Into the final stretch...

Yep, for those of you who've slogged through the epic saga of our trip, fear not, the end is nigh. Go into the light children...

Where was I? Oh yeah, so don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm a bit of a flaky flier. Put me in a twin-engine or a crop-duster with a gung ho pilot and I'm ecstatic, but big long-haul scheduled passenger flights give me the heeby-jeebies. My doc recommended valium washed down with liberal doses of gin (I really like her!) but then asked me not to tell anyone she said that, ooops! I substituted JD and champers for the gin (separately silly!) but even that didn't help me sleep, so the only thing that kept me sane this trip was taking pictures. I didn't really expect them to come out particularly well, but I was actually quite pleased with the results. This was shortly after take-off from Gatwick...


As you can see, I was keeping a beady eye on the monitor...


Then we got above the cloud so there wasn't much to see until the sun started to set...I got some really spectacular sunset shots, but I'm saving them to scrap with, so I'll just tease you with this fairly crummy one lol!


I really was keeping a close eye on the monitor, literally ticking off the miles as we travelled, couldn't wait to be back on the ground...


So you can imagine how thrilled I was thrilled when we finally caught sight of the Cascades...I was puzzled at first by the patterns until I realised I was looking at the results of the logging...



When we finally touched down at YVR I was cranky, hyper and not at all pleasant to be with, which just proves what a gentleman my better half is that he kindly overlooked it. We overnighted in Vancouver (and added a second night) before catching the ferry home...and it was so good to be home!!!!

Now what have I got for you after your mega holiday snaps ordeal? Well, firstly, a long awaited coffee for Amanda, hope you like it frothy!


Seems a bit mean, just coffee, eh? So I whipped up a bumper afternoon tea with finger sarnies and yummie pastries....


And at Kristi's suggestion, and because no get-together is complete without a bit of naughtiness, help yourself to a cocktail too....



Thanks for stopping by, see y'all soon!!!

Homeward bound...and yet more photos....

Can you believe there are yet more photos of our trip that I haven't shared yet??? Well, you're in luck (lol!) coz there are!!!!

We drove back from Dublin (actually there was a ferry involved too!) to our favourite chill-out spot for a couple of nights to erm...chill-out before the long haul flight home. We stayed at the Hotel Seattle in Brighton, where we've spent many a happy weekend (mostly in the bar hic!) since we discovered it a few years ago. This is one seriously hip and trendy hotel in what has become a seriously hip and trendy town, and we (as you may have guessed) are sadly lacking in the hipness and trendiness departments - and yet we love it and recommend it highly.

It's located on the Boardwalk (actually it pretty much IS the Boardwalk) and so has some great views. Like this, from our balcony...



And I just love watching boats bob in the marina...also from the balcony...



And even when the sky turns dour, it's lovely to watch....



And the sea has such an unreal quality there...



(You can click any of these photos for a better view, but I really recommend that you click the last one, you can almost feel the tide swell when you look out at the ocean, one of my better shots!)

Now, if you ever find yourself in the general vicinity of Brighton, you just have to stay there. And once you're checked in, ask for directions to the 'secret' Black & White bar (it's really well hidden amongst the guest rooms) and once you get there ask for an English Orchard cocktail, sip, sigh and chill.....it's bliss!

Speechless....

Well...almost! I'm so chuffed I've just figured out how to make an animated preview in PSE...cool or what? Yes I have been playing when I shouldn't have been... the upshot of which is some seven packs of papers (yes, that's right, SEVEN!) and I was trying to figure out the easiest way to show them to you. And suddenly it just clicked... y'know a real 'Aha!' moment.

Anyway, enough yammering, here it is....(cue the applause)

Erm, yes...they are all based on the same pattern...but it's such a cute pattern, someone's bound to want 56 variations of it, aren't they? Well, let me know if you do!

And there's still three days to go....

(Edited so that now it shows a full paper from each pack...it's addictive!)

No! Really? Another post already?????

Yep, I must be on a roll or something, cause here I am back again, with a little more evidence that I've been playing instead of doing the million and one other things I should be doing, ho hum, never mind.

