Friends

Friend Helen invited us over for a meal with friends Paul & Kelly who were visiting from Spain. It was a great evening, with lots to catch up on.

 

Back to the Moors

Layla Wallows

August 1st is the day that I can take Layla the dog on Hatfield Moors again (having avoided land nesting birds for the summer). It was hot, but worth the visit. Such a beautiful lake, that was equally enjoyed by Milo the dog when he accompanied me back in the day.

 

Macedonia 9

 

We met a Macedonian photographer, Biljana, in Ohrid. She had taken a lot of photos of people in Ethiopian tribes near the border with Sudan. It was great showing her my work of Albanian people in Macedonia. I hope somewhere there is an Ethiopian photographer taking shots of tribes in Hackney. Probably is.

We flew back from Ohrid, all went well. Saw Emilie and Alfie who had been kindly looking after the dog and the house for us. Good to be back after a great trip.

Macedonia 8

 

Our last day, and Danielle had booked us in for a wine tasting in an old monastry north of Ohrid. Great wines, great guide, great cheese. Long snooze when we got back.

Macedonia 7

We went to the old Vlach village of Malovishte in the Pelister National Park. This is the the old abbey. Another beautiful place, with quite a lot of renovation work going on, which was good to see. 

Macedonia 6

Next day was Danielle's choice of activity. We kayaked on Ohrid lake down the east side to a bbq on the beach. It was very loosely organized which suited us. No pictures of us in the kayak, but trust me we managed co-ordinated paddling most of the time. It was the clearest water you can imagine. 

 

Macedonia 5

 We slowly drove back down to the valley. A man on a motorbike, came alongside the car. "Si-mon, Si-mon" he shouted. I realised it was Shpendi, the 6 year old boy with the braces in the front of my original picture.

He is now a  48 year old coach driver in Switzerland. We shared a coffee with Shpendi and it was marvellous to meet for the first time in over 40 years.

Quite a day.