Jen’s 60th birthday

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Jen, an old school friend of Rosemary, was having a surprise birthday party.  The party was on Sunday, and was taking place in Jen & husband Bev’s pub, The Cat Head Inn, Chiselborough, Somerset.  Jen and Bev have been landlords for the last few weeks, and seem admirably suited to the task in hand.

Rosemary and I drove down and stayed with Sue (another school friend) and Ken on the Saturday night.  Judy (from Manchester), the fourth member of the quartet of friends,  joined us.  Feasted in the pub across the road.  One could hardly be any nearer.

Sunday was a late start, some walks around the estate, and then a drive over to The Cat Head Inn to surprise Jen.  Success!

Leave My Blues At Home

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My last two days in Edinburgh are over.   I am not sure when I will be back there.  I had a pleasant evening exploring a number of hostelries in the city and sampling a few malts.  One a small bar was called the Jinglin Geordie Bar on Fleshmarket Close.

I also managed to get home on Thursday, the ash cloud moved off to the West of Ireland, and all the airports resumed operation to allow me home.  Arrived back home, picking some fish and chips up on the way.  Rosemary was out working as a polling officer in a nearby village.

I watched the the ending of the poll on TV, and was dismayed to hear the Gordon Brown would be hanging on to power despite losing the election.  How anyone can think that he and Alistair can get us out of this financial crisis after it was Gordon’s bad management of our economy that got us where we are.  All the favourable aspects of his rule of our economy, like low inflation have nothing to do with his leadership, but much to do with the world economy, India, Brazil and China.  Instead he has just squandered our money on bureaucracy in the hospitals,  paying GPs and consultants far to much.

He and Tony have dithered on our power systems, and when the lights start to go out in a few years time, I expect it will be the party in power that will feel the anger of the electorate, and not the cause of the crisis, Gordon and Tony.

ASHES TO ASHES

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As I booked my flight to Edinburgh, the Icelanders decided it was time to resurrect their volcano. Just before I turned the lights off at midnight, I thought I had better check my flight to Edinburgh. Easyjet was warning all flights to and from Scotland and Ireland were liable to  disruption, and I should check the flight.  The part of the site for checking flights was, of course, down.

4.45 am alarm, open laptop and check flights.  Glasgow cancelled, but Edinburgh still open.  Checked the CAA site, and the same news.  So off to Luton airport instead of the station.  Suffice to say, I have arrived in Edinburgh.  Will I get home, am I marooned here for the foreseeable future? [Ed – If he thinks I’ll believe a word of being stranded in Edinburgh because of ash, then the Monster Raving Loony Party will win tomorrow.]

Fog on the Tyne

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Arrived in Newcastle on time, and just pulling out.  The Lindisfarne reference is nothing to do with the weather, but my inability to get Facebook talking to Twitter.  There must be some snaffu in someone’s software.  I get asked for my twitter credential, and they are rejected.  Why?

I’me Mandy Fly Me

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Here I am on the East Coast rail line, on a bright sunny day, meandering up to Edinburgh for three days of work.  The jet planes all roaring over my head, marking their route with their vapour trails.  I feel super righteous in cutting down on my carbon foot print.  Like hell I do.  The future came out as I predicted when I bought my return trip on the chemin de fer,  The planes returned to the air on that very day.

I’ve had a cappuccino, and a a pain au chocolate, now holding off on my sandwiches until later.  Have been playing with face book, trying to get my blog published there.  Looks like I may have it working now.  Next lets get twitter and buzz working.

You are my Little Bird

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Greenfinch at the feeder

Greenfinch at the feeder

Trying out some action shots with my new Canon EOS 550 on the local bird population.  (Feathered variety alas.)  One wonders with all those extra pixels whether a new pro lens is in order.  Looks like I will have to keep on working a while.

Some more wildlife at the local oasis.

Needless to say, as soon as I went indoors, two pairs of Goldfinches arrived, but not the Greater Spotted Woodpecker who is often to be seen on the peanuts.  We’ve also had Long Tailed Tits who were charming.  The Greenfinches are highly aggressive and bad tempered.

Volcano, I’m Still Excited!!

