Blogging gap

I moved into Kinross-shire last week and haven't worked out my Internet connection yet and we are off to Prague tomorrow so I probably shan't have the chance to blog before the 1st of June.
See you all soon.

Things may go quiet over the next couple of weeks

I finish work later today and, after going for Xmas dinner, will be out of the office until the 7th of January. The first few days will be spent with Catherine and her family in Perth, returning to sunny (not -5 degrees c this morning) Ayrshire for the rest of the holiday. I'll have to take limited chances to get on the internet in Perth and I only have dial up at home, so you may all get a blessed relief from my ramblings for a couple of weeks - on the other hand, I may feel the need to vent my spleen now and again.

Anyway, I hope that you all have a festive season which meets with your wishes.
Happy New Year for 2008! (hic)

Blogging holiday as we're off to Budapest

By this time tomorrow, all being well, Catherine and I shall be winging our way from Rabbie Burns International to Budapest and, quite frankly, I can't wait! We're only away for three nights but I really need to get away and Budapest is a place neither of has visited before.

Catherine particularly wants to visit the Christmas market, Castle District & The Labyrinth. I'm keen on seeing the Parliament, Miltary Museum, House of Terror Museum and the Unicum Distillery. I suspect that we may well end up going to one of the spas or thermal baths.

So folks, that's the good news for you - no more blogging from me until Wednesday and then the bad news, I'll be boring you all about Budapest for days then wittering on about our intended trip to Riga in February.

Budapest for Catherine's birthday

Hah! at last a jaunt out of the UK this year!
Catherine celebrates her birthday on the 10th of December so we have booked a weekend city break in Budapest, a city neither of has visited before, from the 8th to the 11th of December.
We are both looking forward to exploring the city. I've already got the Military Museum, roman remains and Parliament building on my to do list as well as sampling some of the local wines and spirits. Catherine's eyes lit up at the thought of the Christmas market and the possibility of snow on the ground - romantic says she. Cold says me.

Interestingly enough the city has one of the longest serving Liberal Mayors anywhere in Europe.
Gabor Demszky of the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) was first elected in 1990 and has remained undeafeted at 4 subsequent elections, with his current term due to end in 2010.

Barbados here we come

In October 2008 Catherine has a Soroptimist Conference in Barbados for 3 days. Well after some humming and hawing, by me, because of length of flight, we decided to have a decent length of holiday so we booked up for 11 nights in the 4 star Amaryllis Beach Resort (pictured) and upgraded to a superior ocean view room.

We've been saving our Tesco clubcard vouchers as they get exchanged at a rate of £1 of clubcard vouchers to £4 of Virgin holiday vouchers. In the end we got about £600 off our holiday - not bad for just doing our everyday shopping!

To say that I'm really loking forward to the holiday would be a slight understatement.

Soroptimists are off the hook

In a previous post I railed against Catherine's Glasgow Soroptimist Conference depriving me of her active participation in most of my Birthday this year and also meaning we would not be able to get away for our usual early August break.

I'm delighted to be able to recant and inform that either Catherine or her Mum had got the dates wrong. Catherine blames her Mum for this but I have my doubts!

Anyway, it means that I get the pleasure of her company for all of my birthday and we also get 4 days in Dublin, a city neither of us have been to before, which we both eagerly await visiting.

Probably also means that I won't get her to buy me dinner at Rogano's to assuage her guilt.

I will have to work out our carbon offset for a return flight from Prestwick (Rabbie Burns International as it should be called - see rants in previous posts!) to Dublin. Any suggestions as to where I can work this out would be appreciated.

www.soroptimistinternational.org

Riga no more

Some months ago Ryanair launched a new route from Prestwick International to Riga. Well, I'm on a bit of a Eastern Europe discovery time at the moment (Poland twice last year and plans for Prague, Gdansk & St Petersburg this year) so I was a happy bunny indeed with this news, went and bought the Rough Guide to The Baltic States and started planning a pre-election weekend break.

All was fine and well until Ryanair decided they were going to sue the Government over extra security costs. Well that did it! The Lady who lives in Kinross-shire took one of her stands and issued her equivalent of a Papal Bull on them - no more flying Ryanair for us. Ergo no visit to Riga for me.

At least Wizz fly from Prestwick to Gdansk, but I've been told no holiday, except in respective wards where the "holiday" will consist of leafletting, canvassing and more leafletting, until after the council counts May 4th.