I'm just trying to walk myself home.
Day 2 of St Cuthbert’s Way: Harestanes to Morebattle “Our guidebook says we only have to go 10 miles today.” “The printout from Macs says it’s only 9.” “Well, that’ll be a cake walk after yesterday!” “Easy peasy!” Anna had figured out with her FitBit that the previous day we had managed to turn what …
Day 1 of St Cuthbert’s Way: Melrose to Harestanes We laid our waterproof pants out the night before in anticipation of the rain, which was still falling when we woke up in Melrose. We pulled on all our gear, packed up our bag and left our comfortable room a little reluctantly. However, Sheila had made …
“This country would be really beautiful if it was warm and sunny.” We had just gotten off the bus in Melrose and were standing in front of Melrose Abbey in the rain. Melrose Abbey is the starting place of St Cuthbert’s Way, a 63 mile walk across the Scottish Borders into England and out on …
This week has been all joy as I have gotten to show my precious friend, Sarabeth and her daughter, Elizabeth, some of my favorite parts of Aberdeenshire. Today we are celebrating Sarabeth’s birthday with a trip to a castle followed by fish and chips by the sea! We have a few more days in Scotland …
A Story about a 1D Concert Some things in this world just have to be experienced rather than enjoyed. Even though I love being outdoors, I can also admit that a long day of climbing can be rough. Especially if it is raining. But rough days both build and reveal our character. And often …
Are you still walking with me friends? If not, you can still start. It’s the beginning of June, so you still have almost seven months left in 2014 to have some amazing adventures! Make a list and tweet/Instagram me a picture! (@alisonchino) Here’s a walk we did in mid-May in Glen Clova, which is about …
Hello friends! What have you been up to? This week I flew home from Mauritius, had dear friends visit, went to see One Direction with my daughter, sent my husband off to Kenya and cut six inches off my dreadlocks. Also, as of this morning, my computer and I are back together! You can’t even …
For a couple of weeks my Instagram feed was filled with palm trees and beaches instead of mist and mountains. So for Instagram Travel Thursday, I’m sharing my IG images from Mauritius! Sigh. So beautiful! We stayed at Long Beach Hotel with First Choice Holidays, and maybe my favourite thing about the resort, besides the …
I try not to hate airports. I really do. Hating is just not in keeping with the positive energy force for good that I want to be in life. So I focus on the end goal of what the airport, or more accurately the airplane, is bringing. A new destination. An adventure. Or arriving home …
How’s your week been? I spent the day timing hurdles at Sports Day (aka Field Day in the US). It was first time I can remember ever wearing Uggs, a scarf and mittens on Field Day. But I kept having to take my gloves off to push the timing button. I’ve been home now for …
Snapshots of Durham, England for Instagram Travel Thursday Whenever someone mentions Durham in a room full of people in the UK, at least one person makes a reverent oohing sound. Ahh, Durham. Yes, you must see Durham. So when we heard that Taido was slated to speak at a conference at Durham University, the rest …
My sister has an uncanny ability to accomplish whatever she sets her mind to. She does not waste a lot of time on the what ifs. She pushes forward and deals with problems as they come. It’s not that she thinks everything will always run smoothly and be perfect. She anticipates that there will be …
Climbing Ireland’s Highest Mountain: Carrantohill Peak We went on a couple of walks every day while we were in Ireland, but this one took the cake for sure. Taido got us primed for our big hike by having us watch The Secret Life of Walter Mitty the night before, so we all woke up feeling …
Happy Friday, friends! How has your week been? Mine has been full of writing and photo editing from my walk along St Cuthbert’s Way. In fact Macs Adventure has compiled some of the social media from the week on their site already. Super fun! This weekend I am going to try to get up one …
My home church in Arkansas, the one I grew up in and that my Daddy preaches at, is celebrating being a church for 30 years this June. In honor of that anniversary, I wrote this story: Sunday Showers circa 1989. Mother had just settled into her Sunday afternoon state of being half asleep on …
Driving the Ring of Kerry was a must-do on our Ireland itinerary, but it is over 100 miles long and even with several stops along the way, we found ourselves much in need of a longer leg stretch after lunch. So we were thrilled to find the Bray Head Loop Walk on Valentia Island. On …
She made me a scarf at Christmas. Crocheted by her little hands, the same hands my grandmother had and that I have. Sky blue cozy yarn. To match my eyes and to keep me warm. All through the long cold Scottish winter. I wore it double wrapped around my neck for all of January and …
A little yellow in my life makes me smile. On a cloudy spring day, this yellow rapeseed can almost take the place of the sunshine for me. Even in the pouring rain, I will stop for a spot of yellow. Glimpsed far away or along the River Tweed, these fields have been grabbing my attention …
We started our second day in Ireland at a fun area near Killarney that surrounds an old fancy estate house. Muckross House sits on a lake by the same name and there is a path that runs all the way around the lake. All the paths are paved for biking or for riding in jaunty …
I mentioned a while back how much we are loving Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks since we moved to the UK. Save with Jamie is my current obsession, as we are eating mostly vegetarian these days and are always trying to save money on groceries. This is really a breakfast meal, but we have been serving it …