Stories behind the stories. By Travel Writer, Amy McPherson
(Feature image credit: Francesca Lasca) You know, I’ve planned this post since 1 January after my thank you letter to 2022. I mean, it’s the day of a new year right? And you’d think I woud have had my acts together. No, unfortunately, as it always is, I wasn’t ready to post. I had so …
Dear readers, Is it Christmas time already? Gosh this year went fast. I am writing this, as it happens, on the shortest day of the year: the Winter Solace. It is also the anniversary of my cat, Kitty’s death. Two years ago, I had to let her go, and for two years, I still shed …
You know how everyone was baking bread in 2020? I’ll admit, so was I. At the same time, I decided with all the time on my hands that I’d start drawing again. If you have been following me on Instagram, you’ll have seen some of the drawings of birds and marine life I’ve done in …
Australia opens up for tourists today, and for most of us in the world, we get to travel again, it’s a happy day, but then again, I’ve learned to reset my perception on happiness. I’ve learned that even from the deepest woe, comes lessons that we can all learn from, then the event that made …
I went back to Sydney for a brief visit in December. My first long haul trip and I was giddy about it. The idea of being stuck on a plane for 24 hours, the idea of having to faff about with the Australian Border Control, the idea of just being far far away. Two years …
It was Friday the 13th. On top of that, it was the day of the full moon. I am not a superstitious person, but last week I couldn’t help if the cosmos was at play, when I hit a new low. I do not remember the last time I had such a bad day, it …
Here’s a small confession. I don’t have great balance. It’s something to do with my middle ear, something that has always been there giving me the occasional vertigo attacks, and the inability to watch action movies on big screen. So it’s no surprise that ever since I picked up cycling, I have fallen and crashed …
First and foremost, a disclaimer. Just because I am about to say bad things about certain genders doesn’t mean I hate everyone. It’s like that recent Gillette ad that highlights toxic masculinity, with a new slogan to call on men to be the best they can be, (instead of the old “the best the men …
I wasn’t going to write an end of year post this year. I was just going to let it all go, to allow the new year creep up silently. Pretend it’s just another normal day. Yet, personally, 2018 had been too big to ignore. Earlier this year I made a decision that I should have …
1. The bike will stay in the bedroom And why shouldn’t it? I mean, if I leave it in the bike shed, someone could easily steal it. In the bedroom, right there at the foot of our bed, the bike is watched all the time. So I can keep an eye on it okay? 2. …
This post took a while to write. You know the days when you wished you weren’t so bored at work? Well yeah… no longer. Anyway. So the last – last Sunday (17 June) I rode from London to Brighton for the British Heart Foundation. It was my second goal after having ridden for the same …
Did you know that bumble bees live underground? We don’t have bumble bees in Australia and I’ve never really learned about this part of their lives. Here I am sitting In my friend’s garden in Saarbrücken, enjoying the warmth of the spring sunshine, the sight of colourful blooms, their scent carried to me by the …
The Easter weekend just past was the first weekend I didn’t have a deadline to worry about. I felt free. Too free. I didn’t know what to do with myself. So, went to see The Greatest Showman (now my new favourite musical album), tried to see Winnie the Pooh exhibition at the Victoria & Albert …
I can’t write. Been sitting here for two hours now, watching the blinking cursor steadily warning me that I’ve not written more than 50 words towards my 1200 words story that’s due on Thursday. Wake up! It urged. This is one assignment you cannot fail! The cursor is right, but I am otherwise distracted. I …
Ever been on a blind date? Ever agreed to marry someone before that blind date? WHY WOULD ANYONE AGREE TO MARRY SOMEONE WHO THEY’VE NEVER MET???? For money. Definitely for money. So if no money was involved, you wouldn’t ever do anything so committal as to say… marry, or travel with someone who you have …
Two days to yet another new year. Where did the time go? A 2017 round up This year has been great year for me. It is the first year I’ve had the opportunity to freelance full time, and have had a taste of what more I need to do to make it work. Yes, financially …
You may or may not have noticed that I’ve picked up a new obsession – the bicycle – this year, thanks to a trip made in haste to Sligo in Ireland where the enthusiasm and the camaraderie of the guides and fellow travellers on our cycling tour that got me deeply and madly hooked on …
I read ‘The Girl on the Train’ a few months ago, what a brilliantly written unreliable narrator the protagonist was. And what a great idea, because the train journey to work is something most of us have to go through at some stage in our lifetime and I often wondered what the people around me …
Back in August I made a call out on Facebook for anyone who might be interested in just going back in time and receive postcards from me. You know, I am a bit disappointed not many people took up the offer! In total I received 12 requests for postcards. Granted, it is possible …
I’ve recently gone back to “work” – travelling daily to Southampton for a two months contract to sit out the quiet winter period when my writing work slows down. The train trip is 1.5 hours southward from London, and because I am going against the hamster wheel, I always get a seat and have the …
Well, now that I’ve written my official story I needed to write for In The Know Traveler I thought I’d enlighten you with a more personal account of the trip, written in the style of previous post about lusting over Switzerland and romance with Vorarlberg. (In other words, you know some cheesiness is coming!) READ: Spell …
I am listening to Westlife on Youtube. What prompted this urge to re-live my late teen’s crush you ask? Well, just been to Sligo, a city north west of Ireland where three of the band member are from. Quite frankly, I am swooned once more! All that I want in my life, is the feeling of …
It was with much persuasion and parental bullying (just kidding mum and dad!) that we flew the 17 hours to Taipei to celebrate Lunar New Year (or, more commonly known as Chinese New Year). I was born in Taipei, but left to grow up in Australia at the age of ten. As far as I …
Resolutions are a thing of the past. How many times have we set resolutions only to completely forget about them by February? So I’ve decided to give up on resolutions and to set new year goals instead, and for 2017, I am going to lift that bar just a little bit higher. My personal KPI …
