2geonomads

Stafford

Monday 28th September 2015

Marg and Di are off to the gym for their Pilates class and Gail and I decide to do a hike along the path through some very pleasant countryside and along the superb Brocton golf course and club where Tony has been a member for many years. Unfortunately T has a problem with his big toe on one foot and his membership is currently suspended until he is fully fit to continue.
On our return I leave Gail at T and M’s and continue my walk down to nearby Milford. Along the way I call in to take a look at the beautiful Milford cricket ground on which I played once only MANY years ago. Grounds like this make English club cricket so special.
A short walk back along the canal brings me back to T and M’s, all the better for a good workout.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret

Read Full Post »

Stafford

Sunday 27th September 2015

Tony was up early to get off to the gym and late morning my nephew Andy and his wife Mo arrived for the lunchtime get-together of the Ireland family which Tony had planned.
The lunch venue is a lovely pub, The Hollybush at Salt, situated a short drive from Stafford and here we are joined by Tony and Marg’s daughter and her husband Terry.We have had a number of very good meals here in the past but on this occasion
The chef appeared to have one his ‘off’ days especially with the roast beef Sunday roast and whilst mine was acceptable if a little tough T and M’s was inedible. These meals were duly returned and exchanged for the turkey roast which was a marked improvement.
In spite of this hiccup it was a very enjoyable if all-too-rare family reunion.
The infamous ‘tyranny of distance’ comes into sharper focus as we get older.
On return to T and M’s we made the most of a beautiful autumn afternoon out in their back garden.

David & Tony

Andy Terry Tony Gail Di Marg Mo

Nothing much to report on the RWC other than the Wallabies, as expected, walloped Uruguay 65-3.
All in all a great family day.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret

Read Full Post »

Stafford

Saturday 26th September 2015

Up early to join Tony as he takes his dog, a lovely spaniel called Lucy, on a walk over nearby Milford Hills/ Cannock Chase. At the age of 78 Tony keeps himself very fit by doing this a number of times during the week and going to the local gym each Sunday. Even on days when time doesn’t allow for the longer walk Tony still takes Lucy either down a nearby lane or along the canal. Not surprisingly Lucy is very much Dad’s dog.

The rest of the day was spent just taking it very easy and watching England lose to Wales 25-28 in a match that they could and probably have won. A great result for the Wallabies.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret

Read Full Post »

Brecon Beacons

Friday 25th September 2015

Another quality breakfast although the young waitress gets completely confused when taking our order for salmon and scrambled egg.Finally it all arrives OK but the toast is burned to extinction. G requests replacements and these duly appear looking fairly edible.
Check out of the hotel and head south into the Brecon Beacons Nat. Park eventually stopping at the start of the Pen-Y-Fan trek to the top of the mountain of the same name.
This turns out to be a moderately demanding walk offering some great views over the surrounding countryside.
A surprising number of trekkers are out and about fairly early and Gail and I make good progress up the mountain. As we have allowed only 2 hours I leave Gail to continue up the final steeper slope to a plateau with 360 degrees vista. G in fact continues the climb after I go ahead and she handles the trek very well with only the time limit preventing her from joining me at what I assume is the peak. On arriving at the plateau I realise that the top of Pen-Y-Fan is in fact a second peak at the same altitude and packed out with the early birds who obviously had less problems with a confused waitress and burnt toast!

              
Back down in Brecon we stop off for a decidedly underwhelming coffee and cake after which we set off on the road to Builth Wells , Llandrindod Wells and then on through some very picturesque countryside to Stafford.
My brother Tony and his wife Marg are both looking very well and suntanned after a week’s holiday in Portugal.
After a lovely dinner we spend the rest of the evening just relaxing and catching up on events since we last saw them in January 2014.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

Read Full Post »

Wales

Thursday 24th September 2015

Start the day by catching up on the blogs of the previous days and then it’s down to the breakfast room where we quickly forget that we had the evening before agreed to limit the calorie intake by having a light continental breakfast.

