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Scotland and the Mai Thai

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Well I finished the week in Chicago, and arrived back on Saturday.  Looks like I won’t be back for the conversion weekend.  That day was delayed and now coincides with my holiday.

Had a week in the office doing some support for the Polish, since then £ signs always seem to display as some other odd character on my PC.  Must look at my keyboard mappings.  After a nice week going home every day I felt rather spoilt.

Weekend at home, meal with John, Carol, Anne and Chris (& their two dogs).  All stayed over night.

Monday back up to Edinburgh for a final bit of development.  The Mai Thai restaurant was closed, the chef was taking a four week break back to Thailand.  So I went elsewhere to eat, the Siam Thani on Broughton Street.  I am afraid it was no cheaper, and the food was not nearly as nice as Mai Thai.

Ate one meal at the Petit Paris.  Have not eaten in the Grass Market one for a long time.  The waiter commented on not seeing me for such along time.  Had a nice meal of duck and lentil casserole.

Met Ed and Jo for a curry at Zest.

The past week the weather has been pretty good.  Sunny, but was quite cold in the evening.

Edinburgh Festival about to start

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This week is the Jazz Festival, and the most wonderful day in recent history.  Sunshine all day, though a little cold.  The Easyjet flight left almost on time, and now I am pre-checking in on the Internet and the zero security queues at Luton, I get an extra 30 minutes in bed at home.

Lovely meal at the Mai-Thai.

TOM YUM GOONG

Hot and sour soup of prawns flavoured with lemon grass, kaffir lime and chilli

YUM NEUA

Char-grilled sliced sirloin steak dressed with chilli, cucumber, Thai celery, tomato and red onion

Sunshine at last

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The weekend, the sun shone at home.  OK rained Saturday night, but Sunday was lovely.  Was able to catch up on the grass mowing.  Looking at the way the willows have grown this Summer there should be plenty of fuel for the Winter.

Did manage to get some of the galleries updated onto the web.

Weekend Away in Cardiff

Cambridge Visit to the Docklands

Weekend away in Paris

There is still our Cornish and French holiday along with some photographs of the family from the sad occasion of the funeral of Jean Blasdale.  They should be available in the next few weeks.

Paris on Saturday

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We started the day a little later than normal after an excellent breakfast in the Radisson. 

Out on the metro, changed onto the line which takes us into the Latin zone.  First stop was a visit on the Pantheon.  This is where the great people of France are entombed.  We visited the tombs of Voltaire, the Curies and Victor Hugo and a few other famous authors.  At 11.00 we took the tour on to the roof.  This allowed us to take pictures from a height inside the building, and to take pictures of Paris from just below the dome of the Pantheon. 

 The Pantheon Paris

Next it was of to see the Notre Dame cathedral, stopping on the way for a coffee.  In front of the cathedral was a Fête du Pain; just what we needed.  We bought an Artisan Pain to go with the remains of yesterday’s Camembert. Trekked around the inside of the Notre Dame, looking at the Rose windows.

The Notre Dame Paris

Orsay was next on the agenda.  This building is an old railway station converted into an art gallery. Some very fine clocks adorn it. The building is definitely worth looking at, as are some of the pictures.  Large collections of Monet, Manet, Mondrian.  As usual in a Paris museum you were allowed to take photographs.

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The evening was spent visiting the erotic museum.  This contained examples of erotica from many ancient cultures.  Afterwards we had a rather poor meal at a Creole restaurant nearby.

 

Back in Edinburgh

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I see my last blog entry was a month ago.  We have been doing quite a few things this month.  A visit to Cardiff for a long weekend and a trip around the London Docklands area with the Cambridge Society.  Alas I delegated these write ups to Rosemary who has failed to come up with the goods.

I am back in Edinburgh for a short trip.  Excellent flight up here, we left early and arrived in Edinburgh early.  The flight was full so I can claim it was a Green Flight, Mr Blair.  Lovely and sunny here, but how cold.  Cold East wind blowing all day.

At out at the Mussel and Steak, and had yet again a wonderful Rib Eye Steak, hung for three weeks, and served rare.  They do know what rare is, lovely.

