Another year - another trip to Wagamama

Superdry Coat - too fashionable to take off...

until it got too hot

Still not sure about the green bits

To see previous posts ... http://ddwilliams.blogspot.com/search?q=wagamama

Gibraltar (Accidents of History Tour 1989-2009)

Marbella - in the winter



First view of the Rock (we were diverted to Malaga)




I ran (nearly) all the way up - 32 minutes from sea to summit at O'Hara's Battery





The peninsula is FULL of unsold Toyotas - all white, all about 6 months old - very sad.










My hotel - the Eliot



Cadbury Delivery man - we had a little chat



12:30 - 22 degrees, sunny T-shirt weather...




20:30 - 0 degrees and snow!

The album is here

Two Favourite Xmas Presents

One from and one by "Uncle" David

It was a fix!

Once more to the Harlequins Club Champs - and as usual there was the raffle in aid of the air ambulance...



and for the fifth or sixth year running - I got the Russ's Walnut and Onion Xmas Bread - this year my ticket was the first drawn - to cries of "fix!"

The disclaimer says:

WARNING:
Contains NUTS
Produced in non-certified premises
Nuts foraged locally :- may contain harmful fungi, bacteria and virus
Producer does not have a food hygiene certificate
EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK

(It was very nice - toasted with some crumbly Lancashire cheese and a bit of Branston)

(early) xmas @ Yo Sushi

So much nicer Turkey @ Trimmings

(update - after an unexpected night at Heathrow the Anderssons made it to Lidkoping for Xmas)

A Sign!

A sign in the heavens! (or evidence of a possible near miss!)

Bye-Bye Old Car - Hello New

 They put my SAAB 93 in the pound with all the "scrappage scheme" cars and then they wheeled out this...

Cadbury Working Party - Stocks Wood, Bournville

Gentlemen with sharp metal implements

Kirstie's Birthday Party Weekend

Kirstie discovering that it is far too wet to ride the swings - our shortest ever visit to "The coldest spot in Western Europe" - the playground next to Siemens on Portsmouth Road, Frimley



Anna is working towards her Brownie Home Skills badge



A proper breakfast!



Kirstie's party

Bournville - Autumn

A heron waiting by the brook - we do get trout but only when the Frankley Reservoir over-tops - so far in the factory grounds I have seen - Kingfishers, Herons, Grebes, Greylag Goose, Buzzards, Sparrowhawk and what appeared to be a common tern - and all within 3 miles of the centre of Birmingham



Birdcage Walk, Cadbury Factory





It was sold to me as a Polish issue military parka - but I don't think so!

Today I had some visitors...

9 screens but there was absolutely nothing on

9 screens but there was absolutely nothing on of interest - so I bought a DVD of Brazil - most(ly) excellent!

Chester City Race



As I ran past the control (above) the delicious smell of pasties wafted up from the street below...



This is where Kevin and I used to eat our Cousins Pasties (1976 to 1980)
Sadly Cousins are no more - but there is a pasty shop opposite - a choice of 15 different types of pasty - compared with the '70s - choice being hot or cold

Where did all the trendy restaurants and posh fast food shops come from? - In 100m I counted 20 places to eat - ranging from sushi through smoothies to a Brazilian Churrascaria. All we had was Quaintways and the...




where I think Joce had a part time job

An Iranian shop has opened in Selly Oak - sadly I can't see how it can survive - there just won't be enough footfall
The owner is putting in a lot of effort - and he seemed really pleased that an "English" was showing interest in Persian/Iranian culture and products.

The little dried figs came with a story - they are grown in desert areas - where it might rain only two or three times a year. Following a good rain storm the figs flower and set fruit - the farmer then waits until the desert wind and sun dessicate the plant and then shakes the tree - catching the figs on blankets as they fall to the ground. Very scrummy and flavoursome - I will buy more.

I can also recommend lavash bread, saffron candy sticks (for tea) and lemon & salt coated pistachio nuts.

On the way back from Cambridge My GPS said "A14 closed" - so I stopped off at the "Kettering Vintage Rally and Steam Fayre". A very good event - excellent parking - no queues in or out - parking marshals were highly motivated scouts and plenty of them.






These are "Field Marshalls" - when idling they bounce on the suspension like a some great green car waiting to pounce - and you start them with saltpeter paper and a shotgun cartridge.



A Jag!


Not a Jag



A rather nice Swedish lady brings her collection of board games along to steam fairs - just because she loves seeing the reaction and making people happy "Oh yes, we had that game!" [Sadly no one would play 4000AD with me - I had worked out a killer pincer tactic - result - short game - which I would invariably win]



There is an ERF club - drivers loved these British made trucks so much - that they buy them up, restore them and the drive them to fairs at the weekend! This one is done up as a weekend camper - with a caravan on the trailer.