I am the victim of culinary abuse ... and I liked it! I have just had a TEN course meal at Blue - the signature restaurant here at The Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman. I usually would not enjoy a meal like that but Eric Ripert (famous US chef) has done a great job to make the food ... awesome. There was also a wine-pairing with each course ... I couldn't cope but Laura, Tim and even Jack were up to the task.

It's been an odd day ... as this afternoon, my work was "cancelled" as the chef was ill.

The morning was spent at Naturally Cayman ... the country's first hydroponic farm ... owned by Stephen Herron. He grows lettuces, green, tomatoes, endemame ... and all sorts ... with no soil, just water and liquid nutrients ...

The island of Grand Cayman is around 200 square kilometres in area with a population of 60,000 ... 99.9% of all produce is imported from the US ... but hopefully this new way of farming will catch on and the islanders will embrace hydroponic produce.

I am so tired ... sleep ... BIG day tomorrow.

 on the beach

 really?

 with stephen

 pooch on ritz-carlton beach recliner

jack's new friend (he wishes!)

Greetings from the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman!

It was a long, long flight from London to Grand Cayman ... via the Bahamas. Just a few months ago I was on this same flight when we filmed in the Bahamas ... and I remember the flight well as I did not have ANY in-flight entertainment. Guess what? This flight was the same ... THANKFULLY, a wee bundle of gorgeousness - 13-month old Sophia - was sitting by me and was hugely & adorably entertaining for 9 hours! Who needs movies when you have Sock Puppet Man ...!

We arrived here in bright warm sunshine. Tim (cameraman) is in his ELEVENTH year working with me, Jack (new chap) and we are joined on this trip by PR Laura -- who also looked after us in Madeira. Somehow she has come back for more ...

Filming starts in the morning ...

My suite is gorgeous by the way!

So, today is Republic Day in India, Australia Day in .... and Liberation Day in Uganda ... happy day to their inhabitants ...

This time tomorrow I will be in Grand Cayman - 82 degrees during the day ... sadly I am there only for 3 nights but hopefully enough time to catch some sun on my ghostly frame. It's been rather cold & chilly here today ... but I have noticed that the days are getting "longer" ...

I need a holiday ...

Me playing at the Yas Links Course in Abu Dhabi ... I believe that some rather fabulous golfers are there this week ...

A few years ago - on a trip to Warsaw - I was invited to a traditional Burns Night supper ...

I arrived at the event in one of Poland's finest hotels - dressed in full Scottish regalia and enjoyed a wonderful but slightly crazy evening ... culminating in the tasting of haggis (yuk) and downing several large drams of whisky (hurrah).

The celebrated Scottish poet Robert Burns was born on the 25th of January ... and first up, the Selkirk Grace:

Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
And sae let the Lord be thankit.

Followed by soup ...

Then the main course - the haggis arrives:

Address To a Haggis
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy o' a grace As lang's my arm.
The groaning trencher there ye fill, Your hurdies like a distant hill, Your pin wad help to mend a mill In time o' need, While thro' your pores the dews distil Like amber bead.
His knife see rustic Labour dicht, An' cut you up wi' ready slicht, Trenching your gushing entrails bricht, Like ony ditch; And then, O what a glorious sicht, Warm-reekin, rich!
Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive: Deil tak the hindmaist! on they drive, Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve, Are bent like drums; Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive, "Bethankit" hums.
Is there that o're his French ragout Or olio that wad staw a sow, Or fricassee wad mak her spew Wi' perfect scunner, Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view On sic a dinner?
Poor devil! see him ower his trash, As feckless as a wither'd rash, His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash, His nieve a nit; Thro' bloody flood or field to dash, O how unfit!
But mark the Rustic, haggis fed, The trembling earth resounds his tread. Clap in his wallie nieve a blade, He'll mak it whistle; An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned, Like taps o' thristle.
Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care, And dish them out their bill o' fare, Auld Scotland wants nae skinkin ware That jaups in luggies; But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer, Gie her a haggis! (Haggis is a kind of savoury pudding containing sheep's heart liver & lungs, minced with onion, suet, spices and oatmeal and encased in an animal's stomach and simmered for three hours!) Then you eat & drink whisky and toast everyone ... then you dance ... Tonight I am having cheese on toast! Ha! (by the way, my spell-check has just had a nervous breakdown.)

