Yearly Archives: 2011

Guernsey pictures are available

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We arrived back in England on Saturday.  Last undocumented days included a cliff walk, lunch at a restaurant on the South coast at La Gouffre called Cafe D’Escalier.  This used be called the Hollows and then served Greek food.  Now it served an adventurous Fest menu.  Some of the items were good, and the others were so so.  Choose well and you will be rewarded.  After lunch we walker back to Vazon Bay arriving just as it was getting dark.

Saturday a walk to Cobo bay, and then a final lunch at La Grande Mare.

Guernsey Holiday 2011

Pictures are available for viewing here.  https://www.blasdale.com/blog/picture-albums/2011-blasdale-picture-album/2011-guernsey-holiday-at-vazon-bay/

 

 

Wednesday dinner

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After arriving back in the flat, and a few G&Ts later, decided to eat in the hotel restaurant. Steve decided maybe that we should book, so over to the hotel and booked for supper. No room available until 8.30. Seems the Tenner Fest at La Grande Mare is pretty popular. I think they are the only restaurant doing the festival for a Tenner. This is a three course meal and in the evening. De Nellos in St Peter Port charge £17.50 for a three course evening meal. De Nellos feel they have to charge this amount, otherwise the food quality will be low. The meal La Grande Mare presented for £10.00 was excellent for quality, taste, presentation and value. There were quite a few options available on the menu I would be happy to eat. Maybe will have to go back again. Quantities were good, we left feeling satiated. Coffee was extra, but worth the cost, they do a good Cappuccino .

For the record

  • R had Chicken Tikka, followed by a vegetarian Wellington stuffed with Feta cheese and peppers. I tried a piece and it was yummy. She ended with ice cream.
  • S started with baked Cammenburt cheese, lamb on a potato champ and sauce, and finished with a apple crumble and ice cream.

Today worried by the rain, and no plan we headed to St. Peter Port and stopped in the ever growing number of Costa coffee shops which seem to have grown up. As usual I presented my Costa card to gain points, and as usual my Costa card was rejected. Why oh why have a loyalty card and find that it is not taken in that particular branch. I am getting hacked off with Costa and their owner Whitbread. Never have this problem of rejected loyalty card at Cafe Nero who, incidentally produce a better and stronger tasting cup of coffee.

We left and walked up through the town heading back to Vazon bay. We must have been lucky, despite the ominous clouds we arrived home dry. The ground at Vazon was soaking wet, luckily no rain fell on the just.

Wednesday New York weather

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The depression which caused havoc in New York and the East coast arrived here today. It though did not bring the snow which so damaged trees in Central Park. Instead grey and damp miserable weather arrived. Ventured out to stock up with T for the G&Ts which we had allowed to get perilously low.

Guernsey North island walk

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Fry up breakfast, including black pudding. Then the bus to Port Soif and walk to Saint Sampsons. Weather was warm and sunny, but a few spots of rain early on. Hopefully have a picture of a rainbow. Not many caffs open at this time of year, but had an ice cream at La Garenne. In total we walked I the region of 7.8 miles

Some pictures of LBJs, Kestral, Oyster Catchers and Curlew.

Back home on the 7A from the bridge in Saint Sampsons,G&Ts and then another M&S dine in for £10.00

Monday Guernsey

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Monday was a gentle day for us. Into St Peter Port, looking around the shops, not a lot more. The old Market Place was as depressing as usual with New Look, HMV and the CO-OP. Now even the obscure shops in Fountain Street seem to have all been closed down for some redevelopment project.

Back to the hotel for luncheon and their Tenner Fest. Three courses for £10.00. It was very good. I am looking forward to horrid weather for the rest of a week. Quick swim, lunch and then afternoon sleep. What more can want, even the beer is not so bad, some local brews and a guest from the main land, Black Sheep.

So what was so good, the mushrooms stuffed with a liver pate, the smoked salmon terrine, or for the mains, Thai flavoured mussels, or the Chicken Jalfrezzi curry. A proper cheese board for deserts. Ample choices, with luck we will be back.

Afternoon walk around Fort Hommet and some hopefully dramatic rock scale photographs taken in the dying sun.

Guernsey

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Well we are in Guernsey. Flew here on Saturday, been shopping and I now proudly sport a new fat face top. Yes there is a small saving on the price from a reduction in the tax. Last night we had a lazy Marks and Spencer dine in for £10.00 meal. It was a vegetarian mozzarella dish and microwaved peas and beans. After supper watched the waves breaking over the sea wall, attempted some photographs. In the morning there were many patches of sea weed and rocks on the coast road. After the night time sea viewing, we took to the golf course to track down a few ducks and geese on the ponds. Rosemary only took to a bunker once on the walk.

