Roman Holiday II

So, more Roman stuff. We were walking around, Day 1 methinks, and came across this wedding party minding there own business, and along come a Segway tourgroup. I was never sure whether they were part of the wedding party or made their own "fun". Anyways it was a bit strange
Far more interesting was just to the right of this picture, surrounded by the chains you can just see ...


Marcus Aurelius! WhoHoo. Author of Meditations, one of the more famous authors and stoic philosophers of antiquity - and Emporer. The statue only survived the desecration of the early church, who melted down all images of the emporers or princes, because they thought it was of Justinian.

Ah yes, that's me in the foreground.



And so here's Fiona, caught reclining after the midday meal, she is replete and happy.

Roman Holiday I

Hi Guys, so, a few months ago I left the green shores of Ireland and travelled to the eternal city to see what all the fuss was about. I guess I also went to see Fiona - she's in the odd picture below. My first attempt was kyboshed by that unpronouncible Icelandic volcano so, rather than greeting Fiona when she arrived in Europe, I farewelled her (ahhhh). And here is the first photo I took. It needs no explanation, but ... SPQR, Senatus Populusque Romanus = The Senate and the People of Rome. These letters were carried by the legions on their standards, throughout europe, 2000 years ago. And here they are again, still emblazoned on the manhole covers of modern Rome - cool eh? The alternative explanation is that this is an artifact about 2000 years old, but you can make your own mind up about that.So, Rome is full of i) Romans ii) Tourists and iii) History. N.B Romans may be Italians but, Italians are not necessarily Romans. My personal experience, with which I think that Fiona would agree, is that Romans, i), are far more pleasant than one expect given the IMMENSE number of ii) trying to get a grip on the STUPENDOUS amount of iii). A nice smile, a little effort, a little modification of behaviour so that you perform a task the way the locals would prefer, pay for your gelati first, gives great rewards. Don't knock extra gelati. Anyways, here are three buildings. The first is (I think) is the back end of the temple/structure commemorating Victor Emmanuel. The second, the colosseum, still standing because it was blessed and consecrated by one of the Popes, and this couldn't be pillaged for stone. It also was nice touch of Hah! given that the Roman Empire had slaughtered who knows how many Christians there and the church and finally triumphed. This last photo is an attempt at being artisitic with the columns surrounding St Peters. Early on a Monday there were few people about and I rather like it.

REWIND - Aberdeenshire

June 2010
Quick Quick! We've just enough time to shoot of to Aberdeen for a sunny weekend, to catch up with friends, Mark and Bodil and their 3 wee laddies, masters Erik, Martin and Fredrik.

Aberdeenshire is every bit as green as here (minus a few rocks), with that same luminescent grass creeping up and over the ruined castles, which dot the landscape here and there, between fields of cows and horses... Needless to say we felt much at home. :)

Except .... The cows there are a much cuter than here or anywhere else in the world..
(Note this gorgeous little highland cow above)
(and more Highland cows, below..)


Speaking of Ruined Castles, we visited Dunnottar Castle, near Stonehaven on the coast of Aberdeenshire, which dates back to at least the 1100's, and possibly the 600's-700's.





It is an amazing cliff-top location, right on the edge of the sea, with a stunning backdrop and coastline... and a long fall down into the chilly waters. but perfectly safe.

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Back at home, later that eve, we sat outside in the summer sun and wacked some Angus beef steaks on the BBQ.. mmm... and that is how Australia met Scotland.

Here's little Fredrick ready for dins.

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It's a huge world at there and there is such a lot to see..
Scotland looks so beautiful but unfortunately we have only seen a little of Aberdeen and a bit more of Glasgow...
We will have to go back at some stage for the rest... But that is what life is for, after all.

yum yum in my tum!

Hello peeps,

check out my friend's cooking and food blog - Alchemy..
We all need a bit of help and inspiration in the kitchen, and this is just the thing!
How about this Honey Apple Scone? Yum!

http://www.alchemy-fabulousfood.blogspot.com/

enjoy...

Northern Ireland - Causeway Coast

Blimey!
It has been an age since our last posting...(5 months!) and another age since the last one before that.

So, catch up time... Let's start with May... a few weeks into the Irish Sunny season and a gorgeous weekend on the Northern Ireland Coast.

This here is the famed Causeway Coast... Of Giants, amazing hexagonal rocks, castles and beautiful coast lines.... a real treat.

L-R: Spectacular Dunluce Castle

The Giant's Causeway -

The legend of the Causeway and Giant Finn McCool:

The Irish warrior Giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner.
Fionn fell asleep before he got to Scotland. When he did not arrive, the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him.
To protect Fionn, his wife Oonagh laid a blanket over him so he could pretend that he was actually their baby son. When Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed the alleged father, Fionn, must be gigantic indeed.
So, Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Fionn.

Here it is just before dusk, when everyone else had left... Beautiful..

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Ballintoy Harbour

Carrick-a-rede rope bridge

L-R: The rope bridge as seen from afar...(between the two peices of land) and the crossing itself...

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Then suddenly, the mist and fog rolls in and moments later, the bridge, headland, coast, Ivan, have all but disappeared completely.....

But there's nothing like the atmosphere it brings ...

And so ends another great irish weekend..

Little Isabel

Attention all...
Introducing our new neice Isabel..
Daughter to Fi and Stuart, Born 9 Feb, 7.5 lb.


Mum and dad are very well, as is little Isabel.
She is also impossibly adorable, small and lovely.

At hospital

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.At Home in her giant cot

and LIVE: Chatting to Fi and Isabel via Skype

Home for the Holidays... and the sunshine!

There's no place like home!

It was fabulous to catch up with you all in Melbourne... we had a ball being back home in the beautiful sun, with all our friends and family...
it was very busy but very bliss...

Now... we have returned to Dublin, have survived the 'Big Freeze' and are once more well-ensconced into our daily routines and thankfully are able to appreciate some warmer weather (4-8 degrees or so) which makes a HUGE difference from the recent freeze. (the photos on the link above are from Co. Mayo in the north west of Ireland... colder than dublin's freeze no doubt, but the pics are good. bbrrrr)

And it seems as though it is time, before it slips away again, to re-visit our trip to Melbourne and upload some photos.

The Ford family Christmas picnic : Fi, Mel, Louise and Ivan












Staying with Fi and Stuart at their new house, with easy access to the beach!!

BBQ on the banks of the Yarra, on the most glorious sunny perfect day of all! with all our friends and family! what could be better?
L-R Friends and family

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Christmas
Christmas Eve dinner with the Fords was great and delicious, but sadly the photos are really shit. really really shit. They didn't work out well at all. :( Some sort of ligting problem.

So, moving right along...
Christmas day breakfast at Fi and Stuart's house on that lovely cool morning

Christmas day lunch with the Williamses at Ivan's Parent's house

Having a cuppa after lunch, Elena's Grandmother Sylvia
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Our lovely tall nieces: Riona and Sian

Post-Christmas

Catching up with friends over dinner in Docklands.

Thanks to Chooka, the photos of this night are appallingly bad, but this one is sorta cute? maybe? anyone?

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Lunch in the Sun with Karen, Rob, Eleanor, Gill and Peter on a very hot day

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With Elena's mum and grandmother Sylvia

New Years eve dinner at Juan and Mel's

With Mel, Juan, Fi, Stuart, Elena, Rachel and Kirrily

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Thanks all! we had a ball!

Bye for now but not for long....

there's no place like home, here's no place like home .....