I have just realised that we fly to Grand Cayman (located just south of Cuba) on Friday morning and I am totally unprepared. So much to do ... so little time.

The central coast of California show aired in Europe (ex-UK & Eire) this evening ... it seems that our viewers really like it.

I went for a full-body massage this afternoon to purge my frame of all the Fit Camp pains ... and it seems to have worked. I feel great ... but still rather tired ... may try a long jog tomorrow ...

Welcome to the real world ...

Awoke early today with a slight pain in my arm and leg ... fell out of bed ... vaguely pretended to look for my trainers ... and then realised that Fit Camp was no more and fell back into bed!

Have found that I no longer like tea - with or without sugar and that everything I eat tastes either too salty or sugary ... it's all quite odd ...

Anyway yesterday we filmed a segment at Champneys with Stephen Purdew (the owner) ... in which we "prepared" chicken & lettuce wraps and halloumi stir-fry - both dishes I have eaten last week - both containing under 280 calories! Both quite delicious ...

Yesterday also the marked the start of a new dawn in the form of Jack Hardy - our new camera assistant! More on him later in the week...

I have booked a deep-tissue massage for tomorrow ... as many parts of my body are really aching ... and we are off filming abroad later this week ...

 The crew - with Stephen Purdew

 Chicken wrap

 Chateau Champneys ... hmm ... the vintage 2012 is not bad

With Moss the Head Chef

I am home! Finally ...

It's been a rather long day ... after a rather long week!

It could have been quite a lonely last evening BUT I had a surprise visitor ... which was so, so lovely!

Today has been about cooking and filming BUT more on that tomorrow after I have had some sleep.

I did NOT enjoy a sugarless cup of tea today ... or half a KitKat ... Ketchup is still yummy ... bacon & egg sandwich not so ... isn't it strange how a week away from all the good stuff dulls the taste buds?

So looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight ... dreaming of a wee jog tomorrow perhaps?

With James ... he lives only 30 minutes from Champneys (Tring) and he took an evening out of his busy schedule to visit me!!! Ahhhhh ........

Boot Camp Day 8:

SO - how well did I do this week? More about that at end of today's Diary entry ...

I am here all by myself today - sadly. The rest of the group have gone home as I am here to do some filming tomorrow.

So what have I done today? Up early for THE weigh-in ... the breakfast .... the another Kriotherapy session where Renata the adorably crazy therapist stuck me in the chamber at - 140 degrees for four minutes (as opposed to - 135 degrees at 3 minutes - the usual) ... then it was 40 minutes on a "power plate" where I got a fabulous work-out.

THEN it was time for lunch ... I mean LUNCH!!!!!!!!!! Of course, it was all healthy stuff - but there no was calorie controlled stuff ... and I didn't unexpectedly pig-out ... instead just munched on good stuff ... I felt quite pious!

After lunch - a colonic ... ouch!

I finished off my afternoon with a relaxing mani/pedi ... tonight ... dinner and rest!

SOOOO ................

OK - well - I lost 7.5 lbs (3.5 kgs) in body weight ... lost 7 cms off my waist ... 6 cms off my waist and gained 1 cm on my chest ... all in all ... I think I have done quite well ... !!!!

Boot Camp Day 7:

Over ... & out! I have come to the end of the "official" boot camp ... I am in deep, deep, dark, dark pain ...

I am actually here until Sunday ... so tomorrow I will do some soft exercise ... but nothing too strenuous ... that may change if I get the urge.

So - awake rather early (again) but this time we headed out for a trot around Champneys. The resort is set in 170 acres of countryside ... so there is a GREAT deal of space here!

After a breakfast of smoke salmon bagels (yum) we played some outdoor games before some underwater exercise ...

Lunch was a king prawn Thai curry ... I didn't like it at all ... bleugh!

Then we went on a "Powerwalk".

There are - I think - five main reasons why people do a Fit Camp at this time of year:

1) Those who a relatively fit who need a bit of motivation - something different to add to their fitness regime
2) Those who want to lose a couple of pounds after the Xmas indulgence
3) Those who really want to start getting fit - health, age or overweight
4) Those who have a goal
5) Those who need to change their lives

I am Number 4 ... with a bit of 5 and 3 thrown in there for good measure. With the NY Marathon in November looming ... I need to get with the program ... and this afternoon I managed a 3-mile trot in just over 30 minutes ... this has given me a lot of a positivity! I can do it - I will do it ...

