Rosemary and Ray wish you all a Happy Christmas and best wishes for health and happiness in 2015.

We have enjoyed 2014 and as usual have had our fair share of holidays from skiing in Austria in January to a few days in Marrakech in December.

Rosemary (normal nom de plume the LLW) continues to work full time as a lawyer at Wedlake Bell and is as busy as ever. She still really enjoys her work so at present is showing no signs of retirement although one of her best clients keeps saying that when she does retire she must join them full time! I'm not sure they are joking.

Ray is very much part time now and still still enjoys working with Nigel Phelps at Catalysts Limited but occasionally threatens to do more "if something interesting comes along"!

Living at Skinners Cottage in the beautiful South Downs National Park continues to be a real privilege and pleasure and in spite of how much we enjoy our travels, we are always delighted to return home. The garden continues to mature and to grow although I'm not sure that all of the developments have been approved by the management committee let alone DEFRA.

Ray decided that 2014 was to be the year of getting fit and has successfully lost 18Kg by using the App MyFitnessPal and increasing exercise. In particular he has discovered cycling and at times can be obsessive about it. Thankfully he has not become a MAMIL but most mornings in good weather he is out early for a ride around Rackham and cycling on holidays has become a must do. The really good news is that cycling would appear to be the very best exercise for knees suffering from 40+ years of playing squash - keeps them mobile without any pressure.

Rosemary has joined in and has also lost a fair few kilos but becomes very vague when asked how much! She is in very good shape and seems to look younger every day!

In January we went skiing in Saalbach, Austria with Ray's cousin Hilton, his wife Ann and our friend from Amberley, Rob Rowe. We enjoyed an excellent week and whilst the natural snow was not at its best, the snowmaking facilities are such that the pistes were well nigh perfect. Our skiing expertise (??) does not seem to improve much but it's difficult to explain to non skiiers how wonderful it is to be at the top of a mountain in full sunshine and to descend through the most beautiful scenery to the valley below. We will continue to ski as long as we are able.

February was a big trip. We spent most of the month on the south island of New Zealand, stopping on our way out in Sydney and visiting Singapore on our way back.

The excuse (??) for the trip was the wedding of David Dixon (my cousin's son) to Jessica in Wanaka in central Otago which has become one of our favourite places in the world.

We flew with Singapore airlines (our first time with them) and whilst it was very good we were both slightly disappointed given their stellar reputation and certainly would not rate them any better that BA or Quantas.

We have come to love Sydney and again it was excellent. Luckily not as hot as our last visit when the gauge hit 45.8C but excellent weather and we enjoyed meeting with Anthony Alexander (ex colleague of the LLW in London), his wife Louise, Geoff Norman (a client of the LLW) and his wife Genevieve for dinner in a skyscraper top restaurant. We also visited the HQ of Stafford Investments (Rosemary's client where Geoff is a partner) in the Rocks area. Sydney is a great city.

On to Queenstown in central Otago, New Zealand for a few days and once again we had opted for a camper van. The very nice lady at the Queenstown airport depot for Maui Campervans broke into a wide smile as she offered us a free upgrade to a larger and more luxurious van. However, the LLW enquired whether or not said luxurious van incorporated the essential built in gas BBQ. Sadly, the answer was no and an international incident was narrowly avoided when our original choice magically became available - Phew!

As always we enjoyed our stay in Queenstown and the effect of the recession was very apparent (not!!) in the huge number of gap year kids visiting there frugally and soberly. Oh to be that age again!

On then to Cromwell via the wonderful vineyards of the Gibbston Valley. Just lovely although as we approached Cromwell out windscreen was badly cracked by a flying stone. Having reported the damage to Maui they seemed unconcerned and recommend we just continue which is just what we did, although I must admit we did watch the cracks grow day upon day.

Had a great time seeing the penguins again at Omarou and  then visited one of our favourite restaurants, Riverstone. It did not disappoint; stunning food accompanied by wonderful central Otago wines. Just great!

Our plan was now to circle back to Wanaka via Mount Cook and the weather was so perfect that we decided to travel all of the way to Mount Cook via Lake Pukaki. The views were stunning and impossible to capture in a photo but here's a go.

