Things you find out or remember at the weekend...

Had a busy weekend, just gone. Car maintenance, visiting friends, cinema premiere, afternoon moseys in Dublin.....forgetting about The Match...

So, here's a brief extract from the list:

1. The new Muppets film is brilliant. Uproariously funny, universally appealing, unpretentious, and did I mention uproariously funny? Great to see the gang (+1 new muppet) back in action. And we saw a brilliant Pixar/Toy Story short too! A film for all ages.

2. The Queen of Tarts coffee/cake shop is still amazing. Yes, we've been in there before, but it's still refreshingly yummy in there. This weekend's conquests - Apple Crumble (and how did it crumble, perfect crunch, perfect apple), Victoria Sponge (a triple decker, bursting with berry goodness), Lavazza coffee and wonderful hot chocolate. Don't pass it, unless you're going to their other branch.

3. The Elephant and Castle is great for lunch. We'll have to go back to try the wings (everyone was having wings!), but our lamb pitta and elephantburger lunch was tasty, succulent, well presented and well priced. Again, we say.

4. It might be time to get some different shoes. In my rush to leave the house, I had a left and right from different pairs. Not dramatically different, but enough. Lesson learned.

Small few photographs taken, for a later time.

Till then!

Galway, instructions for a pleasing weekend.

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I've just spent a lovely weekend in Galway, courtesy of some living social deals. We had a stay in the Forster Court hotel, which was most impressive - a very welcoming hotel, with comfortable rooms and pleasant and attentive staff. The hotel's just off Eyre Square so is merely minutes' walk from the main heart of Galway city.

Arriving on Friday night after work we had a tasty meal in the hotel. Saturday then we made our way to Kenny's Bookshop in the Liosbaun retail park, where the famous bookshop has moved to. In all the times I've been to Galway since they moved from the city centre I've never been to the new location so I had it in mind this time. It's in an almost industrial unit - but there's a lovely almost untidy (no offence!) clutter to the seats, couches and stacks of books in amongst the tall shelves that makes it very conducive to browse. 

So that was an enjoyable hour or so - my wallet escaped almost unscathed, though I did purchase a book on a practice Martian landing in the Arctic which will I'm sure warrant a mention at a later time. 

Out to Salthill then for a walk along the prom - we parked by the diving boards and walked back down towards the centre of Salthill. Stopped for a "Strange Brew" in the Oslo bar before heading back up to kick the wall. Oslo is a great bar, with a fantastic selection of beers (some brewed themselves) and a beer hall towards the back - well worth a visit if you're out that direction.

Back to town then for a freshen up before a tasty pizza in Fat Freddy's (pizza bianco - pesto, pepperoni, potatoes and cheese on a yummy base) - oh, and if they have a crostini with pear, honey and goats cheese when you're there, do order and enjoy. After that a couple more beers in the Salt House.  This is a real cosy little place with an even better selection of beer (We went for the Bay Ale and a Metalman Alternator, both tasty) but perhaps not such a great selection of board games (as advertised on the website). Get in there early as it's quite small, not so many seats, and has a fantastic selection of beers and whiskeys. 

After another tasty breakfast and checkout (with gift of cookies and bread!) from the hotel, we wandered along the canal which sort of parallels the river Corrib. This was a part we've never seen and is a lovely route for a walk. 

Another lunch in the Front Door pub - a deceptively large pub, but with loads of nooks and crannies so it feels really snug. Great food in here too, and this place will be on our "must go again" list. I had a vegetarian quesadilla which was really tasty. I didn't miss the meat and there was lovely salsa on the nachos that came with it. M had a chicken caesar salad that had plenty of chicken and bacon and lots of flavour. 

There will be photographs, once I get a chance to download them and upload them! 

  

Less nostalgia, more local treasures....

Weather was kinder to us today than has been of late. That might be the understatement of the year - the sun shone and I think the temperature might have hit 20 celsius... so somewhere outside for a wee walk was indicated. I know, Laois! Heywood gardens has been on the hitlist for a while since I saw it mentioned somewhere, so we struck out, as you do, in the car.

We hit Abbeyleix first, though, to see could we get a bit of lunch. A swift pie (I know, on a day like this?) in the Gallic Kitchen on Main St, which was delicious (one steak and guinness, one chicken and mushroom, both yummy) and in a lovely poky friendly café - highly recommended. Will hit this spot again on another day. Coffee and Brownie to finish!

On we went, heading in Ballinakill direction to Heywood Gardens. There's a school on the grounds, which is a bit strange and gives you that "did we take the right turn?" moment, but it was the right place. A lovely and unusual pair of gardens awaits the visitor, one set being very formal, set in circular form around a pond and a walled garden and the other more freeform and natural set around a much more natural pond with beautiful waterlilies and a woodland surround. The place was lovely for a walk on a warm day, and the trail takes you right into Ballinakill village, which we didn't quite go as far as - there was barbecuing to do!

