Travel With A Gavel

‘I was a most unlikely traveller. Growing up in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, I had no great ambitions to travel other than to visit friends and family within a two- or three-mile radius. From the age of 11, I had to take the bus each day to the nearest grammar school, 10 miles away in Omagh. Apart from that there was an annual, one-day, bus trip to Bundoran, a small seaside town in County Donegal. That was more than enough travelling for me. At the age of 19, I had never been to Belfast or Dublin, and didn’t feel I had missed anything.
Sixty-two years later, when I sat down to write this travelogue, I realised that in the intervening years I had visited seventy-five countries and all five continents, many of the countries visited multiple times. How had I morphed from someone with little interest in travel into someone who was ready to fly off to anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat? Were the wanderlust seeds sown in my formative years or was I bitten by the travel bug after accepting an offer to represent Northern Ireland at an international conference?
I begin by trying to answer that question before going on to recount my unique experiences and perceptions, gathered from over 30 years of travel, along with insights into different countries, places and peoples. I hope you will agree that the outcome presents as a rich and illuminating read.’

Transit to India

Changing times bring changing outlooks but even back in 1984, well before the plethora of today’s health and safety laws and risk-averse attitudes, an overland school trip to far-off India was considered somewhat extreme. And doubly so, given that travel through Iran was unavoidable despite Iran at the time suffering the upheavals of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution and engagement in a bloody war with neighbouring country Iraq.

The idea behind this 10000-mile, eight-week journey was to present a ‘retired’ old school Ford Transit minibus to the charity ‘Lepra’ to aid its life-saving work among India’s rural poor. Ten pupils aged 12 to 16, accompanied by two teachers, made up the delivery crew, in so doing possibly making the longest school minibus trip ever undertaken. One of the boys travelling (aged 15 at the time) said recently: “Surviving all the adventures and hairy incidents, all I can say is that I set off as a boy and returned as a man.”

Trampled by Tapir and Other Tales from a Globe-Trotting Naturalist

Pete Oxford is an award-winning photographer with images and stories appearing in the likes of National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Time and Outdoor Photography Magazine – which named him one of the top 40 most influential nature photographers in the world. He has travelled to each continent many times. Wearing different hats, he has been privileged to know many of the world’s most remote and pristine destinations as a professional wildlife photographer, an expedition leader on adventure tourism ships, a professional naturalist and on his own personal quests. Pete has a deep knowledge of all things natural and you will find yourself enthralled by this collection of short stories from his exhaustive travels. At times you will laugh out loud at the hilarity of the tales, then be blindsided by a short, thought-provoking sentence. Pete reveals his most embarrassing moments, his fears, his triumphs, his insights and his uninhibited passion for the wild. It is an inspiration to immerse yourself on a journey of adventure and discovery in the natural world.

The Retire-in-Thailand Handbook (The First Six Months)

My first six months in Thailand were frustrating. When I dreamt about retiring in Thailand, I thought that when I arrived, I would get my retirement visa, rent a condo, buy a vehicle, then spend my time exploring my new country, going to the beach, going out for meals and meeting new friends. Unfortunately, reality took over and I spent most of my time dealing with Thai bureaucracy and trying to sort out the endless problems that arise when moving to a new country. Back in Australia, I already had a visa, my own house, my own car, medical insurance, driving licence, bank accounts, credit rating, doctor and dentist. Moving to another country, I was more or less starting my life over and I needed to establish myself within the Thai system. Government, banking, medical, everything that was just part of my everyday life at home, I had to recreate in Thailand. Hopefully, this book will give you the information you need to avoid most of the problems that I had and allow you to retire to this wonderful country with confidence and assurance, as well as saving you time, money and your sanity. I wish I had been able to read this book before I left Australia.

The Pakistan Connection

A book about Pakistan and the Pakistani community in England – from the perspective of an Englishman who has worked within and got to know the community over several decades. This book is designed to destroy preconceptions and prejudices and increase your knowledge of a community many English people think they know but don’t. It also contains a journal of a fascinating trip to Pakistan undertaken one summer some years ago.

The Little Book of Sloes and Crab Apples

Sloes are not just for making gin, they are an extremely interesting fruit with an intense flavour. Together with crab apples, these magical ingredients have inspired me to create thirty original recipes. Crab apple recipes include Toffee Apple Cupcakes, Strudel and Preserves. Sloes I have used to create drinks, chocolates with gin-soaked sloes and recipes for the festive season.
All the recipes are visually illustrated with full colour photographs and are easy to prepare and make.

