South Africa - December 2014 - The frist 5 days!

We've just returned from a 3 week trip to South Africa, which I spent all year planning and looking forward to, and now I can't believe it is over.

We had the most amazing wonderful holiday, stayed in some really awesome accommodation and overall had a wonderful time seeing friends and family and reconnecting. 

This time there was only one thing that pissed me off and that was the fact that whenever people mention the fact that you are travelling on Euro's and because the exchange rate favor's the Euro we are so rich, well firstly people don't seem to understand that unlike everyone else I have not had an increase since I came to this country almost 14 years ago now.  

In that time South Africa has become so expensive, accommodation, eating out etc.  After I have spent most of my money on Airfare, accommodation, gifts - I cannot afford to pay for your meal, also it would be nice to be treated seeing as we made the effort to come over and spend our well earned vacation time with you.

But besides that little gripe, most of our friends and family were most hospitable and we are grateful to them.

After flying 6000km's to Johannesburg, we then did over 4000km's by road our trip was absolutely amazing.

Day  1:    Arrived in Johannesburg and as it turned out due to load shedding, we could not get through to Fourways where we were staying to we did a detour past the South where Sylvia was hosting a party for all the kids in the South.

Day  2:    Met our friends and family members at the Indaba Hotel for Breakfast, Thank you Gwen, Shemila, Larissa, Trevor, Kirsten, Paul, Denise, Joe, Carla, Carol, Shannon, Daniel, Candice and all the Rowe Family.  After Breakfast we took a drive through to the folks and then met Gwen and John at Monte Casino for dinner.

Day  3:    Drove through to Kwandabele to see my old mom Johanna and Monde - we tried to get her some shopping but due to power outages, the shops, banks and everything was closed.    We stopped in Pretoria on the way back hoping to see my Niece and Paul and Elliott, we met up with Paul & Elliot in a shopping centre for coffee, always good to see them.  We then met the family for Dinner at Tony's in Randparkridge.

Day   4:    We left at 10:00 on our journey to Cape Town, we negotiated our way out of the city and onto the highway, glad to leave Johannesburg and her load shedding behind us and the city and head to the open Country.  This was a road I had only ever travelled along as far as Klerksdorp, which was also a very long time ago.  So it was exciting seeing new scenery and seeing all the old mines, some which I had been to and some not.   Travelling through Wolmaransstad was quite a challenge as we hit a major downpour and could not see 2 feet in front of us.  Jhb - Potchefstroom - Klerksdorp - Wolmaransstad - Bloemhof - Christiana and finally Kimberly.  Our first stop Kimberly the town where Diamonds were discovered in 1866.  We were staying in the Protea Hotel which over looked the "Big Hole" It was great to get out of the car, Emily went for a swim and we sat and had a drink at the pool!   We had a good old South African Braai, with Pap and sous and as much meat as you could eat.

Day   5:     We had breakfast in the dining room which was a bit of a rip off at R130 per person, but we had to eat and we wanted to get to the "Big Hole" and the museum before leaving for the next leg of our journey to Oudtshoorn which was a good 800 km drive.  We headed over to the museum and then managed to leave by 11:00.   The Kimberley road to the Cape was very good considering it was only one lane traffic either side.   We stopped at a little side road café to replenish our drinks and buy some Biltong, a road trip is not a road trip without biltong.    We finally arrived in Oudtshoorn at about 7PM, thank goodness it was still light.  We checked into the Protea hotel where our room was a Rondawel next to the hotel and headed out to the town in search of somewhere to eat.   We found a lovely restaurant / beer hall and I had a wonderful "Ostrich Salad" which was to die for and then back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.

What Year was it ...?

When I was 17 ...