Maybe some photos to come from the day - there's also a beer report (Beerdog Paradox, and Aecht Schenkerla) and some nostalgic reading to mention. And Vegas photos, don't forget those! Maybe it'll rain and I can get them typed up. Until then.....

Feed the world!

Generate self satisfied-smugness, and sending rice to the needy hungry people. Yay! Apparently, every correct answer sends 10 rice grains (by means of the site sponsors) to needy people. And, you can gloat that you got to level 45 of 60 in the vocabulary test!

It can hardly be A Bad Thing, can it?

2 Tuesday lessons

The google car thingy does exist (I saw it in Co. Kildare today!) and, whilst turkey sausage is at the right time, not the worst - tasting thing in the world, at 0800 in the morning it really shouldn't be tasted (because you definitely won't put it in your sandwiches then!).

Spaten, as the third lesson, is a very nice refreshing uncomplicated tasty lager, isn't it?

Things to do on a Saturday, when the weather's nice...

Suggestion 1: Go to Malahide for an hour or two. The advantages are these - you can go to Malahide castle, which has some nice green grounds to wander around. It also, importantly, has the Fry Model Railway, which is well worth a visit. For €6 for a grown up (hah!) you get to see both a phenomenal set of model trains that Mr. Cyril Fry, a railway engineer, built in the 1920s and 1930s, and a huge (much bigger than an attic....) display of running model trains which covers the DART, Irish Rail, Luas and other model transportation. Anyone with children to entertain (like my better half, who still isn't convinced of my age) who have any sort of mechanical interest would enjoy this I think.

Also in Malahide, there is a beach for walking on. That's nice too.

Suggestion 2: The Chester Beatty Library. I finally made the effort to go and see it, it's been hiding behind Dublin Castle all these years! A small, but exquisite exhibition called "the Art of the Book" is on display at the moment, which has some absolutely fantastic and beautifully illustrated books that Mr. Beatty (obviously a man of not inconsiderable means...) collected. The vivid colours and details that were capable of being printed through the years is very impressive, and for €0 entry fee, well worth a visit. There is also an exhibition on world religions which is very interesting too.

Suggestion 2.1: Toscana, on Dame Street - a very tasty 2 course lunch is available here, in the Italian style. Excellent value, nicely filling.

Suggestion 2.2: The Queen of Tarts, also on Dame Street for coffee and dessert. Like the Chester Beatty, I'd been threatening to get in here for years but only now have I managed it! A lovely cosy café (be prepared to wait for a table, though!) which serves absolutely gorgeous cakes and Lavazza coffee. We had pear and chocolate tart, which was delicious, and a very well balanced cinnamon and apple crumble. Both were hugely tasty and lighter than we expected. It's going to be visited again.

A serious day - bottling, strawberries, and sausages

So, with the weather being well, ok, and us both having the day off, it being a Sunday, we headed off. Enniscorthy is the target, being the venue for the Enniscorthy Strawberry Festival. Subdue your excitement.

There was an All-Ireland Farmer's Market - consisting of about 17 stalls, not even one per county! Some of these sold strawberries (2), other sold preserves, cheeses, meats and vegetables. So that was ok - we had a sausage roll there made from sausage about 40mm diameter (verging on the too-thick side of cookability I think) which was tasty.

As there was little else happening, bar a cookery demonstration (and neither M or I were interested) we decided to seaside it, and ended up in Rosslare watching the Irish Sea do what it did. We stopped for grub on the way home in the Ramada resort near Tullow - this cannot be recommended as a course of action to anybody and we should have come home and barbecued, though we were absolutely ravenous at this stage.

Decided to bottle the beer tonight. This is a messy operation, and the following were noted:

1: Count your bottles, make sure you have enough. Add about 6 bottles to the "enough" number, because you mightn't actually fill the bottles as much as they claim to hold.

2: Get a no-rinse steriliser/sanitiser for your bottles. This will save on water and time. I had to rinse each bottle a couple of times - wasting water. This is A Bad Thing.

3: Grow some more arms, or else ask a helper to pass by. Someone to hold the siphon in the bucket whilst you're at the other end filling bottles is very brilliant.

4: Check the top of all bottles that you're proposing to use, as some fancy bottles (Wychwood ales for example) won't take a crown cap with the capper I've got.

5: Have a towel or 2 handy. Just in Case.

Marks and Sparks

Make nice ready meals. Emergency chinese this evening - sweet and sour chicken and some other thing what I forget the name of at present. Very tasty, no nasty ingredients, not a bit left on the plate! Top marks to marks, as ever.

Snakes on a Plane, one of those films that doesn't sound brilliant, but might be watchable. I beseech you to keep your time for something more productive, like toenail clipping (though, that actually is far more useful) or sock sorting. Miss it. I won't even give it a silly mark.

A miscellany of reviews for your perusal

The first, in no particular order except this one, is a quick review of Ian Rankin's book, Hide and Seek. A continuation of the Rebus novels where a junkie death leads to yes, you guessed it, the dark underbelly of high flying Edinburgh society. Read and enjoy.

