Holiday summary

Went to Cornwall. Holiday cottage just outside Whitstone, on the Launceston-Bude road. Nice accommodation. One of a group of cottages in a rural setting with good facilities, including shared playground, table tennis room, balls, rackets and toys of various descriptions and stuff to borrow for BBQ and beach. Disappointed that outdoor swimming pool - one of the main reasons for booking it - was 'heated' not very much. Rabbits, dogs and chickens all became family freinds. The Booth-Leach family tradition of a Chinese takeaway on the first night of our holiday. Kids made friends with other holidaymakers' kids, and played out for hours each day.

Rained every day, but not all day every day. Day 1, went to Tintagel (but didn't visit castle) and Boscastle (but didn't visit harbour). Did sit on pleasant beach and buy new jacket though. Day 2, went to Trethorne leisure farm. Playground outside, big slides inside, making a fuss of animals, Joe had wobbly over queueing for pony ride. Day 3, only beach day. Widemouth Bay, very nice. Day 4, Bude. Nice place, but bit of a washout, saved by bookshop visit and ten-pin bowling. Day 5, Eden Project. I love it, rest of family OK with it. Day 6, John and Joe went to Launceston steam railway; Alex, Harrison and I stayed at accommodation. All went for evening meal at lovely restaurant in Boscastle, where we sat outside next to the river imagining the size of the wall of water that flooded the village in 2004.

Read two books - Luke Jackson's 'Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome' and Paul Mason's 'Meltdown'. After the first, resolved to try out gluten-/casein-free diet for me and for Joe. Played Scrabble with John and Alex every evening - after twelve years of John refusing my invitations to do so. Joe tried to join in once, but couldn't cope with the idea that he couldn't choose the seven letters he wanted.

Today: long, wet drive home.

Mongolian Magic

I know I have not put up a post for some time, I haven't been inspired. Anyway you won't get much out of me because I am off to Mongolia for 3 weeks. If anything of interest happens and I am near a computer and internet I might do a Mongolian post. Seemingly in Ulanbaatar there is a nightclub with a statue of Stalin on the dance floor. If this exists and I see it I will post about it. Hopefully I will make friends with a nice yak like the one in the picture.

I've going to London - but not to see the queen

Yipee! I'm on my holidays - and at very short notice I am going to London. Going from Saturday to Wednesday. Is there anything exciting on in London? Awfy excited. I know it's a big place but if you see me please say hello

Off for a few days

No posts from me until Monday.

I'm off to meet Dave in a Paris hotel room as he makes his way back from swanning around Africa in a corporate jet;-)

I think Janine is going to post on the RMT conference, but treat this post as an open one. Chat amongst yourselves .

Back from Paris

Back to reality, or at least my version, after 8 nights in Paris . I'm just acclimatising myself to being home.

Paris was fun. We stayed in a studio apartment in the Bastille district and pootled around imagining we really lived there.
Generally drank far too much. In fact over the whole holiday there was not one day that I was legally able, if I so wished, to be in charge of a car. Probably not really in charge of myself, but hey whats new;-)
Still , we were restrained and did not start on the red wine till midday. Managed to mix my drinks , something I try to avoid. Developed quite a taste for cognac, calvados and brandy, plus I found a stronger proof jack daniels that was rather good.
But there was some culture as well , did some walks and galleries .

Of course when I set off on my hols I went with Dave and returned with the 93rd most influential leftie .He returned from the Internet cafe informing me of this and declaring 'hey baby how'd you like to ...of the 93rd most influential leftie in Britain.'
I won't repeat what he suggested I do to show my appreciation of being in the presence of 'number 93,' I know my readers are prim sensitive types and I am ladylike and demure ;-)

On the Friday we pootled down to the Eiffel Tower as we heard there was a show there with unsigned bands and Siouxsie playing solo and promoting her new album. When we got there we were told at the ticket desk it was invite only. Luckily one of the organisers was passing and asked us where we were from. Dave managed to blag his way in with his old punk routine . The gig was on the first level of the Eiffel Tower in a smallish room with about 200 people, Oh and a free bar. So after a day drinking red wine and too much cognac I headed over to start on the free champers, then voddie when that ran out. I finally ended up with a bottle that looked interesting but turned out to be coke, still not bad for a freebie night out in Paris.

Only saw one of the new bands who were not bad but I didn't catch who they were. Siouxsie was pretty stroppy and showed there is no need to age gracefully at 50 !
I managed to film a clip and add it to you tube. Its not great but it is the first time I have done it.

Oh and the highlight, going to the Fourth International Bookshop !! Yep, Osler knows how to show a girl a good time :-)Trouble is my French is rusty and not up to reading books. I pottered about trying to work out the titles and looked at the books and papers in English,and what did I find but an article by Jim Denham in a 1999 copy of Workers Liberty . And no I did not buy it.

The next couple of days are alcohol free. I may act like an irresponsible teenager, having drinking competitions with Dave in Paris, but I think I need a rest before the bloggers piss up on Saturday.

I'll finish catching up and perhaps do some posts in the next few days .