Happy Canada Day!

I guess this is the moment to reflect on what I miss about Canada.

Mostly it would be awfully nice to take a shower hands-free with adequate pressure and heat, 

since I have this thought daily, as would I also like to just dry my clothes, towels and bedding in a dryer with air. Oh the basic things this side of the pond just has no idea about! 

 P.S. over in Canada we even wash our clothes in cold water! In the machine! 

Wow, you never knew your clothes could last so long :D  

The small things... Our ice cube trays, sinks with counters, 

our style traffic lights which are obvious and visible, the standard shifting position layout in a car,

 the texture of regular flour and sorry but I must also say, sunshine!

(You can tell I haven't been living on the West Coast for a while now)

Local Goods from Harry's. Except maybe the dates. I expect those were imports!

Since there are typically pros and cons to everything, I'd better list the things I'm currently 

taking for granted: Oh traffic circles, how I prefer you to four way stops, because I am rarely stopping now, buying food in small packages means I get just what I wanted,

 there's no waste and it's fresher all at the same price as buying twice as much, 

the green that's so easy on the eyes, the knitting club, the friendliness of people everywhere. 

Harry's, Mark's & Spencer's (btw they sell red, heart shaped measuring spoons and cups!),

City Hall inviting citizens onto their lawn to watch tv or just lounge, the copious flavours of crisps, the fact that a melted cheese and ham sandwich is called a Toastie, two cars are actually able to pass each other on such tiny roads without scraping mirrors or the rock walls on either side and 

last but certainly not least, the quaint cuteness... Everywhere!

Oh yes, what I'm actually here to do...!

I love my job!!!

It's the best :)

The picture could have been taken at almost any airport but I'm in Palma here,

Known to the rest of the world as Mallorca or Majorca. 

A Few Nibbles

Grilled Swiss Cheese and Ham on Olive Bread

&

Enormous Stuffed Mushroom Caps with Goat Cheese and Fresh Basil





I'm delighted to have found enticing places for groceries because cooking is becoming more exciting. My kitchen is not as ideally bright as I'd like so I'm enjoying the ingredient motivation instead. There are some larger stores I like such as Sainsbury's and Mark's & Spencer's, however it's the little places I love. The High Street of Antrim has the usual bakeries but also has a Polish store with a deli. Next to investigate will be Ballyclare. 

Also my neighbour introduced me to a local butcher who also carries fresh eggs, dairy and numerous other delectables such as local honey! His name is Harry and by the looks of the line ups in the middle of pretty much no where out in the country, he's well known for quality and selection. The sausages even put Canadian Bacon to shame... Speaking of bacon, maybe he does that, too! :D

Rea's Wood

The nicest, closest walk I've found so far is just on the other side of the Town of Antrim. It includes Rea's Wood, which is pretty much a forest by Irish standards I'd reckon, the shores of Lough Neagh and a river to walk along which winds its way past sailboats nearer the lake and past the grounds of an old castle which is now a lovely garden, right into the heart of Antrim. 

There's music in the garden on Sundays and if its not raining tomorrow I'll be going to check it out :)

Woolen Gem

When I arrived in Belfast, the kind man who runs the accommodation complexes gave me some information on events in and around the city. I found a wool event hosted by a museum and decided I would attend. Unfortunately I unexpectedly worked until 4am in the morning, but I went home and slept my eight hours and drove off to the Folk and Transport Museum in high spirits.  I wasn't sure what I would find, but I certainly liked it. This museum, if you could even call it that since its outside and covers a fair area, had much more to see than I saw because I was quite short on time starting out so late in the afternoon. Basically it is a village and little farms run as if we were living 100 years ago with a great amount of interaction from knowledgeable guides. 

I wish I had a photo of me helping to shear a sheep. I was delighted the farmers let me try! 

The sheep they keep are an original breed to the area which all have horns. I thought the horns a little menacing at first, but soon saw their horns are certainly an advantage to people when sheep wrestling (okay so just getting sheep into position for sheering and holding them there!) The fleece comes off like a vest and is so warm I figured the sheep was pretty glad to be rid of it. It's also full of lanolin, which I was expecting but it's much oilier than I predicted.

