New Member of the Family!

This is Millie, a 14 week old Boodle. That’s a cross between a Bichon Frisé and a Poodle. After staying with us for a week whilst her owners were on holiday, it has now been decided that she’s staying with us permanently.

She’s currently full of beans, biting everything that moves and jumping all over us, but with a bit of training and encouragement she should be fantastic little pooch.

Matthews Street Festival: Dancing in the Rain

The last 12 months have seen me doing a lot of things that I previously haven’t had the time or money to do, not to mention the ear ache I would have got from the ex-girlfriend. Now though, me and Lisa are happily exploring everything that is put before us. This weekend we got invited to meet friends at the Matthews Street Festival, which was a first for both of us. The added bonus of the weekend was that my nephew, Ian, was over from Rome and showing his friends Marco, Angus and Enzo around the city.

We set off about dinner-time and got in to town for about 13:30, only to realise that we’d missed Pink Floyd – I was not impressed because I’d got myself all excited about that one. Disappointed, we set off in search of our friends, after some dashing around town and listening to the Beatles tribute band, we eventually met up with Ian and the lads to have a beer. The hangovers on display where outstanding, especially Angus’, who I think was actually asleep, standing up, with his eyes open! After a few drinks we set off to the Lambanana Stage to meet some of Lisa’s friends, but finding them in the massive crowd that was matching the Motown set was difficult, to say the least. We eventually met up once the crowds dispersed and made our introductions. This resulted in some slobbering and flirting, but it was all cut short because the lads wanted to watch the Guns ‘n’ Roses tribute, so we headed off with them and agreed to meet up with her friends later.

The crowd around the Tunnel Stage was big and we had to resort to being quite far back, but we still had good enough views. Some of the singing/screaming was a little suspect, but I didn’t expect anything else, Axl Rose is a difficult act to follow. However, when the classics like “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” came on the crowd lit up at the atmosphere was superb. Shortly in to their performance the rain began to drizzle down on us, but the band missed the chance of a comical moment and didn’t play “November Rain”, much to my disappointment. Me and Lisa left just before the end of the set and headed back to the Lambanana Stage to catch the second half of the Motown set, the lads headed off to watch the football.

On the way I grabbed some paella from a bloke who sounded more polish than Spanish, but I didn’t care because I was starving and it tasted superb! We ate on the move as we wiggled our way through the crowds, but once we got about 50ft from the stage we could go no further, not because the crowds were too packed in, but because everyone was dancing around in groups and I didn’t intend on getting caught in someone’s circle and made to dance like a clown as punishment. As each superb act played the rain slowly began to get heavier, but when the Jackson 5 tribute band came on I think one of the sound engineers must have wired things up wrong, because as each new song started the rain got significantly heavier, to the point that we were drenched form head-to-toe and stood in a deep puddle by the time the third song had finished. Despite this, no one seemed to care, so we all simply carried on dancing away, spilling beer and getting poked in the eye by those clever enough to bring an umbrella! When I looked at my plastic, watery pint of beer I realised it was filling up quicker than I was drinking it, something was not right here!

As The Supreme’s came on to do their final set we had a moment of magic … Lisa got a text from her friends saying they where about 10 feet in front of us and had umbrella’s … we dash like crazy though the crowds and found them stood on a raised area, with great views and a way out of the rain, perfect! We enjoyed the rest of the set and then headed down to Café Sports England. We met up with the lads and settled down to watch the Roma vs Juventus game and have some food. I enjoyed playing devils advocate between Marco, a Roma fan, and Enzo, a Juventus fan and especially when I saw the look of disappointment on Marco’s face as the third Juventus goal hit the back of the net – he was not a happy man! The meal was superb and the price was so cheap I thought I’d robbed them, so I will definitely be going there again.

After the football the lads wanted to head up to another bar on Bowlers Street who had a live band on, but as Lisa and myself were soaking wet and had an hours journey home, so we said we’d join them for one before getting the train home – what a disaster this turned out to be! We got soaked on or way there, so after a REALLY quick drink we sloped off to the train station, only to be told that the trains had been cancelled!!! This left us with two options … an expensive taxi or a guess as to which bus to jump on. We decided to chance the buses, but when we arrived at the bus station it was closed off and the temporary stops outside Lime Street Station where heaving, but I still wasn’t going to get a taxi. I decided to play my joker card … I rang my dad, thankfully he didn’t mind and agreed to meet us a mile or so outside of the town centre,. Luckily the rain had stopped by now and we were able to dive in to the local Subway to use the toilet.

