It's now February and no update, i am so sorry, what a terrible leader...i mean blogger i am 😉 So here is a super long update, sit back, relax, pour yourself a long drink or flask of coffee and prepare to be bored.
HAPPY 2024 EVERYBODY. Hope you all had a good New years Eve and have made your resolutions that no one ever sticks to.
So lets go all the way back to the week before Christmas.
Being as we both knew we were on Santas good list we decided to have a pre-Christmas treat of a meal at Cardiff's 3rd top rated restaurant (the top 2 were Indians and we didn't fancy having an Indian) Volare.
We had a fish platter each to start and i'm not kidding you there was enough for it to be a sharer starter, how were we to know that there would be that much whitebait, squid, octopus and king prawn, we're not huge eaters and always go over the top with our orders but this starter was huge, ah well be rude not to eat it all. It was immense.
On to the mains, boy this is gonna be a struggle but we'll always do our best.
Sian had a beef ragu with penne which had lovely tender beef pieces.
On to the weekend before Christmas Day and we decided to treat ourselves once more with an overnight stay night stay in Monmouth. Now with it being the last Friday before Christmas we were expecting a bit more activity than usual but.........
8pm in Monmouth main square.....HELLO....IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?
This is right on the main square in the middle of Monmouth and a nice modern dog friendly pub and not really kid friendly YAAAAAAY! It has a log fire but it's never on, whats the point? That's a bonus feature especially at Christmas, we'd have it roaring away. Another beer we haven't had since Milan Poretti. This must be an omen that we need to go back to Milan.
Now we're really hungry. We hadn't eaten all day to make sure we had room to drink but now we're so hungry we don't want to drink, our nights out are never simple, food it is and off to a local take away.
It was only one night away but with Monmouth only 45 mins away and we do like Monmouth it was a nice little trip out for great night out with laughs, beers, food, comfy room and SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS!
Christmas day was a bit of blur as i worked in to Christmas Eve, Christmas morning in Swansea, Christmas Day in Cardiff, Boxing Day night back to Swansea and in to work. Sian spoilt me with much more than i was expecting as i never expect anything off Sian for Christmas as we do so much all through the year but she was naughty again.
On to New Years Eve and back to our cosy porters train station lodge in Llangollen. Another one of our places we really enjoy and we can take our little girl Squidly, i think she actually prefers it to our house in Cardiff, then again we prefer it to our house in Cardiff just for the fact it's got a log fire, we do like a log fire as i can be MAN "Yes! Look at what I have created. I have made fire. I....have made...fire!"
We set off at 11am for a steady pootle up north with a halfway stop at Woofferton, i want to live in Woofferton just for the name. I had checked the weather and it looked like the last hour of the journey we may have rain and it was spot on, with one hour to go it started raining but wasn't that heavy. Straight to the lodge, drop off the bags, settled Squidly in and back out for more food, drink and wood to last us through 3 night stay.
As we arrived back to the Lodge the steam train was on our platform, today was "The Mince Pie Express" day so we were very lucky to see it as today was the last day it was running until the New Year, BOOOOoooooooooo!
Time to get ourselves settled in for our stay as it was starting to clear up so we may get to go out for a walk.
Time for a walk out in to Llangollen for some lovely fresh country air.
We didn't venture over to the working side of the station when we were here the last time we visited so we were a bit naughty and sneaked over to it through a locked gate to have a look around.
New years eve has come and we popped in to Llangollen to see the Christmas lights and have a coffee before our night out at the Berwyn Arms by our lodge, i wonder what the night will bring?
Showered, look beautiful and dressed for the occasion, well Sian is, i look like a local country bumpkin with my thick woollen jumper, i supposed i must have fitted right in with the locals lol and off we go to the Berwyn Arms for their New Years bash with live music, free food and fireworks at midnight and it was free to enter, we like that part.
We get there and there is only room in the small bar area, drinking room is full with people and the catering section for the free food, the restaurant is full where the live music is but we find a little table for 2 in the bar in the corner, thats good enough for us, time for a drink and SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS!
Now, we weren't expecting to much from the live music as the whole night including food was free BUT when the music started we thought it would pick up in tempo as the night progressed, it didn't. The singer was just singing welsh language classics and welsh language folk songs, sorry, he did sing one song that most knew, Oasis - "Don't look back in anger" for a bit of a sing along. After only 30 minutes, which to be fair was more than enough to stop you hanging yourself, he then put on Max Boyce live at Treorchy form 1973, that's a cop out. It was 11.30 and we had had enough of songs that drenched people in phlegm and decided to head back to the lodge to watch the fireworks from the platform with a beer.
