Guernsey – Saturday

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Off to Guernsey on holiday.  Left home at 6.00 am to catch the 8.20 from Southampton.  Uneventful flight, arrived, picked up our luggage and saw the number 7 bus we wanted leave promptly at its allotted 9.02 time.  So instead, we caught the 7A into town, and caught another 7A to Vazon Bay.

After dumping the luggage at La Grande Mare (our time-share since 1985!!), back into St Peter Port for a Tennerfest menu meal at one of our favourite’s, Da Nello’s.    R started with the bruschetta of grilled vegetables while I had raw tuna marinated in tomatoes, herbs and chilli flakes.  Good choices.  However, there were serious problems with ordering the main course.  I wanted the pork steak, and I believe R wanted the risotto.  R knew I was going to order the pork, so ordered the pork for herself; my rule is never to have the same as others on the table, so ordered the risotto.  We ended up eating what the other wanted.  R’s pork steak was lovely and juicy, the pork retaining a very slight pink colour.  The risotto was so very superior to any risotto I had in Italy on my last holiday.  We finished off with coffee and sweets.

Did a bit of shopping while we were in town, the market place is still being modernised and will be a long time before it is completely open.  The road on the north side had been pedestrianized, some old shops have re-opened.  Shockingly, a New Look and HMV have taken residence in the market hall.  Looked through HMV, but decided to support local trade and bought some DVDs, and CDs from No 19 –  a The Who compilation, Artic Monkies and a White Stripes album.  The DVDs were Oceans 12, Trainspotting and Outland.  The sales assistant said she couldn’t sell me the DVDs unless I could prove I was over 18. Ho, ho, ho.

To Safeways where R disgusted over lack of local produce and standard of vegetables and then back to the hotel to check in.  R sought out the local feline resident who has greeted us the past two years; he dutifully appeared but regarded our lack of milk as indecent and left.  Chilled out for the rest of the evening watching Oceans 12 on the laptop a good plot.

First two weeks at Brighton

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My second week in Brighton is over.  I have been down at a utility company installing a new version of e5, and migrating a test system to the new release.  The first week I was working with Ian Thomas, and stayed in the Preston Park hotel.  Preston Park is a small hotel on the A23, half way between Brighton centre and the A27.  The location is slightly inconvenient for the highlights of Brighton, car or taxi mandatory, but at least you could park at the hotel.

The second week I was on my own doing the upgrade.  Stayed in the Ramada Jarvis on the sea front.  Near the centre, but not a very nice hotel room, very small and no large king size bed to spread on, but the shower was new and good. Parking, what a rip off, 10 pounds a night!  If I parked on the sea front, it was a long walk back to the hotel.

First night I had a tandori mixed grill at an Indian restaurant (Nooris Limited) adjoining the Ship Inn.  Rosemary had recommended the restaurant; she had eaten there last summer when she accompanied me to a Cedar PSD event.  Alas, the quality must have gone down.  I was rather disappointed; probably I should have stuck with my old favourite of vindaloo.

Indian restaurant (Nooris Limited)

Tuesday, was feeling a little unwell, man flu, so went for a small meal at a Greek taverna (Steki’s) on the sea front.  Started off with baked feta with tomato slices, which alas had not been cooked long enough in the oven.  This was followed by pork souvlaki on pitta bread.

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Wednesday I visited the Regency fish restaurant on the front, started off with six oysters.  I bit worried about these, three seemed fresh and tasted of the essence of the sea, the other three were not so nice, and one tasted of salt water, so rather worried that those might be dead, and I would be puking in the morning.  This was followed by a Dover sole and chips, again not sure of the freshness of the fish.

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Thursday, my final night, I went to Preston Street, which runs north from the sea-front, and is full of Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Moroccan and English restaurants.  Chose the Morocann, Cous Cous restaurant.  Nice atmosphere, you could eat at standard tables, or eat in another section where you sat on couches in a pseudo tent around round tables.  Here I ate lamb Cous Cous washed down with a few glasses of  red.  Very relaxing, and I enjoyed listening to the young women chatting.  When the slimmest one left, the comments that the others made!!  One said how her own body had a nicer figure, a better bottom.

The Cous Cous

Sicily holiday with Etna Trekking and Explore World Wide

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Just back from holiday, visited Etna, Stromboli and Vulcano.  Back a day late due to thunderstorms and Alitalia.  Will never fly with them again.  A full report of the trip is available here.

