Hi Catherine, Just a quick e-mail to let you know that we made it up and over the top (photo attached) and are now back in the UK. The top took us 5 hours from the farmhouse and then 2 hours to Thethi. Many thanks again to you and everyone at Rilindja for your hospitality […]
Hello, hello! We’re oh so pleased to be bringing you this guest blog post about weeks 1 and 2 of our three week stay in Valbona Valley. After doing a bit of research into the tourist mapping situation in the Balkans, we were kindly offered a spot in the Journey to Valbona family in exchange […]
… as a friend once asked me. “Er, fall in love?” I answered. “NO! We Clean!” As she was visiting at the time this seemed a little bold, even to me, but then she did manage to deconstruct the very dead xmas tree that had been cluttering up my 4th floor apartment (I was afraid […]
Kled showed up here yesterday, and talked m’ear off for 45 minutes. (I’d been mentioning Alfred’s (ridiculous?) suggestion that if I can’t find a house soon, I should get an apartment in Bajram Curri until something turns up). (I should clarify that Alfred means well, and I know it. But one does not leave NYC […]
I think there’s something truly lovely in how Albanians love Edith Durham. You might expect that a relatively isolated people would be grateful for the historic attention, but it isn’t that. Albanians aren’t grateful to Edith Durham. They love her. They have adopted her. I’ll tell you a little secret? . . . and in […]
Where did the year go? I guess maybe it got pre-emptively buried in snow? Anyhow – we’ve been dug out, finally, after 37 days of total isolation. I’ve barely been outdoors for 40 days. Thanks as ever to Intrepid Report for publishing my random scribblings . . . . http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/5029 “Rescuing the Rabbit” Much love […]
Hello! I’ve been walking a lot lately. In my first year here, I fell into the idea of guides – don’t go where you don’t know – but in the last month, I’ve been having wonderful adventures with Eva van der Marel, who has taught me the freedom of exploring with a map and […]
I’m SO sorry for not writing more . . . it turned into the summer of the hedgehogs, when the afore-mentioned h.hog gave birth — but it was touch and go for a long time — always is, when you love animals, I think, but . . .. the babies are full-fledged individuals now, after […]
This is in response to the lovely “comment” from Louise Nazeraj on the Hedgehog question. This thing is called here “Rrush-qeni” or Dog Grapes. In fall they make many black berries. I think maybe they’re elderberries? I hope so, because I want to make that cordial!!! Louise: I would have just answered your email, […]
Greetings, Amateur Philosphers! Here is the question for today. “Do you tell Alfred when you have unthinkingly lodged a Very Large Hedgehog underneath the refrigerator in his newly refurbished restaurant?” Mitigating factors to consider: Alfred is, at the time, in bed with an extremely swollen face from a bad tooth. On the other hand, the […]
