Sent from my HTC
Thursday, 5 August 2010
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Two for the price of one - almost
Quite a good day today. The air conditioning got fixed at work, and I got praise from fairly big boss and from big boss :)
Yesterday I said I'd spend this evening at either the Goose and Cuckoo or The Newbridge. Well, I went to the Goose and Cuckoo and it was shut, so I'm now at The Newbridge!
The Goose and Cuckoo sounded attractive because it gets a good write-up on the CAMRA web site, and its own web site lists awards, and its in the countryside so ideal for a summer's evening. All of those things are doubtless true, but it's also true to tell that it doesn't open until 7pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I got there at 6:15pm. 45 minutes was too long to wait. There was no mobile phone reception, so couldn't even make productive use of waiting.
I'll revisit on another day though. It looks nice and it's got gorgeous views. I've included two photos: the front - with closed sign on the gate - and the back - with views to distant hills. Click to enlarge. The phone's camera takes decent pictures, I think.
So I drove south west towards Chris Evans' Welsh investment in the village of Tredunnock on the river Usk.
But before I got there I saw the sweetest little ponies and foal in a field along the roadside. I had to stop and take some piccies for the horse-lover in the family - plus for my own benefit too.
The foal was laying down and completely motionless. I'll confess that it did cross my mind that it might be dead. However, to my relief, it briefly flicked a leg, lifted its neck and had a look around, and then flopped its head back down again and went back to sleep. Must be a tough life it's living! The mother stood over it in a motherly fashion throughout.
I presume they're Shetlands. They're the right height, but less plump than I associate with Shetlands.
Anyway, there was a white one on its own and it quietly wandered over to see what I was doing. It was surprisingly timid, so it didn't get close enough for me to touch.
I was parked in a dodgy place on a main road so I decided to move on and finish my journey.
The Newbridge Inn is in a beautiful location. On a bend on the river Usk with a beautiful old stone bridge and with views over surrounding countryside and hills. The location alone must be worth hundreds of thousands!
And Chris (I assume that we'd be on first name terms if I ever met him) must have spent several more hundreds of thousands on doing-up the place and building a separate block for accommodation. It's a very impressive place upon arrival.
But, and you knew I was leading to a but, I wasn't 100% convinced of the quality of the cooking and the value on my previous visit. Today's visit has confirmed that it's over-priced for the quality of cooking that it offers - despite the location and view.
Yesterday I said I'd spend this evening at either the Goose and Cuckoo or The Newbridge. Well, I went to the Goose and Cuckoo and it was shut, so I'm now at The Newbridge!
I'll revisit on another day though. It looks nice and it's got gorgeous views. I've included two photos: the front - with closed sign on the gate - and the back - with views to distant hills. Click to enlarge. The phone's camera takes decent pictures, I think.
So I drove south west towards Chris Evans' Welsh investment in the village of Tredunnock on the river Usk.
But before I got there I saw the sweetest little ponies and foal in a field along the roadside. I had to stop and take some piccies for the horse-lover in the family - plus for my own benefit too.
The foal was laying down and completely motionless. I'll confess that it did cross my mind that it might be dead. However, to my relief, it briefly flicked a leg, lifted its neck and had a look around, and then flopped its head back down again and went back to sleep. Must be a tough life it's living! The mother stood over it in a motherly fashion throughout.
I presume they're Shetlands. They're the right height, but less plump than I associate with Shetlands.
Anyway, there was a white one on its own and it quietly wandered over to see what I was doing. It was surprisingly timid, so it didn't get close enough for me to touch.
I was parked in a dodgy place on a main road so I decided to move on and finish my journey.
The Newbridge Inn is in a beautiful location. On a bend on the river Usk with a beautiful old stone bridge and with views over surrounding countryside and hills. The location alone must be worth hundreds of thousands!And Chris (I assume that we'd be on first name terms if I ever met him) must have spent several more hundreds of thousands on doing-up the place and building a separate block for accommodation. It's a very impressive place upon arrival.
