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Day 25 – London
A new day, a hint off bluesky and sunshine. A quick skype with L’s mum and it was time for more continental breakfast. I know it’s been days since I had bacon and a fried egg but I’m sure my digestive system will thank me for it one day. Today was Oxford St, with a bit of the rest of the West End for good measure. L wanted to shop, and where better really (I’m not keen on letting her loose and unsupervised in Harrod’s). She had a list of locations, checked it twice, and off we went. Quick stop at Marble Arch for a photo, then away into retail…
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Day 24 – London
After everything we’ve been eating, a continental breakfast at the hotel sounded sweet. A little light toast, tea, all-bran and some yogurt and honey to add a bit of balance to the system and top up the immune system. London at this time of year can be a bit of a challenge to the system, as there aren’t many seasonal greens, and the cold, biting wind on the streets is rapidly contrasted by the blast furnaces cranking up the heat in almost every building. Lots of sudden temperature changes. After breakfast the most pressing task was doing the laundry. A little bit of research has located a couple of laundromats…
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Day 23 – Edinburgh – ?!?! London
Another day catching up on a backlog of blogposts. Now caught up, this one’s live. Checked the weather last night, and the Met Office had issued some cautions for wind and rain. North of Scotland can expect snow, possibly a blizzard, so it looks like we’ve picked the right day to head south. Some minor drama at Waverley station, our train had no platform on the board 15 minutes before departure, then all the boards went blank. L managed to find a railperson who told us which platform we needed. Hiked there, got on the train, all was good. Headed south, made it through Newcastle without incident, always a good…
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Day 22 – Edinburgh
Today was a designated shopping day, looking for interesting shiny things as well as tacky souvenirs for all you folks brainwashed by capitalism to expect more from out travels than the experience of reading our journals. Fortunately, another thing Scotland does well is its ability to stick some tartan or a St Andrew’s Cross on almost anythingand flog it off to tourists, so you can rest assured we’ve found the tackiest pressies for you. Breakfast was a fruit and yogurt smoothie, almost a shock to the system. From here we hit Princes St, getting a good dose of Edinburgh weather, bright sunlight and bitterly cold wind probably express from the…
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Day 21 – Edinburgh, 2012
Woke up stiff and sore, joints aching, as if we’d spent the night before partying in slippery mud and rain. Funny that. We gave the hotel breakfast a miss, as it wasn’t very good, and wandered over the road to the COnan Doyle for a full breakfast. Haggis, bacon, black pudding, all the usual suspects except the potato scone that is often to be found in these parts. Full of tea and beans, we had a quiet morningg. Our digestions are starting to rebel a little, complaining about having three large meals each day. Even with the walking, we’re still eating a lot of really good but really rich food.…
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Day 20 (part 2) – Edinburgh
Spent the last morning of 2011 wandering around Edinburgh with L, checking out the Old Town and Royal Mile. Wandered up to the castle, and as always stunned by the view. The Scots certainly knew where to build castles: find the biggest piece of fuck-off rock, completely inaccessible from 3 sides with a fair incline on the fourth, and stick a big-ass fortification on top. And then say the equivalent of go ahead, make my day. A for attitude. The legs got a good workout, wandering up and down the Mile. Popped down to Holyrood to see the Queen, but she was off in Norfolk. Went instead into my favourite…
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Day 20 (part 1) – Edinburgh
The last day off 2011 is upon us. As I write, it has just ticked over into 2012 in Perth (Australia, not Perth in Scotland). Kind of a weird feeling, as the only other time I’ve been out of WA at New Year’s was in Melbourne, where we were 3 hours ahead. So being behind seems weird. I’m not unhappy to say goodbye to 2011. As years go, it has been far too interesting for my liking. The big minus was losing Mum, in many ways too soon but in others the relief that she’s no longer in pain. Then losing Sara Douglass, also to cancer, and also much too…
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Day 19 – Landrillo – Wolverhampton – Edinburgh
A day of three countries. Started with another fine breakfast at TL, more laverbread, bacon, black pudding and other breakfasty goodness. Overall the food has been pretty good here, possibly slightly below other Michelin-starred experiences but still very fine. Packing up the car we caught a good sight of many of our fellow guests, shooters up for a bit of peasant/pheasant or grouse. Apparently they had a very poor day yesterday with the rain, no matter what the beaters did the birds weren’t moving. I’m no fan of bloodsport, but if they eat what they shoot that’s fine with me. They all looked pretty funny all dressed up in their…
