hot sun and just don't know how to handle it like the Greeks or Spanish etc which to them just becomes second nature.

[Emil Miller]

Yes thanks I'm feeling better and managed a spot out for a bit today which was good. Also the champagne for Mrs N's b'day has gone down well too.

I don't mind BBQs minus the music, though I don't go to many. I like them because they involve three things I like: the outdoors, eating and drinking, though overall they are usually a disappointment in all three when you think about it - I find at least.

Poor cat, but it is probably for the better or is that dogs?

That's it with the British. I can well understand why people get frustrated with us; constantly complaining about the weather being cold and then one day of sun and people are complaining that it is too hot! I think this is because people feel the need to dash out in it and sit there all day looking at it and are surprised when they burn! The British are just not cut out for hot sun and just don't know how to handle it like the Greeks or Spanish etc which to them just becomes second nature.

I'm still expecting the smell of smouldering briquettes and meat to come floating across that will herald the start of the BBQ but it certainly is a nice day for it.

Returning to thoughts on castration, I have to say that I don't know anything at all about dogs but some male cats will fight almost to the death over any female that is within reach of their territory and, following a very nasty gash in my neighbour's cat's neck after one such encounter, I took it to a vet who stitched it up and recommended castration to curb its violent behaviour.
From that day hence it has been amazingly docile and far less of a problem than my own that gets up to quite a bit of mischief.

I'm still pondering holiday locations but with the government talking about the likelihood of the Euro crashing it might be better to stay in the UK : although I doubt that Germany would allow such a dissolution to happen within months, if at all. But eventually they may have to cut their losses and let it go. Which would certainly suit me as I always thought of it as a Mickey Mouse currency anyway.

[Annamariah]

In Finland we have the worst pollen season in 20 years. I didn't suffer from pollen allergy 20 years ago, but this year... I'd gladly exchange near-death experiences whenever I go outside to a nice and rainy spring :D

I love spending time at my family's summer cottage, and I hope I'll have some days off from work this year so I can visit there. It's on an island and there's no electricity or running water, so it's most comfortable when it's a nice weather. It's not too bad when it rains, though, one can always curl up in front of the fireplace with a good book. And if gets really cold, there's always the sauna :D (Not that Finns wouldn't go to sauna even if it's +30 degrees Celsius outside... but sauna does feel great when it's cold.)

[LitNetIsGreat]

I'm still expecting the smell of smouldering briquettes and meat to come floating across that will herald the start of the BBQ but it certainly is a nice day for it.

Returning to thoughts on castration, I have to say that I don't know anything at all about dogs but some male cats will fight almost to the death over any female that is within reach of their territory and, following a very nasty gash in my neighbour's cat's neck after one such encounter, I took it to a vet who stitched it up and recommended castration to curb its violent behaviour.
From that day hence it has been amazingly docile and far less of a problem than my own that gets up to quite a bit of mischief.

I'm still pondering holiday locations but with the government talking about the likelihood of the Euro crashing it might be better to stay in the UK : although I doubt that Germany would allow such a dissolution to happen within months, if at all. But eventually they may have to cut their losses and let it go. Which would certainly suit me as I always thought of it as a Mickey Mouse currency anyway.

If the weather continues, if, it could be a good idea to retreat someplace nice and quiet in the UK, though Mrs N has just informed me that the weather is only going to last until Wednesday and then it is going to be poor again?

Much better day today and back to full health. Fishing, bike riding, reading and a nice gammon steak at the old Strines Inn. I really feel I have got away from Nesbittville today. I also have found a wonderful quiet little spot at the back of a hut by Damflask reservoir, I'm very excited about it - I took a book up there and got several hours complete peace by the water's edge. I took some photos of the spot which I'll post up later or tomorrow.

[Emil Miller]

If the weather continues, if, it could be a good idea to retreat someplace nice and quiet in the UK, though Mrs N has just informed me that the weather is only going to last until Wednesday and then it is going to be poor again?

Much better day today and back to full health. Fishing, bike riding, reading and a nice gammon steak at the old Strines Inn. I really feel I have got away from Nesbittville today. I also have found a wonderful quiet little spot at the back of a hut by Damflask reservoir, I'm very excited about it - I took a book up there and got several hours complete peace by the water's edge. I took some photos of the spot which I'll post up later or tomorrow.

Yes I understand the significance of a stretch of water to contemplation, because years ago I used to do a country walk in Kent that took in one of the Duke of Abergavenny's estates. He died some time ago at the relatively early age of 54 and Prince Charles was a major mourner at his funeral but it was great to be able to sit by the lake in the completely deserted surroundings and listen to the fish leaping out of the water as they tried to catch the dragonflies skimming just above the surface.

[Varenne Rodin]

California is my favorite vacation spot, and I live here all year. I suppose I am very lucky.