Lady Dianna Spence Married Prince Charles
Simon and Garfunkel performed the Concert in Central Park
The first American Test Tube baby was born
John Lennon was killed the year before

Music

Betty Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes

Endless Love – Diana Ross / Lionel Richie

Lady – Kenny Rogers

(Just Like) Starting Over – John Lennon

Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield

One That You Love – Air Supply

Tide Is High – Blondie

9 to 5 – Dolly Parton

Queen of Hearts – Juice Newton

Kiss on My List – Hall & Oates

Being With You – Smokey Robinson

Celebration – Kool & the Gang

Tainted Love – Soft Cell

People Who Died

• Bill Haley (b. 1925) – One of the 1st American rock & roll musicians – His group Bill Haley & His Comets had the hit song “Rock Around the Clock.”
• Joe Louis (b. 1914) – Heavyweight boxer – nicknamed “The Brown Bomber”
• Bob Marley (b. 1945) – Jamaican singer / musician – “I Shot the Sheriff,” “No Woman, No Cry,” “Jammin,” & “Redemption Song”
• Jenny Maxwell (b. 1941) – Actress – played Ellie Corbett alongside Elvis in Blue Hawaii
• William Wyler (b. 1902) – Movie Director – Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives, Ben-Hur, Wuthering Heights, The Little Foxes, The Heiress, Roman Holiday
• Vera-Ellen (b. 1921) – Actress / Dancer – Known for her dance partnerships w/ Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly & Donald O’Connor – Appeared in White Christmas
• William Holden (b. 1918) – Actor – Golden Boy, Streets of Laredo, Sabrina, Love is a Many-Splendored Thing, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Casino Royale, The Towering
  Inferno, S.O.B.
• Jack Albertson (b. 1907) – Actor – as Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Ed Brown in Chico & the Man, John Cleary in The Subject Was Roses, Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure, Vic Davis in Top Banana, & Dr. J. Wilson Shields in Man of a Thousand Faces
• Natalie Wood (b. 1938) – Actress – as Susan Walker in Miracle on 34th Street, Anna Muir as a child in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Judy in Rebel Without a Cause, Maria in West Side Story, Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy, & Maggie DuBois in The Great Race
• Hoagy Carmichael (b. 1899) – Composer / Actor – Wrote melody to “Stardust” & collaborated with Johnny Mercer on “Lazybones,” “Skylark,” & “In the Cool, Cool, Coll of the Evening” and acted in To Have and Have Not, Young Man with a Horn, & The Best Years of Our Lives.
• Hans Adolf Krebs (b. 1900) – German physician/biochemst who won a Nobel Prize for identifying 2 metabolic cycles: the urea cycle & the citric acid cycle aka the Krebs cycle.

 

"Speak like a Pirate Day"

Yes today the 19th of September is "Speak like a Pirate Day" Aye!!!!

What an interestin' time it must have been when t' pirate's were around! "

Clew Bay in Ireland was a safe haven for many a pirate, did you know that?

Clew Bay
The west coast of Ireland might not seem like prime pirate territory, but in the 16th century the rugged shores of Clew Bay served as the stronghold for of one of history’s most formidable lady corsairs. During a time when Ireland was ruled by dozens of local chieftains, Grace O’Malley defied convention and emerged as the leader of a seafaring clan who controlled the coastlines through intimidation and plunder. From her base of operations at Rockfleet Castle, O’Malley—also known as Granuaile—commanded hundreds of men and some 20 ships in raids on rival clans and merchant ships. She also ran afoul of government officials, who made repeated attempts to curb her activity. When a fleet from Galway besieged her castle in 1574, O’Malley led her pirates in a counterattack and forced the ships into a retreat.

O’Malley was captured in 1577 and spent several months behind bars, but by the 1580s she was once again stalking the seas surrounding Clew Bay. Her hands-on style of leadership earned her a reputation as a ruthless fighter—a popular legend states that she once gunned down a Turkish buccaneer only a day after giving birth—but she also showed a keen understanding of politics. When English colonial authorities eventually captured her son and impounded her ships, O’Malley petitioned the Crown for redress and then set sail for England. During a historic 1593 meeting with Queen Elizabeth I, she personally negotiated her son’s release and even secured the return of her fleet.

