Back in the pool this morning after a somewhat indulgent week and a half. Still have some travel in the calendar but it is coming towards the end and I’m quite looking forward to a sensible few weeks before Christmas and its insensibilities. Weetabix and banana for breakfast and now a pot of tea in the office.
I’m now “waiting for the conference host to join” at a webrtc based video conf. He is late. I’m not willing to wait too long. He arrived. We had the chat.
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Bowl of Heinz tomato soup for lunch with a chunk of cheese and my home-made bread. It’s stood the test of time. ie one night. I think I might have found my vocation:) Been somewhat told off by Anne for buying more flour when we already had loads in the cupboard. It was a spur of the moment purchase in Waitrose and I didn’t know what ingredients we already had. We didn’t have any yeast so that bit was worth buying. I also bought some seeds but found they were roasted in soy sauce so not appropriate. Ah well. Will eat them sometime. Anyway I’m going to be making a lot more bread. It’s a good skill to have especially if what comes out is high quality.
Had a nice 90 minute chat on the phone with Mair from Radio Cymru. Longer than planned but it matters not. Then did a short facebook live broadcast see it below. I think I’ll be doing more, maybe when there are more people around.
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Just back at looking at a car for Anne. John needs to be insurable on it. Will need to look at it with Coops and also see who would insure it. The insurance is a job for tonight.
Featured image – pumpkins very kindly donated to us by Martin Britten from his allotment.
Clocks went back this morning. Yay. A relaxed start to the day although somewhat tempered by the fact that at 9.30am Anne discovered that John’s hockey meet was at 9.30am. He got dressed, ate a bacon sandwich and brushed his teeth within 5 minutes and we were out of the house. Those that had already arrived were huddled under the canopy of the university sports centre entrance to avoid the drizzle.
Got down to watch the match at half time. We (Lindum 6ths) were winning 2 – 0 v Hull University 3rds. The final score was 4 – 1 so nice to see us win. I’m getting to quite like hockey. Just waiting for John now and drop him off at home before nipping to the shops for a few essential supplies.
I note btw that the max temperature in Krakow next friday is 4℃ with a min of 0℃. I will be taking my thermals. I may even purchase a stout pair of shoes. My around town walking shoes are starting to come apart. Ve shall see.
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Just back from Waitrose. Forgot my Waitrose card which was a nuisance as it meant I couldn’t use the scanners as I went along. Instead went into the self scan area at the checkout. Before going I’d asked John what sort of bread he wanted. Brown. Whilst pushing the trolley around the store I had a brainwave. I’d bake some brown bread. Got home and told John. “Oh” was the response:) I’m doing it anyway. Before I start on the sausage casserole.
For some reason I’m listening to the Birmingham v Aston Villa game on radio 5 live. They are billing it as “The Second City Derby”. What a non name.
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Featured image – the ingredients for the sausage casserole: sausages, bacon, garlic, onions, mixed herbs, thyme, bay leaves, chopped dried red chilli, worcestershire sauce, dark brown muscovado sugar, tomato puree, tomatoes, red pepper, mushrooms, chicken stock, butter beans. I may have missed something but it matter not. The recipe visible is a red herring btw. I am not cooking chicken tagine.
It’s been a productive afternoon. I’ll posts pics of the bread when it’s done.
This video is far from the definitive version. I think I may have to do another in a more structured manner and using a fuller bottle of HP.
This video is fine and poses the question “What colour is the sky?”
Great to wake up in my own bed with my girl. I made the tea and at breakfast had a bacon sandwich with a glass of milk. Aahh. The mail included a replacement M&S credit card. Hmm. I’d only used it once because they had some sort of offer on that Anne wanted to take advantage of. Paid off the £10 owing and then cut it up and forgot about it. Called them up this morning and cancelled the account.
There is now a huge pile of washing from ten days away and a few jobs to do. The main one is to nip down to the post office to pick up a book that they tried to deliver. Jan Morris’ book on Trieste. John also brought me a book about the Gulags back from his trip to Leningrad and Mockba. Plenty to keep me going.
Back in the UUUK the weather is autumnal. It’s jeans and jumper weather rather than the shorts and t shirt of Madreeed. That’s ok. I like the autumn. It’s cosy. I may even light the fire tomorrow afternoon. Just because I can.
