New York adventures

If you follow my author page on Facebook then you’d have seen ALL the pictures I posted of my recent jaunt to Singapore and New York, and have heard some of the silly stories I told of our travels.

Like the time the New York Subway played a practical joke on Mr Douglas and me—it let him on, but not me. He stood on the train while I stood on the platform, and we waved forlornly to each other as the train pulled out. [We caught up with each other 15 mins later so don’t feel bad for me. It was, actually, hilarious.]

But I thought I’d share another “funny” story today.

St Francis Assisi Church--sweet, right?

For our first week in New York we stayed in a hotel called The Stewart. It’s across the road from Madison Square Gardens—so…pretty central. ;-) We had a view onto 31st Street and a very sweet little church, but also a view onto the building behind us. I took a peek out of this back window not long after we arrived, and the rooms in this neighbouring building were dark, with no movement, but there were figures in beds. I thought: Oh, it’s a nursing home. How deserted it looks…and lonely.

Next to the church was a building with a tree! And look up...there's a water tower.

In the wee small hours of the night—when it felt like it should’ve been day…and I was really hungry because it should’ve been day (there’s a 12 hour time difference between Singapore and New York, so the good news is you don’t have to change the time on your watch), I couldn’t help thinking about those lonely figures in those dark little rooms.

When we finally allowed ourselves to play wake ups in the morning, I said to Mr Douglas, “Do you know we’re overlooking a scene of human misery?” I told him about the scene that would greet him from our back window. I wondered aloud if we could go visit because…you know, we’re on holiday and had the time etc.

Of course, he then had to go and peek out the window too (I’m the window peeker in our relationship, him not so much). And he started to laugh!

Dear reader, he’s not a callous man. But I was shocked, I tell you—shocked! Until he revealed all. They weren’t incapacitated people in lonely beds in dark rooms but mannequins. We were looking into a medical training facility!

There's probably a moral to that story, but I have no idea what it is. ;-)


But if you do ever find yourself in New York I highly recommend the Brooklyn Lager--it was very refreshing after a day spent trudging through a city in 37C temps.

Leaving on a jet plane

At some ridiculous time tomorrow morning when it's still dark (as in really, really early morning!), I set off for the airport. I’m so OMG-excited! :-)

We’re spending four nights in Singapore before hitting New York. I’ve not visited Singapore before and I’d love to set a story there—so we get to lose ourselves in a brand new city for a few wonderful days. How good does that sound?

And then we’re catching the world’s longest haul flight from Singapore to Newark: 18 hours and 40 minutes. My friends’ eyes have all bugged when I’ve told them how long the flight is. But you know what? I finished my PhD earlier in the year, and I haven’t stopped since—chasing my tail and trying to catch up on all the things—and the thought of sitting on a plane with nothing to do except read a book, watch a movie, and to dream (and sleep) sounds like absolute heaven to me.

I’ve had an epic to-do list to get done:

* Finish first draft of next romance—check.
* Type up said first draft—um, not quite I’m afraid.
* Finish copyedits of my January release: The Maid, the Millionaire and the Baby—check.
* Check what bills will arrive while we’re away and pay them—check (gah, I think!).
* Make sure all taps are turned off nice and tight because some of them drip—check. Except this is unnecessary as a family member is housesitting for us and therefore will be here to check all drips and any irons and ovens left on. Peace of mind—happy sighs.
* Post a month’s worth of Beach Monday pics to my Facebook author profile, even though I’ll probably upload so many pictures from my holiday that Beach Monday pics will be superfluous. Nah…the beach is never superfluous, right?
* Write an acceptance speech in case the unthinkable happens—um…not yet, but there’s a very long plane ride, so…
* Pack—check.
* Download the ebooks I want to read while I’m away—check.

So…can you think of anything I might have missed?

If you’re on Facebook or Instagram, I’ll be doing my best to share my trip while I’m away. But, never fear, I’ll share the highlights of my trip in my next post here. Happy July everyone!

My Roman (Foodie) Holiday

by Bronwyn Jameson

I've been browsing through my photos from last week in Rome, looking to choose a selection to share here at LoveCats. This was a short, but very sweet, trip to spend time with family – including our bella grand-daughter – who live in London.  Rome proved to be a wonderful choice for many reasons: the Maratona di Roma, the history, the art, the splendid panaromas, but more than anything, the food.

This focus on food was immediately apparent as I scrolled through my photos. A few atmospheric scenes, an odd sunset, the occasional grand monument, and many, many family shots where we are invariably ordering, eating and/or surrounded by well-used plates and glasses.

