Long time no see. Main excuse Summer has too many distractions, secondary to that I am finally pushing on with my book. Words, when I sit down flow relentlessly and it is hard to stop.The sitting down is sometimes the problem.

Travel log: End of June beginning July my husband and I took a trip to one of the northern Italian lakes Lago di Orta. We had been invited by my husband’s cousin to attend his wedding on the shore of said lake.
As we both love train travel we decided to go the ecological way and set off from our local train station in the Netherlands toward Germany heading for the lovely town of Freiburg.
We both found that though this method of travelling is somewhat more expensive than air travel (we did go first class) we got so more out of it.
Husband rushing from window to window photographing anything that moved or didn’t and me with casual glances outside saying :”Yes lovely view,dear”, reading all the way.
Even though it was hot as hell in Freiburg, another little heat wave, we still managed to see quite a bit of it as my husband is one of these mad dogs who goes out in the midday sun.
In the slightly cooler evenings there was a street party everywhere with life music. It was too hot to sleep anyway.
Halfway to our first stop stop Omegna, top of the lake, we had a train breakdown in Bern. With Swiss clockwork efficiency the whole train was replaced with an even nicer one within 15 minutes and we still arrived on time in Pettenasco.
Due to stuff getting lost in translation-no English or otherwise speakers- we had to wait in their super cute station with a terrace and olive trees surrounding the coffee shop.
After that an hour on the local slow train to Omegna where the lovely young couple who were letting their apartment actually collected us from the station and were total darlings.
After two days there we on their recommendation used a boat instead of a train to go to the village San Guilio were the wedding would take place.
A beautiful 1 hour trip touching on various little harbours on the way.
It all had a very Mamma Mia flavour.
Compared to the flight back this was the much better option.

The wedding itself felt like being an extra in a romantic movie.
Everything was choreographed to the last minute detail.
The only thing that was not taken into account was a temperature of 38 C in the shade! We were all sweltering. After the actual ceremony I simply had to change in something more suitable for a tropical climate. How the men in their typically British suits were holding out I don’t know.
But the arrival of the gorgeous bride by boat at the lakeside garden of the Town hall was very moving and they duly said their vows all very romantic and we could adjourn to boats taking us all to a lovely restaurant-on the lake naturally- for dinner and dance.
But as marriages nowadays (UK 42%) often end in divorce I often am a bit sceptical with all this money they seem to spend on their weddings nowadays.
Encouraged by various dimwitted television programmes girls insist on buying dresses that could feed a small third world nation and having a day costing the multiple of that.
As quite a few parents set a limit they will beg, borrow and steal to have that one perfect day they dreamed of after watching too many ‘Say yes to the dress ‘ or romcoms .
Between this and the wedding from my little brother, who when asked by the registrar “are you sure we should not put some nice music on?” said “Nah, where do we sign?” there is a whole scale of wedding days and everyone should do what they want.
My parents had a shotgun wedding but still managed to stay together until they both died.
Myself I had a simple registry do but with dress and party the first chosen by my best friend and the second arranged by my mother-in-law, who only had sons so never got the chance.
I was travelling for work 6 weeks before the day and arrived just about in time to say “Yes”.
33 Years now and still going strong.
Just saying life is not a fairy tale but you can make it so by hard work and in my case by being away a lot.
Next wedding Seville next spring. The couple already have a child so my hopes are much higher for that is a real test for any marriage and better you test this out beforehand.

In between all the outings, writing and geneal chores I still have read a lot the last month.
The best book of those is “The wanderers” by Chuck Wendig. A lovely colossal ride of imagination. One of those books I rarely find nowadays that has me neglecting everything just to read on.
Thrillers and detectives are my holiday fare as I like to read them in one go.
“The nowhere child”, by Christian White was very good and a debut as well.
I am so envious!
“No way out”, by Cara Hunter and “I looked away”, by Jane Corry were both very well written and kept you guessing. Though I think No way out suffers a bit from a bad title, as there are a whole lot of books on Amazon with that same title, so if you have forgotten the writer’s name it is hard to find.
Am reading the first Witcher book because there is going to be a series on Netflix soon, but to my opinion too much telling and not enough showing can be exhausting. Andrezj Sapkowski is borrowing heavily from Eastern European folklore and I will finish it, I think.
Have Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds waiting and The killing habit by Mark Billingham and about 25 more that some I started but gave up for something more intriguing but will get around eventually.

This is more or less my currently reading list, at least when I marked them as reading.

Now I have to go and do my voluntary work in the hospital and hopefully I will have enough energy to do some more writing after that.
The patients are Palliative care heavy mentally but very rewarding. Can’t be easy with htis heat as Belgium hospitals have NO airco.