After a couple of days in Twizel, we headed off for Wanaka and David and Jess's wedding. The setting at Rippon Vineyard on Lake Wanaka is out of this world and the weather matched it. So good to see Dave and Jess so happy and true to form they took a helicopter ride to the peak of a nearby mountain between the ceremony and the reception. The Master of Ceremonies (which you must have in addition to the best man) told the story that when one day he was the physio on the Ski Helicopter he called base to report an accident whilst a skier was attempting some extreme acrobatics but had fallen badly. Base recommended that he call the Ski Doctor but the MoC replied that it was the Ski Doctor i.e David - typical!

Fabulous day!

After a couple of more days in Wanaka we headed back to Queenstown via a lovely lunch at Gibbston Vineyards and readied for our flight to Singapore.

Singapore was great and after a dodgy start where the LLW was grumpy and hot after a longish walk in high humidity, we settled in for a restorative glass or two at Raffles. Good order was restored.

Little India, China Town, the Quays, the Botanical Garden, the Southern Walkway were all explored but surprisingly the Orchard Road (apparently the world's greatest shopping centre) proved unattractive to the LLW - what do I know! The Chilli Crab at Jumbo Seafoods was delicious and memorable but probably the messiest dinner ever!

Back to a cold and grey welcome in West Sussex but it was nice to be home.

In April we visited Majorca and for both of us it was our first time having been put off by the stories of excess, drunkenness and overcrowding. However, in April, this could not be further from the truth. Our Hapimag site was wonderful, right by the beach, the weather was perfect and there were no crowds to be seen. All restaurants were open and we enjoyed walking, swimming and coach trips to the very mountainous north west. Just an excellent week.

May we travelled to the Italian (and Swiss) Lakes via an easyJet flight to Milan (note easyJet is now very good!). Picked up a hire car at Milan Malpensa and courtesy of the wonderful navigational ability of the LLW, we arrived at Bellagio on Lake Como in good time and enjoyed a good dinner by the lake. Bellagio is very picturesque but overall Como is quite built up and the lake is not easily accessible. The next day we drove round the lake to Menaggio on the western side of the lake; an excellent lunch at an unpretentious restaurant and off we set for Lugano.

We had booked in to a hotel at Gandria on the lake where we had stayed some 37 years ago (what an old romantic I am) and it was great. Hardly changed and I think we found the self same restaurant that we visited all of those years ago. Quite magical.

The next morning we took the ferry to Lugano town where there was a car show so Ray enjoyed fantasising about Ferrari's and Masserati's whilst the LLW demonstrated her homing instincts for shoe shops.

The next day we headed off to Lake Maggiore where we were staying at the excellent Hapimag resort at Cannero Riviera.  It's a lovely location and we enjoyed a relaxing week visiting the Borromean Islands and Lake Orta.

June saw us travel within the UK visiting Harrogate, Newcastle (meeting with our good friend Lydia) and the Lake District (where we stayed with Hilton and Anne before spending week in the southern peak district which is within Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Whilst in Harrogate we met with John and Sarah and enjoyed seeing John perform at a festival in York.

Rosemary was particularly impressed with the gardens at Hutton le Forest which we visited with Hilton.

We do know the UK well but the southern peak district is an area that we had not visited and it was a revelation! Staying at the Holiday Property Bond (HBP) site a few miles outside of Ashbourne, we were delighted with the scenery, the walking and the cycling! In particular the Tissington Trail for cycling proved to be be a great success and the catalyst for Ray's cycling obsession.

Most years now we stay close to home in July and August and this year was no exception. It proved to be a good decision with fantastic weather and lots of great sailing in Chichester Harbour, cycling  and walking on the downs.  We enjoy our travels but when the weather is this good, West Sussex is hard to beat.

In September we had a holiday in the German Schwarzwald and the Austrian Salzkammergut. Our easyJet  (yes easyJet again) flight to Basel was excellent and our collection of baggage and passing through Passport Control was a world record. The lady at Hertz tried to upsell us to an Alfa but we stuck to our guns and drove off in an Opel Adam which proved to be excellent. The LLW demonstrated her gold star navigational ability by quickly exiting the autoroute system around Basel and heading off toward the Titisee  (apparently named after Emperor Titus) via the Schluchtsee.  A brief lunch in Schluchtsee town and we arrived in Titisse; well not quite! The signs around the town and lake left a lot to be desired (not quite up to the normal efficient germanic standards) and we followed the "scenic route" for a while before finding the exit for our hotel on the bank of the Titisee.

