For lovers of Australian wine

On the wrong foot

An early start for our flight to Lanzarote this morning. We're going to a Spanish wedding and have been invited by Paula's sister Andrea. I hope you're paying attention!

Driving around Barcelona in the rush hour is scary and it all seems to work but you do have to have your wits about you.

We’re in Air Europa, coach, which isn’t actually that bad. The leg room is OK and as it’s a 3.00 hour flight I’ve got my iPod plugged in. Cool.

After upgrading the car to something with air con we make the fifteen minute drive to the hotel.

The Arrecife Gran Hotel is 5 star, the tallest building on the island. I’m writing this from the twelth floor, overlooked only by low flying aircraft. Whilst I have 5 star ambitions, I don't have a 5 star pocket, the reason we are here is because the bridegroom is ‘management’ and we gratefully got a ‘deal’. We check in, and something isn’t right but it’s difficult to put your finger on it. OK, we got stuck into the complimentary wine and forgot about the car parked at the front. We met up later with Joachim, who sat next to us on our flight, and he told us that he’d got a ’ticket’. I went outside to check and sure enough we’d got one as well. Not to worry I said, I’ll park the car and pay the 30 euros. BUT - when you looked closely at the ticket it wasn't for 30 euros but for 300 euros. Welcome to Lanzarote. Bastards. I was really incensed. There were no 'no parking' signs and I took lots of photos to prove it. I’m mad. Generally I’d just have paid the fine, but this is robbery. Day light robbery. 300 euros, the bastards. They pick on an obvious hire car and know that the hire company will pay the fine. I’m up for a fight. Big time. This is outrageous. So I take a long walk to the police station and Jan comes with me. Senor policeman was actually very nice (I always find that in my dealings with police) and told me what to do to get the ticket 'scrubbed'. Hmnnnn. Anyway, back at the hotel Andrea, Friday's bride gets involved and offers to have the ticket 'dealt with' by her hubby to be, Luis, who 'knows' people. Luis is also embarrassed and angry because it's not a good start to their celebrations and he doesn't need this problem outside his hotel. Watch this space, but something deep inside tells me that I'll be paying this.

Rugby jokes

Thanks to Bryan for these.

World leaders are united in their praise for the All Blacks in doing their bit to reduce their carbon footprint by dropping the Wallabies off on their way home!
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What's the difference between the All Blacks and a tea bag?

The tea bag stays in the cup longer.

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Have you heard about the new All Black bra?

Great support but no cup.

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What's the difference between an All Black and an arsonist???

An arsonist wouldn't waste five matches

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What do you call 15 blokes sitting watching the world cup semi-final.....

The All Blacks

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NEWSFLASH

Graham Henry found dead in hotel room, 4.5 million suspects

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What's the difference between viagra and Graham Henry,

Viagra will give you a semi!!!

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Sitges

The mystery of the Rugby t-shirt was solved this morning. There I was sitting in an internet café typing this rubbish, just around the corner from the flat, and up pops a new e-mail message. It’s from Glyn who came out for the weekend with his buddy and their children to watch the rugby. We kept missing each other, him because they were shooting all over the place having landed in Gerona, the only direct flight from Liverpool in winter, and us because we were out and about ourselves. We didn't even know that he was around. He left the shirt first thing on Sunday morning, whilst we were enjoying a cup of tea in bed, just before he had to shoot of back to Gerona. Wasn’t that kind.

***

We use a public car park near the flat, which is not cheap. Then what city centre car park is cheap? Anyway, what’s different about this one is that the payment machine does not take cards. You have to stuff in notes or coins, which means you have to be prepared. Our overnight bill was 39 euros. Mnnnnn.

***

OK, today’s big decision. Hit the shops in Barcelona or drive down to Sitges for lunch? Despite the obvious temptation, Sitges won because we like the place, there are lots of shops and it’s nice to have lunch by the sea. As we headed south out of Barcelona we passed several exotic shops with exotic sounding names. Names like Leroy Merlin, Decathlon and Carrefour. France hates competition from abroad but has no hesitation in invading other countries! But that’s another story.
When it comes to restaurants, we generally choose well? El Rincon de Pepe, Paseo de la Ribera, 93 894 50 54 is very smart, right on the sea front and looked immediately appealing. They had Arroz Negra, which we had already decided we wanted, on the menu, so the rest was easy. It was all superb helped no doubt by an excellent wine recommended by our waiter. Belondrade y Lurton 2005 made with 100% Verdejo (never had that one before) was superb. After a siesta in the sun, when Jan had a paddle in the sea, we headed back.
Just to round off a perfect afternoon I found an unencrypted wireless connection back at the flat. Some people are just born lucky!

