They say you should never shoot into the sun, but I rather like this picture of morning light on the seafront at #Seaham Beach. It's particularly famous for glass 'pebbles' and people come here especially for #seaglass collecting. It's about the best 'recycling' I've ever heard of. All the result of a glass factory offloading their waste into the sea. By 1872, John Candlish's Londonderry Bottle Company had six glasshouses at Seaham. At the end of the day, any discarded and waste glass was dumped into the sea. After many years of 'surf tumbling' the it is now washed up on Seaham beaches with every tide. Some of the glass is more than a hundred years old, polished smooth by the salty water and the movement of the sea. More to come about my fabulous short break in Durham and then at @SeahamHall later on Instagram and the blog #ThisisDurham #LoveDurham @VCDBusiness #christmasindurham #christmas2018 #lovegreatbritain #northeast #northeastengland #exploremore #travelawesome #wanderful #writetotravel #exploringtheworld #guardiantravelsnaps #mytinyatlas #natgeography #darlingescapes #letsgobeyond #TBIN #TTOT #seahambeach @thisisdurham

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They say you should never shoot into the sun, but I rather like this picture of morning light on the seafront at #Seaham Beach. It's particularly famous for glass 'pebbles' and people come here especially for #seaglass collecting. It's about the best 'recycling' I've ever heard of. All the result of a glass factory offloading their waste into the sea. By 1872, John Candlish's Londonderry Bottle Company had six glasshouses at Seaham. At the end of the day, any discarded and waste glass was dumped into the sea. After many years of 'surf tumbling' the it is now washed up on Seaham beaches with every tide. Some of the glass is more than a hundred years old, polished smooth by the salty water and the movement of the sea. More to come about my fabulous short break in Durham and then at @SeahamHall later on Instagram and the blog #ThisisDurham #LoveDurham @VCDBusiness #christmasindurham #christmas2018 #lovegreatbritain #northeast #northeastengland #exploremore #travelawesome #wanderful #writetotravel #exploringtheworld #guardiantravelsnaps #mytinyatlas #natgeography #darlingescapes #letsgobeyond #TBIN #TTOT #seahambeach @thisisdurham

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I was lucky enough to stay at the Calabash Boutique Hotel when I visited Grenada. Here's the stunning infinity pool, with the gardens in front and just a peep of the white sanded 'Anse Aux Epines' through the trees. If you happen to be exploring Grenada, whether it is for the #GrenadaChocolateFest or anything else, this is somewhere worth staying. @CalabashHotel I can happily recommend the #CalabashHotel as a #LuxuryHotel to visit for a relaxing break a #relaisandchateaux hotel with all-suite accommodation. I enjoyed it so much that I added it to #MyHotelEdit as part of a feature for @ExpediaUK on where to stay around the World and explore more about #Chocolate. You'll find more #InspiringHotels on the edit too, so why not check it out and make your own plans for 2019. #PureGrenada #FreetoWonder @DiscoverGrenada @robertmbates #travelblogger #instatbn #writetotravel #ttot #tbin #travelblog #secretplaces

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It's beginning to feel a lot like #Christmas - What could be better than a #MionettaProsecco Cocktail from @mionettoprosecco_uk - I've been trying out this fragrant Christmassy orange spritz which uses all sorts of seasonal spices, fresh orange juice, rosemary and of course #prosecco to make the kind of drink you can enjoy any time but especially for a #Cenone around #ChristmasEve - I've also been researching and practising cooking special Italian recipes for my own #CenonediNatale - find out more on the blog. Oh and if you are interested, there's also a giveaway to win a whole case of Mionetto - link in my profile #spon #festive#inspiremytable #Foodblogger #Londonfoodblog #christmasiscoming #christmasisnear #xmas #prosecco #deckthehalls #christmastable #proseccolover #proseccotime #popthebubbly #londonfoodie #londonfoodblogger #ukbloggers #bloggersuk #lbloggersuk #fbloggersuk #ukfoodie #goodfoodandwine #italianfoodlover #igersuk

