Flight Home

Asian vegetarian on way home, (rather dry) chick peas, rice and vegetable curry. And Champagne.

Christmas Dinner on Gran Canaria

At Christmas evening pre-dinner cocktail party at Costa Canaria hotel, San Augustin, Gran Canaria, with live musicians.

For dinner Joan started with plump prawns, griddled in front of her, I went straight to the roast turkey. But no roast potatoes so chips had to suffice.

The generously poured red was CVNE Crianza Rioja, 2015. 

And who did we spot earlier that day?

Biker Santas

Finishing coffee at a waterfront cafe in Maspalomas we heard and felt a very loud roar like a low flying jet, but it was 200+ motor bikes and trikes revving up and riding up and down the street escorted by police motorbikes.

Every biker and pillion rider was in Santa costume and bikes decorated too.

Paddling In the Sea

It's not cold, really!

Costa Canaria Hotel

The hotel, Costa Canaria, San Augustin, Gran Canaria. 20-25 minutes by taxi from the airport.

 View from Solarium sun-deck on roof.

Sideways view left from our balcony.

View right from balcony.

 Pandanus Utilis in front of hotel.

Grand Canary

Ch Cantemerle 2009 5eme Cru

Almost 10 year old Classed Growth claret in T5 BA Lounge and decent lunch on Club Europe flight to Grand Canary.

Coming in to land at Las Palmas, Grand Canary

Xmas Post Boxes

Post boxes around St Albans have been topped with knitted Christmas decorations

December Wine Tasting

Wines from Sicily and Sardinia at Stewarts.

 Back L>R Malcolm, Gill, Stewart, Richard, Roy        
Front L>R Hugh, Betty, Anthony, Peter

Vuelio Blog Awards 2018

To London and the 2018 Vuelio Blog Awards, held in the Bloomsbury Big Top in Guilford Street , just a short walk from St Pancras station.

Pre-dinner Prosecco was very welcome, then we moved to the dining hall.

Entertainment with aerialist and fire dancers was followed by an excellent dinner, especially the shredded duck on roasted butternut with hoisin sauce starter.

 New this year was a photo booth and selection of hats. One had 5 seconds between flashes to change hats. 

In the packed goody bag was my favourite gift, a Chilli Advent Calendar, with 25 different chillis and powders with descriptions and recipes.

Railway signals down meant most trains were cancelled and there was 40 minutes to wait before a train, an all stopper, arrived.

Vice Lord-Lieutenant Visits Probus

Richard Beasley, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire

Richard Beasley, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire was our Probus guest speaker today, telling us about The Role of The Lord Lieutenancy.

The office of Lord-Lieutenant dates from the mid 1500s, and Lord-Lieutenants are appointed by the sovereign as their representative, and as such should be treated at functions as if they are the monarch.

Richard Beasley did not insist on formality and, instead of his uniform, he wore his badge of office (which he called his 'bling')  on a ribbon around his neck.

He is an engaging chap who gave us an enthralling talk, including insights to what goes on behind the scenes at Royal visits. 

We were honoured that he visited us.

(L>R) Probus President Mike Foers, V L L Richard Beasley, Chairman John Hart

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Buffalo NY and Florida

To American Wine Society National Conference in Buffalo NY, topped and tailed by stays in Tampa and Naples, FL.

Champagne Canard-Duchene 'Cuvee Leonie' Brut NV and almonds with BA flying to Tampa

Dinner at Bahama Breeze restaurant, next to Holiday Inn at Rocky Point Island, Tampa

 

Flying Southwest Airlines into Buffalo. On left is Canada, right is USA, at bottom is Lake Erie. In middle is Grand Island. The two rivers merge at top of picture to plunge over Niagara Falls.

Buffalo is on the banks of Lake Erie, 15 miles from Niagara Falls. It’s the home of ‘Buffalo Wings’ and the sliced beef filled kimmelweck roll ‘Beef on Weck’.

Buffalo Wings at AWS Conference buffet

The original Buffalo Wings were served in 1964 at the Anchor Bar on Main Street, deep fried and coated in Frank’s RedHot Sauce.  

The conference venue was the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Buffalo Convention Centre. Morton’s The Steakhouse was at the gotel and first night I had their tender Filet Mignon with Lyonnaise potatoes, a side salad and a bottle of Beran 2012 Napa Valley Zinfandel. 

On Thursday we went on a tour and tastings at 5 local wineries.

My Chenin Blanc seminar was on Friday 2 November and Pinotage was on Saturday 3rd. Both had a large and enthusiastic audience. Details of the wines I showed are on the AWS 2018 tab at www.pinotage.org

Joel Peterson

 Had an excellent session from Joel Peterson founder of Ravenswood,  tasting some of his single vineyard Ravenswood and Once and Future wines and his son's Bedrock

AWS Chair Diane Meyer

After the conference, back to Tampa for a night at the airport Marriott then drive south to Naples.

Naples beach was much the same but the town was unrecognisable with the amount of building since we'd been there 40 years ago.

Lovely clubby surroundings and delicious steak at Shula’s close to Staybridge Suites, but let down by freezer chips.

Naples Pier seemed unchanged and I saw a manatee from its end. 

Temperature was pleasant, in the 80s F, 28-31.5C

Toby and Emma Engaged

Congratulations to Toby and Emma on their Engagement today, at Milport on the island of Great Cumbrae, Scotland.

Toby travelled up to surprise Emma while she was holidaying with her parents. Toby said he couldn't go as he had to be at work, but his supervisor allowed him a few days.

Toby was  a day late because Storm Ali brought a tree down on the rail track and he had to spend an unexpected night in Carlisle.

Toby is sitting on a memorial bench for Emma's Grandmother. Emma isn't in on the surprise, but their  dog quickly identifies the stranger.

 

Peacehaven

We stopped at Peacehaven on way home from Newhaven and walked along the cliff top path before descending to walk the path under the cliffs as far as we could.

Peacehaven is the southen most point of the Prime Meridian, which is marked by a monument on the cliff top  and coloured bricks along its line.

Standing astride the Prime Meridian

Newhaven Fort

To Newhaven to visit its Fort. This was a 25 minute walk from the Premier Inn hotel. Sunday was chilly and drizzly but there was plenty of exhibits inside the fort and tunnels to walk down. We spent all day there.
 

Entrance

The Fort was designed and built by twenty two year old Lieutenant John Charles Ardagh of the Royal Engineers,  started in 1862 and took ten years and six million bricks to complete. 

Ardagh bucked convention by making the first mass use of concrete in a military fortification, he designed a new type of counterweighted drawbridge that completely covered the entrance  (and was then adopted elsewhere includingthe Eastbourne Redoubt)  and the built into the contours of the land, rather than flattening the ground to building on top. 

WWII Gun Emplacement

This narrow tunnel was used to service lamps set into the wall on the left which shone through windows into the powder stores.
 

Dieppe Ferry enters Newhaven seen from Fort ramparts

Newhaven from the Fort