Wet, Wet, Wet! (3)

I don't think anybody needed to tell us it has been a wet year, but I guess these people had to justify their salaries!
http://www.met.ie/climate/monthlyBulletins/Summer2008rainfall.pdf
Will it be enough to drive us away??

Munster v All Blacks 18/11/08

I've just been sent this article to read by a mate back in New Zealand.

http://www.thecupiscominghome.com/document.php?c_id=5&doc_id=14244

Recommended reading!

Paddy's Well

This country is fascinating, every now and then when traversing the highways and byways (and slip roads) you stumble across the most unusual and unexpected sights. This morning was no exception....

Paddy's Well.

I didn't know what to do!

Should I bless myself with it?

Should I go down on bended knee?

Should I take my clothes off and go bathing?

Should I "take the waters"?

Should I anoint myself?

Should I add it to my "Bushmills"?

Any suggestions?

In Bruges...

Ryanair was offering €1 fares (incl taxes) recently so we decided it was cheaper to fly to Belgium for a couple of days, than to stay at home! We arrived in time for the Christmas market so gluhwein was required to keep the chill at bay!



Colin Farrell describes Bruges as "a shithole" in the movie, but others describe it as "the Venice of the North". Whatever description you you agree with, it is a very nice place to visit for a few days.

it is famous for it's chocolate (as is all of Belgium) and there are MANY artesan chocolate shops to visit...

...and we finally discovered how they get their fillings inside their chocolates.

The other compulsory tasting was beer, of course, and in this bar they have over 400 beers on offer. Needless to say we ran out of time to try them all!

Bruges is also well-known for it's annual ice sculpture display prior to Christmas and unfortunately an image is hard to capture, but be reassured that they were quite special. It is housed in a temporary marquee about 30m x 50m and kept at -5C. Gluhwein was needed again!

It does get cold in the South of France!

We knew it was late November, but we didn't want to go to Carcassonne with the hourdes of tourists during the summer. What we hadn't anticipated was the snow on the surrounding hills that fell the day before we arrived, which made the weather very chilly for a couple of days!

But we managed to keep warm with plenty of Cassoulet, Foie gras and vin rouge. It was nice to be there though and it certainly is a very medieval city...

...but the drawer bridge was not designed for concrete lorries. There were many hands to make sure that none of this part of the Heritage site was touched!!

We hired a car and visited several of the villages in the Langedoc/Rousillon area...

...and got lost amongst the vineyards. Some areas look neglected and obviously struggle to perform, while other areas are really steeping up to the mark and their wines are fabulous.

We also discovered that hilltop villages are not necessarily modern conceptions. Some of these old chateaus are truly impregnable, even by today's standards!!

The sun did manage to come out eventually and we visited Sete, whose claim to fame is France's largest fishing village/port on the Meditteraean. Of course, we had to have a delightful lunch of Oysters and Bouillabaisse.

AB's in the land of the little people!

After much hype about a close match and a possible Ireland win, we watched a pretty uninspiring game of rugby last night.

The All Black's were pretty lack lustre, the Irish didn't turn up, and the ref had a shocker. Just as well the black stuff was up to standard - as always!!

Smell the...........?

There is an old golfing cliche that says in order to get the best out of your game you should take time to "smell the grass"!

Our good friend Roger Goodfellow has recently accepted a position of teaching professional at the Vigne del Barolo Golf Course in Northern Italy, which he starts March next year. He sent us this image recently of the newly opened front nine.

I don't know about smelling the grass, but I can almost smell the Nebbiolo and truffles just looking at the picture. We hope it is not too long before we have the opportunity of a tee time. What do you think wee P?

Wee P is 30!!.....

and his mother wanted to be in New York to help celebrate!

Aunty Maria from Milwaukee was the "mystery guest" for the weekend.

We had plenty of time to hunt for mushrooms on the Sheep Meadow in Central Park.

And a free "session" is never far away, - reminded us of "Home"!

Then it was off to the Met to see Don Giovani

before a family get together "over the tea cups"! Anyone who has been to the Lower East side Toy Co (P's closest nightclub - 5m from his door) will understand!





There are some "morning after" images, but the birthday boy insisted that they are "not allowed" to be published.

Downside up?

Even with a drop in personal finances, you've still gotta love the nightlife.....


and everything else "New York"!

Upside down.

We are off to New York for the weekend on Thursday. When we were there in June, these banners were all over the place.....

I wonder what they will be saying now....?

Watch this space........

Tuscany revisited.

We never need much of an excuse to visit Italy, and an invitation to join some Kiwi friends in Tuscany for a week was another good opportunity.

Lunching and dining were high on the agenda

Adventure tourism as far as the eye could see....!

and a mobile Fish and Chip shop to beat them all!

After a few days in Lucca with the troops, we returned to our "bolt hole", Colle di Val d'Elsa....

...and didn't know there was a "crystal" festival on. The town is famous for it's glass-blowers.

The next morning we were wondering what all the noise was about until we opened the shutters

and the party lasted all day, including a procession of the Madonna at 6:00pm

Then on to one of my favourite roads - the road to Bolgheri. Home to many super-Tuscan wines including, Ornellaia, Sassacaia, Tignanello, Masseto

and another lunch under the Tuscan sun.

Then stumbled on to a local fair, which inluded Italian "cowboys" and a local "bush" band which seemed to play better on the run!

Thanks for inviting us guys, until next time.........?