So, my photo special on Rome features no scenery or monuments. It is all about the food...with apologies for all those occasions when I was too busy digging in to think about the camera!

We flew Sydney-Rome with Qatar Airlines and have nothing but nice things to say about the service and the food.

Roasted red pepper and tomato soup

Hot smoked salmon with pumpkin and goat cheese salad

Grilled fillet of beef with horseradish jus

Finding a stellar coffee, just how we like it, when travelling can be frustrating.  Not in Rome.  Add a flakey, buttery pastry and I'm in breakfast heaven.

At Roscioli Caffe

Artichokes make the tastiest snack food when fried.

Artichokes, pre-frying.

Gelato, the second best snack, no frying necessary.

Bella craves the creamiest gelati, from Fior di Luna

I love everything about aperitivo, especially the name.  So much sexier than "drinks with snacks".

Aperitivo feat. Aperol spritzes at Tiberino.

Photos do not do pasta justice but take my word, this was divine. At Trattoria da Teo.

Pasta with fresh tuna, olives, capers and tomato.

Bella likes banana; Bron prefers berra.

Pre-food at Gino 51

A place with All The Food (and wine.) 

1956: a fine vintage for husbands

Our return flight was with Singapore Air and, once again again, three letters you don’t usually associate with airline food. Y-U-M.

Pea panacotta with mint dressing

Salmon tartar with grilled pineapple and feta salad

Lobster thermidor

Delicious food is my favourite thing to discover when travelling.  What is yours?

In the Footsteps of Agatha Christie - Annie West

One of the joys of travel is discovering unexpected things along the way. Don't you think so? I research the places I'm going to visit but I don't organise every hour of every day I'm away (I know someone who does just that)! Though I have some idea of the things I want to see , there's always plenty of leeway for things that just crop up. Burgh Island was one of those.

We stayed in a quaint little cottage in south east Devon (England), on the river Dart. Think white washed stone buildings, thatch roofs here and there. Lanes so narrow only one car can use them at a time, birdsong, greenery and a general peace and beauty. It transpired that just across the river from us was Greenway, Agatha Christie's holiday home, which was definitely worth the visit, and full of Ms Christie's possessions still. 

Then we noticed our hosts had left recommendations about other places to visit and Burgh Island was one of them. As soon as we read about it we knew we wanted to go there. Here it is, viewed from the coast at Bigbury-on-Sea. I love English place names!

You'll see that it's not really an island, or only just a part time island. This tiny knob of land lies just off the south coat. At low tide, like in this photo, it's connected to the mainland by a sandspit. When the tide comes in though, it's cut off. Isn't that magic? What could be more alluring than an island, except an island that comes and goes?

There's not much on the island other than the very old Pilchard Inn, and the 1920s Burgh Island Hotel. Here's a closer look at the hotel. 

Did you notice that unusual vehicle in the water? Here it is in closer view. It's the water tractor that's used to take people across the water when the tide's in! And yes, that's how we got across. It was rather amazing how much joy there was in climbing onto such a contraption and slowly chugging our way across the shallows. Like an adventure from another era. And this is how people have been getting to Burgh Island for years. So much more fun than taking a car, or walking!

One of the lovely things about the Burgh Island Hotel is that it hasn't been renovated into a modern style. Instead it's all Art Deco loveliness so you really feel like you're entering another era, In fact some of the rooms are named for previous guests, including Agatha Christie, Noel Coward, Josephine Baker, Amy Johnson and Malcolm Campbell. Wallis Simpson stayed here and plenty of other notables. 

One of the fun aspects about the place for a reader, is discovering the location was the inspiration for some well known stories, namely Christie's 'And Then There Were None' and 'Evil Under the Sun'. A TV adaptation of the latter Hercule Poirot mystery was filmed here too.

Personally, I loved the Art Deco elegance of the place. Just perfect for sitting, sipping a cool drink or a cup of tea and soaking up the ambience and the great views.

Have you ever had a particularly wonderful holiday find? Somewhere you hadn't known about before you arrived in the vicinity that was just fantastic?

Waffles by Amy Andrews

I'm in Brussels as I write this. We arrived late and are just here overnight so we've seen hardly anything but the Grand Place of a night time is something else!

And of course, when in Belguim, you have to eat waffles right? So we did. But I've finally realised,while I was sitting on cobblestones and staring at buildings older than white settlement in my country, why I've never been a fan.

They taste stale!!! And stodgy! Yes....even in Brussels! My three travelling companions had no problem with them but Inate half and decided then and there, never again!

So...waffles? Fan or not?