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How fabulous it must be to find yourself at University in #Durham in digs here! Apparently, the rooms are allocated by ballot and always oversubscribed - but who wouldn't want to stay in a Castle! From my recent trip with @ThisisDurham I went on a guided tour of some of the parts of the Castle which are still open to the public - it's part of the #UNESCO listed World Heritage Site along with the Cathedral. Some fascinating stories about the Castle included how this entrance was dismantled in the 16th century and reconstructed as a slightly wider structure, enabling the bishop's carriage to pass through more easily. This is just one indication that creating a grand residence was, at that stage, much more important than preserving the defensive role of the Castle, which had diminished. The gatehouse arch dates from the Norman period, although its vaulted passageway is slightly later (as its gothic detailing indicates), and its upper storeys were rebuilt at the end of the 18th century. There's more to come about this fascinating city. But for now, I will leave you with Bill Bryson's famous quote 'I got off at Durham, intending to poke around the cathedral for an hour or so and fell in love with it instantly in a serious way. Why, it’s wonderful – a perfect little city – and I kept thinking: ‘Why did no-one tell me about this?’ I knew, of course, that it had a fine Norman cathedral but had no idea that it was so splendid. ' What he actually ended up doing was becoming Durham University's 11th Chancellor, and formal head of the University, from April 2005 to 31st December 2011 So, I urge you to follow my journey, coming soon on the blog and find out more about this fascinating City, home to Prince-Bishops and with a unique Northern charm. #ThisisDurham #LoveDurham @VCDBusiness #DUmakeithappen #DurhamDays #christmasindurham #bowesmuseum #christmasmarkets #christmas2018 #lovegreatbritain #northeast #northeastengland #exploremore #travelawesome #wanderful #writetotravel #luxfood #exploringtheworld #guardiantravelsnaps #mytinyatlas #natgeography #darlingescapes #letsgobeyond #TBIN #TTOT

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Somewhere that has been on my radar for a LONG time - @PataraLondon has a reputation for excellent #ThaiFood - here - herb steamed sea bass in a light and piquant chilli-garlic sauce infused with fresh herbs, just one of the delicious dishes we enjoyed for lunch! Apparently, Patara translates as gracious lady and derives its name from founder Khun Patara Sila-On who has restaurants in London, Switzerland, Austria, Singapore and China as well as her native Thailand. Definitely somewhere I'll return to - we had a bit of a lunch time feast in #Hampstead and now I want to try some of the other London outlets. #PataraLondon #LondonThai #ThaiFood #foodphotography #instafoodie #foodbloguk #foodblogger #instafoodblogger #TopLondonRestaurants #LoveLondon #londonfoodies #londonfoodblog #londonfoodscene #londonisopen #eeats #londonlife #thisislondon #igerslondon #prettycitylondon #ig_london #tbin #instatbn

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I have a suspicion that some of the most successful restaurants get to be that way because of the innate hospitality of their founders. It works across all sectors and cuisines. The lovely @galvinrestaurants, @RandallandAubin with Ed Baines, @ChefCorrigan @DarjeelingExpress with @AsmasIndianKitchen and now Biswajit and Prabir at @LittleKolkataUK. This was the Doi Papri Chaat, which both of us remembered from the #LittleKolkata supper clubs - crispy pappadum topped with spicy potatoes, yoghurt, tamarind chutney sev and cucumber and garnished with pomegranate. It's a street food dish that I love and could happily feast on. We went on to enjoy a full menu and I'll be reviewing properly on the blog in the next few days. Meanwhile, just let your mouth water a little and remember this is somewhere around the corner from Covent Garden and perfect for lunch or dinner after your Christmas Shopping #IndianFood #IndianRestaurant #foodphotography #instafoodie #foodbloguk #foodblogger #instafoodblogger #TopLondonRestaurants #LoveLondon #londonfoodies #londonfoodblog #londonfoodscene #londonisopen #eeats #londonlife #thisislondon #igerslondon #prettycitylondon #ig_london #tbin #instatbn

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Amazing artistic piece by contemporary Italian artist Valerio Berruti, displayed in the church of San Domenico, Alba, which is also his home town. His drawings, paintings and sculptures reproduce images essentially of everyday life and young attractions, encouraging adults to reconnect with their inner child. Here a carousel of sparrows moves rounds with a haunting musical score that just echoes magically in the church. Adults are encouraged to get on and ride them and to feel their youthful play-self again. . #langheroero #italy #italian #art #artinstallation #beingachildagain #beingachildisfun #foodforthought @laribezzaboutique @langheroero #whitetruffles #langheroero #truffles #italy #italian #italiantaste #exploremore #ecxtravel #travelawesome #wanderful #writetotravel #luxfood #exploringtheworld #guardiantravelsnaps #mytinyatlas #natgeography #darlingescapes #letsgobeyond #TBIN #TTOT @tartufobiancoalba #tartufobiancoalba

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