It's a Dog's Life

Old age is a bit of a bugger, but if we are lucky, it catches up with all of us eventually. We recently spent a week with my dad who at 91 physically can't do everything he would want to do and what he can do, to his frustration, takes more time and effort than he would like. He is of course from a generation that just gets on with it and he keeps busy doing the chores he can do around the house. His speciality is pot washing. In answer to the question 'Dad, where are you going' the answer usually will be 'I'm just going to tidy up in the kitchen'. The dishwasher is loaded after every meal, there are no pots to wash, but a few minutes later we'd hear the familiar rattle from the sink. He is like a pot washing ninja, somehow always finding a cup or glass to wash, quite where they came from remains a mystery to me. 

My dad isn't the only one showing some signs of age related wear and tear. Oscar the Dog, who is now 10, has developed a limp in his front

Nodding Ducks, Suncream and Seat Pads

Apparently the age of 25 is a turning point, it is the end of youth and early adulthood and is the transition to serious 'adulting'. This, according to my youngest daughter Meg, who has just set off on her latest great adventure, travelling through Africa. In the heady days of her youth, she set herself the target of visiting all 7 continents by the age of 25, with Africa being her final continental challenge. To plan, fund and travel to some of the most remote and beautiful places in the world, is an amazing achievement at any age but to have done this when she is so young I think is just incredible, and I'm a very proud dad. 

Meg isn't the only one though working through her bucket list, admittedly my desire to see Yorkshire play cricket at their beautiful ground in Scarborough isn't quite on the same scale as travelling the world, but nonetheless it is an important rite of passage for someone born and bred in Yorkshire. I only wish I'd taken more notice of Megs packing and organisation skills before embarking on my journey north. Admittedly I wasn't climbing 5900m to the summit of Kilimanjaro and having to plan for the transition from the Tanzanian

Revenge of the Drake Passage

With the polar plunge completed our ship the Magellan Explorer headed towards Deception Island which is part of the South Shetland Islands. The island has this unusual name because it gives the impression of being an island but it is shaped like a horseshoe with a protected natural harbour. The island is an active volcano, as you land on the shore steam rises as the cold sea laps onto the black cinder beaches. Although the surface of the beach is warm to the touch, dig your hand a few inches under the surface and it's unbelievably hot. Due to its location and sheltered bay Deception Island has a chequered history, it was used as a shore based whaling station, where whales were brought to be processed and the oil stored in vast tanks, some of which remain to this day. After the end of the whaling industry the base was used by the British during the war and then as a scientific research station until the volcano erupted in 1967 and again in 1969 after which the base was closed. Some of the wooden buildings on the island and an aircraft hangar remain but are very dilapidated. Deception Island had quite a different look and feel to it compared to the Antarctic continent and surrounding islands but it has a fascinating history and it's not everyday you can say you've sailed into an active volcano. 

The Penguin Highway

There are many remote areas of the world, but it is hard to describe the isolation you feel in Antarctica. We had left the nearest civilisation over 2 days ago and we were now approximately 700 miles away from Ushuaia. The only people we would see over the 10 days of our trip are the 91 guests and 60 crew on the ship. There are no vapour trails in the sky, no background hum of traffic, no mobile phones ringing, no birds singing. This is a remote and harsh landscape but with stunning and simple beauty. For a lot of the trip I found it difficult to take everything in that I was seeing, it's not too strong an expression to say I felt in awe of my surroundings. People have asked me what the most memorable moment was of the trip, that's really difficult to say because every day has its own special memories, but the times when we just stopped, put the camera down and were present in the moment, the vastness and drama of the landscape and the silence and tranquillity will last with me forever. It was a real privilege to be here.

From Baston to Antarctica

Our journey to Ushuaia, the city at the end of the world, on the southernmost tip of South America took us via Frankfurt and Buenos Aires. After 37 hours of travelling we walked out of the airport building to be greeted with a spectacular view of the city, multi coloured buildings set against the backdrop of snow capped mountains. Exhausted from our journey and just needing a shower and sleep, we decided to save exploring the city until the following morning, but as we woke up the weather wasn't in our favour. Rain and snow had set in for the day, in fact apart from a brief 34°c interlude in Buenos Aires as we waited for a connecting  flight, it really didn't feel much different to the weather we had left behind in the UK. 

Fin del Mundo

We are about to start our journey to the end of the world. I know you'll be sat reading this, nudging the person next to you saying "aye up, he's lost the plot this time", but no, I'm not about to join the Flat Earth Society, nor will I be knocking on your door asking you to repent as the end of the world is nigh! We are flying from London to Ushuaia which is on the southernmost tip of South America, the self styled most southerly city in the world and 'Fin del Mundo'. From here we will board our ship, the Magellan Explorer which will take us to the South Shetland Islands and Antarctica

Thas Nowt But A Reyt Mardy Arse

I love Barbados and my thoughts often turn to how I could fund my own little villa out here in the sun. I'm not talking about something along the lines of an £11 million mansion in Montecito but I am thinking of following in the Duke of Sussex footsteps and writing a book. It's at the early stages of planning and I've decided to call it 'Thas nowt but a Reyt Mardy Arse'. Just for clarity and in case the Dukes lawyers read this blog, the title is not a commentary on the Dukes recent publication, but more referring to the main revelation in my