Author: boomingbanter

PP is an abbreviation for many things one so obvious it needs no mention as most of us will have thought of it first!

Never did we dream so many PPs would be relevant to our journey back to Ohio.

Feeling triumphant with our vacation we picked up our car a good hour earlier than hoped.

The flight gave us some time to rest as well as good food and entertainment. So we were Pretty Perky when we belted in our Personal Protection and hit the road.

We didn’t get far!

Less than half an hour into our six hour journey as we were merging onto the interstate and approaching the toll booth we had an accident.

As far back as the eye could see the traffic was crawling down the Hill of Difficulty. As we approached we were confident the truck in the left lane was letting us in. We both saw it clearly. Alas we were mistaken. The driver didn’t see us so we entered into a diabolical Push & Pull situation.

There is nothing to describe the noise except perhaps Puke Promoting.

The Policeman Posted arrived really quickly. He was most kind and helpful but left no doubt that the merging party is responsible.

The officer made sure we were all OK took all the details, prepared paperwork and gave us copies of his report. He then went above and beyond the call of duty and stayed on until the AAA arrived.

Part of our damage was a flat tire so we had to have that repaired before like all Pilgrims we made any further Progress on the Kings Highway.

After driving through torrential rain in the dark and feeling somewhat shaken we reached our Present Position of home base.

It was exactly twenty four hours since we  started off! Poor Pa was so anxious and worried but had Pepperoni Pizza ready for us.

Lessons learned. Don’t get too smug about your Perfect Plans until they are complete and you’ve entered through the wicket gate!

Now after very little sleep leading to horrible headache we have all the insurance investigation to do not to mention the repairs. What a sad end to a super summer!

But as my dear mother so often said it’s bad but it could have been worse!

Blessing # 428 – Safe and Sound

There’s a shared kitchen in the place we’re staying but who wants to cook? We found a cosy little cafe and had a BIG Irish Brekkie.

The walking began at 10:30 and has only just ended. We have covered some ground! 17000 steps to be precise aka six miles so the old feet need a rest before heading out for our last supper!

All the major city center Dublin attractions were covered and some shopping too.

We hit Trinity College first but many others beat us to it and the line for the Book of Kells so we decided to do other things first.

We headed up Grafton Street to Saint Stephens Green then down to The Castle across to Temple Bar and back to Trinity where the line had shrunk to a tolerable length.

The short wait was well worth it and we were suitable impressed with the magnificence of Ireland’s greatest treasure and one of the oldest books in the world.

We loved the Long library too and all the other treasures it houses including the declaration of Irish Independence and the so called harp of the old king of Ireland Brian Boru.

All we need now is a Guinness. We won’t make the brewery tour but we couldn’t leave the home of the black magic without a sip of the original potion could we?

Blessing #426 – Thirsty Tired Toes (good name for a leprechaun 🍀)

Phyllis dropped us bright and early at the bus for Dublin. We left Belfast on the dot of 8:35 wearing our gear for the game and were in Dublin by 10:30.

We had the pick of seats as we were among the first to arrive. We choose the very front seat on the top deck for the best view.

I banged my head getting into it and now have a duck egg of a bump right on the top of my cranium! I’ve told Aaron if I pass out he has to tell the medics I’m concussed!

There was a minor monsoon on the way and we were not optimistic about the weather for the day ahead but miraculously once again the rain stopped and the sun came out as we got off the bus!

After dropping our bags at the Aparthotel ( a fancy name for Trinity College halls of residence) we DARTed to the AVIVA stadium and got our tickets for the Ireland versus Italy rugby match.

This was our first international game and our first time at AVIVA. As we were there two hours before the kick off we saw the teams arriving and could join the green army cheering them in.

We had great seats behind the goal at the top of the stadium and enjoyed Ireland’s win very much.

The stadium holds 51000 and was about three quarters full. As we left we got separated on the stairs.

After ten minutes panic the only thing that seemed logical to me was to head back to the DART train and wait.

We have no internet coverage on our USA phones unless we are in a WiFi zone. Add to this my phone was down to 15% battery and I don’t know how low Aarons was.

It took us a good half hour to find each other. Lesson learned. Stick like glue in crowds.

Now we are taking it easy. Feet up in the shared living space as the dorm is lovely but a little compact!

A good taste of things to come for Aaron just hope his college housing will be as smart and comfortable as this! Maybe he should try for Trinity!

Blessing # 425 –  Lost is Found

You can live for ever in a city and not see the places visitors see. There is always the excuse that we’ll do that another time.

Having grown up in Belfast and visited several times a year since leaving the province in 1984 today was the first time I’ve ever visited Stormont the seat of Northern Ireland’s government.

Phyllis our host had been several times and booked for us to take a tour today and have lunch in the Members dining room.

Built at the time of the partition of Ireland the building is in the neo classical style we’d seen it from a distance many times. Today we got up close and personal and discovered how beautiful it is inside as well as out.

There is so much to discover including a chandelier « borrowed» from the Royal Family that was gifted to them by Kaiser Willhem of Germany no less!

We went to both the upper and lower house, sat in the seats of Members of Parliament and of course dined like the Lords and Ladies.

Alas the visit to the extensive gardens had to go in the Next Time We’ll Do It  list thanks to pouring rain. Always good to have something to look forward to.

Blessing # 424 – Tourists In Your Own Town

There are some things you wouldn’t miss for the world. The eightieth birthday of cousin Agnes was one of these occasions.

The day kicked off with an invitation to lunch with John, Norman and Yvonne before heading off for the party.