It was a long, wet and fantastic day. I can’t wait for next year!

When In Rome …

I’ve just finished my first day back in work after my amazing long weekend in Rome and I’m depressed.

This was my third visit to Rome and once again it was an amazing experience. All three visits have been brilliant in their own way, the first because it was my first big adventure. Myself, my nephew and a close friend managed to walk all the major sites of the city in 3 long and exhausting days. This was especially rewarding because it was all new and we had put in the time and hard work during the mid-summer sun, what an achievement. It was only after my second visit however that I realised I had only scratched the surface and that during my first visit I had missed out on the real magic of Rome. Since our initial visit my nephew had moved to live Rome, made friends, got a job as a tour guide and learnt the real beauty of Roman life, so my second time in the eternal city was a truly amazing experience. We visited some of the major sites, but this time armed with his massive depth of knowledge, therefore what had previously just been beautiful and impressive became meaningful and interesting, the city was beginning to make sense. In the evenings we ate well, drank plenty and on two occasions played football with his Italian friends. The locals teaming up against the foreigners, which involved people from England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand and Argentina … the Italians didn’t stand a chance! This second experience in Rome had truly opened my eyes to the experiences that where on offer in the rest of the world, and when my better half secretly booked this trip for us I was blown away. I couldn’t wait to show her the magic of Rome as I’d experienced it.

We arrived in Rome mid-morning on Friday and with relative ease we had the journey to our hotel planned out. This was refreshing for me because I’m not the most confident in my abilities of navigating when in a new place, despite me usually being right if I pay attention. This time however I had some familiarity and the fairly constant grid system makes it easy to head in the general direction and end up in the right area. After getting the shuttle bus to Termini (the main bus/train station), we decided to brave the metro, which was fantastically easy to navigate, It’s cheap too! Once we found the hotel (Ancient Romance B&B) we instantly knew we’d be staying here again, the building was brilliantly located, the rooms where fantastic (as was the air conditioning), the staff where really helpful and the price was great.

We decided we’d take it easy, adjust to the heat (34°C) and have a gentle wonder around St. Peter’s Square, Castle St. Angelo and the surrounding area to familiarise ourselves with some shops, places to eat and most importantly, where to get nice ice-cream from, haha. As we’d been up early we had intended to take a late afternoon siesta before we headed out for the evening, but my nephew had finished his tour through the Vatican at 5, which was just around the corner from where we’d stopped for Ice Cream, so we met up on our way back to the Hotel. We all grabbed a shower and chilled out in the lovely air conditioned room before heading back out to have ‘a few beers’. We met up with a close friend of my nephews in The Abbey before heading to Campo de’ Fiori where we met up with a few more of his friends. We then headed to the river where a festival was taking place! This essentially meant lots of food and drink stalls along the rivers edge and LOTS of people. We had a great time and met up with a bunch of students from various countries, one of whom was a creepy dude who sounded German, needless to say we didn’t really entertain him for long, lol. After some drunken antics we headed back to the hotel because we had an early start!

On the Saturday morning my nephew had arranged for us to accompany him on a private tour with a lovely American family who he had been guiding around the city. We met them at 10am and the plan was to cover the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and The Forum in the morning! This was the first time I’ve seen my nephew at work and I was pleasantly re-assured that he is VERY good at his job. His depth of knowledge is amazing and he was able to guide us all on an experience that brought everything to life, despite the ridiculous 36°C heat. Come dinner time we decided that we should leave the family to enjoy the rest of their tour, so we thanked them for their generosity and wished them well. From their we decided to grab some food, get a quick shower and head to the Vatican Museums to visit the Sistine Chapel. To be honest it wasn’t quite as mind blowing as I’d hoped, but this was most likely due to the fact that the whole hour long walk is full of work which is equally spectacular. Plus, by this time I was grumpy because I’d spent 6 hours walking around in the ridiculous heat and all I was looking forward to was a cold shower and a power nap!

