My friend Phil and his wife, Kerry-anne, move to New Zealand next month so at the weekend, as both Phil and I were free, the two of us headed into Wales for what I suspect will be the last time he’ll see that country for a very long time. It was a fun day out, a “roof down day” in my MG, and a good opportunity to just kick back and have some fun. I took the camera along so you can share in at least a little of what we saw. (The pictures with a magnifying glass in the top right can be enlarged by clicking the picture.)

Saturday mornings are about getting up late so neither of us were in any hurry. At about 10:30 Philly called me to tell me he’d just got up, so I too hauled my lazy butt out of bed and got ready. We had agreed to meet up and take care of the most important thing before we embarked on our day trip… breakfast! The best place for a couple of ‘blokes’ to get a good English breakfast is the Shamrock Cafe. £4 will get you a plate with 2 fried eggs, beans, sausage and bacon with toast on the side and a cup of tea. The last time we were here together it was the morning of his wedding.

With breakfast (or brunch, or lunch as it pretty much was!) out of the way we headed down toward Owswestry, turning off the road toward Weston Rhyn to take a more interesting looking back road, a “wiggle road” as I’ve come to call them. The sun was shining and the roof was down, perfect!

The plan was we had no plan. It was a ‘seat-of-the-pants tour.’ We were just seeing where the road took us while at the same time watching some distant rain clouds. On the road that runs along the invisible line that separates England from Wales we made the first of what was many stops to get out of the car and just take in a view.

We decided to head to the now nearby Lake Vrynwy, (Welsh: Llyn Efyrnwy - pronounced [E]vurn-wee-). I’ve been there many times before, but Phil hadn’t so it seemed like as good a place as anywhere to get out for a stroll. Unfortunately the notoriously unpredictable British weather had other ideas and the rain clouds moved in just as we pulled up to park beside the lake. Undaunted though, we still got out and walked along the dam so as to enjoy a “cigar moment.” (Honey flavored I believe!)

The rain didn’t last long and oddly enough it seemed to bring out the colors of the moss covered trees and ground by the lake. We would drive a little way, see something and stop to get out and take a closer look, then drive a little further and see something else that made us stop again.

Traveling west from from Lake Vyrnwy we had to go over the foothills in Snowdonia national park. As we climbed the steep roads I began having fun driving through the puddles of meltwater, though I misjudged one puddle and because the roof was down both Phil and I got an unexpected shower, Phil especially as the puddle was on his side of the car.

There was still a little snow around so Phil decided this was a great opportunity to make a snowman! There wasn’t much snow, so this snowman was only a little guy, and a bit creepy looking to. I tried giving him hair, but even at his tender age he lost it very quickly (though he still had more hair than Phil!) After making the snowman we decided to run him over, so we placed him in the middle of the road then flattened him. We’re guys, that kind of thing is hard-wired into our brains!

Trying to chase the blue sky that hadn’t been extinguished by closing rain clouds we took the road to Carnarvon Castle. The brunch/lunch had word off by now and we were hungry so the plan was to get something to eat in Carnarvon and maybe watch the sunset on the Isle of Anglesey. However, after turning off the main roads to follow yet more ‘wiggle roads’ the clouds that we had thought we might beat enveloped the sky above us. But it didn’t matter, we had enjoyed a great day, and it wasn’t yet raining so the roof was still down.

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If this place were home
As summer fades (Part 1)
The Llyn Peninsula
Wales
Driving the open road

This is a great picture! It wasn’t taken by me but by a guy whom I only know as ‘Michi.P’ from Flickr.

Michi.P took the photograph as the plane he was in approached Frankfurt on a flight from his hometown of Vienna. He posted the picture on his Flikr site in October last year.

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Michi.P’s Flikr
In Flight (Part 1)
Waving at planes
One such moment
The beauty of a storm
It’s seven thirty

This past weekend I was in the big smoke, otherwise known as London, at a Chinese New Year dinner party thrown by my friend Jeffrey. I decided to take the opportunity to visit my favorite place to do a spot of shopping, Camden Market. The dinner party was great fun but unfortunately my plans to go shopping on Sunday at Camden Market came undone when it burned to the ground while we were letting off fireworks nearby!

No, the fireworks that were set off in the garden at our New Years party were not the cause of the fire at Camden Market, or at least not as far as we know, though the timing of our little firework display did coincide exactly with the start of the fire that conclusively gutted the famous market.