So practice speaking like a pirate

Pirate Phrases

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! - exhortation of discontent or disgust
Ahoy! - Hello!
Ahoy, Matey - Hello, my friend!
Ahoy, me Hearties! - the same as saying "Hello, my friends!"
All hand hoay! - comparable to all hands on deck
Avast ye - stop and check this out or pay attention             
Aye - yes
Batten down the hatches - put everything away on the ship and tie everything down because a storm is brewing
Bilge-sucking - insult
Blimey! - exhortation of surprise
Blow me down! - expression of shock of disbelief akin to "Holy Crap!"
Blow the man down - command to kill someone
Booty - treasure
Buccaneer - a pirate
Bucko - a buccaneer
Cat O'Nine Tails - a whip with nine strands
Cleave him to the brisket - to cut across the chest, from one shoulder to the lower abdomen
Corsair - pirates in the Mediterranean Sea
Crow's nest - small platform atop the mast where the lookout stands
Cutlass - short heavy curved bladed sword used by pirates
Davy Jones' Locker - fabled, mythical place at the bottom of the ocean where the evil spirit of Davy Jones brings sailor and pirates to die
Dead men tell no tales - phrase indicating to leave no survivors
Doubloons - other coins or found in pirate hoards and stashes
Feed the fish - will soon die
Hang 'im from the yardarm - punishment of those captured in battle
Head - the pirate ship's toilet
Heave Ho - give it some muscle and push it
Hempen Halter - a noose for hanging
Hornswaggle - to defraud or cheat out of money or belongings
Jacob's Ladder - the rope ladder one uses to climb aboard a sloop
Jolly Roger - pirate's flag including white skull and crossbones over a black field
Keelhaul - punishment in which a person where dragged underneath the pirate ship from side to side and was lacerated by the barnacles on the vessel
Lad, lass, lassie - a younger person
Landlubber - big, slow clumsy person who doesn't know how to sail
Letters of Marque - letters issue from governments during wartime to privateers endorsing the piracy of another vessel
Man-O-War - pirate's ship outfitted for battle
Me - my
Mizzen - third mast from the bow of the ship on ships that have three or more masts
Old Salt - an experienced sailor
Pieces of eight - coins or found in pirate stashes
Pillage - rob, sack or plunder
Poop deck - the part of the ship farthest to the back, which is usually above the captain's quarters. This is not the bathroom.
Privateer - government-sponsored pirates
Rum - pirate's traditional alcoholic beverage
Run a shot across the bow - warning shot to another vessel's captain
Savvy? - do you understand and do you agree?
Scallywag - mild insult akin to rapscallion or rogue
Scurvy dog - the pirate is talking directly to you with mild insult
Scuttle - to sink a ship
Seadog - old pirate or sailor
Shark bait - will soon join Davy Jones' Locker
Shipshape - cleaned up and under control
Shiver me timbers! - comparable to "Holy Crap!"
Son of a Biscuit Eater - insult directed towards someone you don't like
Splice the mainbrace! - give the crew a drink!
Thar she blows! - Whale sighting
Three sheets to the wind - someone who is very drunk. One sheet is mildly drunk and four sheets is passed out.
Walk the plank - punishment in which person walks off a board jutting over the side of the ship while at sea. The consequence is drowning and a visit to Davy Jones' Locker.
Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! - pull up the anchor and the sail and let's get going
Ye - you
Yo Ho Ho - cheerful exhortation to demand attention

Lake Kariba - Zimbabwe October 1986

I get so Angry ...

It's coming up for Budget Time in October, the budget for 2015 and there is so much on the news about how well the country has done in the last year and how much tax they have collected.  There is talk of helping those on Social welfare, but nothing about the Middle Income earners who have been footing the bill for the Banking Crisis and the mistakes made by the previous government!

It's times like this that I want to be heard, I want to march into parliament and show those idiots how much we are hurting, how much more they are going to take from us now that they are bringing in water charges!  It has to stop, we just can't give anymore.  Everything is going up, but the wages still going down.

Oh South Arica dear Land ....