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Back from the trip to the post office. It was abandoned in its infancy because a traffic alert kicked in saying it was an University Open Day. It isn’t worth going anywhere near town on these days. The traffic is so bad. The Firth Road depot is bang in the middle of it all. Instead went straight to Waitrose to buy ingredients for the sausage casserole John and I are planning for tomorrow evening.
Anne has been out blowing the leaves away from the front drive. I think they end up in the green bin. I suppose I should know:) We have big leave issues in the back garden at this time of year. It’s a non stop battle. Dad has been sweeping up the leaves in The Grove in the Isle of Man. Mam used to do it but it is good that he now gets up and does these jobs. Innit.
More as it happens…
Just spent 45 mins or so sawing wood at the bottom of the garden. Unfortunately I’ve lost the main bit off the chainsaw so that’s unuseable. Probably a good thing as it’s dangerous but very handy when you want to slice through lots of wood in a hurry. Anyway I thought I’d prep some for tomorrow afternoon. It doesn’t look as if it is going to be particularly cold but it is in keeping with the feel of the season. A warming sausage casserole, perhaps with some nice crusty bread and a log fire in the grate.
Took John out to play footy in Welton at around 14.45. Picking him up at 16.45 then dropping him back home before meeting Geoff Thompson for a swift un in the Prince. We are off to Jezzers for an hour then the Tap and Spile.
The notable thing when taking off from Madrid airport is the ring of mountains that encircles the place. The curtains have been drawn between the cabins and I can smell food from the galley. I have an empty seat besides me so the flight is going to be as pleasant as a flight can be. Champagne will be consumed. As well as this laptop I have my Bose phones on and am listening to some jazz. I also have The Prado Guide purchaysed at the museum a week ago. A heavy book, both weight-wise and reading-wise, it is keeping me interested. I pretty much finished the History of Carmarthenshire book whilst at the RIPE conference. Read as much of it as I wanted to for the moment anyway. Need to see if I can now track down a reasonably priced volume two. The weather has improved considerably since the visit to the Prado. As I leave it is just like an early September day in the UK. So Madrid is about 6 weeks adrift of that. A menu has been distributed. One choice is salmon and triple cooked chips and fine beans. Struggling to see how triple cooked chips are going to do well out of it. Will opt for the Moroccan Lamb Tagine instead. Although this has been a week of over consumption I am looking forward to the taste of a proper bacon sandwich with a glass of milk for breakfast and a familiar beer early doors. As I recall we are off out to the Dawkinses for drinks early evening before heading to the Tap and Spike to see the Activators. Jezzer and Clare are going to a Halloween fancy dress party at the Burton Village Club. Rather them than me. Interesting landscape down there in Spain. Like a painting. Ridges, valleys filled with clouds. Dark ochre grey surroundings.
Guitar dances. Foot taps. Head nods. Words in front of me stay still.
Food arrives. Gin and tonic. Red wine. The evening starts.
I have a pretty tight connection in London. Flight lands at 18.10. I have hold luggage to collect. It is notionally 40 minutes by public transport to Kings Cross Station. The only direct train to Lincoln leaves at 19.06. I may make it or I may not. Fortunately my vast experience of the travel game resulted I’m my buying a flexible ticket so if I do miss the 19.06 there is another train to Newark at half past or thereabouts and my most gorgeous wife Anne has very generously offered to come and pick my up from Northgate Station. I am a lucky man.
The champagne has been opened. No pop. It’s a screw top. Safer. Innit. Boring though. I bet in the old days of BOAC they would have dished out the real mcoy. I quite like champagne. Decent stuff. This stuff is ok but nothing special. We usually go through between 60 and 80 bots at my xmas bash. I like that. Decadence. This year it isn’t my bash anymore. It’s a LONAP bash. What I was wearing when the titanic went down. I think champagne fits this as a “hey if I am going down I may as well not know anything about it and champagne would help with that”. The party the end of the universe. Or iceberg. Take your pick. A penguin suit would be appropriate, seeing as there is an iceberg involved though it was the wrong sort of ice. For a penguin it would need to be the Southern hemisphere. There is a knack to holding a party. It is a knack that I possess.
