Back in the Can

Home again - it seems ages since we were here.

The journey from Singapore to Brisbane took forever. We didn't have to check out of our hotel until 12 noon so we dragged our heels got our bags all sorted and left our room just on the deadline.

I wasn't firing on all cylinders - more like backfiring if you get my drift !! Sue didn't fancy getting herself in a lather before our flight so we chilled out reading on our Kindles.

The flight was overnight taking off at 8:40pm and arriving in Brisbane at just after 6:00am the next morning - once again we gained or lost some time depending on how you look at it due to the different time zones.

At the airport our last leg home transport was on time and after a 2.5 hours on the road we finally made it to chez nous.

We were both zonked out but we did notice our lawns had been mowed by our good neighbours - thanks go to Jean, Ross and Carla and John and Nola.

We kept nodding off during the day and pulled stumps at 9:00 pm.

Today 17/08/2018

We got up this morning feeling a lot fresher - we went for a walk and did some shopping for essentials - wine, beer and toilet rolls !!

The following photo was taken just now (2:30pm) - it's a fantastic day temps have been up to 28 degrees and not a cloud in the sky - looks like we brought the English weather back with us !!

Well that's the blog finished - until the next holiday, which according to Sue won't be sometime soon.

Singapore

Flight schedules and time differences went against us on our trip home. We didn't get to the Novotel until after 10:00 pm. -  a quick drink and that was the end of day 1.

Our body clocks were all over the place on day 2  - after breakfast we went up to our hotel room to reorganise our suitcases. For lunch we went to Hooters (Sue's choice) - we had chicken wings and sates which were finger licking good. All the waitresses wear snazzy little outfits - and there were no ladies of the large frame in evidence.

After lunch we took the Metro to Marina Bay Gardens,. Sue had spotted some interesting small hanging baskets made from  whelk shells on our outward trip and she wanted to take one home. We had to walk through the gardens to get to the souvenir shop - it was very warm !!

The Novotel Hotel is situated in Clarke Quay and while it wasn't the best hotel we have stayed in it was situated in a vibrant part of Singapore.

We went to a tapas bar by the riverside and enjoyed some tapas dishes while watching the tourist boats plying their trade.

Back at the hotel we had a couple of cocktails before heading upstairs - I had a Bloody Mary while Sue had a blue concoction called a Royal Blue.

It was full of bubbles that popped as you sort of munched on them.

Quite an interesting taste sensation.

Dubai - again !!

Day 1

Our flight arrived about 7:30 in the morning - we were not biright eyed and bushy tailed !! The luggage seemed a bit slow coming out but eventually we collected our bags and hopped into the limo to take us to the hotel.

We are staying at the Sheraton Dubai Creek and as luck would have it Anthony (our nephew) is a senior Vice President in their chain of hotels so he pulled a few strings and we scored a really nice suite - with complementary nibbles and a bottle of wine.

We were like  a couple of "dead dogs" when we arrived so we went for a swim to waken us up - that didn't work, so we went for a lie down which worked. We surfaced about 2:00 pm and took the courtesy bus to Dubai Mall. It is obscenely huge - we think that it would take Lisa and Julie more than a couple of days to get round the shops. Sue was not so impressed  " no Pound Shops, no Charity Shops" she lamented

There was a very impressive waterfall in the mall

As well as the ubiquitous aquarium

Plus an ice rink - naturally

We decided that we couldn't wait for the pick-up time for the bus so we thought the Metrolink would be fun. We seemed to walk miles to get to the station - fortunately this was all undercover and air conditioned. I got a glimpse of the Burgh Khalifa and managed a photo.

The walk from our destination to the Sheraton was outdoors but luckily not too far. There are lots of interesting looking buildings everywhere.

We also spotted some shops more to our "taste" so we might pay them a visit before we leave.

Day 2

This morning we ventured out into the heat in search of the shops we spotted yesterday. We found them them without too much trouble - nothing over 10 dirhams ($3) "this is more like it" said Sue. 

The shop stocked everything from bras to biros - we bought some tee shirts, perfume and a souvenir night light candle holder. There were lots of nationalities shopping there buying loads of stuff to take home.

We went back to the hotel for a swim to cool off, we had a beer by the pool while we read our books. We then had a siesta before going down to the club lounge to enjoy some complimentary champagne and nibbles - it's a hard life !!  We had dinner at the Italian restaurant before heading off to our room - an early start tomorrow morning (5:45 alarm) to catch our flight to Singspore.

And then there were 4

Thursday

This morning we said our goodbyes to Andrew, Dave, Stu, Lisa and Julie - all a bit sad - but not a lot - more grog for us cheered the remaining 4.

So before we got stuck into the "leftovers" we had a drive to the Welsh Crystal factory in Rhyader - it's not a huge place  but some of the crystal pieces were beautiful. Sue bought a pair of wine glasses as a memento of our holiday here in Nantmel - we will bring them out on special occasions and wash them with care. Geoff bought a tea towel - cheapskate !!

Back to the ranch to start on the grog - Geoff was foaming at the mouth at the thought of the sparkling wine chilling in the fridge - we cracked a bottle before he cracked !!