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Day 18 (part 2) – Llandrillo, Snowdonia and Portmeirion
After farewelling mum, we headed off to Portmeirion, the seaside locale where weird and strange building features go to retire. Bizarre features, out of place architecture, statues that would otherwise be considered grotesque, and random hanging sheep signs are the norm here. So far, so weird. The place’s cool credentials come from being the location where The Prisoner, that fabulous piece of 1960s British SF starring Patrick McGoohan, was filmed. This allows the bizarre and grotesque to also be strangely familiar. It’s a cool, if strangely bizarre place, with groovy The Prisoner merchandise. From there it was a fairly easy drive back to the TL. L has insisted on driving,…
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Day 18 (part 1) – Goodbye Mum
We left our intrepid travellers at a restaurant with rooms, a weird, pokey old rabbit warren of a house boasting a pretty impressive kitchen. The water pressure in the shower/bath is not great, but the water does come in hot and cold so that’s pretty good as outside it’s a little brisk, aiming for a maximum temperature of 9. Back into the restaurant for breakfast, a bit of a fruit, juice and yogurt buffet with a full breakfast menu that really takes the cake. There are choices, choices and more choices. It’s easy for L, they had a yummy offering of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs practically calling out her…
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Day 17 – Bath – Llandrillo
With L’s Jane Austen habit temporarily sated, it’s time to head into the wilds of Wales. With sat nav coordinates a little too much like lost (LL21 0ST or something like that) it was looking like an opportunity to disappear into the valleys, or a coal mine somewhere. It was awesome to cross the Severn bridge into Wales, as it isn’t everyday a West Aussie gets to drive across a national border (even if it is a toll bridge). We then found it quite funny when the satnav took us almost straight out of Wales, into Herefordshire. It’s interesting to see that there is in many places a marked geographical…
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Day 16 – Bath
What’s more challenging than typing in a car hurtling through the High Atlas mountains? Typing in a car going along the A5 and associated roads in Wales, where they’re having a goodly amount of rain, some potholes, and curves that might trouble a Moroccan or two. Still, I’m geting a little behind on this blog so will try to catch up. At some point I’d like to get the creative juices flowing and write a little behind the scenes and about the whys and wherefores of travel blogging. How it’s hard to write about the past when the present is full of the most amazing scenery, and when you’re travelling…
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Day 15 – Charlton Horethorne – Bath, Boxing Day
After a light breakfast of tea and toast, and a pause to round up the troops, we were inviteed to take part in a tradition, the Boxing Day walk. By all accounts this tradition can involve being confronted by angry horses, cows, and other mishaps. While these aren’t guaranteed, they are not unexpected, either. Given the time it was a short walk, just up the nearby Cadbury Castle, an alleged site of Camelot. The path up is quite precarious and muddy, but no one slipped over. At the top are the remains of mud fortifications, an iron age hill fort. These made for a wonderful path to walk around and…
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Day 14 – Plymouth – Charlton Horethorne, Christmas Day
Awoke fairly early and swapped pressies over breakfast. Got an amazingly compressed travel towel from cousin R. Then it was time to pack up the car and hit the road. Things were a little cosy, as the four of us and luggage and pressies were in the Tiguan, but not unpleasantly so. We took a slight detour via the site of one of the old forts of Plymouth, where we took in the fine panorama of the town, Devonport, the Channel and the wonderful green inland. Back on the road we headed for Dorset, being wary of any Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstalls stopped alone the road searching for roadkill. Hugh may have…
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Day 13 – Plymouth, Christmas Eve
Woke up goodly rested this morning. Slowish morning, before a frantic trip to Drake’s shopping centre in central Plymouth for last minute stuff. Then great aunt J’s friend D invited us all over to have Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. ALL ot them. Started woth champagne and canapes, then pinot noir with turkey, onion and sage stuffing, chestnut and sausage meat stuffing, little rolled up bacon parcels, sausages, potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots and parsnips, gravy and bread sauce, And then seconds. Then it was Christmas pudding, complete with 20p pieces, brandy butter and cream, followed by cheese, port, fruit and chocolate. All of it very tasty. And a toast…
