The formidable Iona, aka La-Belle-Dame-Sans-Merci, determined to instil some culture into her alcohol-appreciating and apparently sex-starved husband, accompanies him on a tour of the architectural and artistic highlights of Italy, like the Grand Tourists of yesteryear. Unlike those tourists though, who often spent as much as two years, if not longer, on the journey, La-Belle-Dame-Sans-Merci has only one week in which to transform her husband as they explore the delights of Naples, Pompeii, Assisi, Florence, Siena and Rome. And if that were not challenge enough, he displays an amazing...

Music, music, music. Right from the start of his package holiday to Menorca, "music" plagues and obsesses the author. But let's face it, as Iona, his long-suffering wife can testify, he's a pretty intolerant sort of a person. Seen through his eyes, this book provides a sideways look at Menorca, a sort of rough guide to the island, (but not nearly as rough as his next door neighbours in his holiday apartment). Informative, but at the same time witty and amusing, A Meander in Menorca is an idiosyncratic commentary on this little island from its earliest inhabitants, the ancient Talayotic...