So I've been away in North Wales for a week, but this time I prepared properly. Printed off my meetings lists, took my books, was explicit about what I wanted to do.
My wife came with me and lo and behold, it went pretty well.
We stayed in a small cottage, very remote, 500 yds from a trout lake, which I fished 3 times in the week. We did walking (I'm dreadfully unfit), a canal boat trip (that's cured me of the fantasy of living on a narrowboat), fishing, bird watching and I got a meeting in.
Probably ate too much, saw lots of birds I hadn't seen before, caught 7 trout, lost 6 more, got almost addicted to bara brith (welsh stewed fruit tea loaf) and welsh cakes, made friends with a family of great danes (mum, dad and 6 puppies)
Got wet one day, sunburnt the next. No mobile phone reception at all! Brilliant! Saw some fantastic engineering, learnt about canals, got lost in a forest and got my way out again. Packed a lot into a week.
But here we are, Monday, back to old clothes and porridge. Still, I've got another 3 weeks of annual leave left and have booked for the Cannock Chase Camping Convention.
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It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
Aloha Bill...That read like a lot of fun, almost a fantasy especially the part about the trout. I relate to the "loosing 6" part or maybe even boring them to sleep with my baits. Keep having a good time. (((((hugs)))))
Yayyyyy Bill!! Wow, what a terrific time, I absolutely LOVE vacationing sober. There are so many places I visited while dirnking, and I never got to enjoy them to the fullest. But now I have been able to go some places, and enjoy the outdoors, fishing, and some really good times with those I love, and fully enjoy it sober. It is indeed so nice to get away.
And you sure do have a lot of vacation time!! I have earned 2 weeks worth, and plan to use a couple of days of vacation pay this week at home getting a few things done around here.
The most wonderful part of your trip to me sounded like getting to know a family of great danes!! I LOVE dogs, and I probably would have spent the entire week rolling around on the ground with them. LOL
Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us!! Awesome!! Enjoy your next adventure. :o)
Joni
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~Your Higher Power has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.
Aloha Bill...That read like a lot of fun, almost a fantasy especially the part about the trout. I relate to the "loosing 6" part or maybe even boring them to sleep with my baits. Keep having a good time. (((((hugs)))))
oh no, not bait fishing, fly fishing! That way if you don't catch anything, then at least you have had the pleasure of choosing the fly (the prettiest one seems to be best) and perfecting your casting technique.
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It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
And you sure do have a lot of vacation time!! I have earned 2 weeks worth, and plan to use a couple of days of vacation pay this week at home getting a few things done around here.
Joni
I have heard that you americans don't get much holiday time but maybe you have more public holidays?
I get 8 bank / public holiday days and a further 32 and a half paid vacation days, but that is outstandingly good for the UK, a legacy from 30+ years with the same employer which used to be run on civil service terms and conditions.
Most employers over here start you on 20 days vacation time including the 8 BH.
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It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
And thank you so much, what a sweetheart to send those sites, I put them on my desktop, and will let you know when I bake one of them ok.
One of my favorite things to do is make sweet things from other countries. Like Babinka, from the Phillipines, and the Scotish version of Short Breads, yum, I can taste the butter as I write this :)
Without looking it up, do you know what.. uva sultanina...is?... it is the second version of this, but think the fruit sounds better, anyway.
And yes indeedy, so happy that you did catch some fish, did you save, and take them home, or did you release them??
Ok, the lady with so many questions, is saying over and out.
Toodles and thank you so much....again.
Tonicakes :) haha, a clue as to why I sign off like that sometimes.
PS, Please don"t bother answering on that fishing question, I am not a fishing person, but do know what Catch and Release means:)
-- Edited by toni baloney on Tuesday 4th of August 2009 05:05:11 PM
uva sultanina sounds Italian and i'd take a guess that it is the Italian word for some sort of dried fruit, like sultanas, currants or raisins.
http://www.scottishrecipes.co.uk/clootiedumpling.htm will give you a recipe for a clootie dumpling. My Mum used to make these but she started with 4 lbs of flour, that's 8 times the recipe quantites shown here.
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It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
Ahhhh, yes, Euopeans are good vacationers. Lucky you all. Actually, it is no "accident" that I work for a physician group, the bosses of which travel frequently, meaning that I do get quite a lot of time off compared to most here in the states. (But not all paid!!)
Well, our economy is in the crapper right now anyway, so may as well keep plugging away, right? Tis' the American way, you know, to work one's self to death and eat McDonald's every day, so you can spend retirement hooked up to machines and miserable.
And you do have the most interesting food ideas!!
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~Your Higher Power has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.