The day did end with a massage ... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Antony & myself double up as tea-boys ... (herbal of course!)

We played cricket today ... and this was one of the funniest and most spectacular dismissals in the history of cricket ... Sherry missed the ball and swung at her stumps ... what you see above is the moment it happened! Awesome! Even Sherry is shocked!

You can run Shazza, you can hide Shazza ... but you can't escape Shazza!

The pool ...

Boot Camp Day 6:

Zumba! Now this is one "sport" I never expected to try!

Up and in a stretch class at 0700. Not bad ... No real pains ... then at 0830, it was the Zumba class. I have two left feet ... and two left hands ... which means that ANY kind of dancing is an issue for me. Zumba is no different. Karen the instructor shimmied into studio - played all her best Ricky Martin, Shakira and Cuban tracks ... and danced in a weirdly workouty kind of way. We all followed like lambs ... (hmmm ... lamb ....) - some of the class had rhythm ... same (like me) jumped around like angry fleas. It did bring me out in a wee sweat though ...

Next up - fun on the tennis courts. Circuits and games ...

We then had a motivation talk ... it was ... erm ... motivating?

Spinning - now this is another activity new to me this week. I spun for an hour which equates to the "calories" in a bottle of wine ... the only issue is that we don't get wine here! I sweated like a goat in a desert. My legs were in a bad state after this BUT I still had some energy left for a 5 mile walk after lunch (which I didn't finish as it tasted ... grim ... and I am actually so hungry at the moment that I would even eat my own cooking!).

I slipped out of Pilates - it was rather too intellectual for me - but ended the day working out under water ... in the pool that is ...

I AM BEYOND EXHAUSTED!

Dancing with Karen - I do NOT move like Jagger ... more like King Kong ...

Celine points out that I have grown a beard and now look like a gorilla on a bicycle ... Jacqui stop waving!

Boot Camp Day 5:

Last year I visited Lulea in Sweden. I had a fabulous guide at the TreeHotel ... a chap called Love. I remember asking him what is the coldest temperature he had ever endured and he said - 60 degrees C ...

Well, today I stepped into a chamber where I experienced - 135 degrees C. Yes folks MINUS 135 degrees in a treatment called Kriotherapy!

Basically the cold searches out problem areas ... and "sends" oxygenated blood there ... the therapy is meant to help fatigue, muscle ache, joint pain, insomnia ... and a few other ailments.

You are in the - 135 degrees chamber for just 3 minutes BUT you feel it! Two of my fellow "Fit Farmers" - Jacqui and Keely - joined me ... and we shared our time with a professional footballer ...

It was cold ... brrrr ... but worked! I am going back later in the week ... fabulous!!!

Also today: wake up workout, 7 miles hike (ouch) and some cardio games ... finished off with a lovely head massage!

I AM EXHAUSTED ...

Dizzee Rascal (musician)

Chemmy Alcott (skiier)

Inside at - 135 degrees!



Boot Camp Day 4:

I love ballet! I really do ... I try and go as often as I can and one of the highlights of our Prague episode was an evening backstage at the Hungarian Ballet ... it was sensational!

Yes - I am still here! I haven't escaped! In fact, I am really quite enjoying this week.

Up early again and into the gym for 45-minutes of warming up ... after a quick breakfast, we headed out onto The Chiltern Way for a 4-mile trot ... before a circuit session on the tennis court. By this stage, every muscle and bone was aching ... but watching my fellow Fit Farmers (?) really, really pushing themselves gave me the added umph to battle on.

At midday we all gathered in Studio 2 to meet with a ballet teacher ... Pippa (aka Pip). Yes, by the way, you have to have a posh name to dance ballet - like Pip or Darcy ... not Sharon or Varun! We learnt grand plie, demi plie, eleve ... Position 1 to 5 ... and yes, it was painful ... but it was great fun. I dance like an elephant who has drunk too much coconut-cocktails - by the way ... I think Pip was very unimpressed! I did break into a sweat ... and the music was lovely ... so there were a couple of positives!

