Gosh is it Thursday 21st January already? This first week back at work is flying by. Today is my first proper day in the office which is nice. I have a nice office looking out over the back garden.
I can see that I need to top up the bird feeder. I also have a new feeder that John bought me for Christmas that needs priming and hanging out. I’ll do it later.
Notice how I slip the date into each of these posts. Might get a bit boring but by definition it won’t get repetitive:) It’s maintaining a format so that readers will easily be able to see which day I am referring to. Had I merely said “Gosh is it Thursday already” it could have been any Thursday!
Was slightly late into the pool as I had to scrape the ice off the windows but still got in a reasonable session. It’s cold and crisp and minus three degrees C when I got up. Apparently the weather is set to warm up over the weekend. I think this is a shame.
As a footnote I have to sort out registering Dad’s car today. The forms are hugely complicated. It’s going to take me some time.
Walked from Aldgate in the City of London to Kings Cross this morning. Roughly an hour so I guess it must be around three miles. Could have made it a little quicker but I kept stopping to take photos. Also I waited for the lights to go green at most of the pedestrian crossings whereas the “locals” were just going ahead and crossing when it looked safe to do so.
You notice an awful lot more when walking. I noted that most people walking in the same direction as me were moving faster than I was. The majority of walkers seemed to be coming towards me, the sea parting as they approached. It’s quite a dangerous place is the city. The walkers divided into three categories: those with headphones, those staring into their phones and those simply focussed on getting to their place of work. The first two categories were the ones in danger I reckon.
It also looks a bit dodgy for cyclists. This group really needs to have all their senses switched on.
You pass some really historic names en route to Kings Cross, at least whilst in the City. I noted the Bank of England, the Old Bailey, Bow Church, Hatton Garden to name but a few. Also those are the only ones I remember 🙂
The route is pretty straightforward. Just two straight lines really. The first took you along classic names: Aldgate, Leadenhall Street, Cornhill, Poultry, Cheapside and then the A40 (!!!) to Chancery Lane tube. Opulent streets, initially, filled with expensive shops. Barker and Church shoe shops side by side I remember. Wouldn’t have made much sense to do the walk in their expensive shoes.
At Chancery Lane you turn right and follow the Grays Inn Road all the way to Kings Cross. The turn marks quite a change in the scenery. Posh shops make way for more run down buildings and there are one or two stretches where the number of pedestrians dwindles – probably the furthest away from the tube stations. The International Centre of Excellence in Dentistry looked extremely dowdy and certainly didn’t project an image of excellence.
As you approach Kings Cross you also encounter the first zebra crossings. Very refreshing after having to wait at a large number of controlled pedestrian crossings en route.
It felt good arriving at the station. An appropriate effort as part of the training for the Coast to Coast. I need to be able to sustain the walking all day and over rough terrain but this is a good start.
I’m deep in the City of London. Liverpool Street. Commuters hurry with a purpose through the crisp coldness of a lately arrived January. I wonder what fills their computer screens. One imagines lots of deals with lots of noughts but there must be some more mundane jobs. Not that big money necessarily means interesting.
I read somewhere that the richest 1% now has as much wealth as the rest of the world combined. OK but are they happy? 🙂
I’m here for UKNOF33. Technical conference. It’s a goodun fair play. The coffee breaks are very productive. These conferences get better the more of them you go to. You get to know more and more people and the conversations become more interesting.
I was a good boy at breakfast consuming bran flakes and fruit followed by eggs florentine. An attempt to make up for last night’s beer and curry. I was reasonably good at lunch – salady stuff. The afternoon coffee break blew it. 3 small doughnuts. They were very small. Someone said more like the holes that had been removed from ring doughnuts. Hmm.
The hotel is very comfortable. I have a four poster bed fwiw. Good mattress and duvet. Important stuff. Better than the springs you get at a Travelodge.
These are long days though. Towards the end of the day everyone starts to flag. I am no different. It is now 16.41. This is when they should be rolling out the cold refreshments.
There comes a time in every man’s vacation when he has to face reality and do some work. Today is such a day. Off to the smoke until Wednesday (10.16 outa Lincoln Central). Couple of meetings today including my regular get together with Rich of LONAP.
Tonight will be a glass of wine or two, a bite to eat and early to bed no doubt 🙂
It would somewhat misleading to say that the subject of this entry, and hence the featured image, is leeks and their fate. It was just a convenient image to hand so up it went. The leek itself does form part of our dinner tonight, roast chicken with all the trimmings, so it isn’t totally out of context. I could just as easily have put up the photo of the chicken, or of the pan-full of chopped tomatoes currently in the process of being turned into soup. I didn’t.