[KCurtis]

That's sounds good and when I Google images it looked great (better than Mablethorpe) but then I came across this:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2403744/Jaws-shark-returns-to-Marthas-Vineyard-after-30-years.html

:yikes::yikes:

LOL !!!! They don't come near the shore! After seeing the original Jaws in the 1970"s, I didn't go farther out in the water than I usually did! But I'm over it now- if I see a fin, I THINK I have time to get to safe sand!!!

[Emil Miller]

LOL !!!! They don't come near the shore! After seeing the original Jaws in the 1970"s, I didn't go farther out in the water than I usually did! But I'm over it now- if I see a fin, I THINK I have time to get to safe sand!!!

I sincerely hope that your epitaph doesn't read: She thought she had time to get to safe sand. :biggrin5:

[LitNetIsGreat]

Well, we are back at square one with the British weather again. The forecast for this week's school holiday is constant rain and low temperatures, brilliant.

[Emil Miller]

Well, we are back at square one with the British weather again. The forecast for this week's school holiday is constant rain and low temperatures, brilliant.

Never mind, here's something to remind you what it can be like when it isn't raining.

http://youtu.be/tfIPGOI9dOc

[LitNetIsGreat]

Never mind, here's something to remind you what it can be like when it isn't raining.

http://youtu.be/tfIPGOI9dOc

Thanks I had almost forgotten of what it can be like. Right now, I am on the point of depression about this, yet another school holiday wrote off and plans having to be put aside for another seven weeks. On Sunday I said sod it and went fishing in the constant rain. I wrapped up triple layers, gloves on, waterproofs and sat under a huge fishing umbrella - I was frigging freezing, in June! Bike rides cancelled, tennis scrapped, walks to Ladybower forgotten, meals/picnics in the country likewise left on the shelf and the prospect of six weeks work before me. Do I want to get away from this place, god damn right I do.

Edit: I'm reading things like this:

http://opentravel.com/blogs/the-cheapest-places-to-live-in-the-world-500-a-month/

I've very tempted by a small flat/living hut/caravan or such thing, anything, in such a place as opposed to this dumpsite of a country.

http://www.simply-santorini.com/living-on-a-greek-island.html

[Emil Miller]

Thanks I had almost forgotten of what it can be like. Right now, I am on the point of depression about this, yet another school holiday wrote off and plans having to be put aside for another seven weeks. On Sunday I said sod it and went fishing in the constant rain. I wrapped up triple layers, gloves on, waterproofs and sat under a huge fishing umbrella - I was frigging freezing, in June! Bike rides cancelled, tennis scrapped, walks to Ladybower forgotten, meals/picnics in the country likewise left on the shelf and the prospect of six weeks work before me. Do I want to get away from this place, god damn right I do.

Edit: I'm reading things like this:

http://opentravel.com/blogs/the-cheapest-places-to-live-in-the-world-500-a-month/

I've very tempted by a small flat/living hut/caravan or such thing, anything, in such a place as opposed to this dumpsite of a country.

http://www.simply-santorini.com/living-on-a-greek-island.html

There are probably millions of English people thinking along similar lines but a major problem is that the international situation would get in the way. So you might be caught up between fanatical fundamentalism and the Western response. It's no good sitting in a hut in some restful Oriental location if you become part of the collateral damage from an American drone even though you are wearing shorts and a What Would Woody Do tee shirt.
Similarly, South American hideaways may be involved in the drugs trade that is becoming ever more prevalent down there and kidnappings of Europeans are an ongoing concern for foreign legations throughout S.America. Imagine that you are drinking a tequila sunrise in some in some picturesque adobe cantina when suddenly you find an AK47 pressed against your head and a voice says "Hey Meester! You come weez us....no?"
As for Greece, think of the situation where they are forced out of the Euro and your money reverts to Drachma, which would have slightly more value than shirt buttons, and then you realise that for all it's faults the old country might be best after all.

How does one tie a hangman's knot?

[LitNetIsGreat]

There's got to be some place where I can be left in peace. Bulgaria? Some Eastern European country, Romania, Estonia, Croatia? Just some quiet place that's got sun and is nesbitt free, where I can fish and live cheaply. I'm not even drinking or reading I am that fed up. We've got no food in the house and I haven't got the go to walk to the shops. I have just peeped my head out of the door, saw some feral nesbitt kids and gone back in.

