Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on September 27th 2024. I’m sitting in Le Shack listening to the rain falling on the roof. The sky is grey and feels low and heavy, as if it is pressing down on me. Despite this I feel content. We’ve had a lotContinue reading “Armchair adventures”
Author Archives: maryjane678
A culinary tale.
Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on September 8th 2024. We’ve been at our housesit in the Tarn for nine days, with one more to go before we return to Le Shack. Our temporary home is situated deep in the countryside, and if you imagine a wheel, with usContinue reading “A culinary tale.”
On the road again.
Hello and welcome to The Olivia Rose Diaries on August 30th 2024. We’re on the road again. We left two days ago and I thought I would share my journey with you. It’s 7am at Le Shack and already it’s 18 degrees. Our bikes are standing on the gravel by the front door, panniers packed, andContinue reading “On the road again.”
The joy of reading
Hello and welcome to The Olivia Rose Diaries on August 18th 2024. We are slowly working our way through a long list of gardening jobs at Le Shack and so I thought the subject for the blog this week could be something a little different to usual – and quite unrelated to gardening! I amContinue reading “The joy of reading”
Suppose we weren’t here……
Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on August 8th 2024. Late summer every year we return to our cabin home, Le Shack, near the Pyrenees after four to six months away on our boat. When we left our home in the spring the borders had been weeded, the grassContinue reading “Suppose we weren’t here……”
Three little words and farewell to the Netherlands
Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on July 25th 2024. When we were living in Wales I taught writing classes and one way in which I would warm up the creative muscles of my students was through a simple exercise called ‘Three Little Words.’ I would give them theContinue reading “Three little words and farewell to the Netherlands”
When Plan B turns out to be better than Plan A
Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on June 28th 2024. This has been a week where things have not quite gone as we planned. Coming into the western side of Groningen we found that one of the bridges was broken and there was no way through from that direction.Continue reading “When Plan B turns out to be better than Plan A”
A week in photos and videos
Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on 21st June 2024. The blog this week is a collage of photos and videos from the past few days, a summary of our last week heading north. We have reached the very tip of the Netherlands, after this we head south. WeContinue reading “A week in photos and videos”
Watching me watching you
Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on June 14th 2024. We have been cruising for 7 years now and never had a summer like this one. Or a lack of summer, to be more accurate. Temperatures barely reaching 12 degrees during the day, most days a mixed bag ofContinue reading “Watching me watching you”
Taking the Turf Route
Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on June 4th 2024. A bird of prey glides low over the marshes, hooked beak and sharp eyes scanning the ground below. Without warning it drops and stays down, hidden in the long grass. I wait, but it it doesn’t fly off againContinue reading “Taking the Turf Route”
The Olivia Rose Diaries 