The Alemannerhof proved to be a delightful hotel with an excellent, if expensive, restaurant.  

An additional bonus was the Schwarzwald card which gave free access to buses, trains, attractions and crucially ebikes throughout one's stay in the area. Just excellent.

The next day Ray took full advantage of the free ebike and cycled two circuits of the lake (with the electrical assist switched off I will have you know!) whilst the LLW had a leisurely walk after exploring the shoe and handbag shops of Titisee town.

We were overwhelmed by the hospitality of the German people; everybody seemed delighted to welcome British tourists to the area and this was epitomised by a lovely lady in the tourist office (beautifully dressed in full Dirndl) who could not have done more to explain the local attractions, and the travel services. Hugely impressed.

The next day I had a cunning plan to introduce the LLW to the delights of cycling and donned my best salesman's hat before explaining the benefits of ebikes.  This seemed to work and we enjoyed a lovely ride around the lake and then through forest and meadows to Hinterzarten.  I think the key was a very good ice cream in Hinterzarten!

Buoyed by this success I broached the subject of the 3 lakes ride the next day! 22 miles and one very steep climb of nearly 2 miles but with electric assistance I was sure it was quite easy.

Off we went from the Titissee along the very flat section before we started the climb from the Barental towards the Windfallweihersee (yes apart from umlauts, I think that is correct). There was insistence that we stop for a coffee having completed the climb but after that the LLW was in good heart.

The scenery was just wonderful, forests and meadows, and having reached the third lake the Schluchtsee, we found a really nice restaurant for a Rosti lunch accompanied by a small glass of Gruner Veltliner. A short stop to admire the views close to the sailing club and we started the return journey.

The cycle ride back was easy and largely downhill so we arrived back in Titisee with the LLW saying that she didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Just a beautiful day.

After pottering around Titisee for a day we headed off north to Baden-Baden via the SchwarzwaldHochStrasse (the Germans do have a way with words!) which was delightful offering fantastic views across the mountains.

Baden-Baden was lovely and very sophisticated. We found a  hotel close to the centre and walked the whole town before enjoying an al fresco dinner in a small bistro opposite the beer garten.

The next day we followed the wine route south of Baden-Baden towards Freiburg and it was just terrific. The villages were beautiful with lots of opportunities for tastings and snacks. German hospitality was apparent again when a lady stopped in front of us at a lay by. I was about to complain that she had blocked my exit from the lay by when, firstly in German (we had a Swiss Registration car)s and then in immaculate english, she asked if we needed help with directions. We explained where we were headed and she said that she was going to a village close by so please follow her and she would indicate where we should turn off.  Just fantastic and such charm.

We stopped in the village of Sasbachwalden which was quite lovely; traditional houses surrounded by pristine vineyards.

On south then with a lunch stop at the castle vineyard of Schloss Staufenberg; great lunch and stunning views. Being Germany the vineyards were pristine and planted in a very orderly fashion.

On to the very old university town of Frieburg where we enjoyed the old town (and excellent wine bars). Very pretty town and buzzy with loads of students on bicycles.

Back to Basel airport to leave the hire car and head into our hotel in the centre by bus. A walk around the old town and dinner close to the hotel and we were ready for our early, Salzburg bound, train the next morning.

A very pleasant and scenic journey to Salzburg was absolutely spot on time and passed very quickly apart from a very annoying Austrian woman who insisted on talking non stop to some Brazilian  visitors. The LLW was ready to throw something!

Our hotel in Salzburg (Hotel am Dom) was excellent. I think it is described as a boutique hotel but forget the pretentious hype; it is very nice and wonderfully situated in the heart of the old town. We walked around enjoying all of the sites that we know so well from many previous trips to Salzburg. The only downside was that we had the only 2 days of poor weather during our stay in Salzburg; but don't let me put you off it really is a lovely city.

We collected our hire car from the airport and Audi A3's were is short supply so we were offered a VW Golf Cabriolet which (in view of the weather forecast) sounded like a good idea and so it was once we had worked out how to open the roof - no instruction manuals in hire cars!