I have just returned from the frozen North. The house is pleasingly warm. The welcoming smile very welcome and certainly makes up for the tedious drive from Newcastle (via Durham) variously at 70 and 50 mph. The roadworks seem to be never ending. It’s a lot harder to maintain 50mph than 70 especially when it would appear that my cruise control has gone to warmer climes to avoid the freezing conditions. Some might say who can blame it but not I. The cruise control is an inanimate object. Its purpose is to serve me.
Moreover I quite like a cold crisp winter’s day. In fact I will shortly be wrapping up and walking to the train station to simultaneously pick up some tickets for tomorrow’s trip to London and try out my new boots.
I leave you with two videos. The first is a ride in the lift from the 6th floor to reception at the brand new Crowne Plaza hotel in Newcastle. The second is a video of a track repair train (I assume that’s what it is) leaving Newcastle station. It was taken from my room on the 5th floor and I can only surmise that it is related to the fact that there is a replacement bus service operating for train journeys between Darlington and Newcastle.
The clock ticks inexorably on into January and the freeze has set in. We are without snow but it will hopefully be on its way. I like snow although the household resilience to its effects is now somewhat diminished since the departure of the Jeep. The snow does need to hold off until I’ve been to Newcastle and back.
Today I set the compass North to head to Richmond to buy some AltBerg walking boots and thence to Newcastle to deliver a laptop and some sustenance to Davies progeny. Anne is staying behind with John. It feels somewhat indulgent to go off on my own but that’s the way it’s worked out on this occasion.
I ended up buying a very comfortable pair of Meindl boots. My feet are so wide there were no AltBergs wide enough. Popped into Richmond for a bite – lovely cobbled market square. Arrived 15.30 at Joe’s gaff and blew a ton in Morrisons on tins of soup and other foodstuffs. Now very comfortably ensconced in my upgraded room at the Crowne Plaza with no less than 2 USB ports by the bed. This is a new hotel and that’s what I call progress:)
You will want to know that I am back at home and sat in my office with the Dyson fan heater keeping the ambient temperature at a comfortable level. I’ve whizzed through a few token tasks on my virtual jobs list and will shortly be heading to Coops’ garage with Hannah in the Peugeot to get it MOT’d. Hansk and I are then walking back home via a cawfee shop or summat.
It’s my last official day of holiday. Tomorrow’s trip to Richmond and thence to Newcasssssle is just weekend stuff. I’m off to the Alt-Berg shop to buy some walking boots and then taking the Northern based kids out for a curry in Toon.
It’s good to be home. We have had a great week away but there ain’t no place like where I am now. It means getting back to a normal routine. Swim before breakfast etc although I did ok on the swimming front in the Isle of Man.
Later…
Hannah and I had lunch in Cafe Portico on the way up Steep Hill. Bit of salad (featured pic). Yum. Fair play. They had a large Ed Waite hanging on the wall. We like Ed Waite. Next up is a whizz to Waitrose for a couple of ingredients for Han’s leaving dinner tonight – “Chicken For A Crowd”. In our case four’s a crowd.
In cabin 812 aboard the Ben My Chree 8.45 out of Douglas bound for Heysham. There is something exciting about being in a port as dawn arrives. It’s the start of an adventure. In our case we are off home, via the Wirral where we will pay a visit to Anne’s sister Sarah. I have fuelled up with a bacon sandwich from the caff and have purchased a small carton of milk so that we can have proper cups of tea instead of using the UHT muck they give you.
Although in recent years we have flown to the Isle of Man from Liverpool we are experienced ferry goers. On the Heysham route it is an essential survival tip to book a cabin. The best way to survive a rough crossing without seasickness is to lie down for the whole journey and maybe get some kip.
The kip bit will be welcome enough as last night was not a good sleep. Firstly I always wake up during the night if i have set an alarm and secondly the bloomin side gate kept banging in the wind. I ended up having to get up at 4am to shut it properly. When the alarm did eventually go off it came as a shock to the system. Urgh!
We must be in the eye of the storm because the wind has died down and the rain is no longer thundering against the french windows. Dad is in Nobles Hospital having a cataract removed. Anne and I have been for a swim and we are shortly to depart for Tynwald Mills whereupon we shall indulge in a cawfee. There might even be a sale bargain or two up for grabs.
Storm is the norm here in the Isle of Man. When visitors mention that it took them half an hour to walk a hundred yards down the street into the teeth of a gale the Manx raise half an eyebrow and mention that they hadn’t noticed the weather was particularly bad.
If you want to buy flowers they sell them at Tynwald Mills. And cheese, which we had for lunch.
