Thebarefootfoodie

Oh to be in England, now that Spring is here. ( Part 3 Scotland ) Posted on 29 Jun 2011 Onward to the last leg of our trip - Scotland. Driving across stretches of unspoilt landscape, occupied mainly by sheep and cattle, we coveted stolen moments of oneness with nature, with no one else around.  What a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of city life and from other people. The much touted highland cow, with the long hair and curly horns ( much like the shaggy dog minus the horns ) was surprisingly difficult to spot. We caught a glimpse of them round a bend, blink, and never saw them again. How now brown cow? The trip is not complete without paying a small tribute to good ole Nessie, dead or living - the jury is still out on this. There is comprehensive info to whet your appetitie at the Loch Ness Monster Visitor Centre, located within the Drumnadrochit Hotel. After some hours on the road, we arrived at Pitlessie House, a delectable B & B in a historic hous...

Oh to be in England, now that Spring is here. ( Part 2 - Ireland, and Northern Ireland, UK ) Posted 26 Jun  2011 Spent half a day at Warwick Castle before hopping onto the car ferry from Holyhead to Ireland. Warwick Castle is a medieval relic from days of yore, suitably revamped to snag the tourist pound, It has included, as its latest attraction, Merlin's Tower, at an additional fee, of course.  Those who missed the London Dungeon can still stock up on cheesy scares at the Warwick Dungeon here ( for an optional extra ). The highlight of the visit was a live demo of the world's largest trebuchet, an ancient siege machine, weighing 22 tonnes and standing at 18 metres tall. There was also a joustling match between the good guy and the baddies.  Predictable , as D would comment afterwards - why should the good guy win all the time? Hmm, the pragmatist vs the optimist. His is the lone voice out there. Deep down, even in the hearts of those who are bitte...

Oh To Be In England, Now That Spring Is Here ( Part 1 - London, etc. Posted on 25 Jun 2011) We flew cattle class on 28 May, on an airline that is reputed to treat cattle class as cattle. Sentiments of patriotism welled as I couldn't help comparing this with our national carrier and its perks.  But of course, what you pay is what you get, say no more. One good thing, though - the seats had these small side flaps on the headrest that provided some basic comfort to a strained neck so I did manage to get a decent sleep on a long-haul flight - something of a rarity.  It helped that the movie menu was not terribly inspiring and that the service attendants all but disappeared after serving the requisite drinks and meal.You are on your own,sleep or find your own in-flight entertainment and refreshments. Touched down early morning  - turn back the watch 7 hours. Coming back to London after a long absence, some things have changed. The Tube seems to have under...

Reflections on Dad For Father's Day - June 2011 Dad left us suddenly without saying goodbye. It was a silent heart attack. In life, he was a man of few words. We seldom saw eye to eye. It was a difference in perspective, But so fundamentally different. I was simply voicing my views, Which did not correspond to his. Why did I choose to focus on the negative, and failed to see the obvious? Dad has never complimented me But there would be a hint of a smile, a light in the eyes, when he attended my graduation, and later gave me away at my wedding.  I hungered for words of affirmation, and when they did not appear, I blamed Dad for falling short. Who is a perfect Dad anyway? He is the one whom you call your father. Dad may not be able to love me the way I'd expected, but he did what he could and in the best way he knew how. Now that he is gone, I missed his silence; his not being around. I wrote the eulogy for his fu...