Down to London

 

 

 

 

You have to love the transport system in the UK. Hopped on a train to London, navigated our way around the Underground system, hopped on another train to Essex. We are starting to be the kind of people that other people ask directions from!!!!!! How silly is that?
Essex was lovely, had a job interview there, but don’t think it’s quite what we’re looking for, gorgeous situation and fantastic people, but……… Have another couple of job prospects that look interesting, so will keep you posted.
Anyway, back to the Underground, doesn’t it look like something out of Starwars????
Off to Scotland on Sunday for a few days, can’t wait. Once again the good British Rail system to the fore…..up to Edinburgh and we’ll get a car and drive over to Skye, check out the MacKinnon whakapapa and sort out the myth from the legend!!!
The floods are finally receeding after causing a bit of bother here and there and the paddock in the photo that looks like a lake is starting to look like a paddock again (just down the road from Brian’s). Pity, it was rather nice having ‘water views’!
Love hearing from you and so thanks for the emails…..it’s so great to know that we aren’t forgotten……xxxxx

Stafford......

 
 
 
 
.....has been raining...and raining and raining. Apparently this is the wettest summer ever. Still the swans really like it and we really like the swans so it's a bit of a 'win win'. It's great spending a few days in Brian's batchelor pad and chilling out. We've had a bit of trouble getting a blog up as Brian doesn't have internet access and so we've been getting a wifi off our laptop....we think it's the 'Off License' underneath Brian's flat because when the Off License closes so does our wifi access. Anyway, it's a bit slow but hopefully these photos will go up this time. Also we have a UK telephone # now +00447818868056. Stafford is very beautiful with and lots of interesting places to explore, the people are very friendly and go out of their way to chat. Tomorrow we are thinking of going to Sherwood Forest and also Stafford Castle....if the rain stops! Lots of love xxxxxxx

Last night in Ireland....

 
 
 
 
..for a while. We arrived back from our travels and on our last night in Ireland Janey announced it was the Summer Solstice (not that you'd know from the weather) and that we needed to go to the Hill of Tara, seat of the Druid Kings and highest point in Ireland, apparently you can see all the Counties from there (it was dark!). It was fantastic, we trudged around the site through long wet grass where groups of people danced, sang and drank in a very ad-hoc manner, when we were thoroughly soaked to the knees we called it a night and went home for our last sleep in our very comfy feather bed. Arrived in Stafford and Brian took us straight to a 'cavery' - all the 'roast' you could eat for 3pound50!
Great catching up with him, we chatted for hours (mostly about NZ!....we aren't homesick)......will start a serious job hunt again now, have one interview for a nice one in Essex sometime next week. In the meantime we'll go exploring......love hearing from you, miss you heaps xxxxxx

The oul stone…

 
 
 
 


……well we did it! The most Irish thing in the world…we kissed it, along with a billion other lips, bleah!!!! Yes, we did brush and brush and brush afterwards. The castle must have been damned uncomfortable to live in, all those stairs and slitty windows to fire your arrows through! Not to mention the kissy bit! But we loved it…..a high point for us.
Stayed in Waterford, crystal and all that. Left this morning, soggy, soggy, soggy. Not the best of driving conditions, very narrow road, no verges to speak of, every second vehicle is a HUGE truck (no rail transport in Ireland) came to a tunnel bridge on an S bend and the sign read..."Caution, tall vehicles use centre of road" -- gulp! so that means we go....where????? Safely back in Slane now and off to the UK tomorrow and to catch up with Brian Horn.
Miss you and love hearing from you xxxxxx

……all the roses in Tralee

 
 
 
 
……….were a bit wet, aside from the brassy one Rod met in the Pub! Beautiful town though and the rain is well….Irish.
Came through Limerick and noticed a very strange thing all along the motorway system, all of the big, huge, green information signs had been painted out, came to a roundabout and the same sort of sign said “Waterford Town Centre 2km” – ummm! Aren’t we in Limerick and heading for Waterford tomorrow we said to ourselves! How could you do that?
“Driving from Limerick to Cork, Barbara was refusing to talk.
But went on and on, singing wild Irish songs.
So Rod made her get out and walk”
Couldn’t leave without a Limerick, so to speak!
Doing the Ring of Kerry – thanks Amy…it’s beautiful, even in the rain.
We checked out a few Irish Pubs for food, but decided on an Italian restaurant - pity the pub entertainment doesn't start until late....especially when the B&B insists on B at 8a.m!
Love to all xxxxx

......“……and watched the sun go down……"

 
 
 
 




…..on Galway Bay” as the song goes. Strolled along the esplanade, ate salmon and drank Guiness (as you do)….off to Tralee, via Limerick, it’s hard to get around Ireland without feeling you’re part of a musical!!!
Our yellow Mercedes has morphed into a silver Puegot. Driving through the little windy country roads with no verge and no centre line and a lot of heavy duty trucks makes us quite glad we are a bit smaller than a merc. It’s an intense experience, and makes NZ roads look like super highways, but we are not making comparisons. The little villages are very picturesque and the excuse to stop for a wee guiness has to be overcome continually. I can’t think of anything else we would need to buy there, the need to continue to travel light is paramount and quite hard to maintain. Well, having just finished a large full Irish breakfast (so much for traveling light!) we are off to find an internet café, load this up and get on the road, I’d love to be going to Tipparery, just so I could say …….”it’s a long way to……..” blah, blah, blah……love you all, miss you heaps xxxxxxxxxxxx

And so we say farewell to Slane........