Winter in Peel is not for the faint hearted. Wrap up warm, fasten all zips and hold onto hats. Battle around the castle. Seek shelter in the Creek. Scallops and bacon in white wine and garlic. Okells Ale. A warming bottle of red. Home to watch the snooker.
Excuse the noise of the wind in this video – it was wild out there.
If you ever find yourself in the Marco Polo Lounge at Marco Polo Airport (Marco Polo would have been impressed) just watch you don’t slip on the carpet. They have polished floors covered with very nice rugs. Look very nice and designed to reinforce the Darwin theory whereby those not destined to pass on their genes slip and do themselves and injury.
Rest assured that not only have I already successfully passed on my genes but was also able to draw on balance and recovery skills inherited from my own parents to stay upright and conscious.
A miserable wet day in Venezia is a good choice to leave. We are bound for the Isle of Man somewhere guaranteed to be even more miserable and wet than Venice but somewhere I am able to call home.There are only two other people in this part of the lounge, plus an unattended Louis Vuitton bag. I got the attendant to remove the bag. Better safe than sorry.
Whether it is a genuine LV I know and care not. There are two schools of thought regarding this bag. Either it is genuine and the person who owns it is so rich that forgetting their very expensive carry on luggage means nothing to them. Alternatively it isn’t genuine and some poseur has just carelessly forgotten it. You may also make up your own alternative scenario. I care not.
Some bloke has now returned with the bag. There was an announcement, in Italian. I think it’s a fake. He is a normal looking guy.
This is going to be quite a long day. We are at the airport ages before we need to because I thought it was a 11.30am flight whereas it is actually 12.30. At least we have the comfort of the lounge in which to sit and relax.
When we get to Gatwick we have a 4 hour layover. This is made worse by the fact that we won’t be able to check in our luggage with Easyjet until 2 hours before the flight. So 2 hours of the 4 will involve hanging around the desert that is the check in area. Urgharoonie (that’s for the Davies kids).
Whoever said international travel is glamorous. Not moi.
Sat in the bar of L’O waiting for attention from the bartender. Cool tunes pummel my shoulders. Head is clear but state short-lived once cask broached. Russian woman in long white fur orders taxi for morning and removes two noisy kids. They have first class train tickets. Fire dances. Shadows.
Se avete mai avuto l’occasione, e queste opportunità non appendere lì penzoloni in attesa di essere spennati, accettare l’offerta di un tour privato intorno al negozio fabbrica di vetro Vecchia Murano a Venezia. E ‘proprio dietro la Basilica di San Marco.
Un signore di nome Maurizio Ballarin noi adottato nel negozio e ci ha portato dietro le quinte. Siamo stati trattati per un bicchiere privato soffia dimostrazione e un tour delle camere non è aperto al pubblico. E ‘stato come una grotta di Aladino. Il vetro era davvero incredibile, tanto che ero preoccupato solo camminando per le stanze. Il valore di quello che era in offerta era inestimabile. Ogni pezzo fantastico era valore di migliaia di euro e c’erano centinaia di oggetti in mostra.
Non c’erano “nessuna fotografia” segni ovunque. I display portato il tat in mostra nelle vetrine dei negozi delle strade sottostanti in prospettiva reale. Purtroppo avremmo solo potuto permettersi il “occhio” e dopo aver visto quello che si potrebbe davvero fare con l’arte non c’era modo avremmo visto il nostro modo di comprare niente di meno che il meglio.
In altre notizie dopo 5 ore di martellamento in pietra di Venezia strade asfaltate e attraversando innumerevoli canali siamo tornati nella nostra camera per un periodo di riposo La galleria d’arte dell’Accademia era davvero la pena di visitare -. Basta fare in modo di evitare la visita guidata da un sapere tutto americano guida turistica. Ha ottenuto il mio stoppino e abbiamo dovuto passare a un’altra stanza. Almeno ci ha insegnato che siamo stati felici con un po ‘di informazioni su un dipinto piuttosto che un’analisi approfondita del significato di ogni pennellata. Stasera è pub crawl e pizza tempo, per domani si parte per l’Isola di Man.
For those of you ungifted in the language of the Venetian Lagoon I offer a translation:
If you ever get the chance, and these opportunities don’t hang there dangling waiting to be plucked, accept the offer of a private tour around the Vecchia Murano glass factory shop in Venice. It’s just behind the Basilica of St Mark.
A gentleman named Maurizio Ballarin adopted us in the shop and took us behind the scenes. We were treated to a private glass blowing demonstration and a tour of rooms not open to the public. It was like an Aladdin’s cave. The glass was truly awesome, so much so that I was worried just walking around the rooms. The value of what was on offer was inestimable. Each fantastic piece was worth thousands of Euros and there were hundreds of items on show.