Last year I was lynched for writing a tongue in cheek blog post about the Jo’burg hop on hop off bus, I won’t go into detail about what I said, but where my blog never gets read by anyone or commented on, I suddenly had about 50 very harsh cruel messages for writing the post.  I guess sometimes I think that I only write to get stuff off of my mind and not that anyone will read it, and then when people do read and even worse leave mean, nasty comments – I suddenly feel like my privacy has been invaded, which is wrong.

I am not the best writer, and sometimes when I am just writing my thoughts I don’t realise that the person reading the post may read it in a totally different way to which I wrote it.  So my tongue in cheek post, maybe taken up by some person as being derogatory instead.

Anyway since then I am very careful about what I write, for fear once again of being chastised – however I do belong to a few South African pages on Facebook and I can’t believe the negativity that comes from ex-pats and people living there, it’s no wonder people get “gatvol” of reading and listening to people running down their country.

I am at the stage now though, where I hate hearing people run down the country I live in that has adopted me as one of their own, and I also hate hearing people bad mouth South Africa.   The worst I think are people who have decided they need to leave South Africa because of the crime, and go to their chosen country and run down South Africa, like it is the worst place on earth.  I want to take these people and put them in the middle of a shanty town in Columbia, Palestine, Lebanon or any poor African country.  Then to top it all after living in their new country for a few months, they start running down the country that has given them a new home, a new chance of starting a fresh.  Inevitably after a year or so these people return to South Africa with their tale between their legs, they missed their family and friends too much – but not half as much as they missed the Maid, Nanny, Gardner and all the other cheap labour they had in South Africa.

In order to leave your home country whether it is South Africa, Ireland, the UK or any country in the world, takes a lot of guts and bravery and most of all its HARD, emotionally, physically, mentally it is so damn hard.    You are torn between your “HOME” country and your new Country.

No country in the world is Perfect, Ireland certainly isn’t and neither is South Africa.   Yes South Africa has changed in the last 20 years, but it has only “righted” itself after all the wrong that the government did to its people.    Growing up I was always taught to be proud of my country which I was, but unfortunately we were brain washed, we never knew what apartheid meant and I don’t think we even heard of the word.  Yes we knew there were curfews for the Native people, and we had a maid but so did everyone else.  I grew up in the South of Johannesburg and went to an English school, so we had kids from all different nationalities in our school; we probably represented every country in Europe both East and West, parts of Africa and even Australia.    You just took things the way they were, and did not question, as soon as you started questioning the government, you would have been branded a traitor and siding with the Enemy.

We could talk about that forever, I always believed it wrong, so when I was old enough I could vote for a party that was looking for change, which I did.   And each time there was a vote to help the majority I voted for them, so why did I leave South Africa?

When I tell people now I think it sounds quite cheesy, I had been married 5 years and all my husband’s colleagues were taking up jobs overseas, this was round the time of Y2K – making loads of money and coming back to South Africa and buying a house cash.  Our plan was to do the same, come over for 5 years, enough time to get a foreign passport as you always need a plan B if South Africa became like Zimbabwe and we are forced to leave, not that I ever think that would happen, but you always have to have a plan B or as they say plan for the inevitable.

But I guess the advantage that his colleagues had, was they went with very little, stayed in a house share with like 10 other people, they were very frugal lived on Baked beans and toast and saved every penny they made, did not travel, use public transport or enjoy themselves.  I guess that was our first mistake, we found an apartment in a good area, and it’s not as simple as renting in South Africa all the utilities are then placed in the name of the renter, and things are by no means cheap! And of course being that far from home we wanted to travel, and then before we knew it I was pregnant and we had something else to take care of.  So now it was just a means of being able to survive, enjoy life and take care of our family.   The Foreign passport was still the number one priority, but unlike the UK it took 9 years to achieve, by that time we had bought a house, the housing market had crashed, we were living in Negative Equity, had a daughter who spoke her mind and was not willing to leave Ireland as this was the only home she knew.   So I guess those were the factors for us not leaving or returning to SA, and by God there were numerous times I would have packed my suitcase and gone to the airport and climbed on the first flight out of here!  Especially after I was made redundant and it was so hard to find a job.  Jobs were for Irish people, they didn’t want foreigners, even if you did have that Shiny new passport that said you were a citizen of the country and you no longer had to stand in queues at the department of Immigration waiting for a work visa.

