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Aida Austin

My husband is trying to coax me off the jetty and back on the boat...

My husband is trying to coax me off the jetty and back on the boat...

We are in Meganisi port in Greece. It is 1am. There are about 50 boats all politely moored in a row up against the jetty. All is pin-drop quiet.

Sat, 20 Aug, 2016

No one would say ‘yes, please’ if invited to sleep in a coffin underground

No one would say ‘yes, please’ if invited to sleep in a coffin underground

7.30 pm.

Sat, 13 Aug, 2016

"There’ll be no more wine crossing my lips this holiday"

"There’ll be no more wine crossing my lips this holiday"

Lefkada, 5pm and I’m standing on a jetty. My husband, his sister and her husband are standing on the boat that is to be our home for a week. 

Sat, 06 Aug, 2016

It’s happening already. My holiday expectations drop from 50 to 40

It’s happening already. My holiday expectations drop from 50 to 40

THURSDAY evening and I am just two sleeps away from the holiday of a lifetime: Greek islands! On a boat! Hurrah!!

Sat, 30 Jul, 2016

"I like my bag the way it is, I consider, stuffed full of hopes and expectations"

"I like my bag the way it is, I consider, stuffed full of hopes and expectations"

SUNDAY, 11pm. Home, in bed.

Sat, 02 Jul, 2016

You might like to eat the bread first, before the mussels, while you are still alive to enjoy it

You might like to eat the bread first, before the mussels, while you are still alive to enjoy it

SUNDAY, 7pm. The sun is still shining and my husband and I are making impromptu plans for the evening: short coastal walk, swim and a meal out in a newly-opened restaurant.

Sat, 25 Jun, 2016

'The truth is the more my daughter reads about Tragics, the more I identify with them'

'The truth is the more my daughter reads about Tragics, the more I identify with them'

Friday night, and my eldest daughter is home before leaving soon to do a master’s in cognitive neuropsychology at Edinburgh.

Sat, 18 Jun, 2016

God knows how women manage to have hot flushes in Ireland. They should be so lucky — all that rain and cold

God knows how women manage to have hot flushes in Ireland. They should be so lucky — all that rain and cold

MONDAY morning, and I have the house phone to hand when it rings.

Sat, 11 Jun, 2016

'Nothing bar an act of God can stop us from boarding that aircraft'

'Nothing bar an act of God can stop us from boarding that aircraft'

Saturday, 7pm, London.

Sat, 04 Jun, 2016

The odds for mutual parental enjoyment are not looking good

The odds for mutual parental enjoyment are not looking good

Sat, 28 May, 2016