This is what you missed.......not all live Welsh music is like this.
All lit up and waiting for us to see the new year in.
New years day is our lazy day of chilling, snacking and movies. We get the log fire roaring, open out the living room sofa bed (there is a double bedroom by the way) and cook off a load of snacky snacks with dips for our usual bed picnic.
What more do you need......
Unfortunately its the 2nd Jan 2024 and time to head back to Cardiff, Booooooooo.
This is not going to be a straight forward journey back as it had been torrential rain all night and was still raining when we left. Along the way to our half way stop it wasn't to bad so we stopped at Ludlow Farm Shop had a coffee and bought some lovely fresh meat goodies for the weekend and started back off again. this is where the roads started to become flooded the more we headed in to the countryside, the more in to the countryside we got the deeper the roads were under water to the point where cars could only travel in the middle of the 2 lanes so it was basically a few cars one way then a few cars the other at points of the roads. Sian decided to hug in behind a Tesco delivery van and followed it through every puddle as it made a wake in front of us so the road was clear for us to follow it. We passed all the flooded areas which added an extra hour at least to the journey and were almost at the main road heading to Monmouth when our road had just been blocked by a fallen tree, BUGGER!
So, we turned on google maps and found a new route to get us on to the main road down some country lanes. As we made our way a tall white transit was following us. I noticed as we were going down a hill a large puddle in front of us so i told Sian to let the van go past first while we pulled in to a farm turn off. The van past and entered the puddle only to see the van get deeper and deeper to the point where it got stuck. OH DEAR! It wouldn't budge and the engine you could see was steaming. We turned back the way we came to take a different country lane. As we headed back 6 vehicles were heading towards us. I got out of car and told all to back up to the junction and take the opposite lane, the junction wasn't far so i guided them all back and out on to the alternate route. At the same time i was seeing them out other diverted vehicles were coming to turn down our route, so, i was then having to tell them that route was blocked and to go straight on. I was helping people so they wouldn't get stuck but you should have heard some of the comments. "Well what am i meant to do now, i'm trying to get to Devon" , "That's ridiculous, where do i go now?" , "I want to go down there, the sat nav is telling me down there", all quite angry and annoyed. I should of said "I tell you what, F**k trying to help you, i don't know how your going to get to Devon but at least you won't be stuck in flood water, it's not ridiculous i've saved you from being stranded go where i'm telling you to get on to a main road and go down there, listen to your f**king sat nav, go down there and drown you t**t, i'm trying help you D**kheads"
That added an extra 30 mins again to the journey when we were just 1 min away from the main road we needed to get on. The rest of our journey was smooth and free from drama, thank god but i felt sorry for Sian as it was a long difficult drive for her and Sian was in work the next day, poor girl.
So the next day while Sian was in work i thought i would make a 3 course meal, from scratch may i add, to surprise her after her driving ordeal the day before.
The table is set.......
Another New Year over and New Year 2024/25 already booked with British Airways to Munich, book early and you'll always get a good deal.
February and TO DUBLIN!
Again this was booked quite a while ago as soon as the 6 nations dates were released for 2024. If you go to Dublin when they are playing away accommodation and flights are so much cheaper almost by two thirds, if you go when they are playing a European team the flights from UK are cheaper but accommodation is still sky high more so when it's France, if you go when Ireland are playing a British team, forget it, well over £1000 for 3 days, not worth it.
Flights booked with BA from Heathrow for 8am Thursday 1st Feb. Got there without a problem. There were no stalkers this time at the airport unlike the last time we flew to Dublin from Bristol but it did give us a good laugh. flight left on time and arrived 10 mins early. We had an early check in for 11am so it was straight on the bus and straight in to the hotel which was a brand new Premier Inn only 3 months old and in the new developing docklands area not far from the Aviva Stadium.
We were both exhausted as Sian hadn't slept since 6.45am on Wed and had worked all day and i had only had 4 hours sleep since 4pm Tuesday and it was now 12pm Thursday. We decided to drop our bags in a go for walk around the docklands, we were booked in to the Guinness Storehouse for 1.45pm but we just couldn't do it so i called them and re-booked us for the next day which they exchange free of charge, how good was that. We had a wander, had a coffee, got some freshly cooked pizzas and headed back to room to rest up for the evening. We've done all the Dublin sights before so there was no rush to get in to the centre. Nigh, Nigh, now ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz!
Friday, Up bright a breezy the next day for our visit to the Guinness Storehouse. We have been in there before but a few places in there were shut off the last time and we did the pour experience, this time we were doing the Stoutie experience.
Not sure what this boat is but it was quite impressive.
