Thebarefootfoodie

Oh to be in England, now that Spring is here. ( Part 3 Scotland ) Posted on 29 Jun 2011 Onward to the last leg of our trip - Scotland. Driving across stretches of unspoilt landscape, occupied mainly by sheep and cattle, we coveted stolen moments of oneness with nature, with no one else around.  What a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of city life and from other people. The much touted highland cow, with the long hair and curly horns ( much like the shaggy dog minus the horns ) was surprisingly difficult to spot. We caught a glimpse of them round a bend, blink, and never saw them again. How now brown cow? The trip is not complete without paying a small tribute to good ole Nessie, dead or living - the jury is still out on this. There is comprehensive info to whet your appetitie at the Loch Ness Monster Visitor Centre, located within the Drumnadrochit Hotel. After some hours on the road, we arrived at Pitlessie House, a delectable B & B in a historic hous...

Oh to be in England, now that Spring is here. ( Part 2 - Ireland, and Northern Ireland, UK ) Posted 26 Jun  2011 Spent half a day at Warwick Castle before hopping onto the car ferry from Holyhead to Ireland. Warwick Castle is a medieval relic from days of yore, suitably revamped to snag the tourist pound, It has included, as its latest attraction, Merlin's Tower, at an additional fee, of course.  Those who missed the London Dungeon can still stock up on cheesy scares at the Warwick Dungeon here ( for an optional extra ). The highlight of the visit was a live demo of the world's largest trebuchet, an ancient siege machine, weighing 22 tonnes and standing at 18 metres tall. There was also a joustling match between the good guy and the baddies.  Predictable , as D would comment afterwards - why should the good guy win all the time? Hmm, the pragmatist vs the optimist. His is the lone voice out there. Deep down, even in the hearts of those who are bitte...

Oh To Be In England, Now That Spring Is Here ( Part 1 - London, etc. Posted on 25 Jun 2011) We flew cattle class on 28 May, on an airline that is reputed to treat cattle class as cattle. Sentiments of patriotism welled as I couldn't help comparing this with our national carrier and its perks.  But of course, what you pay is what you get, say no more. One good thing, though - the seats had these small side flaps on the headrest that provided some basic comfort to a strained neck so I did manage to get a decent sleep on a long-haul flight - something of a rarity.  It helped that the movie menu was not terribly inspiring and that the service attendants all but disappeared after serving the requisite drinks and meal.You are on your own,sleep or find your own in-flight entertainment and refreshments. Touched down early morning  - turn back the watch 7 hours. Coming back to London after a long absence, some things have changed. The Tube seems to have under...

Reflections on Dad For Father's Day - June 2011 Dad left us suddenly without saying goodbye. It was a silent heart attack. In life, he was a man of few words. We seldom saw eye to eye. It was a difference in perspective, But so fundamentally different. I was simply voicing my views, Which did not correspond to his. Why did I choose to focus on the negative, and failed to see the obvious? Dad has never complimented me But there would be a hint of a smile, a light in the eyes, when he attended my graduation, and later gave me away at my wedding.  I hungered for words of affirmation, and when they did not appear, I blamed Dad for falling short. Who is a perfect Dad anyway? He is the one whom you call your father. Dad may not be able to love me the way I'd expected, but he did what he could and in the best way he knew how. Now that he is gone, I missed his silence; his not being around. I wrote the eulogy for his fu...

Happy, Happy B-lated Birthday, Jeff   ( Posted on 23 Apr 2011 ) More than a flash in the pan, J illuminates the way for the uninitiated and the lost; More than a friend in need, J encourages and exalts the defeated in spirit; More than a fuddy lecturer,  J goes beyond the letter and challenges mindsets; More than a father to many, J provides spiritual leadership and direction; More than a flashy dresser, J blazes the way and sets the trend; More than a flutter of the heart, J is hopelessly devoted to C; More than a facebook tweet,  J bares his soul with words of insight and knowledge More than the first to take on a dare, J has conquered Jerry’s and Buckaroo’s More than footprints in far off lands, J has left behind a legacy of the Good News More than faith expounded, J’s life is one of faith demonstrated, tried and tested; More than food for thought, J has fed the hungry with words of life; More ...

From John C. Maxwell - Today Matters Putting Time into Perspective... To know the value of One Year, ask the student who failed the final exams; To know the value of One Month, ask the mother of a pre-mature baby; To know the value of One Week, ask the editor of a weekly news magazine; To know the value of One Day, ask the wage earner who has six children; To know the value of One Hour, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet; To know the value of One Minute, ask the person who missed the plane; To know the value of One Second, ask the person who survived the accident; And to know the value of One Millisecond, ask the Olympic Silver Medallist....

Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word - Part 2 Turning back the clock.   I'm a little girl with big dreams. I came home from school one day after a class session on "What do you want to be when you grow up?" It seemed natural to share it with Mummy. I told her. She laughed out loud and thought it real funny, without meaning to be cruel. BUT it was CRUEL. When I grew up, I never came close to that path I once thought I would take. If only she'd said SORRY... Growing up, my face was fertile ground for acne attack. The more intense the attacks, the more self-conscious I got, and the more I withdrew into the world of books instead of social networks. Mummy would chose those moments to remind me about the zits on my face as if I did not know they exist; and give timely advice about washing my face ( isn't 3 times a day enough? ) and refraining from chocolates, chilli and other "heaty" stuff which I could only savour in my imagination. If only she...