Whist I think of it you should know I am typing this on a MacBook Pro. It was the top of the range when I bought it a few months ago at around £1500. The top of the range is now £2300 thanks to the fall in Sterling against the dollar. Good job I already have one. Thanks Brexiteers. Thanks a bunch. £100 got us 95Euros from the cashpoint last week. It wasn’t so long ago it would have been 120 Euros. I am bitter about this. It isn’t that it is really affecting me. It’s just stoopid. It’s the economy stoopid. Good job the laptop will last me a fe years, I reckon.
Another (admittedly small – 187ml) champagne has magically arrived at my seat. good oh. Keith Jarret is playing the piano just for me. It’s pretty laid back stuff. A snare, hi hat and a double base to accompany him. The audience claps appreciatively.
An hour or so to go. It’s a relaxing enough trip. It’s been a good time away overall, with Anne for the first bit then the pretty exhausting conference schedule. It’s great when Anne and I go off on trips together. I am smiling just thinking about this. She has spent the last 24 years staying at home looking after 4 very demanding kids. Now her rewards are starting to come.
This guy is hammering the keys, whoever he is. Not looked. I bet pianos don’t last long with him. You can perhaps shut your eyes and imagine lively music with a strong piano line.
Ooo. Biggles up front has just said we expect to land at 17.55, 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Still plenty of time for things go wrong but a good sign. I doubt his name is Biggles btw. That was just me being naughty after gin, red wine and champagne. Stay tuned.
Made the train with zero seconds to spare – they reopened the doors for me. Thanks to Matt Walster for the taxi share to Stratford International. 9pm pickup Lincoln Central.
Homeward bound this evening. It is still morning however. Had a bit of baguette with jam and butter for breakfast together with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a cup of tea (2 teabags in small teapot).
Checkout time is noon. I’ll be checked out before then and into the last conference session. Don’t need to leave until 2 ish assuming traffic is bad and it takes 45 mins to get to the airport. Flight is at 16.45.
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Currently sat in Geoff Huston’s talk on IPv6 performance. He is always very entertaining. V6 is a lot less reliable than v4 in many parts of the world. By the looks of it. I’m checked out. Duffel bag in the care of the concierge. Heavy.
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People have started to leave. I see flight paths appearing on Facebook. Taxi to airport with Rob Lister and Paul Thornton. I drew the short straw as they were going to T1 which came before T4 so I got dumped with the taxi fare:) The Iberia lounge is rammed and seriously needs some detritus collecting. At least they had cheese and ham sandwiches on offer which I was pleased to consume with a small bottle of water. Now have 90 minutes until departure. You are almost certain to get a lot of drivel out of me in that time.
Upon reflection RIPE73 was a successful conference. We will discuss it further at the LONAP board meeting next week but I think we got some good exposure.
The lounge has started to empty out. Must have been a lunchtime rush hour!
Featured image is the bottle of Tokaji we had last night. V nice.
Skipped breakfast this morning although I did nip down for a quick reviving espresso which is something I don’t normally do. Had a phone call with Mair from BBC Radio Cymru to discuss my forthcoming appearance on the Betti George show so thought I’d better be as awake as poss. In the end all we did was schedule an hour for a chat on Monday afternoon.
Last night Rob Lister and I went for dinner with Stefan from ECIX. Foie gras and steak and chips. Followed by more drinks back at the hotel. Urgh.
These conferences are a bit dull from a diary perspective. It’s the same thing every day. Conference talks, coffee break chats and then eating and drinking. Tonight is the Grand Dinner at the Madrid Casino. It’s very nice. I’ve been for a gala dinner there before. At another conference:) Not going to this one though. Have a better offer. See featured image.
Oh and we have our first rental booking for annesvans. More in due course (it’s late)
My belly is full. The food at the RIPE73 lunches is perfectly acceptable with plenty of choice. I tend to have salad but these are still quite substantial. It’s been a busy morning of chatting to folk and doing my little videos and now I’m just sat in the meeting room using the wifi before the next session starts. At that time I will move to the terrace as I’ve some work I need to get on with.
Last night was relatively quiet. A few beers and then a pizza in the place over the road to the hotel. Skipped the social bash which was in a nearby night club. Not my thang really. Got up at 9.30 in time for breakfast before it shuts at 10 I think.