And guess who we missed just by a couple of hours before we got in to the Storehouse......Hugh "Bloody" Jackman and yes he did actually go there.
On the way back we thought we'd have a look at the only sight we hadn't visited, Dublin Castle. Hmmm, not really much of a castle if we're being honest and quite disappointing, Cardiff castle is much better.
Almost home after a 12 mile walking day but as we look back from the docklands this is the view we had.
It's been a long long day of bars and walking so it's up to bed to watch France v Ireland, we wanted to go to the pub to watch it but we had broken ourselves like we always do when we go away.
Saturday, up and out for our coffee and go and find the 3arena for the Depeche Mode concert. Now then, when i booked us to go to Dublin we hadn't even been to see Depeche in Paris and they hadn't announced winter tour dates so it was just luck they were in the 3arena that weekend and to add to that luck our hotel was only 2 streets away from the arena, i mean not even a 5 min walk, "THE LUCK OF THE IRISH TA BE SURE!". People were sat outside the arena at 9am, doors open 6.30pm, idiots! It was so cold and high wind.
Oh look, it's us being Narcissists "oh we're such a great couple, look how beautiful and moody we are, we're chocolate, we could eat ourselves we look so good" Yeah you know the types, idiots!
As i've said many times before were not ones for filming gigs as we want to enjoy the artists with our own eyes not through a tiny screen. Don't get people who pay hundreds for a ticket just to hold a phone up, WHY? But here's a very short sample.
2 hours later and its all over. Every time we see them they just get better and better. This band have gone from a 4 piece with one the 80's and 90's biggest pop song writers vince clarke (Yazoo, Erasure) leaving, then a 4 piece with Alan Wilder, to a 3 piece and then a 2 piece after Andy fletchers death and still they are selling out all their stadium dates worldwide and all their arena dates worldwide without them having to rely on festivals and 80's weekenders. I find that incredible. A band who's first single was released in 1981....that's 43 years ago and their following today is stronger than ever. Lets see if old Swifty is around selling out tours worldwide in another 27 years time as her first hit was 2008 in UK but really hasn't become relevant until 2012 in the UK so it's actually 31 years time, i doubt she will be.
Sunday and we're both a bit broken again but we made it our mission to visit the Aviva Stadium.
I like this pic, took at just the right time. the stadium looks like an Alien ship and the clouds broke just above it.
And from the Aviva over to a traditional Irish pub for a traditional Irish meal. As we were a bit broken another long walking day was not welcomed so we caught the tram in to the centre which was great and easy. I had read around the internet and on various platforms that this was the best place to eat so i booked us in.
and as you go through that area you go in to another area which they open early evening ready for the live music or Irish dancing.
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We were shown to our table and we already knew what we were ordering as we had looked up the menu before hand.
It was most probably the most satisfying and tasty basic food i've eaten. If basic home food is done properly it can taste better than anything a fancy micro meal Michelin star restaurant can produce.
Stuffed, content and good to flop on our bed we made our way back to the hotel to chill out for our final night.
Monday, we wake up not to early as flight is 10.40am and make our way to the airport just as the weather is turning. HERE WE GO AGAIN! If you remember the last time we went to Dublin we were the last flight allowed to leave Dublin due to a storm and the last flight allowed to land at Bristol due to the same storm. As we took off the sky was going black and the plane was rocking from side to side due to the wind but we took off and it wasn't that bad at all. 50 mins later were coming in to Heathrow and the winds are high once again and the planes wings were dipping from side to side as we were coming in to land, it dipped quite a bit close to landing that i thought we may need to take off again and come back round but we touched down. YAY!
Another trip away over and what a great time we had and a great way to start the year off, it was made even more special by Depeche Mode concert. I think we'll go to Dublin again, well in fact we are in Feb 2025 as we're booked back in at the same Premier inn as i've gambled on next years 6 nations dates for when Wales are there against Ireland and got the hotel room for £290 for 4 night, bargain! Once the dates are released that room will definitely cost around £800 without a doubt. Would we go to Dublin without an event......i think not. It's just like any other party city in the UK with stag and hen do's, drunken tourists, dirty streets, homeless tent streets and a bit grubby all round. We've done all the tourist stuff the first visit, we went this time for the pub rugby experience and a concert, so yeah, just visits for events from now on.
And that wraps up this mega update for today, thank you for staying awake and making it to the end.
WHAT A GREAT START TO THE YEAR!
Not much going on between now and Calgary in June, a few little weekends away here and there which i'll update the blog with and i feel a RANT update coming on 😁
So until then ........
Love All, Serve All, Peace All......Kevlar Out!
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