I get the impression that, before I know it, she'll be doing her GCSE's (or something).
Taken in Trebarwith Strand on a day when the tide was fully in. Strange thing is - three days before hand - we'd been on the beach at about the same time of day.
The problem with recording an event your participating in is tricky remembering to get your camera out. If your responsible for the event then it's a bigger issue. I've have learnt, through bitter experience, not to sing "Happy Birthday" when recording a cake having it's candles extinguished because the resultant audio really only contains my singing (loudly) and drowns out everyone elses. You tend to end up turning the whole thing down and laying mood-music over the images.
So - Llew's party was fantastic and I've barely in image to show for it.
The party went on all night - with the BBQ getting fired up for dinner as well. In the photo above people are still reletively sober. It went down hill after that ....
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Here's the best cock in Brecon:
In order to provide some level of cultural balance to his post here's what I do like about the place:
The scenery is stunning, absolutely stunning. Possibly not as mind-buggeringly steep, primordial and rugged as New Zealand - but not bad considering it's only an hour out of Cardiff.
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Why am I sure Brecon men have more success wid da ladies? Because the condom machines have every base covered!
Top item: headache tablets (anadin). That's the excuses out of the way! A gents travel kit (third item down) cleans your teeth (if you're a more sensitive guy) and the final four buttons take care of the, er, meat of the issue.
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There's a joke in the Hitch Hiker's Guide second radio series about an economy being choked to death by the rampant expansion of Shoe shops. It was a sketch of its time (early 80s) - but, having walked around Brecon, Powys (Southern Wales, UK) it could be updated and estate agents used instead. How many does a small market town need? What goes through the heads of a planning committee?
1 x WH Smiths - check
1 x Woolworths - check
1 x Tourist tat and hippy candles shop - check
1 x Butcher - check
1 x Baker - check
6 x Estate Agents - Marvelous!
A quick tip: if you are walking around Powys, especially on a Sunday morning, keep looking down. There's an incredible amount of regurgitated food on the pavements. A shame really because, puddles of chewed food and estate agents aside, it's a pretty place.
One last thing: be careful with the "gastro-pubs" in the general Brecon area. The foods okay (not brilliant, better than a grotty pub, but not brilliant) but, unlike the prices, not up to London levels. In fact, one of the pubs (named after a Royally protected species of white water fowl) appeared to be cooking from a Delia book my mum used in the 70's.
On the plus side - if you want a B&B that thinks it's a luxury hotel (and looks and behaves like one) then try the Canal Bank. Faultless execution. It has the added bonus of a driveway like no other: you drive along the canal bank before attempting a 90 degree left hander to get into the back car parking area. If you don't know the width and length of your vehicle to the nearest 1/4" then get a taxi. Personally I loved it!
Some things never change - and the photos above could have been taken any time in the last twenty years. Minus the kids obviously.
A great party - with tons of food and, despite the constant threat, very little rain.
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If you ever happen to be in Ireland on the R603, somewhere between Cork and Kinsale, and want somewhere really relaxing to stay - head for Leighmoneymore. Our friends, Kate and Ferg, run a B&B there (it's a B&B in the same way the titanic was a dinghy).
Southern Ireland is beautiful. The locals (of whom somewhere between 30 - 50% all drive permanently on learner plates) somehow avoid killing each other as around every corner you'll find them walking in the road to get fit. If they're not doing that then they're all hanging off every bridge available fishing. On roads that would be classified using letters towards the end of the alphabet they drive at speeds that would stun a motorway copper. It's amazing to watch when the guy's in front of you and terrifying when he's coming towards you on all sides of the road.
The beaches are stunning.
and the water is clear as a bell and damned cold.
There's a restaurant, called "Fishy Fishy" in Kinsale that is definitely worth checking out.
The food was as good as anything I've enjoyed in London. For less remarkable food - but better views - a pub called "The Dock" over the harbor is worth visiting. "Vista" wine bar serves a good selection of wine and Tapas - even if the service falls somewhere between "slow but in a laid back, Irish kind of way" and "oops - we forgot your order". It has a balcony with great views over the mariner.
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I spend my life surrounded by the latest hi-def televisions working at OpenTV. Our software runs in the French TPS and UK BSkyB HiDef set top boxes so the things are everywhere. I've started to get used to pin-sharp, flicker free images on enormous screens the thickness of a Clancy paperback.
It's something of a comedown to have to watch listen to the Italy match on this!
You could cover the screen with a 50 pence piece! God knows how downsampled from the usual PAL resolution it is - but there was no way you could read the score.
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Not sure about the Fedora, but the cake that turned up shortly after this shot was taken was only slightly smaller.
And as is now traditional we hid Meg behind an icecream.
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The information displat on the SAAB been going screwy for some time - characters not appearing and whole words gone. It had reached a point where I didn't know if the "TP" was showing and so had to guess if I was going to raffic news. So SAAB said they could replace the thing (a SID 2 unit) for a coupld of hundred pounds.
Or you can run a biro over the display's ribbon connector as shown here:
and repair the thing for free.
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Now this was something from a BBC drama where there's an amazing social concience and everyone takes part- only it's for real.
Queues for the face painting - and a butterfly emerges...
Hot weather (thirsty business)
all at Rhodes Avenue Primary School.
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We all know that bouncy castles are for bouncing
and that William is "Just William"
and that when Llew
grows up he wants a Ducati...
That hot weather means floppy hats
and thereways enough food!
Thanks to James and Debbie for an excellent party.
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Somewhere behind the chocolate ice-cream. The amazing thing is she didn't get that covered in it. The same day we wondered over to the play-park where a combination of seeing Saskia walking everywhere and being told he had to walk to the slide meant Llew finally got on his feet.
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31, maybe 32 degrees heat and in a beer garden in Henley-on-Thames having walked along the Thames and done a little (obviously essential) shopping.
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