Catch up time

Off for the last few days, as I have been first bored and then busy. On Saturday we took my niece Katie's son out for a birthday treat. He was twelve on the Thursday and a nice bright young man interested in history.

So we took him to Cardiff Castle for a treat. If you have never been there, then while in the city, this is a must see. Well worth the entrance fee and the tour is brilliant. The only down side, is that if you have difficulties with stairs, this is not for you. As we are residents of Cardiff, we were entitled to the Cardiff Key which for a small price will give free entrance to the castle and parts of the house and tour.

The only issue is if you have walking difficulties as there is a lot of stairs up and down on the tour. But it is very interesting and of course the guide are extremely knowledgeable. Well they would have to be or there would no point in doing the job! The tour is just under an hour and then you are free to wander around. One of the highlights is the Castle keep which is the second highest in the UK. 

And then there is the Welsh regiments museum underneath the visitor centre. You can also walk through the walls of the castle where people sheltered from the bombs during the war. All in all a very interesting day and young Lewis loved it.
 

Some more photos taken there below, and the full album is on my Facebook page. 

And then yesterday we went out to a pub for lunch that I had not been to before, the Oystercatcher just outside of Penarth. It is one of the 'hungry horse' pubs, and serves large portions! I had a burrito, and just could not finish it. All in all though a very nice meal and I would go back again. 

It was a very hot day though, as in my car it read 27c and even at home I had 22c, and this in early May. Extreme for the UK, but that will ease off by this week. Us Brit's simply are not used to that heat this early.

Still waiting

I am still waiting for this bloody SIM that I have been posting about. I was promised it on Saturday, and was told that it would be posted through the letterbox so there was no need to wait in. So we went out for the day, only to get a 'sorry we missed you' text later that day. 

My blood pressure went through the roof, and as soon as I could I got on once again to Virgin mobile to tell them they could stuff the phone and I would cancel the contract. They said that they would take £15 off my bill and promised to send the SIM by post to arrive today. My patience has been tested to the limit now, and if this bloody SIM does not arrive they can stuff the contract where the sun does not shine. 

On Saturday we went out to Merthyr for a few hours. The sun was shining and it was just to get a bit fresh air. Not that Merthyr has that much of it! Just a walk around and a bit of shopping and lunch to get out of the house. The day before was damp and miserable and we stayed in most of the day. 

Then out to lunch on Sunday as we do nearly every week. All that cooking and washing up for one meal is not worth it. Find a nice pub and let them serve you these days is the way to go. 

And that is about it for today. I have a funeral to go to this afternoon, or at least I will be driving my partner there and waiting for her. It is her ex and the children's father, so I am just doing the taxi work and waiting. I did not know him so there is little point in going in. 

Have a nice day all!!

Late birthday treat

Both myself and Denise have our birthdays in March, mine exactly one month ago, and Denise ten days after me. So we were on our cruise when we celebrated our birthdays.

My brother and his wife decided to treat us for a special Sunday lunch when we got back and today was the first time we had been able to get together to arrange it. We were taken to a lovely pub and restaurant called the 'Ye Old Ferrie Inn' in Symonds Yat in the Wye valley,  about fifty miles from Cardiff.

This really is a remote place, down a small country lane. If a car is coming the other way one has to move over.

The food there however is delicious. Most of us chose a Farmers plate, which was a kind of 'Ploughmans lunch' with Ham, Cheese, Terrine, pickles, salad. Really filling and worth every penny. Denise chose the Chicken Sunday lunch, which she said was wonderful.

And then on to desserts, where two had home made ice cream in three different flavours and the other two had sticky toffee pudding, which they said was wonderful. All in all a great lunch and a place to go back to again.

 Below is myself and Denise, my brother Martin and his wife Mandy, and just a photo of the river next to the pub.