TSH and Diva have arrived in Oslo to await the departure of their next Silversea cruise. Two large suitcases, one small(er) and two pieces of carry-on are essential for such an expedition. During the packing process, Diva had to swap an evening top.She had carefully rolled (to prevent creases) a batch of clothes together and then stood on it, breaking a delicate Mother of Pearl button. Bring back plastic! This is going to mean new buttons and a trip to the wonderful local lady who does alterations. Replacing buttons is definitely an alteration.
Bacon butties in the airport lounge in Manchester and an excellent chicken sandwich on the SAS flight.
The flight was enlivened by a large group of men from Cumbria who seemed to have indulged at the airport. Their ages were such that they should have known better than to be quite so noisy. TSH recognised the accents immediately, as he comes from there himself. But normally Cumbrians are known for not speaking much (except for Cumbrian grunts) and maybe this lot should have stayed true to type. They were overheard asking one young Asian woman: 'Are you Chinese? Do you know Kung Fu?' Embarrassment all round. Fortunately she was polite and seemed not to take his stereotyping to heart.
Airport to hotel was by airport bus, which stopped only 100 yards from the hotel.
Oslo is a grand but walkable city and an hour or so was enough to see the Royal Palace, University, National Theatre, Town Hall, Parliament, Cathedral and Central Station.
Dinner was pizza, no booze and cost over £40 at a street cafe. Only eclipsed by £8 on two small bottles of water from a kiosk. Roll-on the all-inclusive cruise!!
Friday 27 June 2014
Tuesday 24 June 2014
Bugs, birds, and botany
Off to the RSPB reserve at South Stack. The trusty satnav, Emily, took TSH and Diva on a clever short-cut which involved grass in the middle of the road and hedges scraping the car on both sides. The lighthouse was closed because Pinewood studios are filming, but no movie stars appeared. The Peregrine Falcon chick was clearly seen on its second day of flight but two puffins could only be seen properly with the aid of a friendly twitcher's telescope. The previous day, the falcons had eaten two puffins for lunch. An intensive search for choughs was carried out by the zoologists in the party, but none were located although smaller birds, including stonechat were seen. There were numerous wildflowers and a red flying bug. The zoologists were consulted about this and they confirmed that it was a 'red flying bug'.
TSH thought that the Coronation Turkey baked potato would be a step too far so he had a turkey sandwich instead. TSH and Diva allowed themselves a cake because of all the fresh air and walking, They had tiffin, which is a no-cook cake with broken biscuits and raisins covered with melted chocolate and then chilled.
Off to RSPB Valley, next to the RAF station, which is much smaller and does not have any facilities. Just one path, which led to a stile, a field of wild horses and another stile. Diva did not like the look of this at all and persuaded everyone that the best thing to do was to return the same route. A later check on the map suggested that this was a wise decision.
Seen during the walk: marsh orchids, flag irises and swans. Other birds were often heard but rarely seen, but the over-riding noise came from the Hawk fighter jets overhead.
As there was no England match, dinner was served promptly and the wine had to be paid for.
TSH thought that the Coronation Turkey baked potato would be a step too far so he had a turkey sandwich instead. TSH and Diva allowed themselves a cake because of all the fresh air and walking, They had tiffin, which is a no-cook cake with broken biscuits and raisins covered with melted chocolate and then chilled.
Off to RSPB Valley, next to the RAF station, which is much smaller and does not have any facilities. Just one path, which led to a stile, a field of wild horses and another stile. Diva did not like the look of this at all and persuaded everyone that the best thing to do was to return the same route. A later check on the map suggested that this was a wise decision.
Seen during the walk: marsh orchids, flag irises and swans. Other birds were often heard but rarely seen, but the over-riding noise came from the Hawk fighter jets overhead.
As there was no England match, dinner was served promptly and the wine had to be paid for.
Monday 23 June 2014
Dinosaur's first train ride
TSH, anxious that his grandson learns good habits early, persuaded everyone to take a trip on the Welsh Highland steam railway. Very scenic for the grown-ups and fascinating for someone who couldn't quite believe the way the world was flashing by the windows. His mother sang 'Going on a Train' and he had his photo taken with the engine.
