Cherryl's Blog

Why the heck would you want to exasperate your wife, and read a book that teaches you how. It the author serious? ‘How to Exasperate Your Wife” No Way! That’s the title of the book I saw a man reading on the train a few weeks ago, he knew very…

The other day I spotted one of those charity fundraising reps whilst walking through a shopping mall, they were all in uniform, they had a stand set up and there were about four of them; (I’d had a long day and just wanted to grab something quickly from the supermarket…

Over packers united!! This book is for all the travellers out there who do not travel light. It’s a quick and entertaining read from someone who does not ‘underpack’

The notion of a fourth age, what an interesting and very relevant topic!! I’m probably not the only one noticing the not so subtle increase in self service machines and reduction in humanly manned check out tills in shops/banks/post offices these days, or the general creeping momentum around all things…

An open letter to Mauritius following two fabulous weeks on holiday there.

Dreamy is an understatement, Ile Aux Cerfs is on a whole new level of beach!

A few more snapshots. Mont Choisy Beach A more low key version of Flic en Flac beach. Views from the highest point on the island… Just around the corner – a craft and specialist cashmere outlet.    

Let’s talk trains, bugs, migrants, rain and tea while we have a natter about Mauritius.

La Vanilla Nature Park in Mauritius, is home to all sorts of animals including crocodiles, racoons, monkeys, bats, giant tortoises and a range of tropical plant life.

The Mauritius ebony rainforest sits in the south of the island, home to the protected ebony tree, the forests are in the Chamarel region. It’s incredible to think that almost all the island used to be covered with ebony trees, before the Dutch exploited it in the 17th century. It…

Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius is a bustling world away from the idyllic white beaches and turquoise waters we know and love. Tall office blocks, locals out shopping and working in the city is more the Port Louis scene.

The Coin De Mire Attitude is  a boutique hotel set in garden style plot, just a stones throw away from a beach that offers views of Coin De Mire Island. On arrival you’ll receive a very warm and personal welcome, which extends throughout the stay as it seems the staff…

Next, a quick visit to one of the best sugar factories I’ve see on my travels so far, (well actually it wasn’t quick, it  was a pretty long visit given the size of the factory and outside grounds) an interesting tour at the L’Aventure du Sucre (Sugar Adventure), in Pamplemousse Mauritius. You’ll learn…

All this sightseeing works up quite an appetite, so it’s time for some lunch, followed by a bit of rum and jam tasting in Chamarel. The jam was more my thing, I couldn’t resist coming home with a few jars – the guava jam was really really good! But after…

More sightseeing in the south western region of Mauritius, enjoying the views from the popular Black River Gorges National Park, with it’s vast expanse of rainforest before taking in the wonder of the seven coloured earth, at Chamarel. Seven Coloured Earth, Chamarel. Black River Gorges National Park    

A True story about love, suffering, differences and determination.

Photographs from a visit to the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Pamplemousse, north of the island, and a rare glimpse of hindu worshipers in the south, by the sacred river in Grand Bassin in the south west. Hindu worshipers at the sacred river, in Grand Bassin. Ganga Asnan is the colourful…

Well all the guide books, blogs, reviews and word of mouth echo the same thing really  – ‘when in Mauritius, Flic en Flac beach is the beach of choice’, it’s on the west coast and rated as one of the best beaches in Mauritius and a must on your list…

First stop, first impressions – beautiful, and a welcome sight after an 18 hour haul. The Veranda Grand Baie in Mauritius is set amongst lush green surroundings and giant palm trees. Rooms look like little cottages (reminiscent of the Veranda Resort & Spa in Antigua). A huge selling point with…

This small fish market on the mauritian sea front of Grand Baie caught my eye with the dazzling rainbow of colours laid out beautifully for sale, local fishermen gather here most afternoons to display and sell their day’s catch.      

Sunglasses and jewelry from a car boot and sarongs from the father of Miss World…read on!!

