a bright New Year started well

I started the year well as I am now with my dear friends Nito and David from San Remy  de Provence who have a winter home in Hurghada, Egypt . It is lovely here , sun, sea and relaxation a real treat. I watch the sun rise over the sea from my bedroom at 6.25 am. Then a quick cuppa before walking to the beach with Nito for a  quick walk along the private beach, guarded day and night, then a swim 

. Of if that could happen everyday of my life, what bliss.

Then a super Nito Breakfast with special Egyptian bread, and an assortiment of soft cheeses, fruit , yoghurt with marmelade juice, cake and then coffee.

Off to the beach, then lunch with local wine, not bad at all,  a small nap, mostly most days no time for that!

Then a visit or just chatting with the lunch guests whom Nito had spontaneously invited on 2 separate occasions, about the referendum, Egypt and the rest. Very interesting.

Visits to the market, cooking, buying t shirts and one night a trip to a fantastic newly created resort nearby. 

We drove by astounding sites, masses of unfinished houses and hotels, in between the posh resorts. The driving is awful, no way would I drive here, they come at you from all sides. They hoot there horns just for the fun of it too, and just cross the road when they feel like it . We had a big old Jeep as car so felt safe but it had no springs !

The desert with the mountains in the background at sunset. Shopping Malls in the middle of nowhere. Egyptian cotton, bed linen for 22 euros for a sheet, T shirts pure cotton for 5 euros.

The beautiful azure blue sea, marinas full of diving boats but no clients. The hustle and bustle starts at 21.00 at night, whole families go out shopping!! then. Just to think that is Nearly my bed time, but of course they do not swim at 7.00 in the morning.

However lovely people, but as Nito says greed is creaping in. Plus Macdonalds and of course the unrest found in the whole middle East.

We have of course had great fun tasting Nitos Egyptian dishes, visiting the local markets, buying a live chicken, herbs at a market stall and fresh vegetables, driving through the resort town of Hurghada to a lical goverment shop to buy big T shirts for Vietnam, just before dashing to the airport with a strawberry Pinacolada in my hand just before leaving 

I am now home as time flew by too quickly to write my blog

Next in line:

Travel to  Asia on the 5 th February Ellen and I will be flying Cathay Pacific to Hanoi, returning 3 March via Honk Kong where we will enjoy 2 days .

All arranged with Vietnam on line.

I will try to keep my blog going there.

 Where Pattys Wagon will take me this year I do not know.... Ireland , Spain, Portugal ????

I am doing a course in culinary writing with Onno Klein in preparation for my new book blog ," Not just a cooking school 1980 to 20--- ?" dedicated to my soulmate Penny who shared 16.5 years of those years with me. Who started a story LCF through the eyes of a dog, but never carried on with it, too busy!!

I wish you a Happy, healthy and creative New Year