me and my travels

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

~ This quote has been attributed to Mark Twain, but the attribution cannot be verified. The quote should not be regarded as authentic. Possibly by H. Jackson Brown’s mother from “P.S. I Love You:” (or possibly not)

Welcome aboard

Hi, I am Jude, the author of Travel Words which is simply a collection of my travel notes and diaries over the years. My working background lies in IT (Software Training, Network Support, Helpdesk Management and ICT  Secondary School Teaching, Examiner, Moderator and Teaching Advisor), but travel has been a major part of my life from a very early age. From being transported in a seat on the front of my father’s bike through the Nottinghamshire countryside as a toddler to hitch-hiking around Europe in my late teens, which is when the wanderlust bug bit hard. I have lived in many different places both here in the UK and abroad, including brief spells working as an Au Pair in Switzerland and in a Hotel in Norway followed by 12 years living in South Africa where I once worked in the Sportsman’s Bar close to the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town. My childhood vision was to emigrate to Australia, but although I came close to it on several occasions I never quite managed to fulfil that particular dream, but thanks to my eldest son who now lives there, I have visited the country on several occasions and consider it my spiritual birthplace.

Golden Gate bridge, San Francisco, USA

Dee Why, Sydney, Australia

Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa

There have been times of travel drought and times of plenty over the past thirty years and I still enjoy visiting different places, though not necessarily the means of transport required to get me there. As I head into my autumn years the wanderings have become closer to home and I am enjoying exploring the beauty to be found in the UK.

Most of my posts will be factual descriptions of road-trips and places I have visited with recommendations (or not) of accommodation and places to eat / drink. Other posts can be classified as travel writing and will be more descriptive and emotional. They are based on the memories that a certain place or person has left me with. Some posts are simply images or galleries, often responding to a Blog Photo Challenge.

Photography is another of my hobbies. I have a particular passion for flowers though they will not feature too often on here. You can see them on Earth laughs in flowers… where you will find flower portraits and garden portraits. And recently (2016) I have started a blog about Cornwall where I have just moved to. Possibly the last move in my life, but never say never! That blog will only feature posts about the county so if you are interested in Cornwall you might want to follow me there.

I now have the time to reflect on places I have been fortunate to visit and write about them before the memories fade; posts about places will not be in any chronological order except for the road trips.

I hope you enjoy reading about  my tales as much as I have enjoyed the journeys and writing about them. If you have any comments or questions about any of the places I write about then please feel free to do so and I will do my best to respond.

Enjoy!