 
 
 
 
All good things must come to an end and working and living in Ireland is no exception.....we spent yesterday exploring Slane which is something we haven't had time to do and beat a path through the jungle to get to the castle across the road and a few paddocks and then a jungle!!!! It was a bit reminiscent of Prince Charming getting through to Sleeping Beauty - hence Rod peering through the undergrowth!! Slane's a great place, but we are ready for some new adventures. The lovely lady we are with, is Judith, who works at the local restaurant. She rescued us when we first came to Slane and couldn't find the Millhouse and so we had to say goodbye to her. Today we are off to explore Ireland (Ring of Kerry - on Amy's recommendation) until Friday in a yellow Mercedes which has kindly been lent to us for a few days - we might or might not give it back!!!! Of course we'll give it back - we MUST continue to travel light! Have a few interesting job prospects in the UK, but until we nail that we are going to go and visit Brian Horn and see what his part of the world is like....Stafford, in the midlands. Can't wait to hit London, need a bit of a big city fix at the moment -you can take the city folk out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the city folk!!!! or somesuch nonsense! Love getting your emails and comments - miss you all heaps and wish you were here xxxxxxxxxx

Bikers from NZ come to Slane............

 

 

 

 

.......a gang of two on one bike were our first visitors! The ground breakers, they looked rough and tough but they scrubbed up really well to go out for a pint and then to dinner. We loved seeing them and talking NZ talk...come on you lot we'll show you a good time! "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" - however Vogels by the same name, does not consitute Vogels, as we know it......see pix - a second grade Molenburg at best!! Can't even disguise it with Vegemite. Never mind there is nothing like a Guiness, so we guess it's about swings and roundabouts.
Now the other thing is...'Irish Mist'....it's really funny and we don't understand it and anybody we ask looks askance....on a beautiful sunshiney afternoon there is this wonderful very diffused light, like a fine mist softening everything - does anyone know what it is????? The other news of the day is....we have decided to leave Ireland....it's been great and we have loved it, but....we've been offered the job of complete management and after thinking long and hard decided that we didn't come all this way to begin a new career. We would have to commit to it as a complete 24/7 package and we've got too much to see and do, 5 years may not be enough! Anyway we've told Janey we'll leave next week as Rod's visa is up on the 22nd. Janey is coming up with all sorts of schemes to keep us here and it's great to know we've done a great job and are valued. The place can start business now and so we are happy. We will leave part of ourselves here and are secure in the knowledge that we will always have a home and a job in Ireland if and when we want it. And so to bed ....AND it's still light....miss you all heaps and love hearing from you xxxxxxx

Ah, yes......Dublin.....

 
 
 
 
.....did you know that here, North is South, East is West.....if you get our drift! You see, when you face North, West is on your right, so if you have a lapse in concentration you can end up miles in the absolute opposite direction from where you intended to be. Bugger!!! We walked for 3 hours thinking we were heading back to the apartment where we were staying (incidently that's a shot of it and the pic with the boat in front of it is U2's recording studio, taken from our bedroom window...). Anyway, saw lots of Dublin, finally found our way home and rewarded ourselves with a pint of Guiness on the way at the Ferryman and watched the French sailing boats depart. A lovely way to spend a Bank Holiday aka Queen's Birthday. Miss you all and love to receive the emails and comments, thanks a heap for being there xxxxxx

They are a hardy lot............

 
 
 
....we put on our wellies and raincoats, grabbed the umbrellas and went off to a local annual Arts Fair. Paid 12 Euros each for admittance and spent the afternoon eating Indian! viewing amateur as well as some exceptionally good artists and crafts people at work. Rod took up the challenge of a bodrun workshop (and he was quite good!), unfortunately we had to leave when he was just getting into the jigs and reels. Another day. Left there and headed for Dublin.........

A Slane (attempted) pub-crawl.......

 
 
 
Friday night in Slane, so we thought we'd drift up to the village to see a bit of Irish pub culture. Now, bear in mind we are talking about a one intersection village (four small bits of road joined together). So there we were getting our bearings when we were accosted by 6 likely lads asking us where they could get something to eat! Duh! Anyway we explained we weren't local and off they went. We found 6 pubs/taverns/hotels in a row and so chose one. Rod ordered a couple of glasses of Savignon Blanc, the barman perused his beers carefully before disappearing out the back. He emerged somewhat embarrased a few minutes later and said "Oi have cabernet sauvignon or chardonnay" we opted for a pint of Guiness - yum!! Definitely the go in this part of the world. We decided after a pint we better head home, ran into our likely lads and asked if they had got something to eat...they said they had got lost!!!!!!! (In a one intersection village?). They said they'd had a bacon and potatoe sandwich, we said "wow! where did you get that?" "We brought it with us" they said!!!!! After that they gave Rod the bro' handshake and a hug, wished us a happy time in Ireland and we all staggered off. Does one pub constitute a 'crawl'????