After a good sleep we got ready and headed out for a meal. We walked through the Vatican, past the Castel Sant Angelo and across the Bridge of Angels, before heading towards Piazza Navona. We stopped at a beautiful little restaurant in a narrow street just outside the square. The green ivy was flowing down the front of the rustic yellow building, the light was fairly dim and the shutters, tables and seats outside where typically Italian, even complete with a wobble from the uneven cobbled street, this was perfect. We had the most amazing meal, accompanied by the bustle of Rome, in a fantastic setting. The owners where even a stereotypical old couple who pottered about checking that all the guests had well taken care of and gesturing like crazy about everything! After a wonderful experience we headed off to meet my nephew and his friend. We started off very chilled and got talking with lots of people, but by the time we’d talked half of Rome to sleep and 2 o’clock had rolled around we were totally wasted, so we made our way home … this took two hours, even though we had walked it in 20 minutes on the way. Classy!

On the Sunday morning we were a little on the groggy side to say the least and slept in till about mid-day. We eventually dragged ourselves out of our pits to get a slice of pizza from a little place that we’d noticed all the locals using. We stepped outside the hotel and were hit by a wall of heat! It was 38°C today and not the tiniest hint of a breeze. We immediately got a bottle of water from the shop outside and decided that today was going to be a write-off. After our amazing pizza we pottered around a little, but the heat quickly won over us, so we headed back to the hotel for a siesta. We got up about 4 and jumped the metro to Barberini so we could get a snack and visit the Trevi fountain, but it was absolutely packed! We’d only been out for an hour but already the heat was having an effect, so we headed back to the hotel. That night we’d arranged to met my nephew and his fiend for a top class meal at a restaurant we’d found on my first visit. We met about 9 and headed to the restaurant, which to my delight was rather busy. We had the most fantastic meal and I was really chuffed to have found a great restaurant that even my nephew’s friend didn’t know about, despite it being on his door step. After the meal we jumped a cab to The Abbey to meet up with everyone, including another friend of nephew’s who’s girlfriend made a surprise visit from Japan, how cool is that?! After a couple of drinks it was time for us to go because we had to be at the airport at 8am and our posh taxi was booked for 7. We said our goodbyes and set off our last walk across the beautifully lit streets of Rome.

The whole weekend was absolutely amazing and before we’d even got home that night we were already planning our next adventure!

Facing The Sumpter Initiation

I’ve spent this weekend in North Wales with the majority of the close family, 20 of us in total. We all stay in cottages that we rent from the locals twice a year, without fail. This is a family tradition and those who don’t attend at least one of the two weekends will be driven out of their homes by my auntie, wielding a Machete and Molotov Cocktails. It’s all very dramatic and something that must be avoided at all costs! It is also family tradition for family members to bring their ‘new’ partners along to meet everyone and as this was the first time that my girlfriend has joined me in the 9 months we’ve been together, this would be the initiation! The beauty of this initiation is that she can meet everyone, behaving how they normally do with the whole family, but there is also the added fun factor … she can’t get away for three whole days! haha

Despite her nerves we had a fantastic weekend of playing on the beach and climbing mountains, coupled with plenty of relaxing and a few cheeky drinks. I heard nothing but praise from everyone in the family, so that’s the biggest test of all passed, with flying colours! I’ve put some of the pictures I took in a set on my flickr account. Check out the one of the other-half feeling really proud of herself for climbing to the top of the mountain. So cute!

2009 So Far … 1st Jan to 1st May

Seeing as I’ve lost everything on the site I thought it was a good idea to make an article that covered everything that has happened so far this year, so here goes:

2009 began with Me, Lisa and her friends taking a drunken walk back from a fantastic New Years Eve party at Shaw Hill Hotel, Whittle-le-Woods Near Chorley. This seems to have set the tone for the fantastic year ahead. Because so much has happened I’m going to do a month by month break-down, Enjoy!

January

The year started with Geoff and Mygenet’s wedding, which was all planned at the last minute. Geoff being close family and us having grown up together, I knew I was going to heavily involved, what I didn’t expect was to be asked to usher 4 days before the wedding, and then with 3 days to go I was asked to step in as Best Man due to Geoff’s uncle have an arse of a boss who wouldn’t allow him to take the day off work … on a Saturday! Despite the chaos everything went really well and pictures are available on either of their Facebook accounts.