But, and you knew I was leading to a but, I wasn't 100% convinced of the quality of the cooking and the value on my previous visit. Today's visit has confirmed that it's over-priced for the quality of cooking that it offers - despite the location and view.I had pilchards wrapped in parma ham, followed by welsh lamb with gnocci, then cheese board. It's not very often that I describe a restaurant is poor value, but £9.50 for a cheeseboard with three measly bits of cheese on it is too much, even though it also had millions of crackers plus celery, chutney and grapes. The choice of cheeses was more than 50% French; my lamb was not pink; and the wi-fi is too weak and I have resorted to using my mobile phone for an internet connection (good signal sat by the window).
Alright, I'll stop grumbling, but I don't see me re-visiting. Sadly, not recommended. C'mon Chris, you can do better.
Good luck in the Chinbrook tomorrow J. I hope Mum's pasta stuff-up does the trick ;
Good luck in the Chinbrook tomorrow J. I hope Mum's pasta stuff-up does the trick ;
Monday, 24 May 2010
Sunny Week
Air conditioning has failed in the office so it's enormously stuffy and very hot - the windows don't open. It failed on Friday. Today we were issued with USB-powered fans. Clever! Saves any health & safety issues over untested electrical equipment and wires trailing over the floor. Due to be fixed by Wednesday. I'll believe that when I see it!
I did my usual Monday evening trip to Tredegar Arms this evening (photo from car park). Bumped into Kev - fellow contractor at ONS. We had a nice chat. He's a Geordie, so we slightly struggle to understand each other :)
Tomorrow is blog night, and Wednesday some of us are playing boule at the Wheatsheaf.
I think I'll try to find somewhere new tomorrow evening. Up in the hills, but with wi-fi or good mobile phone reception! Maybe the Goose & Cuckoo, else I may play safe and go to the Newbridge Inn (I knowfor sure they've got wi-fi).
I've not played boules before. We've been to the Wheatsheaf a few times over the winter. They have a fortnightly pub quiz and we've actually won it one and cam second or third on another occasion. Boule should be interesting. I'll try to get some photos.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Old favourite
[Later]
OMG the bar just got full with 30 muddy cyclists all looking smart (in a muddy and sweaty kind of way) in their club shirts: Machen Miggly Moos. I love the Injured in Action page on their web site!
The Hollybush is a popular stopping-off point for ramblers, and I've seen squads of cyclists in here too, but never 30 in one go.
They've all got their pints and gone back outside. Must be nice cycling the welsh hills at this time of year (if only they weren't so steep!).
The lamb chop (actually three - the menu's underselling the product) was very nice. Big plate.
Right, now I focus on my NoteColon article...
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Dinner en train
 |
| The carriage room |
I'm having cauliflower & cheese soup, followed by brill with a king prawn wanton.
[Later]
It was very nice, and I followed it with cheese.
More importantly, I caught-up with a lot of emails and managed to squeeze-out a small blog article for next week.
Monday, 17 May 2010
Sunny evening
I've been very busy lately and haven't had time (or inclination) to write either of my blogs. I've managed to trim stuff back now and so I managed to get some NoteColon stuff done last week.
It was really rather nice driving to Wales this morning; the early morning sun was lovely. And it's the same this evening. So did I go to a nice, riverside pub for dinner? No, actually I went to Morrisons cafe!! When I spoke to J earlier in the evening I was planning to do what's become a regular Monday evening thing and go the Tredegar Arms. Having realised I was getting predictable I decided to go somewhere different. I'm not really sure why I chose M's cafe. It was okay. I had fish and chips.
When I got back to George's I found a sheep tied-up in the field with her youngster in tow (not tied-up, but assumed not to wander to far from mother). But soon the youngster was exploring my car (parked in same field) and then further still. George has no put ma and bearn into the barn for the night.
More blogging tomorrow. I'm trying to get back to my regular weekly schedule of fencing on Monday and blogging on Tuesday.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Lots to Do
It's a busy week. I've done my hours for the week (and some) already. And I have a 7am meeting tomorrow to keep things rolling. Next week won't be any better. I have a two-day evaluation meeting on Monday/Tuesday with folks from London and Southampton. It'll be very intense and I'll have work to do between times.
I'm in Junction 28. I think I was somewhat unfair in my original comments on J28.It is a bit of a throwback to the 70s, but the food is very thoughtfully cooked & of good quality, and the staff are well-trained. They have a private dining room; I'm bringing my evaluation team here on Monday evening so that we can make the most of the two days, i.e. a working dinner (getting best value for taxpayers!).
