Tag Archives: cats humour

Reminiscing

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To Juno I was an old git long ago! However, now that the retirement thing has arrived I can truly say it brings the opportunity to trawl a wealth of memories and time to revisit some… hopefully… health permitting.

It’s been at least 2 years since I thought about doing my first visit of the 21st century back to Porthcawl in South Wales. A place so frequently visited in my childhood and so rarely since. The expanse of beach out to the tide and walking amongst the sand dunes brings back memories of holidays way back in the early 1960’s. Yes, reminiscing really can connect us to vivid memories.

But it’s not only the geography that changes so little. Beales is a Porthcawl institution.

It’s difficult to find much finer fish & chips. Why use the takeaway when you have the restaurant to savour freshly prepared food. A glance at the menu also provides the family history reflecting the passion they have for serving for your pleasure.

But it’s only when that plate arrives that memories of halcyon days return. Fine flakes of delicate Cod fish in a light batter served up with chips of the highest quality. Of course, a side of mushy peas is a must for the connoisseur. I didn’t even eat fish with chips when I was young, so this part of the reminiscing was more on what I missed out on.

Until we speak again, Porthcawl serves up fine memories. But it also has its cool contemporary coffee place in an old harbour building. Perhaps Corner Coffee will become a source of future reminiscing.

Buonasera, Londinium

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Travel anywhere in the world, and two of the most likely visions you’ll encounter will be an Irish pub and an Italian restaurant.

I originally developed my taste for Guinness in London back in the 1980’s, mainly because the locals preferred their beer flat and uninspiring. As with excellent coffee, so it is with good beer, it’s all in the quality of the foam/head!

As 2025 has necessitated my regular return to London, I’ve had an unexpected opportunity to experience a little of what Italy has bequeathed to the old city.

First impressions may seem a little comical. Spend a few minutes in Little Venice. But please don’t think of it as an introduction to the real thing… if you’re dreaming of a mini version of Venetian wonder, this is decaf in its most underwhelming form. Romance has definitely left the building in this strictly gondola-free zone.

However, you don’t need to stray far in any area of the city to find authentic Italian influences.

If you happen to be out far west in Uxbridge, you’ve probably taken a wrong turn out of Heathrow! But never fear, Nonna Rosa will provide good sustenance while you recalibrate your bearings.

Finding yourself in the City of London, why not call in on Eataly at Liverpool Street Station for a choice of Italian restaurants and a high-class Italian deli all under one roof. A quatro stagione with a rich glass of Valpolicella should be an ideal interruption to your travels.

But to top it all, I couldn’t resist a trip down memory lane… or strada dei ricordi for my Roman conquerors. It’s the east end of London, it’s Wapping, and it’s my first return to Il Bordello in 20 years. A truly perfect way of repurposing an old Thamesside bonded warehouse. This was a favourite Italian restaurant of mine at the time, and I can even report that a few of the same waiters in burgundy waistcoats are still there!

Until we speak again, if you find yourself in Londinium, it’s not too difficult to experience authentic buon appetito. Just be prepared to give those chains a miss and instead search out and support the independents.

Putin’s poodle

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We can’t say we weren’t warned by the first moronic incoherent instalment. The pathetic images of an American President fawning almost on his knees before a grinning psychopath who knows he only has to spin a few congratulatory lies to a fellow thin-skinned narcissist to get what he wants.

Where were you, America, when the free world needed you to justify your self-congratulatory position as its lead? I know the alternative choice was very underwhelming back in November 2024, but don’t say you didn’t see what was coming… for you as much as the rest of us. Did you really think a convicted felon serial liar and attempted overthrower of your own electoral system was a good bet?

I see Psychopath 1 has changed from grinning to smiling… ventriloquism has a lot to answer for! Having his arm up the rear end of an orange poodle is an image I’ll leave you to conjure for yourselves. By all means, fill the following space with your own image, and try not to blame me if it continues to torment you…

Until we speak again, we’ll need to be sad witnesses to the unpalatable retreat of America into the lies and disinformation that the MAGA movement of Dumbfuckistan thrives on to ingratiate themselves with their new Russian overlords. Putin feeds his poodle the Kremlin lies machine, and his new American poodle buys and trumpets it without question. The Mega Arsehole Gobshite Alert is also a serious wake-up call to Europe to get its act together.

Simple pleasures

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It may be cold and grey but there is something about a sheep-shaggers derby that can really warm the cockles.

For a second consecutive season, Cardiff defeats their South Wales rivals of Swansea at the Cardiff City Stadium…

Until we speak again, 2-0 last season, 3-0 this season… let’s see that trajectory continue!

Water, water, everywhere…

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Nor any drop to drink… but a room with a view that let’s not a heart sink (apologies to Samuel Taylor Coleridge and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner!)…

Water, water, everywhere you look…

Even up the side streets, you’re just as likely to need a boat…

Water, water, everywhere… so it must be Venice…

Until we speak again, “Water, water, everywhere… nor any drop to drink. ” But maybe that’s what S. Pellegrino was invented for…

Atmospheric Firenze!