Continuing theme of Alitalia, Chris Dabrowski came up with the following meanings for Alitalia

Always Late In Transit, Always Late In Arrival
Airplane Landed In Tokyo And luggage In Alaska
A Little Italian Tit And Lotsa Italian Ass
A Little Italian Tradition And Lotsa Italian Attitude

Unseasonably hot weather

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Its Thursday, and I am about to fly back home.  Short week as Rosemary and I are off to Cambridge next weekend. Spent the four days here in Edinburgh, staying at my favourite hotel the Radisson.  They gave me a bottle of malt, and a glass to go with it. Well miniature.

The week was a mixture of rain, and wind, followed by unseasonable hot weather today.  Not particularly sunny, but very very warm.

Been keeping a low profile this week.  Ate at the Ichycoo bar a couple of times, had scallops one night and salmon on Thursday.  One small outing down to the Mai Thai where I had an excellent meal of Thai fish curry and some vegetables.  White there I picked up a card of the artist who who paints their pictures which decorate the bar.  Rosemary was impressed by them.  Well I thought I had the card, seem to have mislaid it.  Will have to email the restaurant.

Today I left early for the airport, wanted a stress free boarding.  Of course today there were no traffic holdups, check in was fast.  No queues at the security, and the plane is 45 minutes late.  Oh well.

The weekend

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Had a nice weekend with Ann And Mike.  Did Bicester Village, though I was unable to find the walking boots I required.  Ann came a way with a few purchases.

Selina and Graham came over on Saturday for supper.  A salmon side marinaded in balsamic vinegar, Soy Sauce, then grilled and served on top of beans with a potato salad.  Quite good if I say so myself.

Sunday, nice lovely warm day, mowed the lawns, sat outside with a Pimms.  Lunch was slow cooked shoulder of lamb with Pomegranate.  Ann and Mike left us to go home via Ikea.

All the enjoyment was destroyed by the early morning get up call on Monday to drive to Luton. Huge queues at check-in, and even longer ones at security.  Ushered through the waiting crowds for the flight, only to be delayed for another hour.  This flying is getting to be a rather tedious repetitive joke.  Made up the hours already, was in the office until 7.30.

 

A week in Edinburgh

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Back home after another week in Edinburgh.  Been quite a hard week, working long hours system testing the new release.

 Stayed on the Grassmarket in the Apex International, so ate in the Grassmarket resturants.  Ate twice at the Petit Paris, always missing the happy hour meals.  Both times I ate outside on the pavement, watching the world pass by.  On the final night ate a very nice Sea Bream at the Mussel and Steak, followed by a very melt in the mouth chocolate tort.

 Travel back, was fraught.  I managed to catch the plane at Edinburgh, but BMI Babyhas got to get its check in faster.  The queues was long, and slow moving.  Edinburgh has also got to sort its security out.  They don’t manage their queues at all there.  All the other airports I have flown from always actively manage the queues, bringing passengers forward where their flights are about to leave.  Several passengers had their baggage unloaded from the Birmingham flight because they were British and queued for security, while I just walked past the queue to the head.

 Ann and Mike are staying this week end and we are off to Bicester Village.

Ed Aldridge leaving drink

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Unusually I have had a couple of days back in the office. I managed to catch up on my expense claims and sort a few tasks out. Short break, because I was back up to Edinburgh on an evening flight on Tuesday. Far more civilised way of travelling, no early mornings, and empty airports.

After work on Wednesday I met up with Ed Aldridge. Although he left the Bank a couple of weeks ago, he was back in Edinburgh for his own belated leaving drink. We (Mary, Ed, Simon and Neil) started the evening in All Bar One. We finished there with a bottle of Champagne, and went on for a meal at Nargile. Turkish restaurant, so we ate kebabs and hummus. Think we were the last out of the restaurant.

On then to Opal Lounge, trendy bar on George street, and finally Le Monde, another trendy bar on George street.

New Blog Software

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I had a few problems recently with my old Blog.  So I have upgraded the blog to this new software version with loads of new features.

It will take a little while to get to grips with the new features, and a little while before I get back some of the missing postings.

I hope you won’t get emails with the spurious odd characters you were getting with the old version.

Mammas Pizza

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Started off fine. In the evening worked for another customer. Afterward met up with Ed and Mary in the Bow Bar, and then ate Pizza and Chilli in Mammas Pizza Company. My Chilli was ordered extra hot, now regretting it a day later.

Alas, the weather turned bad, and the rain hammered down. Not so good when I was doing my Newcastle dress impression. At least Tee shirts dry quickly.

Edinburgh

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Flew up to Edinburgh from Birmingham.  Good day in Edinburgh.  I did little in the evening.  I had to work for another customer, so spent my time dialled up at hotel phone rates.  Ate in the hotel restaurant, chose the tuna. They love to serve it raw. Cooking it means to place the tuna on top of a hot vegetable.