Just sharing a few of tonight’s random thoughts. Writing it down and reading it back really got me thinking and re-affirming a few things I want to do more. You persist Because it’s worth it You invest Because the harvest will be plentiful You try Because otherwise you’ll never know…

The city is alive with jazz  Once again, London’s Jazz Festival has been in full swing throughout the month of November and I was fortunate enough to experience some of it. The London Jazz Festival has been going since 1992 – thanks to the London Borough of Camden starting it…

Amazing Isn’t it amazing that we live in an age where we can just hop on a plane and go more or less anywhere on the planet in matter of hours, or pick up and leave one country and choose to start a new life in another…. Our ability to…

Confession time!! If you’re a bookworm you’ll probably understand. Read on for the truth, the whole truth and nothing ‘book’ the truth.

Sometimes we need time to simply be, without doing. Time to give our mind and body a rest, soak up a moment of nothing.

Pick a side, team heels or team flats, show us where your shoe loyalty lies? I was surprised and amused to learn a few interesting things about high heels recently, and it got me thinking about the attitudes people have toward high heels today. My scales are tipped heavily toward…

It comes, it goes Sometimes it flows Why we don’t abolish it, nobody knows It fuels emotions and creates many woes Invest it wisely and sometimes it grows Share if you care, share if you can Think about your future and start making a plan Money changes lives, creates competition,…

Home made lip balm is the healthiest thing you can put on your lips. Here’s the thing Rumour has it, our lips are 100 times more sensitive than our finger tips and they tend to dry out quickly due to the lack of sweat glands on the area. If this…

After a day at the Cake and Bake Show, a few interesting cake facts came to my attention: 1. There exists, a Coco Cola cake recipe (the link is now broke but you might be able to find it somewhere) – in case you don’t think your cake will be sweet…

Cake artistry, sweet tooth treats and cake inspiration are all waiting for you at the UK annual Cake and Bake Show. The cake gallery will leave you bemused, wondering how some of them can possibly be edible cakes. I think we need to see them sliced at the end of the show next time around!

If your DSLR camera is weighing you down and you’re looking for a smaller, lighter alternative, the Nikon Coolpix A900 might be worth a look, with its generous zoom lens and compact design.

As with earthly seasons, life also has it’s seasons. We reach points in life where we instinctively know that something needs to change.  It’s time for this, that or the other. Autumn is probably the season that gives me this feeling the most, particularly September; maybe it’s because of the…

A roast dinner with all the trimmings? Nope. Maybe next Sunday. Last Sunday I opted for a meat and tofu mixed Korean take away from the London’s Southbank street food market, followed by some vegetarian Indian crepes and a gooey dessert of vegan chocolate cake. I’m not vegan – but…

When I stop and think of how much of our lives we spend ‘waiting’ ‘anticipating’ and ‘enduring’ until….. it hit home just how much weight we carry because of this. The scales are tipped heavily toward the ‘until’ rather than the ‘now’. Until Friday Until payday Until that holiday Until…

Picture this… You fly off from London’s Heathrow and land in Peru with your crew and cameraman, heaps of luggage and technical equipment. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to trek the best part of the Amazon rainforest, via mountains and forest, using the river as your…

Castle Combe has been labeled the prettiest village in England, it’s a typically picturesque Cotswolds village in Wiltshire. Walking around this place really did feel like walking through the set of a film, with it’s cute post office, beautiful stream, and Hansel & Gretel style cottages. The village gained it’s…

On my last leg of exploring Wales, I paused to remember the fact that although Wales is part of the United Kingdom, Wales is still a separate country and not part of Great Britain, despite welsh land being joined to mainland Britain.  Wales has a language of its own, along…

Apparently, Wales consumes more oven chips than any other part of the UK, and Mount Everest was named after a welshman – interesting facts!! Here’s more from my welsh galavants this summer……. The UK’s smallest city – St David’s St David’s is more like a village but technically it’s a…

Living on island time in the caribbean