It's hard to believe that I came back from Peru over 3 months ago - a longer time than I was away. All the positive feedback I received from blog-readers (thank you!) has encouraged me to write and to take more photographs. I've had an illustrated article entitled "Conch Shells in Cusco" published on-line (www.synergise.com/tales/tale1108-south-america-peru-cusco.php), but didn't get anywhere in a Guardian competition in which my daughter Madeline w...

Since the sale of Green & Pleasant was completed on 1 May, I've at last been able to organise my trip to Peru and now it all seems to be happening incredibly fast! For my 60th. birthday last month, my daughters bought me a backpack and put lots of really useful things in it - a special lightweight travel towel, water bottle, Rescue Remedy, arnica, etc etc and now I'm going to be able to use them all! I'll be away for 3 months, travelling for the first week o...