Holiday luck 

I’m not exactly known for my straight forward, everything according-to-plan holidays. I’ve had a few disasters actually. Some right hum dingers in fact. Missed flights, lost passports, crap weather, and now I can add lost luggage to the checklist. I had a number of years where I was cursed with...

People watching 

The canteen (otherwise known as the ‘buffet style restaurant’) is a great place to sit and watch the world go by. There are people here of all ages, multiple nationalities, all sorts of shapes and sizes, and yet there are patterns to be discerned, repeated behaviours to be noticed. The Eastern...

Takes all sorts

I’ve seen the worst examples of parenting I think I’ve ever been exposed to in the last few days. Admittedly, there is plenty of lovely, positive parenting too, families enjoying the time together, relishing the fun and relaxation, but I guess that’s not the stuff that catches our...

Added sparkles 

I wonder what’s the Greek equivalent of dunnes stores or M and S? I only ask because I’m in something of a ‘situation’! One of our two bags has still not arrived in Kos, nor indeed has it even been located. Something of a problem given that we are now here three days and I’m...

Keane’s, Maam, Galway. Pub No 4

I used the fact that my daughter was in the Connemara Gaeltacht as an excuse to head west and tick another pub off the list. Yeah, probably a bit of a cheap trick, but I was looking forward to seeing her, and checking she was being adequately fed! It’s called time management, OK? The morning is warm and...

The Palace Bar

You’ve got to grab opportunities when they come your way, right? So when I found myself in Temple Bar recently, (God help me, I still don’t quite know why), faced with the equally unpleasant options of the Dubliner or some other tourist pub serving champ with piped diddly ay music, I was delighted with the...