So whadya think?




Are these cute or just plain weird? I can't tell you what they remind me of, cause that would make it seem even weirder, but I do love this peek-a-boo pattern. Let me know what you think and if you'd like them.

Only three days left til my birthday...doodly do!

A Room with a View, an Alien, self-propelled bath fittings and lousy service

So, here are some photos my Dad took while we were in Dublin. This first one is a view from the balcony of the hotel where we stayed at in Portmarnock...and the best thing about that hotel was definitely the view!



And here it is at night....



And the rather questionable art above the bed in each room, which reminded me of something from Alien...



And a view of Malahide across the bay from Oscars pub and restaurant, where we stopped for lunch with my sister and her family...



We searched long and hard for the right hotel in Dublin. We wanted somewhere that was both comfortable and a bit special, somewhere that would be a treat for my Mom & Dad since we wanted them to have a bit of a break while we were visiting. We actually chose a brand new hotel, the Ritz Carlton at Powerscourt, and then discovered they were full for one night in the middle of our short stay because of some celebrity wedding. Harumph!

So we found the Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links, which was supposedly 4 star and looked pretty darn good. But pretty much from the moment we arrived, things went badly. And when my parents checked in the next day, it went downhill rapidly thanks to bathroom fixtures that weren't 'fixed' (taps and handles kept falling off the wall!) and a restaurant manager with an attitude the Nazis would have been proud of...

Thankfully my parents had checked out before the final night....when the fire alarm went off and we were left in the pouring freezing rain for over 30 minutes only to discover that the alarm had malfunctioned and the rest of the hotel weren't even aware of it, and...after another half hour searching for anyone who cared we were told to go back to our room and the alarm would be switched off until someone came to fix it. Very reassuring....and what if there happens to be a fire? Oh, that almost never happens, they said unconvincingly.

We met with the customer relations manager the following morning before we checked out who promised a letter of apology to my parents for how appallingingly they'd been treated, and an email to us after they'd investigated the rest of the shambles...neither of which ever arrived. All I can say is, if you ever find yourself looking for accommodation in Ireland...don't ever go here.

Remember these???

Well, because I'm feeling a bit down, I thought I'd share them with you. There are two packs of eight papers, and this is the first, so if you'd like the other pack, just say so. And if you actually use any, send me a link cause I'd love to see it.



You can get them here

Did I mention it's my birthday in like, 4 days? So consider this an early birthday pressie from me to you, and don't say I never give you anything!

Back from the pit...and more photos

I feel like I dropped of the edge of the planet (well it is flat, y'know!) and it's taken me an age to climb back on...but finally here I am. We (that is me and my very much better half) have been ill over Christmas...or more accurately, since we came back from holiday in November, so it's been a pretty miserable festive season...and New Year went off with a rather damp squib. But ho hum, we soldier on.

Thought it was about time I posted some more pics of our trip, so finally here they are. My gran passed away shortly before we travelled, and despite having missed the funeral, I wanted to visit the cemetary while we were in Dublin...but it was a little surreal. It's not a cemetary I ever remember having visited before, but my parents assure me it's changed a lot. It used to be surrounded by fields and roads, now (land being so scarce for development), it's actually inside a housing development. So you drive in through the gates of the development before you get to the gates of the cemetary, and once you're there you're surrounded by apartments overlooking the walls. All I can say, is it's a really weird view to have from your balcony. Anyway, the grave was still piled high with flowers from the funeral, as you can see...



We were only in Dublin for a very short time, but while there my dad took us to the Phoenix Park (where we used to picnic when I was a kid) and we saw a very pretty restored tower...I would have read the details on the placque but they were in Irish, and I've never been that fluent lol!



Right next to it there's a well-manicured hedge maze, which my better half threatened to lose me in ... so I pointed out it was only about two feet high, and he said, 'Yeah, that's about right' and was swiftly kicked...I know I'm short but really!



Next time I'll post some pics my Dad took from the hotel...which if you ever find yourself travelling to Ireland, I can strongly recommend...that you avoid it like the plague!!!!