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Food and Cycling Started the day with breakfast – coffee, bread and jam, water, a banana, noodles, meat on a stick, an octopus omelette, something Korean, and an ice cream. Yep, a pretty odd mix. All enjoyed with a great view of Osaka Castle. Think Japanese castle rather than British. Then we were off on our cycling adventure. It was about an hour out of Osaka: three trains and 30 minutes of walking, rewarded by lovely, clean mountain air. We went for the cycling but came back with a much better appreciation of the temple. The e-bikes were fantastic, and we ascended the steep hill climb with ease, not even breaking a sweat. The views were great, as was the relaxed walk around the large temple complex. Our guide, Jonathan, was very easy to chat with and provided lots of interesting information. We bought a couple of small darumas – one we left at the temple watching over the fish, and the other is coming home with us. In the evening, we went on a food tour in Osaka, visiting a very touristy area of the city. It was a good night out, with a great mix of food in a very busy area of Osaka around Ebisucho Station. The small bites made for an ample dinner, and the drinks were generously sized, with the option to buy more at reasonable prices at restaurants where drinks were not included. It was a great way to explore this part of the city. Add Tripadvisor reviews: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Profile/Retired_Cormac

Last day in Sapporo We spent the first half of the day exploring a viewpoint, and the second half travelling. Quite different, but connected by snow. Sapporo has many forms of public transport. We learnt our lesson today when we confused the underground metro with the overground tram. It took a while, but we corrected our error and were still first in line for the cable car experience. Visibility was great on the way there, and even as we ascended in the cable car, providing excellent views of the city of Sapporo. When we reached the top, it had started snowing and turned into a complete white-out. After a brief walk, we retreated for lunch. Octopus balls, aka takoyaki. Whilst very nice, I’d prefer them to be a little more solid. I’m sure we’ll have them again in Osaka — where they’re traditionally from. I’d been monitoring flights all day and could see that the majority departing from Sapporo New Chitose Airport were being cancelled due to the snow. I did a little research into likely outcomes if our flight was cancelled — it appeared we’d be on our own. Alternatives, such as the train, looked expensive and long, with arrival the following day. So we waited it out with some sushi for dinner. The flight was delayed by 30 minutes due to the late arrival of the inbound aircraft, but once we boarded, we got away sharpish. We caught three trains in quick succession, arriving quite late at the Osaka hotel. We had a confirmed double upgrade thanks to my Hilton status, and the room is a lot bigger than the one we had in Sapporo. You couldn’t swing a cat in there — not sure about tonight’s room, as we couldn’t find a cat this time to try.

We started the day at a coffee shop chain that came highly recommended for its simple and cheap breakfasts. We opted for coffee, a boiled egg, and bread with jam. Komeda’s Coffee — there are loads of them. 600 yen, less than £3 each. Who said Japan was expensive? We took a train to a remote biscuit factory that makes chocolate-filled biscuits — they were everywhere in Sapporo. We were able to use our Suica cards for the first time. They’re virtual cards that you top up with a balance, then tap in at the barriers at the start of the journey and tap out at the end. Simples. There was a lot of snow — more than usual, as it was all over the news. Everyone in Sapporo just got on with it. It was today that we realised how much of the city is underground. Not just restaurants in the basements of department stores, but huge malls with loads of shops, restaurants, and more. On the way back from the biscuit tour, we went to see a temple. It was peaceful. We had an excellent lunch that we basically cooked ourselves. That was fun, and the food was pretty different as well — all very tasty. In the evening, we walked to the Sapporo Brewery. The museum was free to visit and, to be honest, not that good. We’d also booked a Genghis Khan meal — where you cook as much as you want — which was a little bit of a let-down. Possibly because we’d already done something similar earlier in the day, but more likely due to the lack of atmosphere in the big beer hall, as it was virtually empty.