There were “no photography” signs everywhere. The displays brought the tat on show in the shop windows of the streets below into real perspective. Unfortunately we would only have been able to afford the “tat” and having seen what you could really do with the art there was no way we would have seen our way to buying anything less than the best.
In other news after 5 hours of pounding Venice’s stone paved thoroughfares and traversing countless canals we are back in our room for a rest. The Accademia art gallery was really worth a visit – just make sure you avoid the guided tour by a know it all American tour guide. She got on my wick and we had to move on to another room. At least it taught us that we were happy with a little bit of information about a painting rather than an in depth analysis of the meaning of each brush stroke.
Tonight is pub crawl and pizza time, for tomorrow we depart for the Isle of Man.
This morning’s watchword is Wellingtons. Wellies are really what are needed to walk around Venice. Half the streets are flooded in the early morning and people have to walk around on elevated boards set in the middle of the streets. By 13.30 ish the waters had subsided and we could actually walk on St Marks Square
Things that struck me:
There were lots of people in the Louis Vuitton shop. The one at the hotel in Bucharest only had two guards and two members of staff.
The Doge’s Palace was stunning and very much worth a visit. It and the whole area around St Marks Square just oozed wealth and power. You really got a sense of Venice as a world power during its heyday. I could imagine being surrounded by Venetians in period dress making political decisions, talking to ambassadors and doing business deals.
Although it was a miserably damp day and although Venice would probably look much nicer in the sun we were able to visit the Bell Tower and Doge’s Palace without having to queue. You could imagine long waits at the height of the season and it looked as if the place was pretty busy as it was.
The narrow streets with buildings so close that at times you could almost reach out and touch the one opposite made me think of what London might have been before the Great Fire. The buildings here are all stone built unlike the wooden construction of 17th Century London.
Our hotel, the L’Orologio, is in a really convenient spot right next to the fish and vegetable markets and near to the Rialto Bridge. Famous as it is, the Rialto is I’m afraid not much of an attraction in its current boarded over state. The hotel is less than one year old and has a great combination of Italian design whilst also being very comfortable.
We had a pleasant breakfast at around 09.15 and then “hit Venice”. At 11.30 we stopped for a cuppa. Anne had cappuccino and I had a very luxurious chocolate with a brandy. It seemed the right thing to do, so miserable was the weather. Tomorrow is forecast to be nicer, sunny even.
Back at the hotel for a chill at 2.30 ish and then out again, in the drizzle, looking for some action. There was none. Most people with any sense were indoors. We wandered looking for a bar to sit in. There is nothing along the lines of a pub. They have what look like sandwich shops with small shelves where people stand and sip at espressos or some pink Venetian plonk.
As we were aimlessly wandering looking for a haven I stopped still in my tracks and a local woman behind me bumped into me and muttered something. I guess they have to put up with the tourists but they (we) do bring a lot of cash into the city.
The big day arrived and the taxi picked us up at 7am to catch the 07.30 from Lincoln Central to Venice. Of course trains don’t go to Venice from Lincoln but it was a step on the journey:
Home – Lincoln Central – London Kings Cross – London Bridge (by Northern Line) – Gatwick – Venice Marco Polo airport – water taxi – Hotel L’Orologio
We bumped into Andy and Suddy Davidson in Gatwick which was a nice surprise. They were off to Faro for the weekend. We had a coffee with them in the business lounge. Lunch on the plane included a couple of chamagnes and a nice Chilean red (fair play).
Venice was all it was billed to be. If you ever go don’t mess about with public transport from the airport. The private water taxi ride was totally terrific. It took us to the hotel’s own mooring. Effortless. The only way to arrive. Later we went for a stroll to the (boarded over and largely “under construction”) and saw people hauling cases through the streets looking for their hotel. Don’t bother love. Water taxi it.
Dinner was a 40 minute water bus (Vedetti – E7.50 ew) away at Corte Sconta. Google told us it would be quicker to walk but we didn’t want to risk it in the dark on our first night in town. The restaurant was down a small alley (everywhere is a small alley). I bought a local TIM data sim – E30 for 5GB PAYG. LTE. Great experience out of the box. It has already been very handy. It’s mostly goingto be used for maps, translate and perhaps for downloading visitors guides.
Dinner was great – look out for a trip advisor review. Everything was great. Our room looks out over the Grand Canal – lots to see, lots going on. We are just next to the Venice fish market. Look out for pics from Saturday.
My final observation for today is that you really can see that the sea level has risen, or the city has sunk. The water is lapping over pavements that should obviously be higher. Let’s hope they have a handle on the sitch. Featured pic is of two gondolas fwiw.
