Back West
So my tour of Great Britain's capitals went well. People were lovely, and I had warm beer. I miss warm beer.
First stop was London, where in I saw a ton of lovely folk in the Official Drinking Establishment of TheCesspit Enterprises (tm), Quins. Perhaps I could convince them to have a nice blue plaque when I am famous and historically important. Much beer was had, catching up was done, and I managed to navigate home on the correct buses and everything.
I then got up, emptied Kauket's loft of my junk and picked up hire car. Surprisingly to me, I didn't get tempted to drive on the right, and managed to get from Finchley to Muswell Hill with out any damage. Loaded car (with a fair amount of sweating and cursing of stairs, heavy boxes and the lack of sticky in packaging tape these days, not like in my youth where you could stick up an eleven year old boy to the wall with packing tape...), and headed oop north.
This also went well (except for the stupidity of buying a BK burger for $15, which wasn't a patch on a $9 from John's in Victoria... once you go gourmet burger, it's hard to go back), until I turned off into the Derbyshire Peaks. Rental cars don't come with Atlas's or Sat Nav (an invention I find a challenge to my ability to navigate. Hilary and Tensing didn't need no bleeding Sat Nav. Though admitedly, they only need to just go up), so I missed a turning and ended up in Belper rather than Buxton. Should have turned left at Ashbourne.
Still arrived eventually, and relaxed with a bunch of York Uni friends and a more (locally brewed) warm beer, while we caught up and reminisced about old times. next day was a wedding.
Wedding was a lovely relaxed affair with tea and scones after the short ceremony, and speeches that all-in lasted less than 15 minutes. Lovely carvery dinner was washed down with another beer or two, before heading off to bed in the Youth Hostel. Pretty comfortable, even if sharing a room with two other's I'd never met before. Lovely old Hall though. Lots of greenery and farm life around. Rolling Hills. Very Olde English.
Then headed to parents house in the Borders. Had roast chicken dinner. Laid off the warm beer for a day. Caught up with their news, had a walk around the area, all that good stuff. Also had to do one or two bits of paperwork to get UK affairs in order. My affairs that is, not the whole country's affairs.
Then Tuesday dumped car at Edinburgh airport (much to the delight of the 14 business men awaiting a car) and flew down to Cardiff to see my sister and her son. And my brother-in-law. All good there too. Nephew still has all the right number of limbs and can use them to motor around the garden, living room or wherever else he wants to get to. In The Night Garden it seems is what the 18 month year old is into these days. I am sure the Ninky Nonk and the Plinky Plonk are exciting to a that age group. I was confused by the whole thing. It was like Teletubbies after a concussion and/or sleep depravation. But the youngster was captivated.
Then it was another nights sleep and a trip on National Express to heathrow (yes, blue_condition, I went by coach) which was a rip off. Heathrow was fine, made even more fine by sitting in the Holideck lounge drinking as much (chilled) beer as I wanted. Which wasn't much, but it was peaceful way to spend 2 hour wait for plane.
Flew back via Seattle, where I had to wait for 5 hours for my plane (bad idea to wait that long. was exhausted and phazed out by that point), and back home to my bunker in Victoria.
First stop was London, where in I saw a ton of lovely folk in the Official Drinking Establishment of TheCesspit Enterprises (tm), Quins. Perhaps I could convince them to have a nice blue plaque when I am famous and historically important. Much beer was had, catching up was done, and I managed to navigate home on the correct buses and everything.
I then got up, emptied Kauket's loft of my junk and picked up hire car. Surprisingly to me, I didn't get tempted to drive on the right, and managed to get from Finchley to Muswell Hill with out any damage. Loaded car (with a fair amount of sweating and cursing of stairs, heavy boxes and the lack of sticky in packaging tape these days, not like in my youth where you could stick up an eleven year old boy to the wall with packing tape...), and headed oop north.
This also went well (except for the stupidity of buying a BK burger for $15, which wasn't a patch on a $9 from John's in Victoria... once you go gourmet burger, it's hard to go back), until I turned off into the Derbyshire Peaks. Rental cars don't come with Atlas's or Sat Nav (an invention I find a challenge to my ability to navigate. Hilary and Tensing didn't need no bleeding Sat Nav. Though admitedly, they only need to just go up), so I missed a turning and ended up in Belper rather than Buxton. Should have turned left at Ashbourne.
Still arrived eventually, and relaxed with a bunch of York Uni friends and a more (locally brewed) warm beer, while we caught up and reminisced about old times. next day was a wedding.
Wedding was a lovely relaxed affair with tea and scones after the short ceremony, and speeches that all-in lasted less than 15 minutes. Lovely carvery dinner was washed down with another beer or two, before heading off to bed in the Youth Hostel. Pretty comfortable, even if sharing a room with two other's I'd never met before. Lovely old Hall though. Lots of greenery and farm life around. Rolling Hills. Very Olde English.
Then headed to parents house in the Borders. Had roast chicken dinner. Laid off the warm beer for a day. Caught up with their news, had a walk around the area, all that good stuff. Also had to do one or two bits of paperwork to get UK affairs in order. My affairs that is, not the whole country's affairs.
Then Tuesday dumped car at Edinburgh airport (much to the delight of the 14 business men awaiting a car) and flew down to Cardiff to see my sister and her son. And my brother-in-law. All good there too. Nephew still has all the right number of limbs and can use them to motor around the garden, living room or wherever else he wants to get to. In The Night Garden it seems is what the 18 month year old is into these days. I am sure the Ninky Nonk and the Plinky Plonk are exciting to a that age group. I was confused by the whole thing. It was like Teletubbies after a concussion and/or sleep depravation. But the youngster was captivated.
Then it was another nights sleep and a trip on National Express to heathrow (yes, blue_condition, I went by coach) which was a rip off. Heathrow was fine, made even more fine by sitting in the Holideck lounge drinking as much (chilled) beer as I wanted. Which wasn't much, but it was peaceful way to spend 2 hour wait for plane.
Flew back via Seattle, where I had to wait for 5 hours for my plane (bad idea to wait that long. was exhausted and phazed out by that point), and back home to my bunker in Victoria.