PS - my book, Playing With Forever, is out today!!!! There's a Sunday Smooch from yesterday with a sexy excerpt if you want to take a sneak peek and if you keave a comment, you could even win a copy!

Montana Mountain High

by Bronwyn Jameson

For as long as I can remember I’ve been mad about horses. Despite being a somewhat timid and bookish child, I managed to gather enough courage to pester my parents incessantly for a pony. It took many years of pestering – okay, so my temerity may have meant I didn’t nag hard enough in the early years – but eventually my persistence was rewarded.

That first pony was named Creamy and I loved her with complete devotion. The only thing better than setting off for a long ride on my pony, was stuffing a book into the waistband of my jeans (so my Dad wouldn’t notice; he did not approve of this multi-tasking.) I would stop somewhere along the way and read while Creamy grazed or napped. The happiest of happy days.

Through my teenage years I progressed to Sooty then Jimmy and finally Cerise. My last riding horse before university. My devotion didn’t wane, but it took a sabbatical and while we still own horses they are not saddle horses. I’ve ridden my sister’s horses, driven our horses, and taken an occasional trail ride while on holidays. And as the years passed, the idea of a holiday devoted to nothing but horse-riding rose to the top of my Bucket List.

In June I did just that, at a Montana dude-ranch. My assigned horse was a dude named Woodrow and we spent a wonderful week riding mountain trails and loping across high-country pastures. It was everything my horsemad-teenage-heart could have wished for. With rustic cabin accommodation. A cowgirl hat. And pie.

Day 1: Meeting Woodrow

Day 2: on the trail

Day 3: with Emigrant Peak as a backdrop

Day 4: hay-ride with these big Belgian beauties

Day 5: the high country

Boots off, my cabin home

Pie anyone?

Do you have a "bucket list"?  Is there one thing right at the top of your list, or one thing you've longed to do/try with a backstory dating back to your childhood?

A Roman Love Affair - Annie West

I'm in love - with Rome. It started early, watching Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in 'Roman Holiday' and then there were all those years when I studied the history and culture of the ancient city. But there's nothing quite like spending time there to turn an affection into love!

 

In May this year I was lucky enough to spend a week in Rome. The intention was to do some research for future books, but to take it slow, getting over jetlag ready to attend a readers' festival in Paris. But instead of taking things slow I found myself out and about from early in the morning till late in the evening, revelling in this marvellous city.

 

Here are just a couple of the things that appealed:

 

1. The view from the hotel room. How could you not love that? Added to that was that it was right next to a big park and from the balcony I could hear birdsong.

 

2. Speaking of hotels, there was the rooftop terrace and bar and the chance to watch the sun go down over the city before heading out for dinner.

 

 

3. The unexpected finds when wandering around the city, like a piece of beautifully carved marble, ignored by everyone as too mundane.

 

 

4. When they do spectacular in Rome, they really do spectacular. Here's the ceiling of a corridor in the Vatican that was just stunning.

 

 

5. The food. Sigh. This lemon and saffron risotto that was one of the best lunches I've ever had!

 

 

6. The museums. Yes, I'm a nerd but I loved them. Here's one of my favourite things - a glorious Etruscan terracotta sarcophagus built for a loving couple.

 

 

7. The sheer theatre of the place. Where else would you find a couple of Roman soldiers hanging around the street ready for photo opportunities.

 

 

8. The early evening stroll (passeggiata) and the opportunity to relax at an outdoor cafe and watch the people go by. In case you're wondering, the bright orange drink is an Aperol Spritz, something I've only had in Italy.

 

 

I'm hoping to visit Rome again sometime but meanwhile I have hundreds of photos and a huge store of happy memories. Plus I'll be revisiting the city as I write some future stories.

 

Is there a place you visited on holiday that you can't wait to return to? I'd love to hear!

 

And if you want a touch of Italian goodness, Annie has a new romance out. BOUND TO THE ITALIAN BOSS is (you guessed it) an office romance set, not in Rome but in the beautiful north of Italy. It's the 3rd book in her HOT ITALIAN NIGHTS e-novella series. For more details, visit Annie's website, or you can buy it at the usual places. Here's the link to it at Amazon.

 

Stefanie London's Top Travel Packing Tips

By the time this blog post is live I'll be on my way back from a trip to Vermont, USA. I'm heading to a writer's weekend where there's going to be plotting, brainstorming and general writerly shenanigans. Since moving to Canada, I've started travelling a lot more as Toronto is a hell of a lot more central to things than Melbourne.

So, I thought it might be fun to share some of my top travel packing tips.