Barcelona

The journey to Barcelona was uneventful, with the exception of getting into Barcelona itself. The roads, especially around Barcelona, are not for the faint hearted. It helps if you have a good idea where you are going because the roads are very busy with the locals driving at breakneck speed. It really helps if you have a good navigator. Jan’s good. Even getting off the ring roads doesn’t help much because, when you do, the streets are so narrow and many are now newly pedestrianised that a local map is only so much help. All these issues were compounded with a very heavy thunderstorm as we entered the city. Welcome to Barcelona!
The rain cleared enough for us to walk out for dinner. Ben and Paula, whose flat we are using, live in an area called Gracia, an interesting area to the north of Barcelona with a distinct bohemian feel. The streets are very narrow, difficult to traverse, especially with our car, but quaint nonetheless. Dinner wasn’t memorable; we rather stupidly chose a restaurant that served food with a heavy French influence. We were tired!

Someone knows how big I am!

A very strange thing happened yesterday. Our normal morning routine, is to feed the dogs and let them out , make a cup of tea and then watch the breakfast news in bed. The back door is left open for the dogs to come and go. So it was yesterday. What was strange was that when we got to the kitchen for breakfast, a Rugby World Cup t-shirt, my size, was sitting on the bar with a similar key ring. Ooooh errr. We were reverse burgled. There were no human remains in the garden, so the dogs obviously knew the visitor, either that or they're bloody useless (something we have long suspected) and there was no attempt to rouse us. Despite a couple of phone calls we were still perplexed this morning. Spooky.

Anyway, I mentioned this to William before we left and he told me of a lady he knows who found a pair of strange pyjamas on her washing line one morning!

***

On a more sober note, this morning we left for Barcelona. After dropping Josh for his flight home from Nimes, we hit the motorway for a couple of nights in Barcelona prior to a flight to Lanzarote for our third wedding of the year. All will be revealed.

Vive la difference

And for my next trick

Today was a good news day. First, I woke to hear that Lewis Hamilton made pole position for the China Grand Prix. Second (chronologically), Jan's eldest son's wife, Paula (above left), announced that she was pregnant. Third, and against all the odds, England beat Australia in the quarter finals of the Rugby World Cup. Not a pretty game but a win's a win. A good effort all round chaps.

***

Josh is coming to the end of his stay and, because we had a lot to celebrate, it was out to Le Fourneau de Clelia for a slap up meal tonight. Days just don't get better than this.

Pneus en Ligne

I'm an admirer of Blackcircles and have been buying tyres from them for a few years now. Well now they've created a site http://www.pneusenligne.net/ specifically for the French market. You buy your branded tyres cheap, they send them to you and you get your local garage to fit them. I've done it and it works a treat. Check out their prices, you'll be amazed at how much you can save. And no, I'm not being paid to say this, I'm just a big fan.

Not here, there

I was in a car park in Sommieres waiting for Jan, who had been in the optician for well over an hour. This wasn't anticipated but suddenly I needed the toilet. This happens more and more of late and I have toilets mapped out all over the place for such an eventuality. Anyway, the arene was just down the way and there was no one about. I have always admired the French penchant for peeing in public and I was about to join the throng. I parked the car and hid myself behind a small outbuilding just outside the arene. Bugger, a small white van pulled up behind me and the driver started shouting at me. It's difficult to hold a conversation mid-stream so I ignored him. When I was more comfortable I started to pay him attention. He told me in no uncertain terms that I shouldn't relieve myself there. Being half Italian and having developed the Gallic shrug I tried to ignore him. It ain't a sin and I needed to go, so that was it. Suddenly I realised that he sympathised. What he was trying to tell me was that I was actually pissing up the side of a toilet. A quick look round the other side confirmed his information. Bugger.

A shortage of doctors

Josh got a phone call yesterday, asking him to go, a week earlier than planned, to his hospital in Brighton to have his plaster cast off. The reason given was that they would be short of doctors when his appointment was due. This raises several thoughts, non of them particularly beneficial towards the hospital in question.

A fighting spirit

What a great story. Just the thought of nuns having a catfight makes me giggle. Get into the habit here.

***

You can probably guess that not much is happening at the ranch at the mo. The most interesting thing that I'm dealing with at present is leaving the house dressed for autumn, in jeans and sweatshirt, and then complaining as the sun comes out and it hits 25C in the shade. Still, can't complain! It's turned out nice again!

Mad and madder

MAD

At first I thought that this might be a joke. I've had a few emails asking me to sign the petition, so I looked at the website and, sure enough, there was a petition, and the government has replied. I have no great feelings about the Red Arrows and certainly don't see them in a jingoistic way but I suspect that the men in grey suits were fomenting their insidious petty thoughts. Assuming that the initial rumour was true, it's just another case of PC madness.

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MADDER

For those Monday morning blues