fiftyfourandcounting | Fifty Four and Counting

Solar Skirt by Titan – Those damn pigeons were driving me crazy

Home ImprovementsfiftyfourandcountingMay 5, 2024

We had solar panels fitted in 2012. Our neighbour, who was two doors away, also had them fitted. Move on to 2024, and our new neighbours who moved in several years earlier failed to repair a broken tile on their roof. That attracted pigeons to start nesting. As time progressed, they began breeding, and now,…

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BooksfiftyfourandcountingMay 5, 2024

A Pebble for Remembrance – An excellent read by former colleague and friend

When I first married over 40 years ago, I made many new friends. We would get together as newlyweds regularly as…

Costa AdejefiftyfourandcountingMay 3, 2024

One Two Dive, Adeje, Tenerife – a refreshing dive with a marine biologist

In 2002, I had a dive accident off the coast of Spain. I had a textbook panic attack, something I attribute…

AirlinesfiftyfourandcountingMarch 21, 2024

Lisbon, Portugal – A vibrant cultural city of architecture and graffiti

Getting to Manchester Airport for our Ryanair flight to Lisbon required a very early start. I had booked (I thought) a…

FoodfiftyfourandcountingMarch 12, 2024

Takayama, Japan and Shirakawa-go – A stunning part of this country

The five and a quarter hour journey went quickly from Hiroshima to Takayama via Nagoya. The first part of the journey…

AttractionsfiftyfourandcountingMarch 9, 2024

The Coal Mining Museum, Wakefield – Down into the pits with a real miner

Its 40 years ago, in 1984 that the Miners Strike took place. Today the Coal Mining Museum exists to keep the…

HiroshimafiftyfourandcountingFebruary 6, 2024

Hiroshima, Japan – Sobering and thought-provoking

The journey from Kyoto was a trip along the southwest coast by bullet train at an incredible 200mph. Following the map,…

CountriesfiftyfourandcountingDecember 27, 2023

Kyoto, Japan – No wonder this was the Imperial Capital

Our trip to Japan took place in the Autumn of 2023. It is a time in history when the world is…

CountriesfiftyfourandcountingDecember 9, 2023

Gora, Hakone, Japan – A Volcanic retreat in a beautiful mountainous region

Getting to Gora from Tokyo meant an early start, and heading to Odawara, where we bought the Hakone Freepass. This pass…

CountriesfiftyfourandcountingNovember 29, 2023

Tokyo, Japan – A buzzing futuristic city where nothing stands still

On arrival in Japan, I first noticed that the roads were relatively flat and not a single pot hole … anywhere!…

CountriesfiftyfourandcountingNovember 27, 2023

Japan – London to Tokyo – To the land of the rising sun – Japan Rail Pass

I hope this article assists others to organise their travel plans in Japan It’s not often that I get excited about…

IsraelfiftyfourandcountingOctober 9, 2023

Israel – Two sides of a war and I know which side I stand on

Humans worldwide are faced with terrible news from the Middle East about an area so soaked in complex history that communities…

CarsfiftyfourandcountingSeptember 26, 2023

Funchal, Madeira – Unspoilt, Green and Full of Character

This month, we left on time from Manchester International Airport on an EasyJet flight to Funchal, to the island of Madeira.…

Home ImprovementsfiftyfourandcountingSeptember 1, 2023

Solar Panels – Is it really worth installing them?

In February 2012, we had solar panels installed. We signed up for the government Feed-in-Tariff and have benefited from it for…

CountriesfiftyfourandcountingMay 6, 2023

Long Live the King! – 6th May 2023 – The Coronation of Charles III

Saturday 6th May 2023 King Charles III’s coronation took place at Westminster Abbey with all the pomp and ceremony we would…