A day spent mostly travelling. The day started with breakfast on the plane — 05:30 Tokyo time, or 20:30 London time. Neither is an acceptable time for breakfast. Not far to go now — two hours to landing. I can’t work out where my AirPods are, though they seem close… and charged. We had hot soba noodles for breakfast — a bargain price of £8 — before settling in for an hour’s wait for our next flight up to Sapporo, which promises to be snowy. This will be a surprising change from the sunny, mild weather in Tokyo. From the air, it didn’t disappoint. We took the rapid transit train into Sapporo, each of us falling asleep a couple of times, then walked the remaining 500 metres to the hotel. My sleep score for the overnight flight was a miserable 24 points. Dinner was something from a convenience store — there are loads of them — followed by a traditional ramen. It was good. This was followed by a quick beer in the bar before going to bed around 08:00. First impressions: Sapporo is very cold.

Multiple alarms — 04:15, 04:20, and 04:30 — were set for an early rise, and those were just mine. There was no way we were missing this flight. It was dark, wet, and cold outside. The M1 and M25 route to Heathrow was straightforward, and we made great time, arriving right on schedule at 06:00 to drop the car off. We dropped the bags, cleared security, and in no time at all were ambling along the secret tunnels to the T5B lounge. Once lounged in the lounge, sausages were clearly the best breakfast item — especially with toast and brown sauce. Bored, I started making anime pictures via ChatGPT. They were pretty good. I did feel a little guilty using my ChatGPT subscription for something so trivial, so I asked it some more challenging questions — such as re-forecasting the weather for each day of our Japan trip and presenting the output as a table in a PDF. In hindsight, BA007 to Tokyo was perhaps a little early in the morning for us, but catching a well-timed connection to Sapporo made it a necessary evil. I used the Heathrow app, Flighty, and the lounge screens to confirm C61 as our gate. Boarding was surprisingly orderly — though that really shouldn’t have been a surprise, given where we were going. Take-off was on time and we headed the traditional route towards Japan — over Europe, Turkey, the Stans, China, and finally into Japan. It appears our return on BA008 will head east from Japan, over Canada, Greenland, and Iceland — which technically makes this a RTW (Round-the-World) trip. Thirteen hours plus before we land — let’s hope the in-flight entertainment, along with some food and wine, helps the time pass.

When a butterfly flaps its wings in South East Asia and there is an earthquake in Puerto Vallarta — you get the drift. Last night, we had our own example of this…. Just as we had settled down to watch the traditional Friday night Northampton McCaughey movie, the car alarm on our now 12-year-old Kia Sportage went off for no particular reason. This was strange for three reasons; 1. I don’t think we had ever heard the car’s alarm — so apologies to the neighbours, whom we privately berated for not attending to their stupid car alarm that must have been going off for five minutes. B. It was the night before going off on holiday to Japan — so we were expecting passport issues, travel cancellations, or similar problems — and this wasn’t one of those. 4. Not to curse things - but whilst it is admittedly low mileage, it has been an ultra reliable car thus far - for 12 years - which honestly is unheard of. Anyway - back to the story, (note to self - it seemed like a good movie, must take time to watch at a future point)…. The alarm went off. I reset it. I headed out to check the windows, doors and boot were all closed. All checked out. I did a bit of research on the internet - as you do. There were 4 things that google said it could be; An open window, door not shut properly etc Key fob needing new batteries Car battery on its way out Catastrophic wiring issue - mega £££ I walked through each…. Done One for later should it happen again Found the number for RAC, and swapped the car that we were taking to the airport in the morning - Sorry Jane. Put firmly to the back of my mind. The alarm went off again, and the movie was paused — maybe for the fifth time. Action 1 hadn’t worked. Further Googling suggested spiders, butterflies, and even wind (the weather type). I then started action 2 on my plan. Because of faulty batteries, re-testing, etc., I had to swap out the battery maybe six or seven times 👐. As a result, I’d learned a new skill: I can change a Kia key fob battery like a pro. I found myself sitting in the car, thinking. I’d forgotten that it didn’t start unless you depressed the clutch fully — which only made me ponder some more… Then, in the darkness, I caught sight of something on the inside of the windscreen. It was a moth. Not a huge one, but not that small either — let’s call him/her/they average for a moth. In a couple of seconds, I’d put together a theory that it was the moth, looking at the moonlight through the front windscreen, whilst perched on the alarm sensor, that was the issue. I dispatched the moth. Problem solved — full night of sleep. So, not exactly chaos theory — but it was our own little version.