After lunch (healthy again! grrr!) we had the afternoon off to rest ... or not ... I did some work and also went for a walk AND a swim! How righteous do I feel? Ha!

Before dinner I had a relaxing and rejuvenating massage!!

"I feeeeel goooood!" (Jame Brown ... a great singer and dancer ... unlike me who is rubbish at both!).

Pippa ... (and yes, I should steer clear of tight t-shirts!)

Bouncing Ballet! Wowee! I did not try this ... ha!

I did tell Moo ... she is VERY pleased! She doesn't do health farms - she does do chicken farms though!

Boot Camp Day 3:

Ouch, ouch, ouch and ouch!

Despite the pain - I am having a fabulous time here at Champneys. There are 20 of us on the course and we seem to have gelled quite nicely. I like that.

So - up very early again and into the gym for circuits ... by 0915, we had eaten breakfast and were "playing games" on the tennis court! By games I mean charging about throwing balls at each other!

Aquafit in the pool was enlightening ... and my arms are in deep, deep pain ...

After a low calorie lunch (I am on 1700 calories a day) it was a 5-mile gallumping around the area. I loved it - it was chilly, dry, sunny ... and ... perfect ... I think I like walking!

We had a nutrition lesson as well today and were taught how to prepare "Bliss Balls" ... which are a very healthy alternative to chocolates, crisps or biscuits ...

--- 250g rolled oats
--- 150g dried fruit (chopped)
--- 1 tablespoon of nut butter (peanut?)
--- 100ml of soya milk
--- 100g pumpkin & sunflower seeds
--- coconut flakes to coat

mix ... roll into small balls ... put in fridge ... YUM!

I think that I may try this one at home myself!!!

One highlight of the day - seeing I was of Indian extraction - one of the world's most famous boxers (who was working out in the gym here) shouted out "How ya' doin' Chief?" - how I giggled ...

3 Week Beard ...

Brrrrrrrr!

Boot Camp Day 2:

I am exhausted! Up quite, quite early ... and straight into a stretch class ... followed by breakfast ... which was just one miserable bowl of muesli! No bacon & egg sandwiches here!

At 0830 it was time for bodysculpt ... which is lots of stretching and weights ... at the end of this session I was ready for bed! Every muscle was hurting ... every bone wanted to escape from my body ... but instead I dragged myself to an hour of yoga ... which I have to say was quite lovely! I never thought I would say that I enjoyed a yoga class ... but I did!

It was then a 3-miles powerwalk ... THEN it was a snack ... carrot sticks and hummus ...

THEN it was circuit training ... pain ... pain ...

Finally - LUNCH - I was so excited ... until I had two mouthfuls of tofu! No ketchup here!

After "lunch" it was spinning (on bicycles) which nearly killed me ... and finally some water polo ...

Before dinner - it was time for a body scrub in the Spa ... and it will be a VERY early night tonight! Yes - I have been pushed physically in every way today BUT I feel rather good ...

Sadly, I haven't had time to take ONE photo ... everything looks so beautiful here ... it is cold and frosty ...

Boot Camp Day 1:

Greetings from Champneys ... where I am spending the next 8 nights ... and where I am kick-starting my "fitness year". Yes - with the New York Marathon on November the 4th this year ... I need to prepare and this IS step 1.

Arrived here (Tring) at midday and after induction and lunch (I am on 1700 calories a day) ... we went for a walk. The weather was stunning today - cold but clear - so an hour jaunt through the countryside was quite pleasant. From there it was into the gym for an hour of circuits ... then a thalassotherapy session before a small dinner ... and bed - for a well-earned zzzzzzzzzzz! Tomorrow the hard work begins!

I am wearing a "tag" which monitors everything I do during the day - eating, sleeping, walking - yes - SLEEPING! Scary ... "big brother" is watching me!

Why I need to be at Boot Camp (with Tim ... haha)

Inside Luxury Travel - new series - 2000hrs & 2100 hrs on Travel Channel - UK & Eire ONLY - Sky 251 & 252 respectively - tonight we're in Switzerland. We visit Geneva (Davidoff cigars, Patek Philippe, Hotel d'Angleterre ... and on the Lake) .... and pop into Clinique la Prairie in Montreux ... enjoy!

Hurrah for Leica! Today I received my new V-Lux 3 ... is it fabulous? Oh yes, yes & yes!