After the wedding the next two weeks, as it is every year, was filled with birthdays. One of these was a mate of mine and as his wife was out playing we organised a Pro-Evo night for the lads. Lots of Beer, Plenty of Chilli’s and a bit of gambling ensued!

At the end of the month it was Lisa’s birthday, so being the super boyfriend that I am I sent her off to Geneva to see a good friend of hers and spend 4 days getting blind drunk. Upon her return I was in the good books and was forced to endure several weeks of no nagging, drinking with the lads, playing on my xBox and getting spoilt rotten by my lady … terrible times! hehe

February

Everyone know what happens in February, and despite the fact that I hate it, I knew that Lisa was looking forward to it, so Valentines day was in need of planning. Being as how I was in the good books though, Lisa decided that she would take me out! This did feel some what emasculating, but she spared me from wearing the dress, matching shoes and hand bag, so I realised that I could let her be dominant for the day, in exchange for an all expenses paid visit to a fantastic Japanese restaurant in Liverpool and more Tiger Beer than is required to drown a … Tiger?

Next came another batch of close family birthday’s! Towards the end of the month an unusual night out was arranged with a few friends. The venue was the local town hall and the event was a ‘mystery meal’. This didn’t mean we’d get fed something random, it meant that all the staff involved in ’serving’ us where part of a larger play that taking place before us. The plot was of course a murder mystery and the acting was superb. After the police arrived the scene changed as we, as witnesses became involved in the interrogation of the cast, with the ultimate goal of guessing who the murder was. We all had a great night and its an experience I recommend everyone should try, especially if the entrance fee’s go to a good cause.

At the end of the month my car’s MOT, Tax and Service was due, so saving was required, but I did have one night out for a friends 30th. Everyone was there and it was a chance to introduce Lisa to another group of friends who I don’t see very often now we’ve finished playing football. The night was superb and was capped off nicely by the birthday boy being sick down someone’s back after pinching some shots that were meant for other people. Quality :-)

March

Early March was spent sorting my car and attempting to get back in to a routine at the gym, which I failed miserably to do. Other than that, nothing much seemed to happen.

In mid-March it was Mygenet’s birthday, so her and Geoff to decided to throw a small a party that doubled up as a house warming. Everyone had a good time filling their faces and getting to catch up on events since the wedding.

At the end of March myself and Lisa thought it would be nice for the parents to meet, seeing as they only lived a few hundred meters from each other. We had noticed that a life soul singer was on a very nice pub that wasn’t far from where we live, so we booked it. The night was fantastic, the music was great, the food was fantastic (despite a few slip up’s) and the parents got along fine. The night was duly topped off by the taxi having to pull over to let Lisa throw up all over the grass verge right in front of my parents … classy, lol.

April

April is always a crazy month in my life, but this year I decided to do something I’d been putting off for years … I booked to go to Ladies Day at Aintree Races. We both got dolled up and along with out friends had a fantastic day drinking champagne, being merry, losing our money and eating some of the best fish & chips i’ve ever come across. Cant wait till next year :-)

Next up was the usual round of birthdays that take place, including my own, at last. I got lots of nice presents from those close to me and had a good booze up with my mates at the local.

At the end of the month was something I’ve been looking forward too for months … Andy’s Stag-do in Calella, Spain! We were due to be picked up at 04:30 on Friday morning, so being the punch of alky’s that we are, we arranged to meet in the pub at 22:00 on Thursday! The land lady kept the boozer open for us until we got picked up, and so the mayhem began. We had four fantastic days enjoying a free bar, free food and funny nights out. The highlight of the weekend was the stag getting involved in a dance-off with the locals whilst wearing a beautiful red dress with black poker-dots, matching bag and a lovely elephant cock-piece! Coming a close second was Scott’s ability to fall asleep in the most stupid places and wake up covered in permanent marker! Third goes to the bar on the beach where we all chilled out with a pint of Amstel whilst listening to Bob Marley tunes, good times!

So as you can see, it’s been a busy few months. But that’s everything up to date … job done!