It was another early start for breakfast as the plan was to utilise the Hop on Bus passes one final time to get to Trinity College and they expired at 9.45am.
The breakfast area was noticeably quieter today, but the Irish Sausages were just as good. I had arranged a late check out for our room through our IHG membership, so Kevin left his bag in our room before we walked outside and got on the first bus of the morning.
It is interesting how different the live commentaries are, and we learnt more and heard different stories apart from being told for the 3rd time that the OConnell Bridge was wider than it was long.
At Trinity College, Karen & Kevin headed into see the Book of Keils. I remember seeing it on our first visit and remember being non plussed then. Instead, I instead wandered around the college. It was a graduation day as there many graduates in the gowns posing for photos with their families.
I ended up inside in the student café and passed the time reading the student newspaper. Karen & Kevin were soon out from their visit, and I think they were both non plussed by it as I had been.
We wandered slowly back up OConnell Street and stopped to go into Easen, a Jarrolds type of store but with a much bigger book area and much fewer deli’s. I was allowed a brief look around the books before we headed to the top floor café. It was pleasantly very old fashioned and not necessarily by design. There was a branch of Tower records next to it which I had a look around. I had thought that they had gone out of business a long time ago. Amusingly they still had a large area devotes to Christmas music.
From here we thought we would have a look around the Post Office Museum, the scene of the 1916 uprising. We had the impression it was free and so baulked at paying the 17 Euro admission cost, we looked around the big but quaint Post Office instead.
Our final stop was at a Starbucks for no reason at all really. It was much like any other Starbucks, but Karen enjoyed her coffee.
And with that we collected our bags and checked out of the Hotel. We walked down to the Dublin Express bus stop which arrived promptly on time.
The airport was heaving as we discovered whilst trying to get into the lounge. It was full and they didn’t operate a waiting list. Instead, we loitered around the entrance for 35 minutes until they started admitting people who hadn’t booked. We were glad we did as it was one of the better lounges we had been in. There was a plentiful supply of all sorts of food and drink. I made do with one alcoholic drink as I was driving later. Karen gulped down at least 2 glasses of wine. I did take a Caesar Wrap for ‘later’.
And that was Dublin. We had been very fortunate with the weather, and it had proved to be a good break. If we had been here any longer then I think we would have wanted to venture further afield as we felt, we had done the centre of the city.
It was just to be a quick 8-day turnaround until our next trip. As ever we crammed loads in. I played 9 holes of golf and managed 4 pars – shame about the two 8’s and a 7 though. My back then started to play up and got gradually worse as the days wore on. As I write this it is very sore and depending how I move it pinches a nerve which is excruciating. It’s been a few years since it has been this bad. I put it down to lack of time to exercise, putting some weight back on and some of the necessary pushing down on me that Karen was having to do to walk in the early days of her recuperation. Whatever caused it I just want the pain to stop and quickly.
Karen has had more physio, and her wound looked at. Sadly, it still hasn’t fully healed. The Hospital investigated and determined that in fact that they had used dissolvable stitches, but that Karen is apparently one of the rare people whose body does not generate the correct enzymes to dissolve them. The wound is now looking better but we have more appointments for it to be checked when we return from this next trip. Meanwhile she is almost back to walking and doing things at 90+% capacity and still diligently doing her exercises for about 1 hour per day.
I was starting to feel left out with the hospital appointments but made up for this by stupidly pulling the car boot shut with my head in the way on Lidl car park. I thought ‘ouch’ that hurt and started to turn to walk into the store when I felt wet on my face. I touched it and realised it was blood and lots of it. I returned to the car and checked in the mirror, and it looked like I had been attacked by an axe with blood running everywhere. I got back in the car and tried to stem the flow with a tissue which was soon soaked. I called Karen who was on the park & ride bus and said ‘I think I have done something stupid’ which was an understatement.
We agreed that as I felt OK that she would get off at Anglia Square and that I would drive to her to assess the damage. When I got to her, she said it needed proper medical attention and so I drove myself to Accident & Emergency. They were excellent and very efficient. I was patched up and out within an hour. They couldn’t apply stitches or anything as I had managed to gouge such a lump out. Instead, they cleaned it out and dressed as best they could and gave me more dressings to apply in the coming days. So, as I write this, I am wearing a cap to try and hide the still blood-stained dressing. The wound is a mess but is still not as painful as my back.
On Easter Sunday we went with the boys and Ellie for a bracing walk around Blickling before using the Pizza oven for the first time this year. Everyone agreed they were a great success, and we seemed to have nailed the method of making them.
We also had a surreal trip to the Playhouse to see John Shuttleworth. This is the alter ego of Graham Fellows who had a hit with his other alter ego – Jilted John many years ago. As John Shuttleworth he has been touring for 40 years as an inept organ playing entertainer. Karen was not keen on going. It was packed and we seemed to be the only ones who hadn’t seen him before or didn’t know all the words to his songs and loudly joined in. Belters like ‘Two tubs of margarine on the go’ and ‘I’ve got an Austin Ambassador – Y Reg’ were I must admit strange but clever. At times it was like we had joined a cult. I found it all quite amusing and entertaining – Karen was less sure although she was laughing out loud quite a lot.
Finally, I also must mention the football. We went to the embarrassing 5 – 3 defeat on Good Friday. Up until that point I had been content that it was a ‘project in progress’. Walking back to the car though I had had enough. The tactics and formation were just wrong, and I could not see how it would ever work. The players seemed disinterested. I wanted the season over. After another defeat on Easter Monday, I was still surprised though at how quick the board moved to remove the manager. We must get the next appointment right and done quickly. I do have serious doubts about the current Sporting Director with his appointments to date and player signings from Sydney Von Donkey through to someone who we paid millions for in January and is still not even fit enough to sit on the bench.
Part of me want the new manager to be either Rooney, Gerrard or Southgate just to see Neil’s reaction. Personally, I would go for Gary O’Neil, although my heart would hope that a certain Mr Farke becomes available soon.
And so with that we now we are readying ourselves with our annual guilty trip to Lanzarote for some Spring sun. Hopefully it will do us good and help heal our open wounds, although the trip is not without other potential concerns before we even get there.
As ever the Lanzarote blog will follow but also as usual will probably condense 2 days into one blog as it can get rather repetitive if not.