Edit: Brilliant the post has finally arrived after a three day 'everything stops' bank holiday. A letter from the solicitor which was already opened, with the wrong postcode on, a collected book of poems I ordered, junk mail of course, and my 'bumper' 900 page book of Auden which turns out to be a flimsy 100 page edition instead. I was so fed up I immediately posted a review on Amazon, something I very rarely do:


Having read the other reviews of a 900+ page book for Auden I thought this was going to be a bargain. Added to this confusion was the Amazon "Look Inside" feature which actually shows a different book, what the hell for I have no idea? The reality is that the John Fuller edition contains less than 100 pages and certainly NOT the 900 bumper thing I was expecting. So be warned, the John Fuller selected edition is NOT recommended when clearly there are better selections out there. Don't fall into the same mistake I did and order this pointless flimsy edition, look elsewhere.

Well, I have to leave the house so I'm going to brave the Nesbitts and see if I can't buy myself some crap cheese and a bigger flask from the Tesco. Mrs N bought me the wrong one the other day as she didn't listen, so I now have three small, pointless, half-litre flasks.

[Emil Miller]

There's got to be some place where I can be left in peace. Bulgaria? Some Eastern European country, Romania, Estonia, Croatia? Just some quiet place that's got sun and is nesbitt free, where I can fish and live cheaply. I'm not even drinking or reading I am that fed up. We've got no food in the house and I haven't got the go to walk to the shops. I have just peeped my head out of the door, saw some feral nesbitt kids and gone back in.

Edit: Brilliant the post has finally arrived after a three day 'everything stops' bank holiday. A letter from the solicitor which was already opened, with the wrong postcode on, a collected book of poems I ordered, junk mail of course, and my 'bumper' 900 page book of Auden which turns out to be a flimsy 100 page edition instead. I was so fed up I immediately posted a review on Amazon, something I very rarely do:



Well, I have to leave the house so I'm going to brave the Nesbitts and see if I can't buy myself some crap cheese and a bigger flask from the Tesco. Mrs N bought me the wrong one the other day as she didn't listen, so I now have three small, pointless, half-litre flasks.

I'm writing this with the sound of rain hitting the windows as it has done for the last two hours and reading your posts on this thread reminds me very much of W. S. Maugham's short story The Lotus Eater; here's how it opens:

Most people, the vast majority in fact, lead the lives that circumstances have thrust upon them, and though some repine, looking upon themselves as round pegs in square holes, and think that if things had been different they might have made a much better showing, the greater part accept their lot, if not with serenity, at all events with resignation. They are like train-cars travelling forever on the selfsame rails. They go backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, inevitably, till they can go no longer and then are sold as scrap-iron.

Like virtually all of his stories it is superbly written. It's set on the isle of Capri and his description of it was what led me to visit it years ago. As it's available online I would recommend it except that, having done so, you might do what the protagonist does and suffer the unfortunate fate that befalls him.

[LitNetIsGreat]

That sounds really good and too tempting not to read . I'll take the fate that befalls him/me, be it death by half-litre flasks (no full flasks were available in the Nesbitt Tesco of course) or whatever else.

[Helga]

It's good to be on the ice now, the heat went below 10° and it's finally raining!

[Emil Miller]

It's good to be on the ice now, the heat went below 10° and it's finally raining!

There's no way I could answer this without getting banned, so I won't.

[LitNetIsGreat]

You can have our rain, constant bloody stuff. We have about the same temperature to you at the moment as well.

Sunday looks possible, I'll try to get out then. Tomorrow is going to be the same as today, heavy rain, but with heavy gusts of wind/storms to go with it and cold! June? Bring out the strawberries and cream.

Yes I read the story. Quite enjoyable and I'm with him all the way. I think his fate is better than most people's - 25 years of peace and easy living, most people don't get 5 minutes, or so it seems.

[Emil Miller]

You can have our rain, constant bloody stuff. We have about the same temperature to you at the moment as well.

Sunday looks possible, I'll try to get out then. Tomorrow is going to be the same as today, heavy rain, but with heavy gusts of wind/storms to go with it and cold! June? Bring out the strawberries and cream.

Yes I read the story. Quite enjoyable and I'm with him all the way. I think his fate is better than most people's - 25 years of peace and easy living, most people don't get 5 minutes, or so it seems.

Yes Capri is quite something although I only went over for a day on the ferry from Sorrento where I was staying. There are some marvellous locations in Italy and I have often thought that the house behind me in this photo would be a great place to live, given that one had the cash of course. I never discovered how that streak of light got into the picture.

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2964/scan0002tl.jpg

[LitNetIsGreat]

Oh great picture. Yes it sounds fantastic and would be right up there with places I would want to live if I could.

[Patrick_Bateman]

I can never understand those people - usually bloated Brits who only want to cook themselves in the sun and drink alcohol next to a beach in Tenerife surrounded by other fat, lager-thirsty Brits - who return to the same tacky holiday destination (like those particular Spanish or Greek islands that I am sure my fellow countrymen on here are aware of) every year; to just get a tan and get pissed with people who also come from various parts of the UK.
Returning to the Caribbean or Far East etc is a completely different story because they are larger and exotic areas with lots of history and many attractive features. But places like Tenerife and Benidorm are just colonies for the unsavoury British holiday-makers.