Actually our celebrations were a couple of days late. The Chinese Year new year (year of the rat) began on Thursday Feb 7th and, though little did we know it, we were seeing in the year 4706. One of these days I should like to be in China for the Chinese New Year, I imagine that might be a lot of fun, though I have to say that I have some serious issues with the thought of traveling to a country that so outrageously abuses human right and freedom as China does.

Jeffrey, with the help of David, prepared a Chinese style feast which consisted of many courses all of which I enjoyed but would be hard pushed to describe in any great detail. The wine was flowing freely and I’ll confess that I might have had a glass or two more than I might otherwise partake in. But no matter, nobody was counting.

We stayed up drinking and chatting well into Sunday morning, blissfully unaware that not far away over 100 firefighters were battling 40 foot high flames that were engulfing the famous market at Camden Lock.

I had planned to visit Camden Market on Sunday before I jumped on the train and headed back to Liverpool. As I went to bed on Saturday night I check the BBC news website and saw the headline ‘Blaze ravages London market area.’

The next day I ventured just two stops on the underground line to Camden Town to see if maybe the damage wasn’t as bad as it looked on the news. Unfortunately the damage to the market was so extensive that roads were still blocked and you couldn’t even get anywhere near the lockside area to see.

I first discovered Camden Market back when I was in my late teens. I’d head down there with a student nurse friend of mine who used to set up a little streetside stall braiding peoples hair with her friend. They made pretty damn good money as I recall.

Despite my own long hair I wasn’t really the kind of guy who would braid hair, but it was cool just to hang out there on the lockside in the sun listening to the booming bass of music emanating from any of the many nearby market stalls. Occasionally a bobby would move us along in which case we’d stop in for a couple of drinks at Dingwalls bar before venturing out again.

Camden Market will be rebuilt, it has to be! It is completely unique place that has a style and vibrancy all of it’s own. It’s a colorful cultural explosion where you can really find some interesting artifacts and which are only outnumbered by the interesting explosion.

Sunday was a bright February day with a clear blue sky that made the perfect backdrop for a little photography. I didn’t stay for long though. Only the stores on the road leading up to the market were open and as interesting as they might be I didn’t feel a pressing need to buy union jack underwear of pink fluffy high heels.

When they re-open the market I’ll return. Last year, when Missy was visiting, we spent a day at Camden Market and I did all my Christmas shopping in one go.

Despite the fire it was still a great weekend. A trip to London on the train is so much more enjoyable than driving there, and I was traveling on a complimentary first class ticket so it had that added sweetness you can only get with things like complimentary tickets and free upgrades.

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Camden Market
Camden Market burns down
2007 Trip to Camden Market in 2007
The Big Smoke
Billy Joel - We didn’t start the fire

SIDE NOTE : This is my 1,000th post!

After a particularly cold November in the UK I decided that it would be nice to spend Christmas and the new years celebrations somewhere warm and sunny. Thankfully I have some great and generous friends who welcomed me to their homes in the sunny south of the United States. Here’s a very brief photographic review of my last trip stateside in 2007.

It’s hard to remember it’s Christmas when you’re walking around in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Christmas feels more like Christmas when you have to wrap a scarf around your neck and you can see your breath in the winter air. Having said that though, the warm weather that greeted me in Houston was not unwelcome at all.

If it weren’t for the people I think I would have decided that I’d seen enough of Houston a while back. It’s a quite ugly city, a concrete maze of never ending mirrored glass towers, parking lots, malls and apartment complexes. It’s a city that feels like it sold its soul to the highest bidder a long time ago.

Residents of ‘H town’ might protest and tell me of the areas that redeem the sprawling metropolis. ‘The Heights’ feels like one such area, those streets have soul but I always feel like we should speak quietly when we’re there so that the merciless developers won’t notice this last remaining bit of Americatown and move in to cover it all in concrete and sprinkler fed patches of grass.

I’m being harsh I suppose. But I regret the fact that Houston isn’t a walking town. I like to walk around a city to get to know it. In Houston, while you can walk a little, at some point you’re going to need to get into a tin box and join a highway to get somewhere.

I did do some walking of course. Mainly from the parking lots to the stores packed to bursting point with seasonal shoppers. But on occasion I went for a wander with Rachel and along the way took a couple of reflection pictures (above).

Thanks to Trish I got to see a little Texas greenery. Along with Rachel, her Mom and her Grandmother, the five of us headed out to the country to see what Trish termed as ‘her’ horses. In truth the horses don’t belong to Trish, but she often drives out to see them, escaping the city to perhaps feel like she lives on a ranch somewhere and who could blame her.