Well that’s it, must get off to work now.  Should be here this year for at least four more months.  So looking forward to the next festival.  Maybe I can persuade Rosemary to come up here again. 

Night out in Edinburgh

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After working all Saturday, decided to have a night out enjoying myself.  Started out with a meal at my favourite Thai Resturant and bar, The Mai Thai.  Had duck for my main course, not the usual spicy duck, but one cooked with tomatoes and pineapple.  It was an excellent change to my usual dish.

Then it was off to Whistle Binkies where I listened to a band called Roadhouse.  A 70s-80s cover band. Excellent renditions of Stefan Wolf, James Brown – Play that Funky Music White Man, Kinks – You Really Got Me  Going, AC/DC – Highway to Hell.  A few pints later it was back to bed, and then an earlyish bus to the airport.

I had to get through security by 09:00, so that I could set up to buy the tickets for Glastonbury.  Both Rosemary and I tried, but by 11.30 we got the message all sold out.  Never once in that time did Rosemary connect to the website.  Who were all these people who were succesful in buying tickets!!

The state of the fields at home

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I have never seen so much standing water on our fields.  Someplaces there must be 6 inches of water.  Don’t suppose the sheep appreciate the wet.  Not sure draining will help, the ditches are all full as well.

Talking about sheep, funny creatures.  They seem at the moment to eat in the other field (Richards), but come and sleep at night in our field.  Then in the morning at around 7.00 they move off to Richards field.  They don’t sleep in the 6 inches of water, they sleep on the high ground of the field, which is relatively dry.

My last week with the bank

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I spent what could be my last week with the bank for a while.  Though I expect to be back again .  Not a lot happened.  I did visit a few restaurants.

Ate at the Mussel and Steak, and had yet again a very good rare sirloin steak.  The large steak had not a single piece of ‘chewy meat’, and was totally tender all the way through.

Tried a new Indian restaurant called Voujon.  It was quite a long walk from the hotel, aiming up Nicholson Street.  The place was well lit with trendy ceiling lights, and there was not a sign of flock wallpaper (which is a shame cos R says it is now high fashion).  The plates were all those modern white square dishes.  The food was well-prepared, but was the same menu as most other Indian restaurants.

The other two times, I ate in the hotel. It’s about time the menu was changed.  I did though visit Whistle Binkies on Thursday and saw half a set of a covers band playing Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Sex Pistols and many of the ’70s rock classics.

Slight worry about getting home.  There was snow in Aylesbury, and a small sprinkling in Edinburgh.  Waiting at the airport on Friday (over an hour late), I noticed all the flights to Birmingham were cancelled.

Ladymead Joinery

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Made it home.  Boarded the plane at around 16.00, but air traffic control at Luton were restricting the landings more severely, so we sat there for almost another hour.  Eventually arrived in Luton just before 18:00. Then the interminable wait for the luggage and the funeral  procession drive home in the fog.

Home at 19:30, and straight out to the Plough and Anchor for supper.  Lovely Christmas meal, and lashings of wine made the evening speed by.

GT Christmas party

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A whole week in Edinburgh, and the weather was appalling.  Rain every day.  Not many highlights in the week, other than the Group Technology RBS Christmas party.

The party, on Thursday, was at the Jam House on Queens Street.  Much alcohol was consumed, people dancing, finger food available.  There were several bands, blues, and rock.  Alas there were a couple of women doing Abba Songs.  Think that was the low part of the party.  Trouble is you can still sing along to them.

Made to leave quite early, and found myself with Neil and Stephen going to the casino on the same street.  Alas as with all gambling, I left a couple of hours later at 1.00 20 pounds lighter.  I was playing Black Jack.  Neil on the other hand stayed till 3 and went away with 600 pounds extra on the Roulette wheel.  From 20 pounds he had been 800 pounds up at one time.

I made my way to Whistle Binkies for some music and a final pint.
Back at home the Christmas spirit is beginning to rise.  The Christmas tree was erected at the weekend, and then decorated.  The lights are up.  The turkey is in the freezer, the Christmas cake has been made. Amazon have been and gone many times bringing their goodies. Now its for me to do that last minute shopping.  Christmas Eve, hurry please.