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History, culture, atmosphere, the home of the Renaissance… Florence has it all in abundance…

Who’d have thought it was the place to devour a whole cow as well? From the stomach as a burger from a hole in the wall…

To a high-end experience of a slow cooked cheek…

Then there is the quintessential Florentine Steak. Brought to your table prior to cooking. All that’s missing was a name… let’s call her Daisy for polite dining…

Until we speak again, go to Florence and be drawn into an atmospheric experience and a feast of consumption…

They did what?

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Eating out is always a treat to be savoured. But just occasionally, it’s raised to another level when you get to ponder the question… they did what?

Restaurante Lebeche in Santa Cruz (Tenerife) is definitely one of those moments.

Arriving there a few minutes before opening already provided me with that rare few moments of being in my own private restaurant. I was greeted by name, from the reservation made earlier, and briefly enjoyed being outnumbered by the attentive staff.

My appetite dictated that I was going to eat light this evening. The Prawn Carpaccio may resemble a contemporary art installation, but it also provided the ideal starter of a delicate mix of flavours.

I was thinking salad as a main course. However, a combination of tomato, watermelon, ice cream, and a topping of pistachio certainly wasn’t what I was thinking. Ensalada Lebeche is quite something to behold… a dish that asks you to double-check that you’re still on planet Earth. Other worldly definitely describes this dish… in a very good way.

Now, I’m not one who usually indulges in the desert end of the menu. That local white wine needs my full attention. But I’d seen from previous reviews that this place does something original in its presentation of Tiramisu. Eating light has the advantage of leaving space for the unexpected. And was this Tiramisu unexpected…

Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you… the gorgeously balanced dish arrived in a cafetiere!

Until we speak again, it’s nice to identify a wonderful restaurant while gazing down on the street below from your private sun terrace…

Syd meets Santa

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For those of you looking for a feelgood Christmas tale, look away now. This is a tale of architectural wonder… of reality, not make belive fairytale. This is where Santiago Calatrava stamps his signature on various places around the planet… and we gaze in awe (well, some of us do anyway).

He was born in Valencia and first came to my attention when visiting the Freedom Tower in New York City in 2017. Santiago Calatrava was responsible for the futuristic design of the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub.

So, where does Santa come into this picture, you ask. Well, seeing as you asked so politely… here I am in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, and would you believe it, Santiago Calatrava got here before me. He designed the Auditorium de Tenerife Adan Martin… a stunning performance venue on the harbour…

And what of Syd, you ask. Well, it’s just my random thinking that if you take a look at the Sydney Opera House when you’re next passing by that way, have a think of what those architectural curves remind you of.

Until we speak again, as Juno often remarked… I might have been her erstwhile servant, but get a proper hobby fella, and pack in these random trains of thought 🤔

Saucy times in Cardiff

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I wonder what you were thinking when you read this blog post title… well, sorry to disappoint 😞 I’m sure saucy times are to be had in Cardiff, and I……. no, I think I’ll get back to the actual subject of the post.

I’m talking egg yolk, double cream, mushroom, blue cheese, parsley, black pepper, and parmesan. Add some chicken and a pasta of your choice (penne does it for me), and you have Cardiff Sauce, a carbonara dish that defies most peoples preconceptions of Cardiff cuisine.

Chips and rice with curry sauce are so Caroline Street at midnight after a session on the falling down juice. For those in the know, with time and cash to be a little more discerning in culinary tastes, a treat awaits a mere 200 yards away from the world renowned Chippy Alley.

Ciliegino is a small independent Italian restaurant that quietly goes about its business in the city centre. In my albeit highly biased opinion, it has one major setback… it’s located in the heart of shopping mall foodcourt terrain. A place where chain restaurants thrive at churning out consistent mediocrity.

So, I can happily report at being amazed by the fresh quality of an antipasto duo starter…

The sparse wine list even managed to offer a Puglia gem of an Italian red wine…

Until we speak again, saucy times in Cardiff have taken on a broader outlook, and the Beef lasagne was a homemade treat as well…

Dumbfuckistan returns

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What’s the difference between Russia and the USA? The leader of one of them going forward hasn’t been convicted of any charges… yet? Only one openly boasts his misogyny, while the other enacts it more secretly.

Beyond that, they seem to broadly share psychopathic, narcissistic, lying tendencies on an industrial scale.

On the morning of 6th November 2024, a deeply troubled world took a devastatingly darker turn, as one of the few bastions of freedom and openness embraced it’s full on Dumbfuckistan character.

That this wasn’t the will of the minority is perhaps the most shocking outcome of the last 24 hours. Even the popular vote has underpinned this world tragedy. For once, it seems the anachronistic Electoral College, famed for truly stealing elections from the people, has provided the American people what they want.

Until we speak again, I will uphold my personal principles of so-called, lefty liberal elite wokery by enacting my own boycott of the USA. I don’t intend to spend…

… on an economy of a country that can shut down its collective mind to the behaviour of a narcissistic racist misogynist and promote him to Liar-in-Chief.

The years ahead will be interesting… for all the wrong reasons. Goodbye, America… from someone who visited quite often and loved many things about your former country!