Let me make it clear from the outset, it’s not that I don’t like dogs, it’s just that they aren’t something that I want to have. And if I did decide to have one, I wouldn’t refer to it as my fur baby! And thinking on a little more about it - it’s not the dogs that I have a particular issue with its those fecking fur parents. It’s a stretch - but the closest I’ve been to being a fur parent is being an actual parent to toddlers - and as it happens it’s not a bad way of making my point. Our charges are probably as smart as each other, aren’t the best at making sensible decisions, and require supervision to keep them out of trouble. When we had young children we ensured the following; We kept them under control. We didn’t use a lead, but we made sure that they wouldn’t run up to total strangers and (God forbid) jump up on them We cleaned up after them - ensuring that they didn’t poo on the street. We disposed of their nappies appropriately We controlled the noise they’d make, cognisant of others, not leaving them crying, or over loud when playing We supervised them when they met friends, so that they didn’t get in the way of others We didn’t expect every one else in the world to love our babies Why is it then, that in the last week I encountered all the following; Dogs off the lead running around without appropriate control or supervision. OK, they weren’t dangerous or threatening - but they weren’t prevented from getting into my space. Dog poo on the path - so much so, I’m having to keep my eye on the path and where I place my feet rather than what’s going on around me. Dogs barking - either at each other, or because they are over excited Two sets of fur parents standing on either side of the path watching the dogs greet each other - no space awareness and blocking my way along the path Expectation that I also wanted to say hello to the said dogs, as mentioned they aren’t for me and I’m allowed that choice. It’s not difficult fur parents! Simply behave like a real parent.

Special bin day - Christmas Recycling Day.... Christmas recycling challenge done. It's always tricky with the additional cardboard from the Christmas presents delivered by Amazon, more visitors producing waste, wrapping paper, not to mention the cans and bottles. But we did it! Careful packing was needed from the start, and the bins were brimming full. Ignore the fact that we have two blue bins - we pinched the neighbour's bin about 10 years ago after he was rude to us. True recycling - what goes around comes around. On bin collection day we were woken at 07.00 by the bin lorry, and our neighbour shouting “please wait, please wait” - amateurs! We watched as he chased after the lorry with a very full, single but more modern looking, wheelie bin. There was no way he wanted to be left another two weeks before the bin men would be back. Long story short - he made it! I would mention the reminder of ‘what bin when’ that can be configured on the council app - but I’ve given up.

As per plan, after testing various recipes and approaches I made the potato bread - some 200 potato farls. As a reminder I took advantage of the cheap potatoes that all the supermarkets sell over the Christmas period to grab the primary ingredient at an advantageous price (15p for 1.5Kg). The potatoes were floury rather than waxy - that was an important consideration. It was a massive undertaking - I peeled and boiled just over 3Kgs of potatoes making a fine mash with a potato ricer. I combined that with just under 1Kg of plain flour together with a packet of butter (a lot less than the first few attempts) and salt to taste. We worked on producing them for a few hours - but I’ve plenty of time, and would rather have something that I’ve made than bought - with all the preservatives etc. We formed a bit of a production line to get the job done, and after cooling all the farls were frozen, bar the ones that were eaten whilst cooling. Note - it is better to let the farls cool and then re-heat they taste better. Don’t ask me why - but its something to do with allowing the potato dough to solidify. The frozen farls will save me at a broad guess £100, to be used for our Saturday/Sunday brunches, and will last a good six months. The farls were made as squares and rectangles to aid the storing process, as opposed to the more traditional triangles. They taste the same. We had our first brunch this morning and I’m pleased to report that the farls were a resounding success - only problem is that we ate 6 rather than the usual 4, so we might not be able to eek the supply out to six months. That said - having done a little research it appears that the quality of the farls will dip as a result from being frozen after 4 months, and as it just happens we can repeat the process again at Easter, as the supermarkets run the same offer then.