We try to walk off the full Welsh breakfast by strolling to the car park to pick up the car. From there it’s back to the hotel to collect our suitcases and leave Cardiff , initially with virtually no idea of our destination. We solve this little problem  by buying a road map of Wales and settling on Aberdare as our first stop.

The Peppers Coffee Shop in this pleasant small town is a real gem with great coffee and blueberry tart( more food!)

Our route then takes us to Hirwaun and along the A4059 through the beautiful scenery of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

We arrive at the very picturesque town of Brecon and after settling in to the Brecon Castle Hotel we take a very pleasant 2 hour walk along the banks of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. On a day such as this with the autumnal temperature quite comfortable the British countryside can be a real delight.

A tribute made from wood to the coal miners

Not a lot of time to spare before we find ourselves in the Hotel Bar for a quick drink and then enjoy a superb dinner in the restaurant.

Now it’s RWC time and we find a large TV screen in the bar which is showing NZ v Namibia, a real David v Goliath contest. NZ have picked a virtual reserve team but with players such as Sonny Bill Williams included Namibia are completely outplayed. To their credit, however , they give it their all and avoid another 100+point defeat. They even manage to score a try to the delight of the player J Deysel and most of the crowd. As at most RWC venues the spectators love to see the underdogs giving it their best shot often against overwhelming odds.

Final score 58-14

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

Read Full Post »

Cardiff

Wednesday 23rd September 2015.

The day of our one and only Rugby World Cup match!

Another fine breakfast and then it’s back to the main road to Cardiff.

A combination of normal early morning peak hour traffic and the crowds here for the rugby made for a very slow trip into the city but we eventually arrive at our accommodation, Clayton’s Hotel. As we cannot check-in yet we leave our suitcases at reception for collection later.

Before driving to our car park nearer to The Millenium Stadium( the hotel has no parking) we stop off at Cardiff Bay. In line with what has happened in many cities this waterfront area has been totally redeveloped and now has some fine buildings such as the Millenium Centre and is well endowed with restaurants and cafes.

We opt for Bill’s coffee house for a quick snack and after a quick stroll along the waterfront we set off on what is meant to be a very straightforward drive to our car park. Gail has received some excellent instructions online from NCP as to how to get to Dumfries Car Park and all seems to be going according to plan until the last minute. We can both SEE the car park but the entrance is proving to be very elusive. After a string of expletives ( mainly from me) and an interesting tour of some very narrow streets we do finally reach our destination. Tom Tom is proving to be more of a hindrance than a help in the cities  and we are getting used to the now familiar ” turn around when possible”.

A leisurely stroll back to the hotel to check-in to a room on the tenth floor. Fortunately this well-known vertigo-sufferer is saved by the fact that the one very small window is tucked away in the corner of the room so I’m saved from the embarrassment of having sleep with a parachute on!

Time for a quick drink at the bar and a short break before we walk down to the Stadium and the hordes of supporters crowded into the many pubs. Gail buys a Wallabies beanie and yours truly a gold cap with the ubiquitous bloody Union Jack in the corner. More on this later.

Good seats in this magnificent stadium which will filled to the capacity of 67,000 by kick-off time.

A very entertaining game with the Wallabies winning 28-13 but not before the Fijians gave us a hell of a fright. They must have felt that they were playing in Suva as the crowd support was far greater for the Pacific Islanders than the Aussies. I never realised there were so many Fijians in Britain but a kind England supporter explained ( as if I didn’t know already) that thousands of England supporters were merely here to cheer on an opponent of their main rival in Pool A of the WC.

This is made all the more galling as I’m sitting here with the Union Jack on my cap. I pledge to myself that this little corner of the flag will be blotted out on my cap for the remainder of the WC.

At least we now have PM who is a Republican!

Back to the hotel bar to watch France beat Romania fairly easily and they are looming as a real threat in the Cup.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret.

Read Full Post »