where art collides philosoperontap

sat by the pool

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.

RIPE73 Day1

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.

Stay tuned for updates.

bring out the water butts

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:)

Just chillin for a bit now.

very wet day in Madreed

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.

and Mercado St Miguel

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.

reporting from the Intercontinental hotel

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.

Camden Lock

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:

miserable day out

I have the heater on in the office. It is a miserable day out. Some branches stir in the light breeze otherwise the garden is still.

Just finished a productive conference call and much of the rest of the day will be dedicated to preparation for Madrid. Partly this will involve the hunting down of some of my decent pairs of socks, all of which seem to have found their way to John’s sock drawer, wherever that is. That’s a mother favouring her youngest child:) My two best linen jackets will be getting an airing. I’m assuming that Madrid will still be warm enough.

My latest book order A History of Carmarthenshire – From Prehistoric Times to the Act of Union – Vol. I by Lloyd, John E. is out for delivery. Should be here just in time for me to take it to Madrid which is good. The vol I really want is the second which should cover the Dissenters and the industrial revolution which are all relevant to my Family Tree background research. Trouble is it is out of print and copies go for a min £125 the pair. I may buy it one day otherwise will just wait for the second volume to be reprinted as they just did for the first.

Now finished Day 8 of my coast to coast videos. Publishing them one by one here this week. A good memento of the trip.

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In fact finished all the c2c vids now. Been a veritable Universal Studios this afternoon. Will now have to wait until later tonight before uploading as the Virgin Fair Use Policy would slow the whole process. There must be 12 GB or more of footage. iMovie does tend to create big files mind you. I should try and see if there is a more efficient format I can use than .mov . At least for YouTube and Facebook.

The book arrived yay. Sumthin to reed on the trip. My new AMEX card also arrived. I have a little project to build up my BA points using the BA Amex card. Looking at a big holiday for me and Anne when the kids have all finally flown the coop. John that is. The others are largely gone.

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Marie rang me from the Donegal Registry Office btw. She’s found all the certs and is going to look to see how far she can go back with the family history before sending me them. Useful. My great grandfather signed his signature with an X and was down as a “herd” as his occupation. Farm hand?

John is off at 1am tonight/tomorrow morning. Debating whether to wait up and just go to bed afterwards. It is never a very comfortable kip when you know you have to get up in two or three hours. He should get to bed early himself as he won’t have much opportunity for sleep tomorrow until he gets to the hotel in Russia and then they will all be too excited to sleep.

Catch ya later.

Irish Foreign Birth Registration gets closer

It’s 5.25 (pm) and this is the first time I’ve sat down to do my diary today. Been that busy I have:) Got the Irish foreign birth registration / citizenship back on track with the help of cousin Fidelma and a lady called Marie, the Registrar from Donegal.  They make you jump through hoops for it but once through at least it will be easy for everyone else. I’ve now printed off the form and am just waiting for my grandfather Thomas Rourke’s birth marriage and death certificates to arrive.

There is some debate as to whether it is Rourke or O’Rourke. I think they are probably interchangeable and apparently he used both.

Did half an hour ish in the gym last night just before it shut and then came back and enjoyed Anne’s most delicious chicken and ham pie. Larvley it was fair play.  Also began to make some progress with the videos of the coast to coast walk and I’ve now published up to day 5. In the interest of speed there has been a slacking off of production values but I figured it was better to get them done.

This morning I went for a swim. A little busier than normal but that was because they had two lanes out of use for some reason. Usually it’s either staff shortage or training and there wa certainly nobody in the empty lanes being trained. Got back and spent the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon on a conference call with Netaxis.

Getting close now to departure for our trip to Madrid. Only two sleeps as they  say. Really looking forward to it. No idea what to wear though 🙂 Other than I will definitely be taking my linen jackets.

Tonight we are having baked potatoes. Yum. With beans. No bacon though. Vegetarian Monday!

very wet sunday morning

This morning it is wet and miserable. Easing into winter. John is playing hockey again at the Lindum at 11.15. They are playing in an U18s cup match against Cambridge who apparently have 6 internationals in the side. Ah well. I will have to get my coast to coast walking gear out I reckon.

They lost against Hull University yesterday. John Bayes was playing for Hull. The students were a lot fitter and able to stay the pace until the end. Lindum 5ths were a mix of youngsters and old hands. John played well.

I like wet weather. Reminds me of my childhood, both in Wales and the Isle of Man. Both wet places.

Last night we went out to see Julian Clary at the LPAC and before that had dinner at Chimichangas. Have to say I was unimpressed with the restaurant. I had a simple chicken and chips and both components were overcooked. The place was rammed and service was slow. We got to the LPAC as they were filing into the auditorium. JC was only mildly amusing. Some in the audience were in stitches at his lewd humour. I laughed occasionally but wouldn’t bother going again. Walked home with Katie and Nick Smith from Lee Road.

Today feels as if it will be another relaxing pottering around day. Anne is cooking a chicken and ham pie which is always a favourite. For breakfast I did John bacon, beans and toast whilst I had a toasted bacon and mushroom sarnie.

Today is also a start to pack day. Getting quite excited about our pre RIPE conference sojourn in Madrid.

Classic FM on the wireless. The inside of the kitchen is quite a relaxing contrast with the wildness of the outside. The trees are blowing around in the wind and rain hitting the window.

Began the process of registering myself as an Irish Citizen yesterday afternoon and immediately hit a roadblock. I need my grandparents details including the date of birth of my grandfather Thomas Rourke and birth surname of my grandmother Margaret’s own mother. This is a bit over the top in my mind. Initial enquiries with some of the rourke clan have drawn a blank though we might get somewhere on Monday when Fidelma gets into the office. I’m going to ring the Irish Embassy on Monday to see if I really need to have this info. Premium rate number, £1.50 a minute I think I saw! They will have been making big inroads into their national debt because of this number since the Referendum I’m sure.

It’s not a cheap process either. WIll cost over two hundred quid for the registration plus more on top of that to get the passport. I think I’m looking at three hundred or so all together, not counting what I’ve spent to get the certs. What price national loyalty eh?

In the conservatory now. Vid below is the scene this morning in the back garden. First real use of my new tripod. There should be no message from YouTube saying “your video appears to be shaky, would you like us to fix it?”. V relaxing sat here with the noise of the rain on the roof. Would be quite interesting to do a year in the back garden time lapse video. I’d need to use a separate camera from the phone. Could use the GoPro but that would tie it up for a whole year. Not that I use the GoPro much but I should.

note the absence of capitalisation in the word sunday in the subheading for this post. didnt lose any of its message. i realise I’m inconsistent with this but that’s my editorial privilege.

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Lindum U18s lost to city of Cambridge U18s 3 – 5. They played very well. The opposition looked like a pro outfit, more organised and fitter but I think Lindum can walk away with their heads held high. It was 3 – 4 right until the last minute so could have finished completely differently. Weather cleared up and it was a beautiful sunny morning for the second half of the game. Lindum had one quite gobby player who kept getting sin binned..