The opportunity of cheap potatoes offered by every supermarket to go along with Christmas dinner provided the perfect excuse to play around with a few potato bread recipes. I bought three large bags of potatoes to perfect our recipe, with the intention of mass production and freezing for consumption through to next Christmas. Between Christmas and New Year, we tried a few different recipes. We had some miserable failures and one absolute winner — though the amount of butter required for what will become a staple for our weekend fry-ups is quite worrying. Here is the recipe that we settled on. As mentioned, it still needs a little more work. I’ve got two large bags of potatoes left and have now created room in the freezer for the stash of farls. Ingredients 450 g cooked mashed potato (warm is ideal, and if you can use a potato ricer, all the better) 60 g butter 1 tsp salt 120 g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting Instructions Combine the warm mashed potato, butter, and salt in a bowl and mash until smooth. Gradually add the flour, mixing well until a soft dough forms. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into rectangles or squares, about 5 mm thick. Cook on a dry griddle or frying pan over medium heat for 5–6 minutes on each side, until a nice crust forms. Cool on a wire rack and toast or fry later.

For the first time this year, as an alternative to my traditional Christmas sandwiches, I decided to try Christmas chips. They are relatively new to me, and so for those that don't know they are plain chips loaded with finely chopped leftovers from Christmas dinner. The same basic ingredients are used in Sandwiches and Chips - with a few subtle differences. The similarities - as you'd expect; Turkey Gammon Pigs in blankets Stuffing Cranberry sauce Mayonnaise The differences Chips or bread (toasted) Gravy The Perfect Sandwich Two slices of bread, toasted on both sides Butter one slice with cranberry sauce Heat up the ingredients in the microwave Add slices of gammon Add pigs in blankets - split down the middle Add slices of turkey Top with a generous amount of mayonnaise Add stuffing Top with the second slice of toast Cut into four and serve with crisps (avoid any salad) New for 2025 - server with gravy for dipping Cup of tea on the side The Perfect Chips Make some oven chips — chips from the chippy will only go cold Chop gammon, pigs in blankets, and turkey into 5 mm cubes Reheat in the cubes in the microwave Start with the cooked chips in a bowl Sprinkle the reheated meats over the chips - as much or as little as you like Add a few blobs of cranberry sauce and a generous amount of mayonnaise Add gravy Learning Points Gravy is a game changer. Specifically turkey gravy - granules are fine. Whether it’s used for dipping sandwiches or poured around chips, it works incredibly well. TOP TIP - Next year, when I serve the sandwiches, I’ll serve the gravy in a bowl — it will be much easier to dip the sandwiches. Dipping into a gravy boat was far too fiddly. Sandwiches are best served on freshly toasted bread. Both dishes should be served piping hot — that means using the microwave to bring the turkey, gammon, pigs in blankets, and stuffing up to temperature. Ketchup should be avoided in all instances. As should brussels sprouts.... The Winner Chips make for a more filling and warming meal, while sandwiches are more of a snack. Sandwiches work really well for lunch. Chips work best for dinner.

This time to Thailand - October 2026. Total cost £2909 via Voyage Privé. It includes return flights, 5 nights in 3 different 5 star hotels at half board and transfers between - Phuket, Coconut Island and Khao Lak for the two of us. With retirement, I’m time rich, and my time costs me nothing, and it’s good to stay busy. So I’m taking on a personal challenge to fund the full £2909 through a combination of cashback and savings that I can generate from necessary and planned spending, by just thinking a little harder about how I can drive some small savings. Here’s a quick update of where I’m up to. The holiday was booked late November and I’ve already made some substantial progress; £46.54 Cashback via TopCashBack for the booking with Voyage Privé. Its tracking, not paid yet £250 by choosing to take the National Express bus to Heathrow and avoid the expense of taking the car to Heathrow and parking for a holiday in February. Banked. £7.76 Delay Repay for a cancelled and delayed train to London. Banked £450 in shares by paying a large tax bill via my Etoro debit card. Banked £25 Cashback for Christmas gifts, airport parking and normal daily spend by taking the time to click through TopCashBack £50 refund from Amazon for a faulty item, which they asked me to keep, and as it still did the job I kept it rather than replaced it. I’m currently £828.29 on the way to getting to £2909, and whilst I have banked some rather large contributions against the total, the number of small ones and the difference it makes over time has given me confidence that I’ll hit my target well ahead of time.