The Little Book of Rhubarb

This exciting new book is dedicated to rhubarb. This ancient vegetable, which we all use as a fruit, has long been deemed fit only for the humble crumble. Rhubarb is forced, producing these bright pink stems that offer an amazing flavour and colour.In this book, there are thirty exciting recipes to try, ranging from drinks, desserts, pastries and cakes to tempting savoury vegetarian, meat and fish recipes. They are all easy to follow and prepare. Each is accompanied by a full-colour photograph, making them visually tempting and encouraging you to make these mouth-watering dishes.

The Little Book of Elderflowers and Berries

The amazing elder tree produces wonderful, fragrant, cream flowers followed by rich, burgundy-coloured berries. Used as culinary ingredients, both can be turned into so many exciting recipes. The contrasting flavours are quite different, and this is reflected in how they are used.
Elderflowers are fragrant and light, giving inspiration for cool sorbets, foamy desserts, cheesecakes and creamy panna cottas. Elderberries are rich and dark with an intense flavour. These can be used to make wonderful drinks as well as cakes, pastries, bread and savoury dishes.
All recipes are illustrated with full colour photographs.

The Island of Mora Mora: A Journey into Madagascar

Mora Mora – Things on the Island of Madagascar happen slowly or they don’t happen at all. Set your patience to full, adjust your expectations for anything, and be prepared to witness some of the world’s most fascinating experiences. Madagascar’s natural history is its national treasure but its present and future is dire. Caught in a Malthusian Trap, the population is expanding, and the disappearance of the original natural landscape is all but complete. This book captures the island at an important time in its history, because whether the future will be better or worse, it will be different. Join author Tyrel Cameron Eskelson on his solitary adventurous journey to four corners of the island of Madagascar, in the overcrowded taxi-brousse, a notorious sinking ferry, old colonial trains, sketchy motorcycle rides, ox-driven carts, and at other times he straps on his pack and walks several days through the secluded rainforest mountains.He witnesses shamans as they summon the spirits of the dead, and at other times wakes up feeling like death after a night drinking the local spirits. He interacts with scientists, dodges scallywags, and at times goes right inside the homes of the local people. Driven by curiosity, Eskelson brings the island to life with his eye for detail and command of history.  Full of humorous observations and exciting encounters, this book is an example of the future of good old-fashioned travel writing. Whether you’re on an adventure or waiting for your next one, this unique tale of travel will entertain, inspire, and make you wish there was more. 

The Go-To Cookbook

The Go-To Cookbook is written for people with busy lives who want to cook the best recipes for all occasions. Over 100 tried and tested recipes reflecting 50 years of cooking in a changing world. These recipes will become some of your own family classics. Recipes that give an insight into how taste, food availability and diet has changed over the years. Useful tips on planning ahead to save on waste, cost and time. This book reflects Helen’s life in the kitchen through happy and also very challenging times. This book has been written in memory of Helen’s youngest daughter, Vicki, who tragically died of cancer at just 22.

Every penny from this book will be donated to Macmillan via the Vicki Cole tribute fund.

(https://tributefunds.macmillan.org.uk/in-memory/VickiCole)

Tales of Travels and Trains

Jim Nicholls takes readers on a journey like no other. Visit places as remote as the Zulu battlefields in South Africa, learn about an inventor who made the first heavier-than-air flight before the Wright brothers, and take in an Easter church service in a small Portuguese town.

All this and more are held together by tales of trains ranging from a tiny rail motor in the Queensland outback to a wild ride in Borneo. Experience Switzerland and America from the windows of a train.

Train travel opens a window on the world, allowing a visual eavesdropping and intrusion into a country’s backyard that, if done in any other form, would probably result in arrest. Trains have it all, they convert the journey into the adventure. Real people travel on trains.

Discussing with a young girl from New Zealand how one meets interesting and friendly people on such journeys, she neatly summed it up: ‘Yeah, how many nice people do you ever meet on an aeroplane?’

Strolling Through Three Counties

This book is Ian Falkner's masterpiece, a refreshing strolling adventure through three counties. Three people and a dog go on a short walk around the countryside of Edenbridge. Later, they penetrate into the depths of Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The author's words help paint a vivid picture in the mind's eye and ignite the reader's imagination. This book points out some of the most interesting landmarks and viewpoints that he and his friends come across. With information about routes, historical contexts, roads and path names, this gift of a magical and unforgettable tour acts as a useful guide for those who have the spirit of an adventurer and the attitude of an explorer.