Take a Break Put your feet up and enjoy a story. Some are stolen from Victoria's books, some you’ve never seen before and some are from guest authors whose books you may enjoy.

Floorboards sometimes creaked without being trodden on, which was odd. Some rooms felt dank and prickly, while others were warm and cloying. Lights didn’t always behave properly and sporadically flickered. Doors occasionally slammed all by themselves. The upstairs bathroom was for emergencies only.

“I’ve got some really hot tortilla chips, if anybody is brave enough to do a taste test with me,” suggested Shealan. 

We’d registered with a medical practice in Gaillac—the Drs Chalan, a French husband and wife team recommended by Denise. Both spoke a little English, although hers was better than his.

Travel writer Jules Brown describes a romance that blossomed during a wet Scottish summer holiday.

Our holiday motto had always been ‘never go back to the same place twice’, and we had enjoyed exploring a range of different countries and places since we had first met. Venice, Hong Kong, The Caribbean, and a memorable and wonderful honeymoon in Cape Town, South Africa, had all been highlights of our travels. We were interested to see how Portugal would measure up.

I recently saw a piece on the news regarding the successful delivery of a parcel to a house in rural Ireland, despite the address on the label being totally unreadable. The world was agog, social media heaved with chatter, and the press were overawed.