It’s beginning to look not like Christmas

If, like me, you have grown up in the northern hemisphere, December is  most definitely a time of winter. It’s a time of crisp, cold weather, warm fires, woolly gloves and scarves and very occasionally, if you’re really lucky, a snowman. In no way is it synonymous with bbq’s, beach wear and sun cream. That’s just…..odd!

The Small Things: New Zealand, heading South.

You know that quote that says “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” For me, cycle touring is the classic example of that.

When you are away from home for months, or even years on end, you seldom step back and view the trip as a whole, as an epic adventure, instead, what you notice, what you remember are the multitudes of constituent parts, and in particular the things that make a difference are often the small, things.