I wouldn’t be surprised if you hadn’t heard of Abruzzo. I certainly hardly knew of its existence before one particularly torrid, sticky Roman summer. Fed up of staying indoors all day to escape the heat and the frayed nerves of the Romans, my boyfriend and I were looking for an escape route. We dreamed of …more

Where is Bermuda, exactly? That was the most frequent response from friends when I told them we were moving to the island. Shorts and Triangles have given it a place in the English language but its location in the Atlantic Ocean is most vague. It is not in the Caribbean – that would be Barbados, …more

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Time. There’s never enough. Not even in retirement. At least that’s what my retired friends tell me. For most of my adult life, I didn’t have time to pursue activities I thought I would really enjoy. At least that’s what I told myself. There were always more important things I needed to do. I’ve had …more

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Recently a friend returned from a Peace Corps volunteering assignment overseas. At first glance she seemed to be the same person I last saw two years ago. But as she described her experiences abroad I realized that she had a much broader perspective about many things especially related to how little some people have, how …more

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While many may not have the resources that Mr. Blum (below) had the rules about protecting your money still apply. In the land of opportunity, many people have “made it” and made it big. Mr. Roman Blum did just that. However, having amassed close to 40 million dollars, he died last year at the age …more

I’m often asked about policing in Spain and the Canary Islands and how it compares with that in the UK. I usually avoid writing about policing issues, as much is subjective and depends upon personal experiences and encounters with the law. However, based on my work as a journalist, as well as many reports and …more

I was drafted into the U.S.Army and stationed in Austria for about two years during the Korean War. Even though it was at the height of the Cold War, it was pretty boring stuff with a lot of marching, drilling and cleaning and greasing equipment. The only thing that relieved the tedium for me was …more

Sometimes I wonder where I am going with the new “freedom” in my life. My children are finally on their own, leaving my husband and I to play together and apart, depending upon our moods and which hunting season it is. I am pulling away from the necessity of being a “model” employee and actually …more