Tours by Locals!

Feeding peanuts to an African elephant on my trip to Africa

I´m very excited to announce that the website – www.toursbylocals.com – has accepted Go Granada into their portfolio!  To find my personal profile, follow this link – http://www.toursbylocals.com/TBL/WebObjects/ToursByLocals.woa/1/wo/CVh5IfTAfMWwa5xpiV4b5w/13.11.5.1.3.13.1.3.3.1.0

or go the Home Page and click on “Find a Guide”, then choose “Europe/western” and then click on the green Granada dot on the map of Spain – hey presto!  There I am! 

The Tours by Locals philosophy fits exactly with the Go Granada philosophy – “Our travelers want to do unique things, experience the reality of a place and see its culture through the eyes of a local person. They have a sense of adventure, are socially conscious and want to see their travel spending directly benefit the people who live in the communities they visit.” 

In whatever part of the world you are planning to visit, you know that you will be able to maximise your time to the best advantage and you will really know that you got to see all the “must-haves” as well as the “little-knowns”!

How does your garden grow …

In this case not with silver bells and cockle shells!  The weather has been a bit up and down as we change seasons, but the temperature has definitely changed for the better and about time!  I´ve been out and about in my mini garden, planting various daisies, lavender, rosemary, aquilegia and something yellow which I don´t know the name of, but smells very nice. 

But the most exciting thing has been the change in my lemon tree.  It did nothing at all last year apart from grow a couple of new leaves.  However, this year, it has gone mad!  There are new shoots coming up all over, but the best thing, is that it has started to flower and is filling the air with the most delicious scent.  I remember 3 years ago, riding my motorbike along the Costa de Azahar and the scent of the orange and lemon tree blossom in the air was incredible.  It was like riding through my own personal air freshner, only much more pleasant than what you can buy in the shops.   I am monitoring the buds and the flowers on a daily basis because if they all start to ripen properly, I will have a whole heap of lemons!  How cool is that!   Did you know that if you rub the skin of a freshly picked lemon, the smell is like scent.  If you slice a freshly picked lemon and eat the flesh, it´s not sharp at all, more like eating a fresh perfume.  I´ve got some great lemon receipes and ideas to share with you over the coming weeks.

Got the gin, just waiting for the lemon to ripen!

Ilkley Gardeners Club

A big thank you to Ilkley Gardeners Club for posting up the forthcoming “Gardens of Granada” experience that will take place in July and September.  For more details either visit their website:  http://www.ilkleygardeners.org.uk/ or visit www.gogranada.co.uk.

Gardens of Granada – launched!!

I´m thrilled to announce that my 3 day garden experience – “Gardens of Granada” – has now been launched.  This year I´m starting off with two lots of dates – 5th – 7th July and 6th – 8th September, but hope to extend it next year.  I am really excited to introduce Nicholas, our official guide who has been working here for 25 years and has provided tours for the Royal Danish Garden Society as well as being Michelle Obama´s official guide in 2010 when she visited Granada.  I am also thrilled to introduce Dick Handscombe, Spain´s most prolific expat author, who along with his wife Clodagh have published more than 7 books about gardening in Spain, as well as being regular contributors on radio, the web and in magazines and newspapers.   Dick will be our after dinner speaker as well as leading a Gardener´s Question Time over lunch.   During the visit we will discover the secret carmens (enclosed gardens) of Granada and the Generalife Gardens of the Alhambra Palace as well as hearing many fascinating stories about Granada, its rich  history and life in the days of the sultans.   In total we will visit 7 gardens.

Bed and breakfast accommodation has been booked at the beautiful, 4 star, Hotel Los Angeles which has a swimming pool, spa and amazing views of the Sierra Nevada.  Optional extras included a tapas tour, flamenco show, Arab baths, walking tour and accompanied shopping trips.  Two of the lunches will be in stunning garden settings and there is also free time for you to relax and explore Granada at your leisure.

I´m very excited about offering this experience and very excited to be working with Nicholas and Dick.  We all look forward very much to welcoming you to the beautiful city of Granada!  For more information, either contact me at hello@gogranada.co.uk or visit the website at www.gogranada.co.uk.

Air strike cancelled

I thought I´d put this up, but just to say that the strikes have been cancelled – for now!

Perfect day

Today has been one of those perfect Granada days with an amazingly clear blue sky, the sun and 24 degrees!!  Yaaaay!!  The Sierra Nevada mountains still have snow and because the sky is so clear, they appear to be much nearer than they are.  The view of the contrast between the brilliant white of the snow and the fresh spring blue of the sky is one I never tire of.  It looks so perfect that it´s almost unreal.  I´ve sat in the garden finishing off the planning for the Tango holiday that will be launched this year and putting the finishing touches to the Gardens of Granada weekend.  No peace for the wicked!

Spanish air strikes

It looks like airport workers are going to strike over a four month period in Spanish airports.  The provisional dates are as follows:

April 20, 21,24,25 and 30

May 2, 14, 15, 19 and 20

June 13, 23 and 30

July 1, 2, 3, 4, 15 and 31, 2011

Auguast 1, 15 and 31, 2011

The strikes are not definite as yet and not all of them may go ahead.  Negotiations are still underway and they could be called off at any time.  It will affect the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, but not Portugal and Gibraltar.

I survived – and enjoyed the experience!

In the studio of the Vanessa Show

The Vanessa Show, March 2011

I flew into London late on Monday night and met up with an old friend. At  3am in the morning we were still chatting over wine!  I was so excited, I couldn´t sleep, so I was up bright and early the next morning and spent ages doing my hair and makeup.  After a healthy breakfast of scrambled egg, it was off to the station to catch the train and tube to the TV studio in Queensway.  The studio was as I imagined it – bright, colourful and full of people who looked about 15 years old all busy rushing about with bits of wires hanging out of their ears and pockets!  I was trying to project an aura of calmness, but inside I was practically bursting with excitement!  John the producer showed me the script and we discussed a couple of changes and then I met Vanessa who looked much more attractive in real life and was really friendly.  I also met her other half, Ben and the other participants in the show.  It was really interesting to see how many people were actually needed to produce a programme and to see how things work behind the scenes.  And then suddenly, the moment came!  We were on and LIVE!!  The adrenaline kicked in and off we went.  There were a couple of moments where I was frantically thinking of what to say, but luckily it didn´t show when I watched the recording later on!  All too soon it was over and I didn´t want to leave.  I´ve had some lovely comments from people and well, who knows what may happen next!

Ten Minutes of Fame!

I´m now going to be appearing on the Vanessa Show on Tuesday 8th at 2.15pm to talk about being a lady of a certain age!  Growing old gracefully?  Hell no!!  http://www.five.tv/shows/the-vanessa-show

Fame!

Five Minutes of Fame!

I´m very excited to report that the Daily Mail has published an article featuring yours truly!  Follow the link to find out part of my story as to how I ended up in Granada!  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1362047/Midlife-crises-Middle-aged-women-too.html