Last week I wrote to you while bobbing up and down on a beautiful boat surrounded by the stunning islands of the Galapagos with a heron sitting on the roof.

This week not so glam, a café in Guayaquil Airport, Ecuador on my way to Madrid then home to Heathrow. We should have been home over 24 hours ago but sadly someone had died on our incoming flight which triggered a police investigation, grounded plane, a hotel stopover and missed connection – Oh the joys of travelling.

But what was a massive shock was the way some passengers reacted to the problem. Screaming, shouting, banging on the desk and, threatening the staff, it was a crazy scene. However, those of us who kept calm got our reward when it came to dishing out hotel vouchers. The aggressors got sent to ‘The Holiday Inn’ while our team and a collection of others made it to The Sheraton – A small but significant victory!

Well, I’ve written to you from some strange places, but this tops them all, I’m Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands.

Its, taken the best part of 2 days to arrive here but worth every hour spent on a plane or in an airport.

My Sister Wendy, our father Brian and I made the decision this was the year for a family adventure. Dad back in the 50’s studied geology at university and having spent our childhood roaming around slate mines in Wales, copper mines in Cornwall, being taught about the glacial structure of our highlands and islands it had to be something geographically spectacular. Everything about this volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean has fascinated him for years and at 91 you need to see with you’re your own eyes what books and even David Attenborough can convey.

Today while writing to you I’m desperately trying ‘not’ to have one eye on Jamie Oliver’s, Channel 4 show which is all about taking our humble air fryer to another level. He’s just dished up fresh salmon, with a salsa dressing on its crispy skin, nestled in broccoli, asparagus and guess what? A can of tinned potatoes! He tipped them into his second draw with a little butter. Honestly, if I had the ingredients, I’d be in the kitchen right now.

I love watching cookery programmes, Saturday Morning Kitchen is probably my favourite, and inspires me to be a more adventurous cook.

So happy to see summer dresses in our magazine this week especially as it was ‘My Weekly Fashion’ that two years ago introduced me to the wonders of sustainable fashion brand Aspiga.

The company’s founder Lucy Macnamara is an inspiration and just about the best when it comes to creating ‘the flattering frock’ she’s definitely turned me from being a ,separates only summer dresser, to finaly allowing floaty frocks back into my life.

I want to talk to you about bones this week yours and mine. What would we do without them? Collapse into a frail heap, but not if we look after them and all they need to thrive is good food and stress, I don’t mean emotional stress they hate that but weight stress.

I know this sounds terrible, but I’ve just finished my last Easter egg. I didn’t have loads, but Jeremy Vine, together with a doctor, on his Radio 2 programme spoke about the dangers of sugar spikes, with the bottom line that when faced with a higher than normal amount of chocolate i.e.

What a lovely edition we have this week. I watched Caroline Quentin on Lorraine talking about her new gardening book ‘Drawn to the Garden’ and I can honestly say after looking at her Instagram and hearing her talk about her love of gardening I had horticultural pangs of jealously.

How lovely to be celebrating the colour red in this week’s magazine and it’s not Christmas!

I love red it’s a standout colour that certainly gets you noticed, what I refer to, together with any other bright block colour, a ‘Mail Online’ dead cert. Translated that means if you’re attending an ‘event’ and want to make the picture desk cut, go bright or go home.

If I could put back into my bank account, the money over the years I’ve spent looking for the prefect foundation I could have a weekend in Paris and take you all with me!

If there is one question on my Instagram that pops up again and again its ‘What foundation do you use?’ The problem is, that when we look at women’s faces in magazines promoting foundation, they haven’t been entirely honest.

How fabulous to read our lovely article about Olivia Colman. the woman’s humility when it comes to her exceptional body of work is beyond endearing. Going to the cinema is one of my favourite outings and the other night while watching ‘Argyle’ the trailer came on for her new film ‘Wicked Little Letters’, it looks hilarious, if you can get beyond the language, I’ll definitely be there with my popcorn giggling away.

Date night dinners how fabulous but just for a laugh I’m showing you a picture Mark took of me at ours – How romantic? Surrounded by building materials, an old kitchen door balanced on a box for a table, candle lit, music on, what could be better? Well, a new kitchen actually!

Well, I’m planning on a big mug of tea and possibly a ginger biscuit to help me concentrate on our piece about Bath. I’ve driven through but never stayed. There was always a rumour that The Royal Crescent was the backdrop for the wonderful ‘Who Will Buy’ scene in Oliver.

So, who has The Winter Blues? I used to have them but now, due to two reasons, not so much in fact I celebrate the six months we spend in drizzle, rain and the cold.

I’m the magazine reader who goes straight for recipes before anything else, I poke around Instagram for recipes, love Waitrose monthly magazine, new paper and instore ideas cards so intrigued by Kate Allinson and Kay Featherstone.

When the world is trying to tell you something listen and recognise the signs. 

What do I see covered in this week’s magazine? Slow cookers and recipes. 

My Father was lamenting the demise of his, I replied, “Do you need one” And two friends, one a young male TV executive who doesn’t fit the slow cooker person profile I had in my head was talking about his like he’d just been gifted a Porsche 911. He went into minute detail about his favourite recipes, how he rose early to lovingly load his slow cooker before leaving for his commute into town. On returning he had the excitement of knowing he had a meal waiting for him and as he put the key in the door there was a slight whiff in the house, coupled with his cat (left by an ex-girlfriend) and Alexa of ‘home coming’. I was flabbergasted at his excitement but totally got it and now researching them so I can present one to my father for his January Birthday and buy one for myself.

I know we should never wish our life away but as soon as boxing day is over, I’ve mentally zapped to 2024. If I could wiggle my nose like Samantha from Bewitched, decorations would be flying in unison back into their see through plastic stackable boxes into the loft. And with the hatch shut I’d just be a couple of fireworks away from seeing in the New Year and getting on with it.

As we speed up to Christmas all I can see is the remains of our kitchen becoming less and less with the new one not being fitted until January 24. We live in a town house so living space is tricky at the moment, it’s a little like camping in your own home, but amazing what you can achieve with a kettle, toaster, Vitamix (makes and heats its own soup) hot sandwich press, single hot plate electric hob and an electric wok. Renovations are always a nightmare worse if you have children to consider but as it’s just the two of us, as long as we can sleep, wash and eat we’re good.

Well, it really is the time of the year when families get together but also that dreaded time you find the words leaving your mouth “Come round to ours for something to eat” and as you say it you know unless you’re an old hand at the art of entertaining and totally set up for fine dining it’s going to take time and effort. Or does it? Thank fully our article about ‘How to host like a pro’ has just slipped in to save your sausage but I’m going to add a few of my own thoughts because once in my life I wrote a book called ‘How to Entertain With Style’

The outside temperature dropped a little this week and I very nearly put the heating on, but as my father’s voice ranging in my ears, decided against it.

In an interview I’m not normally stuck for words but this week I was and although I spluttered out an appropriate answer in the end, I’m still thinking about it.