I bought what I called a ’six minute cowboy hat’ at a gas station along the way. I figured I wouldn’t wear it for more than about six minutes and I wasn’t wrong. But it was fun for the pictures. I also bought some beef jerky. We don’t have jerky in the UK and from the moment I put the stuff in my mouth I understood why - it tasted like the remains of a blown out truck tire found of the side of a highway!

We stopped off at a little town called Brenham and had a bite to eat at a place called the BT Long Horn Saloon which looked like it could have had an interesting history and if it didn’t then I’m happy to believe the illusion.

I didn’t get to meet up with everyone I would have liked to have seen while in ‘H town’, but you know how these trips go, time just flies! Highlights included seeing a 3D film (Deep Sea 3D) at The Houston Museum of Natural Science, learning to play ‘Mafia‘ with Rachel’s family, eating dinner beside a 50,000 gallon aquarium at The Aquarium restaurant at Kemah (see the picture of Rachel eating there above). As ever my Texas visit was great!

New Orleans & beyond

After Christmas I headed east to New Orleans where I met up with Susan. Being an Englishman I obsess over the weather and New Orleans didn’t disappoint me; It was gloriously hot and sunny.

The French Quarter is a visual feast exploding with color, life and character. I’ve really grown to love this city which positively oozes soul! This is probably one of America’s best ‘walking towns.’ You can easily kill several hours just wandering the streets looking at the various homes, courtyards, balconies and exploring the numerous stores, galleries and bars.

As usual we ate well, getting oysters from the Acme Oyster House then dinner at NOLA before wandering down Bourbon Street and stopping in at a bar where a band played Cajun music and some guy entertainingly played the washboard.

We stayed Royal Sonesta Hotel and had a suite with balcony that overlooked Bourbon Street which was great as the night headed into the early hours of the morning because I stood on the balcony sipping Macallen Amber whisky liqueur, smoking coconut cigars, and and people watching.

The next morning we had brunch at Brennans which boasts that is has some of the most famous and imaginative dishes in the world. I had New Orleans turtle soup and their renowned Bananas Foster which was a spectacular indulgence!

To see in the New Year we headed to Gulf Shores, Alabama. Susan’s friend Mary-kay had invited us to join her family at a beach house where we ate shrimp, oysters, drank beer and let off fireworks. I hadn’t realised the Florida was so close so we made an unscheduled visit to Pensacola Beach in the afternoon of New Years Eve. All in all it was a pretty fab way to bring the year to a close.

And finally, after being upgraded to business class for my homebound flight, it had seemed like my luck with United Airlines had at last changed. The airline had never once failed to lose my luggage in all the times I’ve flown with them. However after successfully managing to have my luggage meet me as planned on the trip they managed to lose it on the way home! It arrived three days later.

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Room at the Royal Sonesta Hotel
A man plays a washboard in a Bourbon Street bar

Last year I discovered that I lived a few minutes away from a quite spectacular local nature reserve. Back then I posted some pictures of what I called ‘the undiscovered country‘, and as the season changes color heading into what will soon become winter, I thought I’d post some more pictures from a now very autumnal Brotherton Park & Dibbinsdale Local Nature Reserve.

The above photograph was taken while I was at ‘the Dibby’, as it is locally known, with my friend Joelle. The colors were beginning to change, some trees were already nearly bare, while others were still very much green. In the background of the scene you’ll see a tree that is leaning heavily to the left. I find it amazing that trees can do that. Presumably it was nearly blown over in a storm, yet despite its angle it continues to flourish.

In just a couple of weeks the colors have completely changed and the low evening sun transforms the woods into a forest of gold and bronze treasure.

Click on the picture above to see a larger version.

I walked along this path and allowed the kid inside me to kick up the leaves. A little further down I stopped and chatted to a man who was walking his dog while he smoked a pipe that filled the misty cooling air with a burnt sweet aroma.

Click on the picture above to see a larger version.

Click on the picture above to see a larger version.

Click on the picture above to see a larger version.

Click on the picture above to see a larger version.

I stood for a while by the brook photographed above and soaked up the scene while watching my breath float away and disappear into the evening air. On my iPod Amos Lee was singing about how colors seem to fade. It was a fitting track for one of those ’soundtrack moments’, you know where the music seems to match the scene perfectly. This time it felt like an ending, like the final moments before the fade-to-black. I guess in many ways it was.

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My friend Joelle’s pictures
Brotherton Park & Dibbinsdale Local Nature Reserve
The Undiscovered Country
Amos Lee - Colors