Lunch involved another Coronation chicken baked potato for TSH and a strange crab salad for Diva. Other members of the party compared fish and chips with the previous day. The afternoon was spent at Caernarvon Castle. It was so warm that Diva had a rare ice-cream. TSH took Dinosaur for a walk over the bridge and managed to return before the bridge opened to let a boat through.
In the evening, the service at dinner was so slow that Diva complained about missing the England v Uruguay kick-off, so the pub made the wine complementary. The England v Uruguay match was a great disappointment and hopes are dashed til Euro 2016.
Lunch involved another Coronation chicken baked potato for TSH and a strange crab salad for Diva. Other members of the party compared fish and chips with the previous day. The afternoon was spent at Caernarvon Castle. It was so warm that Diva had a rare ice-cream. TSH took Dinosaur for a walk over the bridge and managed to return before the bridge opened to let a boat through.
In the evening, the service at dinner was so slow that Diva complained about missing the England v Uruguay kick-off, so the pub made the wine complementary. The England v Uruguay match was a great disappointment and hopes are dashed til Euro 2016.
Sunday 22 June 2014
Off to Anglesey!!
An early start for TSH and Diva, who were meeting other family members in Beaumaris. So no kick-off English breakfast before setting off. So Diva was looking forward to the canapes and drinks which would doubtless be on offer on the promised boat trip. But trips round Puffin Island turned out not to be like that. Tiny boat, minimal safety drill, no torches and absolutely no drinks or canapes. And the only dog on board sat next to Diva.
The trip was rough in places and the island was shrouded in mist for part of the time. The driver kept saying he had never known the weather like this. So Diva did the trip in freak weather conditions. But it was possible to see porpoises (the best bit), seals, the rare black guillemot and one puffin (Diva missed this one because of keeping a wary eye on the dog).
The entry into Beaumaris started badly when the car was cut up at the entry to the car park and Diva said a rude word. And the in-laws were in the next car and can lip-read. And told Diva what she had said.
Diva ordered a salad lunch to be healthy but when it arrived it was mainly meat. Which was great but not the healthy option. TSH continued his global comparison of Coronation Chicken baked potatoes.
After lunch, everybody walked around Beaumaris Castle, where the two grannies (Diva is a kind of honorary granny in spite of not being old enough) tried to keep the young one happy in his push chair. Partial success on this one.
Booking into the hotel (well, Premier Inn, but at least they do what it says on the tin) was not TSH's finest hour. Turned out he had paid in advance for breakfasts. And in the car was bread, cheeses and fruit for breakfasts.
Diva decided to give her asthma inhaler a rare wash. The basin plug was a disc which could be rotated around its central axis to let the water out. And the inhaler cap got stuck under the disc and wouldn't go down and wouldn't come out. And the water wouldn't flow out properly. So Premier Inn had to call a plumber.
The TV was switched on but then the remote ran out of battery so it wouldn't go off. Reception to the rescue again!!
The trip was rough in places and the island was shrouded in mist for part of the time. The driver kept saying he had never known the weather like this. So Diva did the trip in freak weather conditions. But it was possible to see porpoises (the best bit), seals, the rare black guillemot and one puffin (Diva missed this one because of keeping a wary eye on the dog).
The entry into Beaumaris started badly when the car was cut up at the entry to the car park and Diva said a rude word. And the in-laws were in the next car and can lip-read. And told Diva what she had said.
Diva ordered a salad lunch to be healthy but when it arrived it was mainly meat. Which was great but not the healthy option. TSH continued his global comparison of Coronation Chicken baked potatoes.
After lunch, everybody walked around Beaumaris Castle, where the two grannies (Diva is a kind of honorary granny in spite of not being old enough) tried to keep the young one happy in his push chair. Partial success on this one.
Booking into the hotel (well, Premier Inn, but at least they do what it says on the tin) was not TSH's finest hour. Turned out he had paid in advance for breakfasts. And in the car was bread, cheeses and fruit for breakfasts.
Diva decided to give her asthma inhaler a rare wash. The basin plug was a disc which could be rotated around its central axis to let the water out. And the inhaler cap got stuck under the disc and wouldn't go down and wouldn't come out. And the water wouldn't flow out properly. So Premier Inn had to call a plumber.
The TV was switched on but then the remote ran out of battery so it wouldn't go off. Reception to the rescue again!!
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