We were booked in to the Hotel Furberg about a mile outside of St Gilgen and right on the Wolfgangsee lake. We both agreed that this is one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in! Not the most luxurious, but the location, the ambiance, the food, the wine, the faultless and non obsequious service set it apart from anywhere we have stayed before.

Free use of bicycles capped it for us and after two nights we asked them if we could stay for the rest of the week. They juggled some reservations and we were able to stay in the same room in spite of the fact that the hotel was very busy. Just wonderful service.

Visiting Bad Ischl, the Hallstattersee, Gosau and cycling around the lake several times made for a well nigh perfect week.

Cycling around the Wolfgangsee needs special comment; not only are the views stunning and the cycling easy but there are many very pleasant stops for coffee and lunch etc. It is actually impossible to cycle around the whole lake since there is a massive mountain and cliff between St Wolfgang and the hotel at Furberg. However, there is a delightful hotel called the Falkenstein which serves really good light lunches, and is only 100 yards from the ferry stop where the boat takes you right back to Furberg - how very civilised!

This was so good that we are already planning to go back next year.

In November we visited Tenerife and La Gomera in the Canary Islands spending the first week with our great friends John and Sarah Storey from Harrogate. The first night was spent in a hotel at Los Cristianos, Tenerife. This revels in the name of G10 Big Sur which was advertised as a "adults only" hotel which cause the LLW some concern.  However, it was good apart from the very loud Barry White karaoke which did not finish until late.

Off on the ferry to La Gomera and a really good relaxing week at the Holiday Property Bond (HPB) site El Balcon Santa Ana near San Sebastian.  The weather was terrific and just what was needed at this time of year. If you are wondering why Ray looks so nervous in the photo, it's because the drop behind that rather low wall was horrendous!

After a week on La Gomera we took John and Sarah back to Tenerife South airport for their return flight to Leeds and we headed off to the north of the island and the Hapimag resort at Puerto de la Cruz.

Very shortly after arrival we realised that this was not for us, the town was distinctly downmarket and the Hapimag resort was well out of the centre, up a steep hill, surrounded by unattractive buildings and lacking in facilities. The next morning we decided to contact HPB to see if by any chance there was a vacancy back at El Balcon Santa Ana and were delighted to discover that they had just received notice of a cancellation - phew! So off we headed back on the ferry from Los Cristianos and enjoyed another excellent week on La Gomera.

In early December we had a short four day visit to the Hapimag resort just outside Marrakech in Morocco. We last visited Marrakech some 30 years ago, on a day trip, whilst we were staying on the coast at Agadir.

Marrakech is interesting and very challenging. The Souks have changed very little although the stalls where young children were arc welding without any eye protection thankfully seem to have gone now. Place Jemma El Fna is as noisy and crowded as ever with snake charmers galore and stalls selling everything imaginable.

The Hapimag resort was very good and the staff were charming. However, it is in a area which was obviously subject to massive tourist development just before the recession hit and Hapimag was surrounded by numerous unfinished resorts and one absolutely enormous completed hotel, the Sahara Palace.

We booked a day trip to the Ourika valley in the Atlas mountains which provided some magnificent scenery and visits to a Berber Market, a cooperative selling oils and cosmetics and a Berber household. The cooperative and the household were very touristy but the Berber market was definitely not. It was crowded, dirty and really rather unpleasant but was part of everyday life with no concessions at all to tourists.

So now it's time to prepare for Christmas and we are spending Christmas Day with Rosemary's family at Alistair (nephew) and Louise's house in Purley. It has been a momentous year for Alistair having received a kidney transplant with the donor being his wife Louise! All seems to be going well and we are looking forward to seeing them again on Christmas Day.

On Boxing Day, the day after Christmas for those not so familiar with our strange British customs, we will visit my aunt Hilda who is 94 now and not in the best of health. However, with 24x7 care in her own home (where she have lived since 1954) she is being very well looked after.

After Christmas we will head north to the lakes to spend New Year with Hilton and Ann to welcome in 2015. New Years Eve is a sort of anniversary for us because Rosemary and I met at a New Year's Eve party in Barnes, South West London in 1975/76.

Have a great Christmas and I trust 2015 will be good for all of you,

Ray and Rosemary