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0416-ICELAND-VOLCANO_full_380 I had a short trip to Edinburgh this week.  I flew up from Heathrow to Edinburgh with British Airways on Monday morning.  I had tried to book a flight on the Friday evening, but found Easyjet were fully booked, and the price of Flybe from Birmingham was extortionate.  Train travel is also rather slow and expensive, so was rejected.  Last resort was BA.  For the sum of £43.00 I received my ticket to Edinburgh, I was able to take hold luggage at no extra charge (not that I had any),  I had bacon, egg, sausage and tomatoes, orange juice and coffee and daily newspaper on the flight for free, and could use the loo without charge.  I did not have to go through the indignity of proving who I was before flying.  Ryanair and Easyjet, you can go and get stuffed, BA is not over priced.

Terminal 5 was a good experience as well.

At work in Edinburgh, I found out how long I was staying, and booked my hotel through Last Minute dot Com.  Not such a good experience, they sent me to the wrong agency to check into the apartment I had booked.  Lots of walking and eventually a taxi, I was in my room.

Luckily I was there just for one night, any longer and I would still be there, stuck for lack of flights.  I am meant to be flying up there on Wednesday.  Will the ash cloud be being blown in another direction?  Let’s hope so.

We have arrived too late to play the bleeding heart show

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An addendum to my previous post.  We were called, we boarded, then we sat there waiting for lots of passengers who had disappeared.  Then we waited for a ground crew to unload the luggage of the disappeared passengers.  Then the ground crew arrived and spent ages locating whatever luggage that should not be flying.   What puzzles me is those passengers who decided not to fly must not have cared less about their luggage and left it to the machinations of Easyjet and Servisair.

In due course we left at 1.30, and arrived at Edinburgh in a sunny almost Spring like day, bit chilly for Spring, but it looked Spring like.  So by the time I was in Edinburgh is was well past 3.30, so felt I was too late for work, so checked into my hotel.  Good start to the week.

We’re walking in the air

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I am still sitting here in Luton airport, waiting and waiting.  I am most definitely not flying.  As I drove to Luton this morning the snow started to settle.  A little longer journey than usual, due to the cautious nature of most drivers in the snow.  Arrived in plenty of time, and watched several planes land.  Departures were announced and off people flew.  We were called and watched the incoming flight unload, and then nothing, and nothing not even an announcement and the traditional vanishing of everyone in authority.

The airport had closed, flights were cancelled, Malaga, Aberdeen, Galway, Germany.  Ours though still hung on.  Oh, one Easyjet  helper said my flight to Edinburgh had been cancelled, but that was denied by all the other staff.  Eventually the electronic boards were updated with information of the flight status, but why so long for the information?  Why does it take so long to provide this information in an easy place to see when the information is known all the time?

I am sitting here at midday writing this after eating my free Easyjet flight meal, ie  Starbucks coffee and a sandwich.  The flight indicator says an estimated departure of 13.30, but I see the Glasgow flight with the same estimate has started to board.  Maybe I will arrive in Edinburgh after all.  I was a tad worried, the snow flurries outside had all started up again after a brief respite.

My flight has been called.  Off I go, let’s hope I go to Edinburgh & not Prestwick.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

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Wednesday was slumming it night.  Haggis, neaps and tatties in the Last Drop, named after the gallows on Grassmarket. Then on to Whistle Binkies for some musical entertainment.

Thursday, another nice but cold day. Stay in evening today.  Spent the evening on the PC, but before that out for dinner at the Petit Paris.  Opted for the pre 7.00 menu and had  vol au vents for starters. These were filled with mussels, or rather one mussel and a delicious sauce.  Then it was coq au vin for the main course.  Of course this was all washed down with two large glasses of red wine. Yes I intend to have a pickled liver, I am fed up with being told what I can and cannot do by this Labour Government and the nanny advisors.  Maybe when the death tax is introduced, Gordon will start to encourage us to drink and smoke.

Friday, another sunny day, though a tad on the cool side.  I wish I could get my hotel room cool, was forced to open the window to let some cool air in, despite the heating being off.  Now I am sitting waiting for my flight at Edinburgh airport.

A complaint about Edinburgh Airport.  [Ed – Grumpy Old Man Moment.]  It is being “developed” and so turned into a damn shopping mall.  It’s going to become more crowded.  I hope though, when it’s finished, that they will remove the food areas that presently congest the narrowest sections of the airport, where people stand in the way, stack their luggage, move their chairs and tables into the corridor and make it nearly impassable between sections of the airport.  Yes you can negotiate the area when you have time, but in a rush its a right royal pain in the arse.

Oh I see the flight has started to board, so looks like it will be leaving on time. Home again, home again, jiggity jig.