There was plenty of food left over and once again Geoff came to the rescue by concocting a great meal with the BBQ remnants and stuff we found in the fridge. When it comes to "use by dates" the Inghams enter into a zombie state where time has no meaning - so we ate with gusto with no bad after effects.

With all the sparkling wine demolished we turned our attention to "The Reds"  -  most of it went with our dinner and the remains went when we watched a DVD in the TV room.

Friday 

Departure day !!  Geoff headed off in his moho to Rhyl, while me Debbie and Sue packed up the car and headed for Manchester. It was a miserable trip for us with rain all the way - it was even more miserable for Geoff as he lost his brakes about 20 miles from home - fortunately a friend of Geoffs (Mervyn) lived nearby so he limped to his place and left his motorhome there while brother Tony came to the rescue and picked him up and drove Geoff home.

This evening we said our bye byes to Martin, Debbie and Andrew - a few tears were shed and we left for the airport in subdued mood. Over the last few weeks we had some great times with Deb and Andrew  -  we are hoping the next time we see them will be in Tin Can Bay - I will start a beer and wine stockpile in anticipation.

Nantmel (part 2)

Wednesday

The week with the family is coming towards the end. Once again we went off in different directions - Stu, Lisa and Julie went to Aberystwyth via Devils Bridge, by all accounts they had a really interesting trip including a ride on the steep railway they have there.

Debbie and Andrew picked up a hitchhiker (Geoff) and went off in the direction of Ludlow but never made it as they found lots of interest and historical things in Pembridge. The bell tower there is simply amazing with the timbers used in the construction of the tower dating back for centuries.

For Sue and me it was a trip from our hearts to go and see my Aunt Mildred. We last saw Millie on our previous trip to the Uk in 2013 - those days she was living in her own home in Sutton-on-Sea but since then age has caught up with her and she now lives in a care home in Hereford. She was in good fettle for a 94 year old and we had a good time chatting about some of our memories, her chronology was sometimes a bit awry as you might expect. It was a tearful farewell when we had to leave, but we will look back on our visit with fond memories of Millie.

Exploring !!

Monday

Today we went to all points of the compass (sort of) Stu, Lisa and Julie went of for a look around Knighton and Presteigne. Debbie Andrew and Dave went in the direction of Rhyader to go for a walk by the river while me Sue and Geoff went to Builth Wells.

We did a slight detour to Abbey Cwmhir to have a look at the hall and gardens that were signposted at Crossgates roundabout. The gates to the hall were open so we drove in but the place looked rather private and uninviting so we did a quick u- turn and left. We came across a nice church and a signpost for some abbey ruins. 

We then headed off to Builth Wells and had a walk round the town. Builth Wells is the homeplace of the Royal Welsh National Show and boasts some impressive Showgrounds by the river.

The river is quite wide and the town is entered from the North over an impressive multi-arched bridge.

There was a big statue of a bull in the local park - I don't know whether this is to signify the local beef stock industry or to advertise Builth Wells Welsh show heritage.

We then went for provisions to be used for the BBQ we were having that evening.

The BBQ was a huge success with everyone contributing far more food than needed - leftovers won't come to waste though !!

Tuesday 

Plan A was to go to Aberystwyth, Plan B was a trip to Powis Castle.  It was agreed that Powis Castle was the best option and we would stop at Bishops Castle for lunch. Stu decided on visiting Ludlow on their journey while me and Deb decided to head straight for Bishops castle.

It's an interesting village with a church at the bottom of the hill and the Three Tuns brewery at the top.

We started at the church snd had a look inside  -  it was very impressive with lovely stained glass windows.

We had a look around the graveyard - some of the older graves dated back as far as the 1850's.

There are lots of timber frame buildings some dating as far back as 1550.

We went to the Three Tuns for lunch - Stu and his entourage followed shortly after we had got there. The food was really good and plentiful and the ale from the local brewery was very tasty. We watched them loading grain into the brewery using a lift that must have been used for ages.

An executive decision was made over lunch which resulted in Stu going on to Powis Castle while the rest of us who had all been to the castle previously headed back to The Grange.

Nantmel

Sunday

Geoff Sue and me went for a drive in the country. We went to Knighton and Presteigne both of which are typical Welsh villages with churches and pubs in equal measure. We stopped off at a pub on the way and had a beer in the garden out the back - not the prettiest of beer gardens !!

During the afternoon we went back to the Grange to await Debbie and Andrew coming down from Manchester and Stuart, Lisa and Julie also coming from Manchester but by a more circuitous route.

Debbie and Andrew arrived at around 5:00pm and while we were waiting for Stu and his entourage to arrive Geoff set about making our roast lamb dinner. We discovered the meat in the freezer when we got here so we "took possession " of the meat and claimed it as ours.

Stuart revised his "eta" a number of times but they eventually arrived sometime after 7 and Geoff breathed a big sigh of relief as he was beginning to worry about over cooking the roast. As it turned out there was no need for him to be anxious as the food was wonderful.

After the meal the ladies took over the kitchen while us blokes stood well back.