Tip #1 invest in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones
Yes, they're expensive. But plane engine noise gives me a shocking headache and I seem to be a magnet for screaming children on planes. Now I simply pop on my headphones and either watch a movie, play music or use a white noise (or rain sounds) app to block out the world and keep my headache at bay.

Tip #2 less is more
Since travelling more often, I've started to get a hang of this whole 'packing light' thing (which in my case, is more packing lighter than light, but I digress). This means I try to take carry-on luggage only, for shorter trips. One area where I'm strict is shoes: they're heavy, they take up a lot of space and it's not necessary to have four pairs of shoes for a long weekend. I try to wear my heaviest shoe (usually a boot, unless I'm travelling in summer) and then pack things like sneakers, flats and heels (if I even need a pair of heels. Blasphemy, I know) in my suitcase.

Tip #3 less is more (makeup edition)
Being a makeup lover, I used to travel with makeup for all occasions: multiple lipsticks, false eyelashes, different types of eyeshadow, foundations and powders. Then all the brushes required to apply those products. The list goes on. These days I look for products that can be used for all situations (like a nude lipstick that will go with any eye look) and aim for ones that don't require a blush for application (like a cream blush instead of a powder one).

Tip #4 use a colour palette
This is one of the best things I've started doing with my wardrobe in general, but it definitely applies to travel. Stick to a colour palette for your clothing by using 1-2 neutral base shades (e.g. black and grey) and then add 1-2 accent colours (e.g. light blue and yellow). That way, each item you bring will work with every other item in your suitcase and you won't get stuck on the last day of your trip with a top and a pair of pants that don't go together.

Tip #5 always pack a durable plastic bag or two
You never know when you'll need one. They work great for containing dirty laundry or for wrapping up shoes with dirty soles. They can act as a shopping bag for food items or gifts, or as a way to keep items separate in your suitcase. Then can even be used for extra carry-on space if you need it.

Tip #6 use your socks and shoes to protect delicate items
I'm one of those people who always travels with a bottle of perfume. I can't be without a pretty scent! If I'm packing my perfume into checked baggage, I encase it in a sock for protection against breakage. Then I add the second sock over it as another layer, and stuff the whole thing inside a shoe. This works great for delicate items like an souvenirs, as well. Just remember, if you're only taking carry-on luggage your perfume will need to be in a clear bag with all your other liquids!

That's it for today. I hope you found something useful in this post. What are your best packing tips? Leave them in the comments below.

All About The Planning

by Bronwyn Jameson

I am a planner by nature.  I believe I’ve admitted before that this should have been my career. Planning in some guise or other, whether as an EA running someone else’s life, or a travel planner, or an events planner, or a book planner (I wish this were a real job -- can I admit that I love planning a story about 1000% more than actually writing it?)

This extends beyond writing to other areas of my life. Perhaps I should say, to ALL areas of my life.

I have a spreadsheet for pretty much everything.  Books read, books bought and unread, books wishlisted.  Finances, macro and micro.  Shares.  Frequent flyer points.  Credit card spending.  I do a weekly meal plan and shopping list according to the menu. (Full disclosure: I don’t always stick to the plan, but that’s another story!)

My greatest enjoyment of all comes from travel planning.  My family cannot believe how much time and effort I put into the process, but here’s the thing: I do it because I love it.  The googling, the reading, the budgeting.  The shuffling of options.  If only we could stay at ALL the hotels on my carefully curated list!  If only we could do ALL the day-trips!  If only we had more days, more nights, more weeks! 

Afternoon tea with a view: Aqua Shard

Our big trip this year is to London, primarily to visit our son and daughter-in-law, but with a side-trip or three.  Hence my wish for more time than we can afford to take!

I've decided in recent years that every trip should include at least one bucket-list item and special treat. The treat is likely to be food and beverage related,  something I would usually reject as ridiculously overpriced or unhealthily calorific (or both!)  A starred restaurant or cocktails with a view or an afternoon tea somewhere iconic.  That kind of thing.

A room with a view: Hotel Endsleigh

As for the bucket-list, I'm tossing up between staying in a castle or a grand country house which, come to think of it, would also be a special treat.  But, oh, the fun of the research.  The choices! The rooms! The history! The countryside views! THE FOOD!

Decisions must be made at some stage in the next few months, and then bookings. But for now we’ve locked in the flights (a big bucket-list tick) and booked accommodation for our London stay.  The rest I’m dragging out while loving every day of anticipation.   

How about you...  Do you love the planning almost as much as (or even more than) the doing?  

What do you like to plan, and what areas of your life do you prefer to wing?