Did you notice I totally deviated off the point of this post!

Even though I am living in Ireland now, South Africa is still my HOME and will always be, I never ran away, circumstances just led us to not returning, we’re happy, content, get frustrated with the government and the laws, there is lawlessness here too – People go through RED traffic lights (Robots), they hardly EVER stop at STOP signs, the only thing they do well here is Traffic Circles, they know how to use them and don’t treat the like 4 way stops which they do in South Africa, don’t know how many times when visiting SA I have nearly had an accident at a traffic circle! 

They like to Protest, Strike just like they do in South Africa, the government is somewhat corrupt and plenty of people getting very rich on tax payer’s money.  There is an element of people who feel they don’t have to work because they can get everything for nothing, house, utilities etc.  What really gets to me is when you see people who live in council estates driving brand new cars.  Young girls fall pregnant so they can benefit from the State Welfare system!  But here people aren’t branded by colour.

What really gets to me when I read comments on Facebook and News24 is it doesn’t matter who you are or what you say, but if someone doesn’t like it you are branded a racist …. Lol. 

Suzi:  I went to the store and the woman behind the counter took ages to serve me because she was chatting to her friends.

Mpho: Well aren’t you just a racist expecting to be served straight away, why don’t you just leave the country.

Conclusion:  Mpho assumes that Suzi is of a different colour to the lady serving in the store, and assumes the lady serving in the store is the same colour as he is, so therefore because she is making a statement that is not positive she is racist! Ké???? 

This is just a made up stupid comment, let me see if I can find some real ones.

But what I guess I really wanted to say is that I believe in South Africa, I believe that this beautiful country will still be the heart of Africa in 100 years’ time.  I believe that it will go from strength to strength, and like every country in the world will still have an element of corruption, crime and lawlessness, but South Africa will always be in my heart and will always be one of the most beautiful countries in the world.   South Africa has a uniqueness that you will not find anywhere else, the smells, the sounds, the colours, the people – its diverseness and Rainbow nation for everyone to be proud of.  I am now even more proud of being a South African citizen than I ever was in my life, I can honestly say I am an ambassador for SA, encouraging people to visit and discover MY beautiful South Africa.

South Africa has its dangerous parts where tourists should be aware of their surroundings but so does Ireland, Australia, UK, America and every single part of the world.

All of this is debatable though and of course everyone is going to have their own opinion, this is just my opinion of course, and just something I wanted to get off my mind.   I know that South Africa is still 2^nd in the world for the most murders (according to the Huffington Post), 1^st by the way is Columbia, but you can see the top 10 list here.

South Africa doesn’t even feature in the top 10 countries with the highest crime rate.

In my opinion I think South Africa’s biggest problem is immigrants, not those that contribute to the economy of the country, but those that come to South Africa with the intention of committing a crime and getting rich on unsuspecting people.

Once you have been to Africa it is always  in your blood.  

What's with the Beards Lads?

It seems to have been going on for the past year now, the more facial hair the better.  Although I don't like a man with a beard, it seems to be growing on me ... lol, no not literally! 

I remember seeing photo's of guys in the 60's and 70's with beards it was the hippy era - but then it went away and only guys with skin disorders seem to grow beards, or old men who wanted to look like Santa.


Now days every one is doing it, and I must admit a ginger bearded man seems to be so much more sexier than just a man with ginger hair, is it just me that thinks so?

I first met a ginger bearded man when I worked for my first software company in Ireland and he took it to extreme's, I used to think of him as Rumplestiltskin and I think I blogged about him before.   This was back in 2010, and he looked like something out of ZZ Top.

The beards these days tend to be neater - so why are men doing it, do they want to look older?  Are they just following a trend? Maybe you are a man with a beard reading this and can comment, I would love to know.
 