Today we bussed over to Fermain bay and took a short walk to the Auberge restaurant for luncheon. On the walk we met another English couple who regularly come to the Island, we are not the only ones. They come this time of year to eat at the Fest restaurants.

Our Auberge meal, excellent as usual. I started with Warm Toulouse sausage salad, while Rosemary ate Smoked Salmon with a caper sauce. Both of us ate fish for the main course, mine was Brill on mashed potato with Scallops and a corral roe sauce. Rosemary opted for Sea Bass on a mixture of noodles, carrot noodles and courgette noodles. I was surprised she ate her fish skin. I think it was a first for her and she now realises the delicacy missed all these years.

The finals were an Autumn Mess a mixture of berries in an Ice cream, much like an Eaton Mess. I was going to have that, but was beaten to the choice by Rosemary. The Panacotta and berry sauce, my second choice was delicious.

The eye candy served during the meal was delightful.

Returned to the flat, shopping at the local CO-OP and then back for G&Ts. The Grande Mare car park was heaving. Not sure if this a result of their 3 course Fest menu for £10.00 Shall be trying that tomorrow lunch time.

Alice Cooper

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Selina and I drove to the Birmingham NIA to see Alice Cooper on his world wide tour. We arrived at the NIA in plenty of time despite dire warnings from Rosemary. We had standing tickets so were able to rock with the music. It was amazing to see the attire of some in the audience, lots of Halloween costumes and killer nurse outfits.

First on were the New York Dolls they started slow, but warmed up to a reasonable set by the end of their slot. Then it was the turn of Alice Cooper. Yes all the usual hits and the odd new song. He wore a jacket saying New Song when he performed one. The drummer came in for some shouts of praise during his solo which was some of the fastest drumming I have seen or heard. The show was themed on No More Mister Nice Guy. Set had Frankenstein, a Guillotine and several mock killings. Seems Alice Copper is well on his way to being a born again Christian.

Something I have not seen before was the ability to buy a recording of the gig on CD as you leave the show. Two CDs recorded, and a blank disk for you to download the Encore set.

The recession

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The recession, or what recession. The chaps in the pub seem to be very busy. I have not met anyone who does not have enough work. Commenting this sorry in Twitter, it was deemed I must come from an affluent area.

For me, an employee, chargeable work has been pretty busy in the last few months. Old projects have come to an end with Aberdeen going live with their upgrade.

A short visit to Edinburgh to sort out an infrastructure change for a long standing client in the life assurance business. Had a great meal at a Tapas bar, and then of course what visit to Edinburgh would be complete without a visit to Whistle Binkies and some local Scottish musicians.

More recently new projects in Shropshire and Caerphilly have kept me busy with software upgrades. Caerphilly was interesting from a drinking and eating perspective. First week a premier inn and one of those cheap pub chains. The food was crap, and the premier inn was the premier inn with Lenni Henry sized beds. Luckily the weather was warm, and I could escape out side to drink a few pints and tweet to my tweeps in the dark. Ah the reason I drank outside was to miss the pub quiz.

Week after stayed at the Bryn Meadows Golf and Country club. Cost not a lot more, but gym and Swimming pool and a lush bedroom. Food and drink not outrageous either, at least compared with major cities.

The week after only suites available at the BM rather to costly for the budget. So tried the Half Way house in Blackwood. Pub with some new modern rooms. Rather nice friendly eye candy serving in the bar, and the land lord came and shook hands. Even the regular Welsh customers came up and spoke with the English man. Alas did not escape the Tuesday pub quiz. I won’t mention my score. Excuse, I was in a team of my own.

Shropshire was for a couple of days, which turned into three. Stayed in a hotel which could be classed as a boarding house. Was OK. Nice restaurant near by for food, but rather pot luck on what was severed. Not sure how a sirloin steak with salad was transformed into fillet steak with vegetables.

Should have a new install coming up in Brummie land on return from holiday.

The news today

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Last weekend we had a trip to the local National Trust house. There was an exhibition of Andy Warhol pictures themed on famous Jewish people. This was a rare occasion where the whole group of portraits were all exhibited together in the uk. Portraits of the Marx brothers, Einstein, Golda Meir and others. The pictures are from the series 10 Jews of the twentieth century. http://www.warholprints.com/cgi-bin/Andy.Warhol/gallery.cgi?category=Ten.Jews

A long walk around the house. It’s been quite a time since I last visited the interior of the house. Then the main reason for the visit, lunch. Lunch was good, bit slow on the service, and rather pricey. Those wanting to feel full and bloated after the meal would also be disappointed.

Wednesday our ‘his and hers’ iPads arrived, white with pink cover for rosemary, black and blue cover for Steve.

Disaster with holiday plans. Should really book them with the office. We were going off the France for a couple of weeks, looks like I am now working in Cumbria. Rosemary not best pleased with my organisation. Any way, I have rather a backlog of pictures to process from the last holiday.