Little Wandering Wren …. chats!

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Wren's Worldwide Wanderings

In April 2019 I set myself the ambitious task to join the Blogging from A -Z April Challenge. I choose a travel topic, with the idea of covering as many countries I could, whilst being on the road continuously myself. You can read the posts here
This is what the last six weekends have looked like :
Paris --> UK --> Songkran in Phuket --> Easter in Pattaya --> Fitcation in Bali -->

King Rama X Coronation in Bangkok --> Friend's birthday celebrations in Hoi An, Vietnam.
I am sure one day, I will look back from the armchair of my nursing home and say to whoever will listen, 'yes darling, we used to travel a bit'

If I look at the lead up to the A-Z Challenge I was also pretty busy trying to re-establish myself in my Thai life after the Summer in Australia. There was little time to prep for a month of posts. Well, that's my excuse to say I've not yet finished nor been awarded the A -Z Survivor badge!
But I am still going. I was pretty determined to finish a…

Hello from the Holiday Queen of Asia!

Hello dear Blogging friends, I am sorry it's been so long. I'm at the end of a massive fest of holidays and I'm ending on a high.
At the top of the world no less. Just look at this picture of Mount Batur, Indonesia which I took earlier this morning. I hope wherever you are in the world, your sunrise was as beautiful!
Let me just start by sharing my office with you. Here it is overlooking the paddy fields of Bali, somewhere between Denpasar and Padang for those in the know.
We are quite remote here and the hotel says don't blame them the internet is down, it's their provider!

So I had to go exploring the area and find some decent Internet cover. The dog is my new companion at the street bar I found with the Internet. Isn't this the most perfect office for the day? Who care's there is no WIFi at the resort.
I've been doing a tour of paradise locations of the world. No, not really but this is what it feels like.

What would your paradise be like? Do you want a be…

Bird and the Bees Bangkok

Sawadee Bee Mai and Happy New Year from a busy Bangkok.
This weekend was Songkran. The roads are full of cars crawling out of the city as people head off to the Provinces to celebrate Thai New Year with their families. This mass exodus means that almost half the population of Bangkok leave town. Bangkok, however, is never quiet, as it’s a popular time of year for tourists to enjoy the Songkran water festival.

We are all dressed in our best brightest shirts and I'm sure we will be off to 'play water' as the World’s biggest water fight kicks-off all over the country.April is our hottest month here in Thailand, so being drenched is not all bad…

We’re in Phuket, a beach playground which is always lively at the best of times, unless you know the secret spots. I was interested to see how wet and wild things are here. I need not have worried, in Bangkok, the organised public Songkran spaces have been reduced, whilst the country prepares for the King's Coronation. In Phuket, the…

Bonjour from Paris!

Hello everyone, I'm glad I've caught you. How is your week going?
We're doing fine, I'm having a lovely time in Paris in the Spring.

I have just finished a pilates class in French! Woo hoo for still being able to find my toes and vaguely keeping up. I managed to carry it off until the end of the class when I thanked the instructor and she said in a loud voice:
'Argh, Vous êtes Anglais?'
At which point I firmly replied in my very best français:
'Non, Je Suis Australienne'
I mean who the bloody 'ell would admit to being English at the moment? Pardon my French!

This all takes me back to my days living in Belgium when I lived my daily life muddling through, only getting half of was said.
Nothing has changed. I am here pouring over the French newspapers, it is slightly more fun enjoying the Brexit news in French. However in English or French, it is a sad state of affairs.
And no, to all my friends back in far off lands, who all ask... I have no idea what is hap…

You know you're home in the Cotswolds when....

Would you like to take a little wander with me in the picturesque West Oxfordshire Cotswold village of Clanfield?
You know you're home in England when the local Inn is called The Plough...

Spring is a lovely time to visit this pretty village. The daffodils are adding a cheery burst of colour against the Cotswold stone wall

Every house has a certain charm, even on a grey day...

Blakes Kitchen in the old Post Office has done wonders for village life. It used to be that you would stay home and invite your friends around for a nice cup of tea. Why we always say 'would you like to come round for a nice cup of tea'? I'll never know.
Why stay home when the choices are way more exciting in the local cafe from a cappuccino to a local beer, cider or Cotswold gin.
They even have a micro-bakery With lots of Easter Hot X Buns of course... oops sorry one's missing!
What a good use of the old British Telecom telephone boxes, now used to store the emergency defibrillator. I…

Our balcony Sunbirds!

Something beautiful is happening at our place, I can hear the little birds sing!
This is no mean feat as we live way up high, above the 30th floor.
I love my new apartment it is just perfect, except that I missed the birds.

Then guess what? Two of the cutest little Thai Sunbirds decided to join us and build a nest.
Talk about the happiest bird watch ever!
Let's go back a bit and remind you about my Bangkok life. I've arrived in this great city from Melbourne Australia. Where I have a garden that I love and although the birds are a little cautious about visiting us, on account of the Crazy Poodle, we enjoyed all manner of what I think of as exotic birds - bright parrots, laughing kookaburras etc

Our first Bangkok apartment at Embassy Place was chosen for it's amazing position overlooking one of the US Embassy compounds. The American Ambassador in Bangkok, has a nice pad. Combined with the tranquil Embassy Place gardens, our outlook was green and lush, and all the little birds (in…