Sue & George (landlord)'s son Richard works here on occasions. He's just got a good job in London, starting September. He's heading off on a world tour on Easter Sunday, making the most of his time between now and September. Lucky devil!
It's a very big place, though it doesn't feel big because it's divided into separate dining rooms. Despite its size and the financial squeeze, it's very well used - reflecting the quality and value-for-money.
I left work after 9pm last night, so dinner was a pint and a packet of crisps (cheese & onion) in the Tredegar Arms :(
Tonight, in J28, I had creamy seafood risotto starter (nicely sized, not too big) followed by baked trout with baked sweet potato. All very nice, but potato was more than I could comfortably eat. I finished with Tiramisu with a dousing of coffee - very nice indeed.
I actually attended fencing on Monday - my first appearance in perhaps 2 months. I enjoyed it and wasn't as knackered as I might have expected, although my legs felt a bit tight for the next day or so. I didn't fence very well, but what can you expect after a 2 month lay-off.
Off to bed now...
I'm in Junction 28. I think I was somewhat unfair in my original comments on J28.It is a bit of a throwback to the 70s, but the food is very thoughtfully cooked & of good quality, and the staff are well-trained. They have a private dining room; I'm bringing my evaluation team here on Monday evening so that we can make the most of the two days, i.e. a working dinner (getting best value for taxpayers!).
Sue & George (landlord)'s son Richard works here on occasions. He's just got a good job in London, starting September. He's heading off on a world tour on Easter Sunday, making the most of his time between now and September. Lucky devil!
It's a very big place, though it doesn't feel big because it's divided into separate dining rooms. Despite its size and the financial squeeze, it's very well used - reflecting the quality and value-for-money.
I left work after 9pm last night, so dinner was a pint and a packet of crisps (cheese & onion) in the Tredegar Arms :(
Tonight, in J28, I had creamy seafood risotto starter (nicely sized, not too big) followed by baked trout with baked sweet potato. All very nice, but potato was more than I could comfortably eat. I finished with Tiramisu with a dousing of coffee - very nice indeed.
I actually attended fencing on Monday - my first appearance in perhaps 2 months. I enjoyed it and wasn't as knackered as I might have expected, although my legs felt a bit tight for the next day or so. I didn't fence very well, but what can you expect after a 2 month lay-off.
Off to bed now...
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Spring has sprung
-Andy (sent from my Windows Mobile device)
Monday, 15 March 2010
Last minute tactics
-Andy (sent from my Windows Mobile device)
Disaster!
Argh. I forgot to pack my pyjamas. I hope there's no fire in the night!!
On the plus side, I'm in my room and unpacked in time to watch Raymond in his kitchen. Salmon and beetroot. Nice.
Oh, did you notice I skipped fencing tonight?! My excuse being that I needed to do a blog post for NOTE: and I have an early start tomorrow. I haven't been for weeks. I MUST go next week.
However, last Monday I saw film A Bit Of Tom Jones at the Arts Centre. Very funny. Made just down the road from Newport, on a very small budget, but getting a lot of news coverage. Well deserved. The film's director brought the can of film with him to the Arts Centre and spoke to us beforehand and explained the background, etc.
On the plus side, I'm in my room and unpacked in time to watch Raymond in his kitchen. Salmon and beetroot. Nice.
Oh, did you notice I skipped fencing tonight?! My excuse being that I needed to do a blog post for NOTE: and I have an early start tomorrow. I haven't been for weeks. I MUST go next week.
However, last Monday I saw film A Bit Of Tom Jones at the Arts Centre. Very funny. Made just down the road from Newport, on a very small budget, but getting a lot of news coverage. Well deserved. The film's director brought the can of film with him to the Arts Centre and spoke to us beforehand and explained the background, etc.
