They're having to remove the microwave from the second floor kitchen at the London office because "someone has taken the glass plate".
I have nothing more to say...
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Saturday, September 09, 2006
wow I'm tired...
...I've just spent the day building houses!! Got picked up at 6.45am and have been busy sawing, hammering nails and shifting bits of wood about...I know this may be a surprise to a few of you, but I'm actually pretty handy on a building site - its just so much easier to play dumb and let someone else do things for you normally, but I have that smug glow of someone who's satisfied with a hard day's work. And I might even make the local news (yes - me working hard for a change IS a newsorthy item out in Calgary!!!).
I've had a bath and a shower and feel nice and refreshed and ready to take on the night's entertainment :-)
Before I go - just enough time for a big WOW for Cath - jumping out of planes over lakes??! I'm jealous!! Can't wait to catch up with you in November!!!
I've had a bath and a shower and feel nice and refreshed and ready to take on the night's entertainment :-)
Before I go - just enough time for a big WOW for Cath - jumping out of planes over lakes??! I'm jealous!! Can't wait to catch up with you in November!!!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Holiday!!
So…..I’m back again after traveling the length and breadth of the country….well, almost!! I had a great time, felt like much more than just under a week and a half which can only be a good sign! So what did we do I hear you ask? The first part of the holiday was spent in…
Calgary/ Rockies
I took Anne and Claire to the nice steak restaurant the night they arrived as I don’t think they really had the energy to do much else. It was really nice – old fashioned with some scary interpretations of interior decorating, but we survived the evil fairy things on the wall and the scary paintings and managed to have a very nice meal washed down with a few drinks in the bar/ drawing room. Next day it was up early and away on our tour of the rockies with our guide Petar who is originally from Croatia. It was just the three/ four of us which was great – much more personal than the trip I took previously and no annoying waiting for the silly girl who never managed to make it back to the bus anywhere near on time! We saw more lakes and mountains, but no waterfalls this time although we did get out to the Athabasca glacier which was pretty cool (naturally enough for a glacier I suppose!!). It was a long old day, but a good time was had by all including our guide who acted like he was on a tour of his own and took pictures left right and centre. He posed for one with myself and Anne which was when he declared “I like to hug” and proceeded to put his arm around Anne!! I think she has a husband here if she ever wants one :-). I went back to work the next day and then on Thursday it was off to…
San Francisco!
We arrived in the afternoon after an early-ish morning flight, dumped our bags and set off to explore. Our hotel was in a fab location and I’d definitely go back to it (despite the old people’s home smell!). We found an Irish shop so went in on a whim as Claire wanted teabags. Once inside we discovered a world of tat and were about to leave when Anne asked if there were any local Irish bars (we’d read that there isn’t much of an Irish scene in San Fran really). Turns out there was one (pretty much right behind our hotel) so we made our way there to have a late lunch. Claire’s flatmate and sister (Una and Mairead) were in San Fran having spent the weekend in Vegas, so they decided to meet us there…despite deciding to only stay for lunch and ‘the one’ we didn’t end up leaving until about 1am that night!! It was a great bar – brilliant barmen and we’d stumbled upon a live music night courtesy of Nikki, the friendly local transsexual! She was great – had a big list of songs for everyone to request from including some serious Irish rebel numbers. Add to that a few songs done in the style of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash (yes – all in the same number) and a few shots on the house and you’ve pretty much got an idea of the night that was had. Great craic altogether. The next few days were spent visiting Alcatraz, going on a wine tour in Sanoma, shopping, going to the aquarium, looking at the sea lions, taking street cars, eating at the worst restaurant in the history of the world ever (you know who you are, Swiss Louis) avoiding crazy people (of which there are legion) and trying to keep warm. I hadn’t heard before that the coldest winter Mark Twain ever spent was a summer in San Francisco but I don’t think I’ll forget that in a hurry – the fog is a killer!! On the Tuesday morning it was an EARLY start for the flight to…
Toronto!
We arrived in the afternoon again and followed the concierge’s recommendation for a steakhouse a short walk away. I chose badly it would seem, but everyone else seemed happy with the food. The waiter however was a different matter, we had encountered our first experience of what I had heard about lots in Calgary – the infamous ‘tood of those ‘out East’ (apparently Toronto only counts as out East when you live faaaar in the West as I do as its actually more like Central Canada – those truly out East in St Johns tend to take offence at that description!!). Craig, our friendly waiter was the sort to bring us the cheque without enquiring as to our appetite for seeing the dessert menu or drinking some coffee. Naturally we demanded coffee after the cheque arrived just to make a point. Hmph. Next day we went to the CN Tower which is a bit rubbish actually. We’d expected a whole floor of glass, but there was only a tiny bit mostly overrun with Japanese tourists throwing themselves on the floor and making the peace sign all over the place. We mooched around and ate some LOVELY food and didn’t go to the cinema. We had a tour of Niagara the following day which included a tour of a winery. At 10am. The three of us opted out of that one….Niagara on the lake is a gorgeous little town and the actual falls are pretty awesome, especially when seen from the boat. Niagara the town is not. I have NEVER been anywhere as tacky in my life. Ever. The three of us were pretty gobsmacked at the state of it, a complete tack attack next to one of the most amazing natural sights of the world!! Anne and Claire left on the Saturday and I stayed on until labour day with the fabulous Ms Proll. It was great to catch up and hang out in Toronto – you live in a very cool area Sarah and I am jealous!! I’d start worrying if I was you – I know where you live and I might just find the excuse to make a weekend trip to Toronto in the not so distant future!!