The second, being a review of the Eden Deli. You'll find this in Edenderry. A very tasty and indeed well-priced lunch (even if we timed it more like afternoon tea....) was enjoyed here on Saturday, but we barely had time to get there and back before M had to collect her sister and go on a road trip.

In third position, being another food type review. The Silken Thomas in Kildare was recently done up, and we made it there for grub on Sunday evening. We were going to go into their restaurant, Chapter 16, but decided bar food was the order of the evening and had a go at that menu instead. Well, I don't think I can tell you how much that was enjoyed. Great big tasty portions were served, from burgers, to mixed grills and cottage pie - every piled high plate was emptied greedily. Highly recommended for grub. (for 4 of us, starters, mains, 2 desserts, coffees, and a drink each - €100!!)

And in fourth, Zadie Smith's "On Beauty." Sometimes, you read a prize winning book and realise why it won. Other times, you win a prize-winning books shortlist competitor, and wonder what in the name of all things good in the world did the judges pick the winner for? I believe, and I may be wrong, that this book was a competitor of John Banville's "The Sea" in 2005 Booker prize. If so, why didn't it win? It's much more enjoyable, accessible, interesting, and engaging than "The Sea."

As the blurb says (and who am i to try to better blurb?) "Set in New England mainly and London partly, On Beauty concerns a pair of feuding families [...] and a clutch of doomed affairs. It puts low morals among high ideals and asks some searching questions about what life does to love...." It's well written and very engaging, and I recommend it above "The Sea" any day.

In other news, I brought the new (to me) car back to the dealer for NCTing today, and they gave me a loaner (not like some other dealers who charge for a replacement car). A 520i - armchair on wheels. Oh boy is it comfy!

Terry Pratchett. A brief Appreciation

I like Terry Pratchett. Well, I like his writing. It's funny. I just finished "Thud" and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It doesn't matter what the story is, to be honest, I unconditionally recommend it. Even if you don't like reading. But if you don't like reading, you won't be reading this, so my recommendation is in a sense compromised. Hmmm. Anyway, Thud is gud. Read it and enjoy it.

Also good are such meals as Shepherd's Pie. We ran over a shepherd earlier, and M said - well, that's dinner sorted.

Weekends feel a little longer when you go out on a Friday night, but Saturday can suffer. Yay back to work tomorrow. Catch you guys soon.

Extensive Research has been carried out

On your behalf, we have carried out extensive research this evening. In this regard, I submit for your review my comments on some stuff what I have encountered.

1) The cod goujons in Lawlors, Naas, are yummy. A lovely light batter, and a nice accompaniment of some home-fried chips. Thumbs up all round. And the place looks nice too.

2) The new cinema in Naas is disappointing. The peace in the cinema is disturbed by noisy youngsters. Boo.

3) "The pursuit of happyness" is a good film. Very enjoyable. A real life story, or based thereon, about a really really determined guy (you'll know what I mean if you see the film) and his time machine (you'll know what I mean if you see the film) trying to make a happy way through life. Ups and downs abound when you're watching this one folks, and guys - don't go see it with another bunch of guys. Will Smith's in this one, and does a real good job of looking twice his age when he was half his age. It could be a happy ending, it could be a sad one, but I'm not going to spoil it for ya!

M wants to be mentioned, so I'll mention M here.

Also, in relation to pizza, (thanks for your advice, Mary, that is good sauce!) I have discovered that from the bottom up, this is a good order for pizza - pizza base, tomato sauce, cheese, other stuff. In this matrix, the cheese acts as a binding agent, gluing the top stuff to the bottom stuff, and making it all easier to enjoy. Go cheese!

Mmm, Pizza!

Unfortunately, the topping wouldn't stick to the base. No real problem, just it made eating it a "knife and fork and plate affair" rather than a "pick up and stuff into gob" type meal. Any ideas?

Ooh, I had an interesting visitor to the site last night. A belgian address, no less, having searched for Butt Mullins, Naas - either the belgian bit of that is mistaken, or Butt Mullins' has a great international reputation!

Books and nice dinners.

I finished Tim Moore's "Spanish Steps" recently. A travelogue about one man and a donkey, travelling the Camino de Santiago, one of the oldest pilgrim routes, in Spain. Quite entertaining in a light hearted way though I had 2 or three laugh out louds, I'm not sure it'll convince you one way or the other about the route (that's a good thing, cos its not its job).

Naturally, (and you've noticed this occurs with most books) he discusses the adventures and madcap happenings along the way. The donkey falls over. People ask the donkey questions. Germans call it a monkey for some reason. Nah, it's an endearing story. Not sure he discovered anything, except that he loves the donkey. Spiritual enlightenment, 0, donkeykind, 1. Ach, it's good - 7.5/9.2.

Had a nice relaxing weekend, spent today in Dublin browsing and shopping. U2 bless Hodges Figgis and their sale - 7 books bought and queued behind the Christmas stash. Then we came home and M made a yummy roast chicken dinner with stuffing and roasted shpuds and croquettes. (10/10!) Good stuff!