Rivermount House is simply stunning. The magnificent residence is perched on the side of the hill overlooking the valley. Not long after signing off yesterday, the weather came in and the view disappeared. It rained all night, not that I really know with the double glazing and quiet rooms. Breakfast was unsurpassed, a cooked breakfast with all the trimmings, with full dinner service and cutlery. After breakfast I packed up and headed outside. Whilst it looked as if it was raining, it was actually just low cloud. The cloud that skips by the top of lofty, but here is drifts along the surface. So it was 17 degrees, dry, with visibility to 100metres. Yey, the Irish are metric, a nice change after the yards and miles back in UK. Drove 5km back into Kinsale and went ... read more

Flew from Gatwick to Dublin today on Ryanair. Many thanks to Mark and Charly for getting me there on time. Ryanair was a little delayed and was the only flight on the board of 50 flights that didnt have a gate allocated. I wasnt nervous at all. It was the first big flight i had been on where there were no seats allocated. i was about 8th in the queue, so got a window seat in the third row. flight was good, got the Airlink to Dublin city and found Trinity college ok. Room is small but quite adequate. Wandered around for the afternoon, got my bearings. Stopped into see the Book of Kells in the library. Also got to see two other books (but dont have my notes with me right now). These are simply ... read more

Today I popped down to see the Queen at her Castle. She was busy so I wandered amongst the throng of tourists visiting her abode. Not too shabby. After doing a load of washing I headed through One Tree Hill gardens down to Honour Oak station. Chatted to a couple of biddy's at the station. In London no one says boo to a goose, and I love to see the reaction when you start a conversation. First they look at you as if you have committed a sin, then after a short response, they chat like theres no tomorrow. Rather fun to watch. These two were ignoring each other when I arrived, and they boarded the train chatting to each other about family and health. One of todays tasks achieved, and its only 10am! I left ... read more

Hampton Court was originally the residence of King Henry VIII. It is located around 30km up the Thames from London. I took the train from Honour Oak Park to Clapham station, changed trains and went directly to Hampton Court. The guided audio tour was excellent. Hampton Court was the home of a number of monarchs, each adding their individual personal touches.... read more

Lazy day today, had breakfast and did some research for the next few days, checked the weather, etc. Showered and read a book on London interesting facts and places to see. Had a cup of tea and headed down to the shops to get some fruit and other groceries. Headed into London to find an authentic English pub for a traditional English meal. Decided on the Sherlock Holmes Pub and had Bangers and mash, with an authentic English Beer (nicknamed Sherlock Holmes). The meals name was 'Dr Watsons favourite' which was listed as 'Traditional Cumberland sausages, served with buttered mashed potatoes, onions and gravy'. The meal was lovely, finished nicely with 'Chocolate Sponge Pudding with Custard' for desert. http://www.sherlockholmespub.com I wandered through the Victoria Embankment Gardens, found a nice bench and had a siesta. Visited the ... read more