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Now outside by the pool. On one of the loungers. Shoes and socks off. As you do. No knotted handkerchief though. There is plenty of shade under the tree.
Another memorable night out last night as guests of our friends at INEX. Very pleasant company. Basically a wine and cheese evening at a caff called Casa Gonzalez. The waiter struggled at times to keep up with the orders for new bottles of wine. Hey this is the internet industry we are talking about:)
Otherwise spent the day at the RIPE meeting. Putting up posts on the LONAP Facebook page. Chatting to folk at the conference. Etc.
My pink and grey linen jacket made a bit of a stir. I may well wear it again tonight. I have the blue flowery one for the dinner on Thursday.
Sat outside on the terrace above the pool. There is no indoor pool and the weather hasn’t been massively conducive to swimming outdoors. It is forecast to improve tomorrow. The terrace was v busy when I got here but now it has gone quiet. Everyone has finished their fag and gone back in. Quite a pleasant place to do a bit of work. Shorts and LONAP t shirt.
Slightly bleary eyed start to the first day at RIPE73. Someone was having a loud conversation in Spanish in the room next to us at 1.30am. I had to stand by the connecting door and say shhhhh equally loudly. Fitful sleep after that until we decided to get up at 6.50 for Anne to leave at 8am for the airport.
The breakfast room was surprisingly busy at that time of day with what looked like several coach loads of tourists forcing us into the overflow section around the bar. Whether it was just too early for me I know not but none of what was on offer looked particularly appetising. I had some croissants and fruit and yoghurt. Note the photo showing carrots next to the baked beans!
Anne got away on time and I went back to bed. Now all signed in to the RIPE73 conference and now doing stuff. This week will be all about social media. First vid has gone live on the lonap Facebook page. See below. Also we are looking for more page “likers”and followers so feel free to take a skeet and share here. This also being Spain the timings of the day are skewed to take into consideration local practices. The conference starts at 10am and lunch is between 1.30 and 3pm. In fact the first plenary today isn’t until 3pm so I’m a little early for the craic. 646 folks signed up for this conference. That will be a lot of cups of coffee during the course of the week And a lot of beer.
btw can you tell which is the real me in the photo in the lift? Was taken last night. Couldn’t have been this morning as a) I’m not wearing my lonap shirt and b) the lifts were all heaving as the people from the breakfast room began to take their luggage down to reception to catch their busses.
Another wet day on our feet in Madreeed. Apparently they have had five months without rain so it is badly needed. Can’t begrudge em that.
Late up agin and consumed a very fine spanish omlette for breakfast with HP sauce.
Metro’d it to la Latina for the El Rastro flea market. See vids below. Then Metro’d and walked to the Naval Museum. Not a mention of Francis Drake although Nelson was credited with killing off the Spanish navy. Lots of walking.
Lunch in a caff called MasQMenos fwiw. Iberico jamon y brie sandwich rustico.
Walked back to the Intercontinental to pick up our stuff then taxi to the Melia Castilla which is going to be my home for the next 5 day’s RIPE conferencing. Will be able to unpack and find out what exactly I forgot to pack when coming out last Wednesday:)
Well and truly wet day. The rain in Spain stays mainly in Madrid etc. Another relaxed start then bought two tickets for the Madrid City Bus tours. The stop was conveniently just a short walk from the hotel and saved us having to hop in cab or bus in both directions. The concierge lent us a brolly which was to come in very handy during the course of the day.
We switched from Route 2 to Route 1 at Plaza Sol and rode around to the Royal Palace which is must be said was fantastic. Interesting to see how the kings and queens with whom the English were often at war lived. Some wonderful art in there. Interesting suits of armour.
Had a late lunch in the caff at the palace – chicken and chips with mushy peas. Well it might as well have been mushy peas. It was mixed veg but seriously over cooked. Ah well. It hit a spot. Then back on the bus on a very wet upper deck to Sol again and a chocolate and churro at Los Artesanal 1902, or simlar. Very thick and rich choc. After that we called it quits and retreated to the haven that is our hotel room.
One of the stops en route home was outside the Hard Rock Caff. We saw a waiter come out looking for someone. Looked as if someone had done a runner.