Pilots in Indonesia

Last night I was watching a documentary on TV about pilots in Indonesia, one of the pilots had to fly to some really remote places where the tribes had built a run way just so that they could have supplies flown into them, they live on top of these really high mountains.

The pilot has to test these runways to ensure they are safe enough for landing and taking off, one of the places was close to where 2 missionaries had been killed and eaten in 1968, I couldn't quite comprehend that there was still cannibalism less than 50 years ago.  Although nothing surprises me lately.

This is a really interesting website http://www.papuatrekking.com/cannibals_papua.html there was even a family eaten in 1974. 
"The last cases of cannibalism were only recently recorded. In 1968 two missionaries (Australian Stan Dole and American Phil Masters) were chopped and eaten. During Christmas 1974, four Dutch families were killed and eaten by aborigines in the Jayawijaya Mountains. The last known case was a killing of a priest and his twelve companions. It allegedly happened because they tried to ban the aborigines from hunting for skulls and they burnt their fetishes. This tragic event happened in 1976 almost in the end of the twentieth century. This is a very recent history of the New Guinea Island."

Although with seeing these photos here, I think it may be one of my bucket list now to visit Indonesia :

 

Farewell Lauren Bacall

 

 

So another Hollywood legend passed away yesterday 12th of August 2014, I was wondering if heaven was short on Hollywood stars, first Robin Williams on the 11th of August and now Lauren Bacall.  

 

Most young people today would have no clue who Lauren Bacall is but I guess because she was born in the same year as my mom and would have been one of my mom's favorite actresses, I do know who she is. 

 

Lauren was married to another of Hollywood's famous legends "Humphrey Bogart" but who sadly passed away from throat cancer in 1957.   He was aged 57 when he died, and now 57 years later Lauren just short of her 90th birthday has departed this world.  I guess the great thing about being a Hollywood star is that you will more than likely always be remembered even 57 years from now.

 

What a sad week this is.  

 



R.I.P. Robin Williams

It was so sad to wake up this morning and read the news that Robin Williams had passed away.

What a legend, and a brilliant man - the saddest part about this is that he committed suicide and a man with so many friends and with so much going for him could choose to end his life.

I have lost so many friends to suicide and know so many parents who have lost children to suicide, I think this is the worst thing a human being can do as they leave behind all those people who think - "What could I have done to stop this?", "Why didn't they talk to me?" 

You wonder what goes on in a persons mind those last hours before thy end it all.  A parent and friends never get over the fact that a person committed suicide and until they themselves have passed on will always question "Why".  Suicide might be the end of all your problems, but it creates so many problems for everyone else.

Majority of the people I know who have committed suicide have been under the influence of Alcohol or Drugs and can only imagine that they weren't thinking of the consequences at the time but only their reasons for ending it all.

My first recollection of seeing Robin Williams was the TV sitcom "Mork and Mindy" - Mork from Ork, I fell in love with him, he was so funny and from that day on I have tried to see everything he acted in.  My favorites are most definitely "Good Morning Vietnam", "The birdcage", "Mrs Doubtfire" and far too many to list here!

Farewell Robin, such a sad loss to all of us!

Dancing Shoes

Found this awesome website with the cutest shoes .... http://www.jjshouse.com/Sparkling-Glitter-Cone-Heel-Pumps-Closed-Toe-Shoes-085042609-g42609

 

Why it is Important to have a good Password

I logged into my E-mail this morning and it looked like someone had hacked my account as all my e-mails lately look like they have been read.

Did you know you can see who has been trying to access your email account:

I am about to change my password and think I will do that regularly! 

Corfu

Well we left Sunny Ireland on Wednesday, up before dawn to catch a flight to Corfu, Greece in the hope of some warmer weather, however it looks like we have missed the wonderful weather in Ireland for a damp and cold Corfu.

On Thursday and Friday we drove into Corfu Town and wandered around the old Corfu town, we were hoping to see the Easter bands on Friday, but with the rain and the amount of people it did not pan out.  We eventually left and came home, stopping in a beautiful seaside town called Ipsos for a walk.

