What makes for an ideal holiday? You will have your own priorities, but for me blue skies and warm days come pretty high on the list. Not that there seem to be many of those in the UK recently! Jane and I have just had a week in Spain which we very much enjoyed – but when one of the Spanish waiters asked where we came from, his response to “England” was “Ah. Cold!” I can’t disagree with that as I sit at my desk wearing a great deal more than I was last week!

But the memories linger happily. And factors that make a good holiday? Well, being peculiar, a good crane is always a bonus. (Once we even got to stay in one in Harlingen overnight – it had been converted into a fantastic luxury apartment! But that’s a story for another day….) and true to form, we found a dockyard with some lovely cranes in it – this one is at Cartagena in Murcia, Spain, with great views looking down from the castle ramparts. More pictures on Flickr if you want them!