So – a whirlwind of an adventure and I haven’t even begun to tell all the stories, but if I did that then I’d have nothing to talk to you about the next time I see you all! My next adventure will be at the end of the month when I go home for a week as it’s my cousin’s wedding which I’m greatly looking forward to! Hope all is well in the world of you all – let me know if you’ve any news, but feel free to say hi even if you’ve been boring!! ;-)
Link to pics on the sidebar....
xxx
Calgary/ Rockies
I took Anne and Claire to the nice steak restaurant the night they arrived as I don’t think they really had the energy to do much else. It was really nice – old fashioned with some scary interpretations of interior decorating, but we survived the evil fairy things on the wall and the scary paintings and managed to have a very nice meal washed down with a few drinks in the bar/ drawing room. Next day it was up early and away on our tour of the rockies with our guide Petar who is originally from Croatia. It was just the three/ four of us which was great – much more personal than the trip I took previously and no annoying waiting for the silly girl who never managed to make it back to the bus anywhere near on time! We saw more lakes and mountains, but no waterfalls this time although we did get out to the Athabasca glacier which was pretty cool (naturally enough for a glacier I suppose!!). It was a long old day, but a good time was had by all including our guide who acted like he was on a tour of his own and took pictures left right and centre. He posed for one with myself and Anne which was when he declared “I like to hug” and proceeded to put his arm around Anne!! I think she has a husband here if she ever wants one :-). I went back to work the next day and then on Thursday it was off to…
San Francisco!
We arrived in the afternoon after an early-ish morning flight, dumped our bags and set off to explore. Our hotel was in a fab location and I’d definitely go back to it (despite the old people’s home smell!). We found an Irish shop so went in on a whim as Claire wanted teabags. Once inside we discovered a world of tat and were about to leave when Anne asked if there were any local Irish bars (we’d read that there isn’t much of an Irish scene in San Fran really). Turns out there was one (pretty much right behind our hotel) so we made our way there to have a late lunch. Claire’s flatmate and sister (Una and Mairead) were in San Fran having spent the weekend in Vegas, so they decided to meet us there…despite deciding to only stay for lunch and ‘the one’ we didn’t end up leaving until about 1am that night!! It was a great bar – brilliant barmen and we’d stumbled upon a live music night courtesy of Nikki, the friendly local transsexual! She was great – had a big list of songs for everyone to request from including some serious Irish rebel numbers. Add to that a few songs done in the style of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash (yes – all in the same number) and a few shots on the house and you’ve pretty much got an idea of the night that was had. Great craic altogether. The next few days were spent visiting Alcatraz, going on a wine tour in Sanoma, shopping, going to the aquarium, looking at the sea lions, taking street cars, eating at the worst restaurant in the history of the world ever (you know who you are, Swiss Louis) avoiding crazy people (of which there are legion) and trying to keep warm. I hadn’t heard before that the coldest winter Mark Twain ever spent was a summer in San Francisco but I don’t think I’ll forget that in a hurry – the fog is a killer!! On the Tuesday morning it was an EARLY start for the flight to…
Toronto!
We arrived in the afternoon again and followed the concierge’s recommendation for a steakhouse a short walk away. I chose badly it would seem, but everyone else seemed happy with the food. The waiter however was a different matter, we had encountered our first experience of what I had heard about lots in Calgary – the infamous ‘tood of those ‘out East’ (apparently Toronto only counts as out East when you live faaaar in the West as I do as its actually more like Central Canada – those truly out East in St Johns tend to take offence at that description!!). Craig, our friendly waiter was the sort to bring us the cheque without enquiring as to our appetite for seeing the dessert menu or drinking some coffee. Naturally we demanded coffee after the cheque arrived just to make a point. Hmph. Next day we went to the CN Tower which is a bit rubbish actually. We’d expected a whole floor of glass, but there was only a tiny bit mostly overrun with Japanese tourists throwing themselves on the floor and making the peace sign all over the place. We mooched around and ate some LOVELY food and didn’t go to the cinema. We had a tour of Niagara the following day which included a tour of a winery. At 10am. The three of us opted out of that one….Niagara on the lake is a gorgeous little town and the actual falls are pretty awesome, especially when seen from the boat. Niagara the town is not. I have NEVER been anywhere as tacky in my life. Ever. The three of us were pretty gobsmacked at the state of it, a complete tack attack next to one of the most amazing natural sights of the world!! Anne and Claire left on the Saturday and I stayed on until labour day with the fabulous Ms Proll. It was great to catch up and hang out in Toronto – you live in a very cool area Sarah and I am jealous!! I’d start worrying if I was you – I know where you live and I might just find the excuse to make a weekend trip to Toronto in the not so distant future!!
So – a whirlwind of an adventure and I haven’t even begun to tell all the stories, but if I did that then I’d have nothing to talk to you about the next time I see you all! My next adventure will be at the end of the month when I go home for a week as it’s my cousin’s wedding which I’m greatly looking forward to! Hope all is well in the world of you all – let me know if you’ve any news, but feel free to say hi even if you’ve been boring!! ;-)
Link to pics on the sidebar....
xxx
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