Today (Saturday) we went to the other side of the Island, the weather seemed to be a lot kinder and it was also very beautiful.  We left Nissaki where we are staying and drove up to Kassiopi, Sidari and around the coast line to Agios Stefanos, Arillas and Georgios and then back towards Dassia and home.  We stopped for lunch and a beautiful little Restaurant on the road that ran between olive plantations, run by a woman from New York married to a Grecian from Corfu, the restaurant was called "The Night Owl". 

 

 

Further down the road we happened upon a bakery which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere and had the most beautiful view of the mountains and forests, I will add a photo later.  We then meandered through the mountains back to Villa Persephone in Nissaki.

 

Tomorrow we will go back to the west side of the Ireland, and hopefully the weather will be better.

 

How NOT to upset your child on a Monday morning ....

So I was complaining about aches and pains this morning and my husband said, "you also got aches", and he shook his head and said "Oh dear! we are going to have to put Emily up for adoption as they will have to put us out to pasture".

Yes all the age jokes are now coming up!

Well of course I told Emily this and boy did we have tears .....

Okay won't do that again.

Love my child.

 

How much does a week-end in London really Cost???

 I went over to London to meet a friend who was over for a rather sad occasion and as I have known him and his family for a very long time, I really thought it necessary to go over and see him.

Since the cheap airlines came about during the Celtic tiger, you could find flights for ridiculous amounts of money like €20 Euro for a flight, but there is always a catch!  Since the death of the Celtic tiger, the prices have increased.

When I went over last year, my company paid - so it wasn't a question of what I did, the company pays for the flight, hotel and all travel and then gives you a budget of £50 per day for meals, so it's pretty easy to stay with in budget.

So I searched for the Cheapest flight to Heathrow, it was really the first time I was going to London on my own, so I wanted the simplest way without having to find my way around the Tubes or several trains.  I booked my air ticket with Aer Lingus the cheapest air ticket I could find:-

€125.97    -   Air Ticket : Return Dublin - London   
£208.00    -   2 nights, Hotel Accommodation - London (Very nice hotel across from Kensington Gardens)
£ 34.00    -    Heathrow Express Return ticket
£   5.00    -    Tube Ticket to Hotel Stop
£   9.00    -    All day Tube Ticket
£   5.00    -    Tube ticket to Paddington
£ 20.00    -    Meals and Coffee's on the Friday
£ 20.00    -    Meals and Coffee's on the Sat

So there is no such thing as a cheap week-end in London, all in all with the exchange rate and various incidentals it cost me about €500.00, yes I know I could have done it cheaper!  But really at my age I deserve to travel in style.

Thank goodness for friends buying me dinner and lunches while I was there else it would have turned out to be much more expensive.

By the way I am not complaining I just wanted to work out how much a my week-end would cost with my cheap flight!  :)                

2014

Wow, I can't believe I have not written a post for so long! 

I was just saying yesterday how things change when we get older, I have eaten Beetroot, Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprouts and Butternut for the first time in my life.  I don't know how many times my poor mother tried to make me eat any of the above.  I am exploring a lot of food that I would never have eaten before and enjoying some of it.

Today I discovered an Actress who has been around since just after my mother was born, Mamie Van Doren - I was watching a bridal program and she was on it, for an 81 year old WOW she looked fantastic and she has so much history!  Okay she did admit to 2 facelifts but the rest of her body is all natural.

I have to get her biography, I'd say it would be so interesting.

I have not made any new years resolutions this year - decided that what is the point.  Everyone says from January I am going to loose weight, join the gym, stop smoking etc. etc. and before January is out the resolutions are broken.  If you want to do something you should just do it, without committing to a date.

I have decided though that 2014 is all about me, I am tired of always taken the back seat in my life and making everyone else number 1.  Always the one to organize get togethers, always the one to stay in touch.  It's really about time I took a back seat and let someone else do it!   Let's see how many people I hear from.

I don't think it's too much to ask, for years and years I have always been the one to stay in touch, whether it be on Facebook, by e-mail, post etc - so this year is gonna be all about ME.