Anne watched The Bake Off whilst I ready my History of Carmarthenshire book. We had planned to hit Mercado St Miguel again tonight but I think the rain will drive us to somewhere more local. It’s still pelting it down now. Very relaxing from the perspective of an open hotel room window. There’s a big demo in town tonight so we are probably better off avoiding it anyway.
I woke up this morning, feeling the after effects of the brandy from last night (there’s a song there somewhere). I ordered the best one they had on the menu which turned out to be a huge measure particularly as the bottle was nearly empty so they poured the lot in. They I got into a discussion with the waiter as to which one really was the best and was given three more to try, gratis. All fairly big doses.
In consequence we didn’t get up until 9am, which of course is 8am UK time so not as bad as it sounds. Breakfast was ok but not spectacular. The bacon is never any good in European hotels although in mitigation they did have HP sauce.
Walked 40 minutes to the Prado having changed out of shorts to jeans. Not as warm as I thought it might be. Also discovered that I forgot to pack most of the tshirts I’d left out to bring with me so I’m mostly wearing my Hawaiian shirts.
Prado was good but after three hours we had seen enough paintings and we headed to Plaza Mayor and Mercado St Miguel. The mercado was a real find. It’s full of tapas bars of all sorts. You buy tapas and a drink and eat it at a central spot. We did without the drink. Too early man.
In the plaza there were some English blokes over on a stag weekend. They stood around in a circle playing strip keepie uppie. If you didn’t keep the ball up you had to take an item of clothing off. Not sure how far they got as they were surrounded by tourists enjoying the spectacle. I saw someone down to his underpants. The stag was wearing a traditional Spanish flamenco type dress.
Back at the hotel now. Taxi. We had walked enough. Bit of a power nap.
Having a really nice time with Anne. The magic is still there:) The only issue today was that neither of us wanted to make any decisions. At home Anne makes most of the decisions which I am happy with. Unfortunately on holiday she decided that part of being on holiday is not having to make decisions. Hey… We got by 🙂
Thinking maybe of hitting some local bars tonight before we go to Natalia and Jaime’s where we are invited for dinner. Looking forward to a nice evening.
Sat in the Galleries Lounge South at LHR T5. Got a fair old wait as it is now 12.05 and the flight isn’t until 14.10. Figured we would chill out a bit. Arrived at T5 at around 10.50 so not too bad check in and security time.
Great evening last night with the older two of 4 kids. Sank a couple of cocktails at Cahoots – very atmospheric forties cellar bar. Then had a curry at the Delhi Brasserie. Food was only ok. A fairly restricted menu and it felt a little bit pile it high churn it out. I had one of their GOLD cards so was eligible for a 20% discount if paid in cash. The bill came to £100.10 and upon presentation of the card the waiter went away to get his calculator to knock 20% off. We had already counted out £80.08 but the new bill came as £80.10. I had to scrabble around for two pence:)
Anne and I hit the Phoenix Artist Club for a night cap. It was only around 8.45. Sorted a few details for the LONAP Christmas Party. Then Uber home to bed.
This morning we didn’t bother with the hotel breakfast. If you aren’t a regular traveller these all you can eat buffets can be seen as a real treat. They are very hit and miss in my view. Mostly miss, unless you are in a really top class (expensive) joint.
We strolled around the flea market looking for breakfast. It was too early but we had a cup of tea on the balcony at Yamchaa. Very relaxing. Ended up in the Ice Wharf (Witherspoons) for a not particularly appetising breakfast. Get what you pay for I suppose.
Ubered it to Heathrow. Driver made a wrong turning and we ended up in the underground car park of the Westfield Shopping centre. Not the kind of place I would normally frequent.
So now we are chilin. Not bored yet. I have you to talk to.
BA460 non stop to Madreeed
Seat 8F with Anne in 8D next to me. I’m in the window which is not my normal preference but obviously one gives priority to the preference of one’s beloved doesn’t one. Anne has clocked the fact that it is easier to nip to the loo from an aisle seat, which is also my rationale. Still I will get to see some scenery. So far, clouds.
Woman sat in 8A across the aisle wants to go to the toilet but the fasten seat belts sign is still switched on so she was made to sit down (via tannoy message). Soon as she got back in her seat the sign was switched off. She is a big woman. Not particularly maneuverable.
life in bold
I for the moment live, life a cocktail of experience, a tightrope walked leant into wind, eyes wide open to a careless rain. Champagne route. A life lived in bold font.