Now, usually I know what to pack for a filming trip - but what does one pack for an eight day boot camp? I have filled my 4x4 with all kinds of stuff I am sure I don't need ... but the weather looks very changeable over the next week so what to do? My luck says snow!

Anyway - tomorrow will see the start of a new - healthy & fit Varun! New York Marathon, here I come!

Now why couldn't my boot camp been in the Bahamas?

A truly mad and exhausting day ... I should have trained to be a fireman ... as I have put out many fires today (none literal thank goodness).

I also received a new 24" monitor which attaches neatly to my laptop BUT the screen is so huge my eyes can't cope! And with the built-in speakers, I now have 5 speakers in my office which means every time I listen to my Spotify music, I feel like I am at the front row of a Motorhead concert! So, I am going blind and deaf! Great!

Was sent my clothing list for Champneys ... apparently I need a sports bra ... hmmm ... I am so looking forward to eight days of training ... and I am actually REALLY looking forward to running 40 kilometres ... 26 miles ... in New York in November!! Whoohoooooo!!

Looking forward also to start filming with Tim again ... next Sunday ... whoohoo!!

Tim, me, whisky, champagne and Robert Graham shirts in New York! The Presidential Suite at The Peninsula if I remember correctly ...

Last May we were filming on the central coast of California. We stopped off at Harley Farm - a goat farm run by the fabulous Dee Harley. Apart from having a great morning there - filming curious goats, drinking pints of fresh goat milk and watching Tim being chewed on by goats - we met Doggie ...

This is what I wrote then:

This is 12-year old Doggie. This gorgeous pooch and his sister were abused by an evil man for 9 years. Dee took them on and nursed them back to health. Doggie's sister passed away BUT Doggie - although shy & timid - is now a loving and happy member of the Harley family. I fed him some of my homemade ravioli ... I made a friend there!

Dee messaged me today to say that Doggie has passed away.

I do love travelling so much ... I just hate it when I have to say good bye to friends - both the four-legged and the two-legged variety.

Planning week is going OK ...

Uggie for an Oscar!

Inside Luxury Travel - new series - 1900 hrs CET on Travel Channel - Europe, Africa and Middle East only - tonight we're in Switzerland. We visit Geneva (Davidoff cigars, Patek Philippe, Hotel d'Angleterre ... and on the Lake) .... and pop into Clinique la Prairie in Montreux ...

Planning Day 2 - where has today gone? In fact, where has January gone? IN FACT, where has 2012 gone???????

One bright spot of the day - Uggie the Dog - the STAR of The Artist. I am going to see this movie - not only because I love B&W films - not only because I like "silent movies" (Metropolis and The Birth of a Nation) BUT the star is a Jack Russell who skateboards! What a pooch! In her day, my Moo could do all sorts of tricks ... mainly with chicken and the speed she could eat it! Ha! Moo!

Uggie for an Oscar!

Awesome Uggie

Interesting fact - both the birthday boys from the weekend David Bowie and Stephen Hawking turned DOWN Knighthoods! Neither wanted to be a "Sir" ... good for them!

Planning meetings have started in earnest ... so many locations ... so little time ... but I will be revisiting one of my all-time favourite resorts in the world in February ... and I am so excited ... SO EXCITED!!!! The location will be revealed soon enough ...

I found a treasure-trove of photographs from Tim's Facebook account and this was my favourite ... 2009 ... Thailand ... the Four Seasons, Tented Camp ... with my lovely elephant Yuki ...

"Planning Week" has begun in earnest. It's set to be a busy year and it all needs to be diarised ... not only the new series of Inside Luxury Travel but also Culinary Travels ...

Happy Birthday to David Bowie - 65 - I am a huge fan, Stephen Hawking - 70 - he was great in The Simpsons and of course to the "King" - Elvis - who would have been 77 this weekend. He died in 1977 ... but still rocks my musical world!

Today is also the official UK premiere of "War Horse" ... the trailer had me in tears! Bravo Jeremy (& James).

With Constantina Rocca at the Hotel Kulm (St Moritz) golf competition

Not much to report ... working hard on proposals ... did catch the Napa show which aired over here this afternoon ...  and what wonderful memories it brought back. Note to self - revisit California in 2012 ... LA and Santa Barbara!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS to my Orthodox Christian friends ... most follow the Gregorian calendar ... and Christmas is on 25th December by the Orthodox church follows the Julian calendar which celebrates it 13 days later ...