Family gathered from as far afield as New Zealand. Some of us hadn’t seen each other in 53 years! Some have never met!

Thanks to Facebook many of us are in touch so we aren’t like strangers but nothing beats a real Face to Face!

Meeting your family playmates and hearing those familiar voices that you haven’t heard for a while is such a great joy.

The setting for the party was a beautiful house set in the majestic Mountains of Mourne. The day could not have been more perfect. Blue skies and a gentle breeze.

There was enough food to feed an army and more cake than Marie Antoinette could ever have imagined the Piece de la Resistance being a birthday cake fit for a queen.

Aaron was in his element meeting so many people and has decided he wants to move back to the homeland.

We are so thankful to Anne and Joyce who organized this great day that will live in our memories for ever.

Now it’s time for bed because like sweet little Poppy who traveled all the way from England for the celebration we are pooped!

Blessing # 423 – Reunited

 

When we come home to NI there are two  family members we always make sure we see that’s  Aunt Helen and Cousin Yvonne.

We keep in touch regularly by phone and email but nothing beats seeing each other face to face and having a big hug.

They are the Golden threads that connect us with the Gibsons and because of them we always feel the ties to our roots. My Mom played this role too in the past with many family members abroad. There are some people so gifted in holding all parts of the clan together. We owe them sincere thanks.

Today we went out for lunch together and got all the latest news. It’s such a great feeling to know that some things are timeless like the love we have for each other.

Tomorrow we have a much bigger family get together with my cousins that Aaron has never met and I haven’t seen for fifty years.

It will be an event of a lifetime uniting us across continents and we look forward to it so much.

Blessing # 422 – Catching Up

Heavy showers throughout the day forced us to find our fun indoors.

We kicked off with a Belfast tradition for us the all American ten pin bowling. We started this with Auntie Carol when Aaron was just a little lad and as always we had lots of laughs!

The Titanic Studios where the famous Game of Thrones was filmed had an exhibition on all the costumes and props. It was fantastic!

We turned ourselves into hero’s and villains and we took ourselves very seriously when we sat on the throne!

Next up we took Aaron to the City Hall to see where Mum and Auntie Carol grace the walls of the permanent exhibition.

He was suitably impressed by this but better still we were able to pinpoint where both his great grandfathers had signed the COVENANT. This historic time in Ireland took place in 1912 when people committed and made their pledge to the Union.

How ironic that history is repeating itself once more as the debate about Borders has once again resurfaced with Brexit!

Unlike GOT this seems destined to be a tale that will never end! Unless of course you have a birds eye view on the future!

Blessing # 422 – Legends!

They say 13 is lucky for some and so it was for us today.

We left Cardiff on the dot of eight to be sure to get to London Heathrow Airport to drop our hire car off before twelve. Never knowing what road works or traffic jams we might encounter we gave ourselves much more time than needed. We didn’t hit a single snag and had returned the hire car by 10:30.

Our flight to Belfast was scheduled for five in the afternoon. A long wait ahead? Well no! British Airways came through and were so very good to us.

They told us the earlier flight was full but to check with customer service at twelve o’clock to see if we could get on.

At customer services they couldn’t have been better, they didn’t question our tickets being the very cheapest you could find and got us two standbys.

We ran to the gate and quick as a flash we had our boarding cards. Better still we were boarded immediately and had much better seats than originally planned.

So surprise surprise rather than a cancellation as we first feared yesterday we had a much better outcome and got to Belfast five hours ahead of schedule!

Blessing # 421 – Early Arrivals

Cardiff was easy to reach today and did not disappoint. Can’t help asking when we visit these places why we didn’t do so before.

With a huge and very beautiful castle as the central feature the city is easy to get around and has just about everything a city would love.

There is a great sports stadium which was the big draw for Aaron. He loves rugby and the stadium is one of the biggest and best of its kind.

There is also a top class art and natural history museum that we both enjoyed. We saw portraits of Queens like Henry VIII first wife Catherine of Aragon who lived in Wales with her first husband Prince Arthur.

Modern artist are well covered even some Welsh celebrities are there too including the universally famous Tom Jones.

There is also the bay and port and a beautiful little suburb called Penarth with beaches for family fun where not so long ago you might have met a hairy mammoth!

Tomorrow we head towards London Heathrow Airport to fly to Belfast the most familiar spot for us in all of the UK. We aren’t sure though when we’ll make it to the Emerald Isle as British airways staff are planning a strike!

If we can’t fly we’ll have to find an inn or a palace or a tower because this mama ain’t driving no more!

Blessing # 420 – Capital Castles!

We entered and left Wales a few times today. Traveling from Chester to Newport the border with England is never too far off.

The scenic route through Brecon Beacons National Park hit many places with funny names that we’d heard before but never seen.

The day was warm but dull at first and while the rolling countryside was inviting. It was gentle rather than powerful.

Our plan had been to drop our things at the hotel and hit Cardiff but there was a huge tailback in that direction so we changed plans and went to Bath instead.

This is a Jane Austen worshipper’s heaven! Lydia and Wickham or Elisabeth and Darcy might turn up at any moment. I won’t ever sleep the same again.

The Roman baths, the pump room, the assembly rooms and the Royal Circle. What a very special city.

Would love to come back.

Even noticed a Bennett Street and wondered was it Jane’s inspiration for the Bennett Family or did someone name the street after them when they became so famous. Any of you know?

Having done enough for one day we slipped into Waitrose and bought a picnic and are tucking in now in our room.

So enjoying also having the treat of an AC  especially since all those thoughts of officers and handsome landowners could make one a little hot under the collar!

Blessing # 419 – Classically Cool