Blogs from Merseyside, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Where shall we go today? How about a museum/an art gallery and a model village all rolled into one. It will be a warm space , interesting things to see with a cafe for lunch . What is there not to like ? It became one of those ideas that turned out rather well in the end. You know the sort of trips you think about doing but put off time and time again. We pulled out our extra warm coats, a scarf, a pair of gloves and a hat and set out in the car with no name . The weather had turned extremely wet some days yet on others it was surprisingly cold with overnight frosts and chilly air . We were heading 45 minutes up the road towards Port Sunlight on the Wirral ... read more

The highlight of our four-day R&R was Rob’s 80thbirthday celebrations, attended by nearly forty long time friends. Rob is much loved as he received numerous birthday cards prior to the party. The weather God’s turned the sunshine on with all of us seeking shade under the two marquees. The drinks and food flowed freely, and it was the life-long drinking experiences of those in attendance that didn’t see anyone over-do-it. That didn’t mean that the urge wasn’t there! Rob’s speech was humbling as it was humorous and his toast to absent friends did bring a tear to a few eyes. Mary had made sure that all preparations were high class and to her liking. They were. I have been continually checking the Ashes Test cricket score between two contrasting styles of play between Australia and England. ... read more

Last night we had a lovely dinner in the dining room of the castle we were staying in. Don finally got to try some some lamb. I had the cod because it was the lightest thing on the menu. We ordered an old fashioned as our pre-dinner cocktail which stumped both the waitress and the bartender. The bartender did do her research and looked up what would be the best whiskey - and landed on a peaty scotch. It was very odd (if she hadn’t come over to explain the research she did we might have sent it back) and it was a lesson to us not to order old fashioneds in Scotland. This morning, after a lovely breakfast we set off walking to the village of Portmeirion. This well-known tourist area completely flummoxed us. It ... read more

So why Liverpool? With this trip being quite fluid based on where we were asked to cat sit through Trusted Housesitters and the location and timing of being able to meet up with friends, the rest of the time was pulled together in a much different way than we normally do. Based somewhat on geography, things to see in that area, finding a place to stay at a reasonable price and easy to get to by public transport, Liverpool made the cut! We didn’t have much time to research what we would do or see while there, but figured there would be enough for a few days so the train tickets were bought and the reservations made. In the end, it worked out to be a nice stop on our journey. Of course, when most people ... read more

A quick trip to see new baby and help out where possible. Views are around Liverpool, but mainly near the Mersey. Added “feature” is a few bits of snow.... read more