I am watching Jurassic Park as I write - awesome movie!

At Autostadt in Germany - home to VW - home to the Ritz-Carlton and home to Aqua - an awesome 3-Michelin starred restaurant ...

** New series of Inside Luxury Travel on Travel Channel - UK ONLY - tonight - Sky Channel 251 & 252 at 20:00 and 21:00hrs - from #Malaysia **

The greatest discovery/invention of all time? ELECTRICITY!!!!

Spent nearly all of yesterday without any of the stuff ... and my world virtually stopped. No heating, no telephone, no Internet, no cooking facility, no lights, no vacuum cleaner, no microwave, no Internet (!) ... and I had to charge my cellphone from my car!! How much do I rely on electricity? 100% ...

Tim came to visit ... but thankfully wine, beer and whisky ... and a sudden surge of power meant that the evening was not a total write-off. Thank you Thales, Franklin and Faraday!

This time next week, I will be preparing for a week of hell/heaven ... more on that to come ...

My favourite person in the world is here this evening! Pops ... along with fish n' chips and a bottle of wine, it will be a great start to the weekend.

The Geneva episode ... I met up with Charlie Chaplin in Vevey ...

Power cut at 0200 ... no electricity ... no heating ... no telephone ... no internet ... grrr ... so short Diary today ... as I am using my BlackBerry ... all hail the BlackBerry! Maybe I should use that iPad! Ha! NEVER ...

Tim the Cameraman is over this evening ... I hope he doesn't mind the darkness ... and cold ...

I did not leave the house today. Instead I sat at my desk working ... and listened to the radio. Eighteen odd years ago, a young black man was knifed to death in a racist attack ... and due to the incompetence of the police and lack of political will, his assailants were never brought to book ... until today. Two men were sentenced to over 14 years in jail for Stephen Lawrence's murder. There were another three or four men that night in the gang who are still free ... they are violent, racist thugs ... who - I pray - will one day face prosecution and imprisonment ...

Anyway - I know I live in a democracy, but I was rather shocked to hear some people's views in London. While the vast majority abhor racism ... there were many who hate all "blacks, Asians, Jews ... and anyone who ain't English" ... well, that counts me out folks! Really? In 2012 we are still arguing this matter? Come July/August when the Olympics (yuk) hits the UK, then there really will be every colour under the sun here ... I wonder how "those" people will cope ... stay in bed all day?

Inside Luxury Travel - new series - 1900 hrs CET on Travel Channel - Europe, Africa and Middle East only - tonight we're in #Malaysia!

Today has been just the worst weather I have seen for years! Torrential rain, wind gusting to 80 miles per hour, cold, dark ... Moo refused to leave her bed!

I made the mistake of popping to the shops ... only to find that many roads were closed and even more were flooded! Eeek! Lucky I have a 4x4!

How I wish I was somewhere hot ... on a sandy beach ... with sea lapping around my toes ... enough - I have work to do!

In the bath at Jumby Bay in Antigua ... how wonderful was that trip???

Today I have been observing the Public Holiday.

It doesn't mean too much ... except that I did sleep in and I am in preparation for tomorrow - the first day of the working year ... I have 32 items on my "to do" list!

Places I want to visit/revisit this year (apart from the scheduled filming destinations): Moscow, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Dublin, New Zealand ... and Warsaw ... better start getting planning under way!

I HAVE worked out where I am going on holiday in 2012 ... it has an awesome beach and excellent accommodation & cuisine!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This time last year, there was snow on the ground ... and my part of England looked like a picture-postcard. Today I have seen the heaviest rain for ... well ... all year ... I mean in a year ... and I feel rather bleugh!

No worry! A new year means ... plans ... certainly NOT resolutions ...

The New York Marathon in November, a new series of Inside Luxury Travel, a new series of Culinary Travels, more Leica blogs ... and seeing more of the people I love all over the world! Those are my plans ... oh and to lose weight (boot camps here I come) AND learning how to cook and to ski ... oh and take a proper holiday! I am not being demanding on my self enough!

Oh - and I did sleep on a belly full of Dom Perignon 1985 ... before midnight ... way to go ...