Medal picture
-Andy (sent from my Windows Mobile device)
Trevor's bought a new car
I forgot to say, Trevor's bought a new car (well, new to him). It's a 54-reg blue MG TF (soft-top sports car). No doubt we'll get to see it soon. Stay tuned for pictures (but don't hold your breath coz he hasn't paid for it yet... it was a bit of an impulse buy methinks)
Back by popular demand
Okay J & Flo, you better be reading this ;)
The weekend was an odd one. As I sit here in the Tredegar Arms and reflect, it doesn't seem like I was actually at home all weekend. However, any amount of driving and sitting around was worth the pleasure of seeing J and his team win silver. Elf was very focused, put all of his energy into it, and offered good leadership; J and Noisy backed him up in their own individual styles. They made a good team.
Flo was a star, sitting around patiently all weekend; taking a turn in the tuck shop to relieve her boredom. Tim awarded her Fencer of the Week, which pleased her greatly.
I hope J gets some good results this week at Crystal Palace. He deserves it and it'll be interesting to compare his results between foil and epee (and sabre!).
Prior to writing this post I just finished my NOTE: blog posts for tomorrow. It's great that I can schedule them to be automatically posted when it suits me; so I can write the posts when it suits me and then see them automatically published at the same time on the same day each week, so the audience know what to expect (and when to expect it). I'm pleased with the growing audience. I seem to have found a solid 150 subscribers and (with a few fluctuations) it's on an upward trend. 200 here I come! However, I've got some distance to go to match the 4,000 subscribers that I used to have for my email newsletter. And it was worth the effort because I got a number of contracts on the back of people knowing me. Indeed, I noticed a couple of weeks ago that there were a handful of folks at ONS who subscribed to my email newsletter (including Keith who interviewed me for my current project!).
I'm off to the ONS office in Titchfield (near Southampton) tomorrow. It's a 3 hour journey, so it'll be an early start (leaving Newport at 7am) and a late return. Paul Wharin's staying in Cardiff for a couple of nights (I used to work with him at MAFF and BT and Motorola) so I'm meeting him tomorrow night when I get back from Titchfield. It'll be a long day. Oh, and I need to text George to request brekkie at 6:30am. Hang on... there, done (although George is bound to deny all knowledge of the text in the morning anyway).
Well, time to leave Tredegar Arms and ... [ah, Sue just texted confirmation of early Brekkie (Sue's reliable, so my tea and toast are secured)] ... head back to B&B to unpack and pop into bed.
Bon nuit y'all
The weekend was an odd one. As I sit here in the Tredegar Arms and reflect, it doesn't seem like I was actually at home all weekend. However, any amount of driving and sitting around was worth the pleasure of seeing J and his team win silver. Elf was very focused, put all of his energy into it, and offered good leadership; J and Noisy backed him up in their own individual styles. They made a good team.
Flo was a star, sitting around patiently all weekend; taking a turn in the tuck shop to relieve her boredom. Tim awarded her Fencer of the Week, which pleased her greatly.
I hope J gets some good results this week at Crystal Palace. He deserves it and it'll be interesting to compare his results between foil and epee (and sabre!).
Prior to writing this post I just finished my NOTE: blog posts for tomorrow. It's great that I can schedule them to be automatically posted when it suits me; so I can write the posts when it suits me and then see them automatically published at the same time on the same day each week, so the audience know what to expect (and when to expect it). I'm pleased with the growing audience. I seem to have found a solid 150 subscribers and (with a few fluctuations) it's on an upward trend. 200 here I come! However, I've got some distance to go to match the 4,000 subscribers that I used to have for my email newsletter. And it was worth the effort because I got a number of contracts on the back of people knowing me. Indeed, I noticed a couple of weeks ago that there were a handful of folks at ONS who subscribed to my email newsletter (including Keith who interviewed me for my current project!).
I'm off to the ONS office in Titchfield (near Southampton) tomorrow. It's a 3 hour journey, so it'll be an early start (leaving Newport at 7am) and a late return. Paul Wharin's staying in Cardiff for a couple of nights (I used to work with him at MAFF and BT and Motorola) so I'm meeting him tomorrow night when I get back from Titchfield. It'll be a long day. Oh, and I need to text George to request brekkie at 6:30am. Hang on... there, done (although George is bound to deny all knowledge of the text in the morning anyway).
Well, time to leave Tredegar Arms and ... [ah, Sue just texted confirmation of early Brekkie (Sue's reliable, so my tea and toast are secured)] ... head back to B&B to unpack and pop into bed.
Bon nuit y'all
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