When I travel abroad I want to find something I won't find in my home country. The old cliches of wanting to 'immerse myself in the culture' and 'go beyond the beaten track' are - like most cliches - true in my case.

I don't have a favourite place to visit since there is only one place I have visited twice and that is Oman in the Middle-East since my parents lived their for two and a half years when I was in the early years of Secondary School. I loved that place and very much want to go again.
At the moment I'm making my way through Europe; discovering the continent in which I live. All my holidays are to major European cities that I use as a base; I see what I want to see of the city and also go beyond.
In January I was in Paris and this month and next I will be seeing Prague and Vienna. I know I want to return to Paris, as I was not able to come close to doing and seeing everything I wished, since I was only there for a few days. I am sure this will be the case with most of my European destinations.
So I guess my answer, presently, is anywhere in Europe.

[Emil Miller]

I can never understand those people - usually bloated Brits who only want to cook themselves in the sun and drink alcohol next to a beach in Tenerife surrounded by other fat, lager-thirsty Brits - who return to the same tacky holiday destination (like those particular Spanish or Greek islands that I am sure my fellow countrymen on here are aware of) every year; to just get a tan and get pissed with people who also come from various parts of the UK.
Returning to the Caribbean or Far East etc is a completely different story because they are larger and exotic areas with lots of history and many attractive features. But places like Tenerife and Benidorm are just colonies for the unsavoury British holiday-makers.

When I travel abroad I want to find something I won't find in my home country. The old cliches of wanting to 'immerse myself in the culture' and 'go beyond the beaten track' are - like most cliches - true in my case.

I don't have a favourite place to visit since there is only one place I have visited twice and that is Oman in the Middle-East since my parents lived their for two and a half years when I was in the early years of Secondary School. I loved that place and very much want to go again.
At the moment I'm making my way through Europe; discovering the continent in which I live. All my holidays are to major European cities that I use as a base; I see what I want to see of the city and also go beyond.
In January I was in Paris and this month and next I will be seeing Prague and Vienna. I know I want to return to Paris, as I was not able to come close to doing and seeing everything I wished, since I was only there for a few days. I am sure this will be the case with most of my European destinations.
So I guess my answer, presently, is anywhere in Europe.

There are a number of factors to consider here, the first being whether one has a family. The cost of travelling with wife and children is a lot more than going it alone. Also, while it's fine to be able to visit the cultural sites of a country, they will not usually be of interest to small children who quickly become bored at these locations. Places such as Benidorm and Teneriffe were developed specifically for foreigners who were in search of sun, sand and cerveza, and have been crucial to Spain's economy. When I went to Spain I avoided such places but understood why they were there. At the end of the day a lot of people, who don't normally get a chance of some real sunshine, have been able to enjoy a place in the sun if only for a limited time.

[Patrick_Bateman]

There are a number of factors to consider here, the first being whether one has a family. The cost of travelling with wife and children is a lot more than going it alone. Also, while it's fine to be able to visit the cultural sites of a country, they will not usually be of interest to small children who quickly become bored at these locations. Places such as Benidorm and Teneriffe were developed specifically for foreigners who were in search of sun, sand and cerveza, and have been crucial to Spain's economy. When I went to Spain I avoided such places but understood why they were there. At the end of the day a lot of people, who don't normally get a chance of some real sunshine, have been able to enjoy a place in the sun if only for a limited time.


I wasn't considering young families, for exactly the reasons you have put forward. But even so a young family does not have to re-visit the same beach resort time and again. I'm talking more about young couples and young groups of friends who continuously go abroad just to sit in the sun and drink. I understand the notion of 'a lad's holiday' but when ALL your travels are centred around a week of getting pissed in the sun, it seems interminably repetetive and...Well just such a waste.

[Emil Miller]

I wasn't considering young families, for exactly the reasons you have put forward. But even so a young family does not have to re-visit the same beach resort time and again. I'm talking more about young couples and young groups of friends who continuously go abroad just to sit in the sun and drink. I understand the notion of 'a lad's holiday' but when ALL your travels are centred around a week of getting pissed in the sun, it seems interminably repetetive and...Well just such a waste.

I suppose you mean something like this:

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/121/mparr.jpg




But if they stay at home they usually end up like this:

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/6752/beach1a.jpg

[Emil Miller]

Well, we are back at square one with the British weather again. The forecast for this week's school holiday is constant rain and low temperatures, brilliant.

I was in the supermarket today and noticed this headline at the newspaper stand:

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/1886/20120614.jpg

[LitNetIsGreat]

Fantastic. It just gets better and better.