From there I watched some ladies spinning and I even spun myself a yard of two ply wool yarn. Pretty neat. Maybe I'll use it some day as a small detail.  Sadly they do not spin the fleeces from the sheep there as they say the yarn is just too rough and the only useful purpose would be to make a mat.  What about felting? Ladies did you think of that??? 

Now I wonder what they do with the leftover fleeces? 

Last I visited a small home where I had a very nice chat with the woman inside on natural wool dying. Very interesting indeed. She was dying over an open fireplace, so I'm quite certain this is as real as it gets. There was a little guessing game with previously dyed skeins and small jars of commonly recognized plants to contemplate as we waited for her dye bowl concoction to reach its completion. Madder I knew had to be the tuberous little root giving a lovely strong red colour, but I was surprised about the others, particularly the beets! They produced a lemony colour!!! There was a skein of a very vivid green which came from the lupin plant - flowers, stem and roots. 

Then she asked me what colour the yarn would be when she removed it from the bowl. It was pretty pale looking, possibly greeny-yellow. When she allowed it to contact the oxygen in the air it began changing colour and became a beautiful strong blue! I was impressed. It was like magic!  

Lovely Liverpudlians - Beatles Included

I missed out on Saturday during the day, due to some very frustrating EasyJet experiences, 

when I had originally planned to wisely visit Purlesque, a knitting and craft shop that 

will be closed as of the end of the month. Rather sad.

A view from the south side of Albert Docks downtown Liverpool 

I attended a wedding party on Saturday evening and enjoyed myself thoroughly with 

the long lost family, drinking much more than necessary and dancing and singing the night away. 

I was so busy having a riot I didn't even take a single photo. 

The location was the Hillbark Hotel in Wirral. 

City center area

Sunday I visited downtown. Initially I walked around somewhat aimlessly in the nearly abandoned city feeling doleful and glum, particularly because I was alone as usual... 
but after drinking a liter and a half of water and visiting a small museum with Egyptian antiquities, 
I felt quite dramatically recharged when I returned to the sunshine outside 
with all the city-goers who finally emerged.

I ate a scrumptious lunch and dessert at a bakery 
called Patisserie Valerie which was founded in 1928. 
I would certainly recommend this sweet spot and 
if I am in Liverpool again I will be looking forward to an encore. 
It is French in all the right ways - chances are its more than proved itself over the years. 

The highlight of entertainment was certainly the Cavern Club, though I cannot assure you the same excellent experience I was lucky enough to have in what looks like an underground mausoleum, though everyone was, I can assure you, quite lively! This is of course the home of the Beatles and it continues to host well celebrated artists regularly as well as play tribute to the Fab Four. I met a group of locals who were very fun and welcoming and we danced for four hours until I had to leave. I'm not sure if they drank or spilt more beer while I was there, but I'm quite certain that is why my clothes and shoes as so sticky!  I stayed long enough to catch two bands which were both excellent, long enough also that all shops were shut by the time I emerged and I missed out on post cards.  

I stayed in Bebington at the Bebington Hotel, a very sweet mini old fashioned version, but with all the amenities of a modern room and bath, plus a full English breakfast in the morning. Find it here. Very reasonable and close to transit. I must say I was impressed with the public transit; the information agents were more than helpful and kind. Should you need it Merseytravel

Right, next time: Take photos and buy post cards, or at least one of each ;)

Belfast Castle & Cave Hill Pathways

The castle isn't really a castle, is it? 

I suppose it is, but I like castles to have castle features like rounded or lengthy turreted sections and moats and some kind of weathered appearance which would encourage me wonder about its history. 

Belfast Castle as seen from the Cat Garden

It does have a cat garden which warrants a little stroll if you are in the area, 

and if you need to nosh there's a cafe inside the castle. The lower section of the property is reminiscent of the drive up to Mont Real with its winding drive, grassy slopes, pretty trees and slightly manicured mini gardens, and it certainly invites lolling on a blanket with a picnic.

 

The hillside above offers plenty of trails of varying grades. 

I climbed up into a cave on my way to the top 

but it's blocked off and not nearly as exciting as I'd hoped. 

The top is windy but gives a lovely view if Belfast harbour and beyond.