The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things..

Today is my little break in between North and South and tomorrow I'm headed for London. It's not easy coming back after a week far from phone and Internet where you only think about the sound of the waves and it no longer matters which day of the week it is. I have rarely felt so free and inspired by a place before and it helped me too to come to a few decisions about my future. There's something incredibly simple and yet magical about the sea, how it carries so much from far away but eliminates all traces too, leaving only something smooth and polished. Returning from a walk along the beach a few hours later, you find your footprints gone, as if you were never even there. I spent the evenings watching all those films I've never got around to seeing like Midnight Cowboy, Singin' in the Rain and Chinatown and afterwards climbed into the large, soft bed to read until I fell fast asleep. At the moment it seems difficult to find the words to describe everything so I prefer to use some images instead.

The harbour in Craster

The romantic ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle

My bedside table with my reading selection. I dipped into the Camus and Hemingway in the evening and took the Mankell to the beach.

Some snaps from Embleton Bay





A butterfly in the gardens of Annick Castle, famous as the school of Harry Potter although I found it too touristy.

An English Rose

Raspberry Ripple ice cream

Barter Books in Annick, one of the largest second hand bookshops in Britian in the old railway station. Here you can browse for hours, drink tea in the old waiting room while model trains whiz round above you on little tracks and jazz music plays. Pure heaven.

Our trip to the Farne Islands on the North Sea, home to many birds and seals.


Fish and chips - a healthy option, followed by a Mr. Whippy 99 ice cream with a flake.

The little seaside town of Seahouses


My evening stroll


Journey to Holy Island when the tide is out.

Coffee and fudge cake

The view from the top of Lindisfarne Castle in between showers

Penny daisies and other flowers in Gertrude Jekyll's garden near Lindisfarne Island


Lindisfarne Priory and its raindow arch



The finest Crème Brûlée from Cabosse in Warkworth with strawberries and vanilla. It must have been good because the shop was full of French people.

Some magnificent flowers from the stunning walled garden at Wallington Hall