Northern Ireland!

Hello everyone! Sorry it has taken me ages to do any blogging! Nothing very blog-worthy has happened until last weekend! So here goes!

Robert managed to get us free tickets to this big festival called BBC Big Weekend which is held in different places every year. This year it was in Derry in Northern Ireland so we decided to make an adventure of it and hire a car so we could drive around a little!

We had to catch the airport bus at 5am on Friday morning to catch our flight to Belfast at 8am. While waiting at the gate for our plane we experienced our first taste of what the people of Northern Ireland were going to be like! There was a woman sitting beside me at the gate who was just lovely and was telling us all about Ireland, then after a while decided she should probably get into the line. Instead of going to the end like a normal person (the line by this time was very long) she just slotted herself into the line near the front! 

We picked up our rental car at Belfast airport then drove up to Londonderry. We got to the park pretty early and had to weave our way through all of these crazy crowd control passages - it took ages!

 It was immediately time for a beer - this is Ireland after all.

 It was the most perfect day! So sunny and warm. We even got sunburnt, oh dear!

 In proper Irish style, it was unheard of to only buy one beer, you had to get at least 4 at a time! Nearly everyone was stumbling around with either 6 bottles of Bulmers cuddled to their chest, or 4 pints in a carrier  in one hand and one pint in the other hand already on the go. I, unfortunately, was designated driver. Sigh. 

 The views of the old buildings were all around!

 I didn't take many pictures of the show as my little camera was not really up for the job. It was cool though we saw lots of artists I didn't know like Chase and Status and Rudimental Live but then Calvin Harris was headlining and he was really fun!

All of those bits of paper were hearts!!

 The next day we drove to Belfast around all the little coastal towns - they were so beautiful! 

 This is our wee car, Peo the Peugeot. Isn't it adorable!

 For lunch I made Robert a nutella, oreo and dorito sandwich.

 On our way to Belfast we stopped at the Giant's Causeway. It was so beautiful there!

 We got these electronic thingies that you use like a phone and hold up to your ears to hear old Irish stories about Finn the Giant who lived in the Causeway told by Jimmy O'Somethingarather! 

 There were lots of different points along the track where you need to push a different button on the phone thing to hear the story about that particular view!

 At each point Jimmy would try to come up with a nickname for himself that had something to do with that story. Jimmy-the-boot O'Whateveritwas.

 Don't they look just like the organ pipes in Dunedin!! Actually the whole of Ireland is very similar to Otago it was like being back there!

 Robert looking unimpressed by Jimmy. I liked him!

 Gorse!

 We finally made it to Belfast. We slept in the car both the nights and on this morning I dropped Robert and Peo off at Belfast airport at 6.30am then went into the city to catch the bus to Dublin! In the 3 hours I had to wait I walked around Belfast a bit!

 It is quite an interesting city. You can tell that there is a lot of trouble there. I was warned lots of times to be very careful in Belfast but it was ok. One drunk girl at the concert was telling us about how strange the whole of Northern Ireland is.

 This is the Titanic museum. The Titanic was launched in Belfast you see so there is lots of Titanic stuff all over the place! Like, lots. They are very proud.

Daisy!

Yesterday I worked at a classic car show in Essex which was so fun. Me and Prue had to somehow find our way out there in the van and we got so lost! But eventually we found it. There were lots of fancy cars, new and old, and there was also a spitfire show which was both amazing and terrifying! Also F1 driver Max Chilton was there. Whoever he is.

I spent the day making coffees with Ed which was fun because it was so busy. I forgot to bring my camera but I think Prue took a couple pics I will hopefully be able to get!

We were right by the stage where bands and music were playing VERY LOUD all day so hearing the customers was impossible - we became very good at lip reading and gesturing questions! And it was really windy! and the coffee would come out of the grinder and immediately fly away into the wind. So annoying.

Yesterday I was working with a coffee machine on a BIKE!! Next I am working in this!

This is where I worked today! And where I will be tomorrow as well! Cute ay! I didn't have my camera again today but I found this picture on twitter that the lovely people at the Thai food truck took! They gave us lunch too - yum!

Today it was hipster central! I actually don't think I have seen that many hipsters in one place it was quite incredible.

 It was really dead for us as it was more of a beer event it seems! But tomorrow is kids day so it will be busier I think. And it's meant to be sunny and 22 so here's hoping that's not a terrible lie. 

Tomorrow I will remember my camera so you can have less jibber-jabber and more pictures!

P.S. The truck has a moo bell. It's amazing.

Where I Live and Where I Work

So I thought maybe I should put some pics up of our house and also the cafe I work at so you can see what it's like over here!

 This is mine and Robert's private garden! It has a slide! A real slide!

That train you can see going by is the tube! It's the District line and at first I could have sworn it drove right through our house, but now I guess I am used to it because I don't mind anymore. The Hammersmith & City line also goes to our station for all those London people out there who can make any sense of that =D and we live very near the DLR as well.

 It's been so sunny lately and our room gets the best afternoon and evening sunshine! And we have a couch too! A slide and a couch! Currently the couch is used as my storage area. As is the floor. The slide is next.

 Just a wee example of how messy my side is. Robert's side is always nice and tidy. I decorated my side's walls tho!

 Vanessa (gosh you get a lot of shout outs in this blog! You are the only one that comments though, so I just assume you're the only one that looks at it, and therefore, I write it for you.) look what Robert got for me from the 99p store!! Don't worry, I'll get you one.

Here are some pics that I got from my work's website... It's such a cool place!

 This is downstairs. They got a street artist to come in and paint all the walls outside and they put turf down and we call it the secret garden! This bit is actually outside but below the road. It's quite incredible! People lose the plot when they see it! There are bouquets or bananas all over the place too haha and when they get old, we turn them into banana bread! I made 4 loaves of it today!

 I certainly did not make this coffee! All the baristas do this though. I am terrified to go near the coffee machine there haha everyone is so clever.

 We have a smoker downstairs too and we smoke all our own Salmon that they get from the fishmonger! And the salads are incredible. So so yum!

 This is the upstairs. That's my boss Prue on the far left and that's Ed sitting with her. We three are working at the Warren Classic Car Show tomorrow in Essex!

 That's Prue again in the cow suit. Haha! And that's Tom her partner laughing at her by the door. They are fun! Prue is from Australia and is just so lovely and always laughing!

Haha the cow.