The trolly approaches. Champagne service. With dry roasted and salted mixed nuts, out of Africa according to the packet. I pour the champagne and open the nuts. Anne tries to take my opened packet of nuts to throw in the plastic bin bag proffered by the cabin attendant. I remonstrate and rescue.
The food service is now approaching. I am going to reserve my position in respect of the food. It is five past three in the afternoon. A scone would be acceptable. Nothing too substantial.
When we get to the hotel in Madrid we will have time to rest in the room and recover from the champagne. Time shifts in Spain. Tomorrow night we are invited to friends Natalia and Jaime’s home for dinner. They expect us at 9pm. We eat around 6 normally. The body will have to adjust. The mind too.
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Idea for you. Pretend you are an explorer and when you go somewhere map the place out and write up a narrative of the area as if it is being done for the first time. Ignore the presence of any houses.
Arrived at the Intercontinental in Madreed. Approx 7pm. Weather wet. Traffic terrible. Nothing compared to Friday night says the guy checking us in. We have an inward facing room. Their outward facing rooms were all twins. Wossthatallabout?
Barajas airport is huge and there is a fairly long train journey from the gate to the baggage claim area. Bags took a while – same as last time. Also it took me a while to work out how to put the coin in the trolley. It is a token and has grooves which you need to orientate correctly. Fixed 30Euro fare into town and now we are ensconced in our room. Anne is having a cup of tea and I am tapping away. There was only one English Breakfast Tea bag and one bath towel. We now have 5 bath towels and ten tea bags. Sorted. Service is quick here.
Probably going to chill in the hotel tonight, especially as it is raining. We have plenty of time to do bars and restaurants on other days.
All packed and ready to rock and roll. Except before going to bed I forgot to push the button to back up the last 4 coast to coast videos to Google Drive. Started it first thing and there is one vid left with 40 mins to go. At which point it will be time to go. Big files.
Called the Holiday Inn at Camden Lock and asked for one of the canal facing penthouses. We normally get one right on the corner with a great view over the market.
Taking a check in bag this trip so will only have my light “man bag” as carry on. All you need is laptop, Bose headphones and maybe a spare battery for the phone. I also have my new book on the history of Carmarthenshire (prehistory to the act of union) which is proving to be a good read. Just got to the megalithic era so still a ways to go) 🙂
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Now at the train station in newark half an hour early. We stopped off in the Bail for Anne to post some eBay parcels and I parked in the loading bay outside Colonia.. Got an irate stare from a delivery van driver. Fortunately she came back quite quickly and we were off before he had walked back from his parking spot outside the White Hart.
Had to ditch the man bag btw. Couldn’t fit it all in. Resorted to my usual Osprey day bag which is really useful. Lots of good zipped compartments. Finishing the Drive upload with the 4G dongle.
Just seen a joke – Question What do you call a sheep with no legs? Answer A cloud.
Looking forward to a fun afternoon and evening. We have a penthouse room in the Camden Lock Holiday Inn. Will have time to wander around the market and browse the second hand bookshop. Then we have a table booked at Cahoots between 6pm and 8pm followed by the Delhi Brasserie which is just around the corner on Frith St (two doors down from Ronnie Scotts.
There is a scenario where we do the late show at Ronnie Scotts afterwards but we will have to see about that one.
train is delayed btw.
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Wearing my Bose headphones and listening to some acoustic blues. Feeling the need to pick up my guitar and sing out loud. Not sure the other inhabitants of the train compartment would particularly appreciate it and don’t have ma geetar with me anyway. I’d call myself Blind Trefor Davies, or Blind Tref. Would just need to wear sunglasses to look the part, Nobody need know.
John’s flight path to St Petersburg – BA878 from LHR:
This is the fourth video from our coast to coast walk back in May. These are pretty rudimentary videos but they give you an idea of the walk as we did it and for me serve as a souvenir/memento of the trip. I’m doing one video per day. This one is about the second day of the walk from Rosthwaite to Patterdale.
I did the walk with my son Tom Davies with friend Mark (Ajax) Agius and his son Luke. Check out the coast to coast day 3 blog post on trefor.net.
