Bags are packed!

So, I think Susan is going on another trip. She has spent all day packing her massive bag with clothes and shoes... I'm so confused because Susan is not a girly girl and she has packed 5 pairs of shoes into her bag! I've heard her talking about a Hen Weekend, but really don't think that heels are suitable for working on a chicken farm. She's packed lots of nice, dressy clothes too, so I'm guessing she will be having some fun with friends doing something.
Anyway, I don't think I've been invited, but I might try and sneak into her bag when she's asleep tonight. I think she will also be going home to visit her dogs and then will be attending Crufts dog show. I hear it's the biggest in the world, but I'm not sure about having so many dogs near me - they might not all be as well behaved as hers.
Will keep you all posted.

Sun, squalls and sandstorms, Malta Jan 14

Susan and her friend Kat had planned a holiday to Malta for some winter sunshine. Susan visited the islands when she was younger and was keen to go back and see everyone again. We arranged to stay with Norbert, who is a friend of Susan's family, and his partner Sue.
With the flight leaving at silly o clock in the morning, Susan and I travelled to Manchester the night before and stayed in the Premier Inn. I was most impressed by the self-check-in system, but Susan didn't like it much, saying it was too impersonal. The room was very nice though, and while Susan caught up on some TV shows in bed, I did some reading on Malta, thanks to a guidebook her dad had bought us.
The flight was very busy with no empty seats so I didn't get to stretch my legs or admire the view, which Susan said was amazing once the clouds had cleared - she could see the Alps and the coast of Italy.
We landed in Malta to rain, but at least it was warm! Sue and Norbert met us at the airport and took us back to their place in Mellieha for lunch and a wander round in the afternoon. I was tired after the flight, so stayed at the house while they went to pick up Kat from the airport (she was flying from Newcastle), then went out for dinner at Keith's restaurant. Keith is Norbert's eldest son and runs his grandfathers restaurant as Head Chef. All of his dishes came highly recommended by Susan's dad and nain, so I think everyone was spoilt for choice! Susan came home saying how wonderful the food was and that she had tried rabbit for the first time and it was interesting. I'm not too sure on the idea of eating rabbits (a bit too similar to meerkats in my opinion) but she seemed to enjoy it!
So, the first day Sue and Norbert took us to the south of the island to visit Marsaxlokk. This beautiful town has a stunning harbour filled with Luzzu, brightly painted fishing boats. We spent a lot of time wandering around the market, then went to the iPlace for a late lunch. This restaurant is a bit of a gimic with all the customers being given an ipad to view the menu, then be able to visit facebook, watch films or play games while they wait for the food to arrive. Susan wasn't sure how to use the ipad to start with, but once she figured it out, it kept her quiet til her big plate of pasta arrived! After lunch, we drove back to Mellieha the scenic route (getting lost on the way!) and spent the evening working out an itinerary for the week.
Monday was the first early start of the week. We were out of the house by 8.30 to catch a bus to the Gozo ferry. Although it was quite windy and the waves were pretty big crashing onto the beach, the crossing wasn't too rough, and it is only 20-30 minutes. We jumped on a bus to Victoria, then changed to catch a bus to Dwerja. The plan was to go on a boat ride from the Inland Sea and visit the Azure Window, but when we got there it was apparent that the boat rides would not be running - the tiny hole that allows the sea into the Inland Sea kept disappearing as waves crashed through it! NO THANK YOU! So we posed for some photos then had to wait for the next bus back (only one an hour felt like being back in Scotland!)
We visited a craft village where Susan spent some money on gifts for people, then walked a bit along the road to stretch our legs. It started raining but in Malta, when it rains it doesn't last more than half an hour, so we didn't get too wet. Back to Victoria, where we wandered round the Citadel, visiting the Cathedral and walking up even more stairs to get the panoramic views from the walls. I also posed beside these prickly pears, with the jar of Prickly Pear Jam Susan bought. Looking forward to having that on crumpets when we get back!



Tuesday the weather forecast was for rain, so Susan suggested a day in Valletta, which would give plenty of indoors shelter if the weatherman was right. We arrived mid morning and spent a bit of time getting our bearings before Kat suggested a coffebreak. Both the girls had bought postcards so we found a quiet cafe to write them in and sample from Maltese cakes. Honey Rings taste more like molasses, and were not a favourite, but the cookie was scrummy! Before long it was nearly 12, and we had to be on time to see the noonday salute. The Upper Barrakka Gardens give fabulous views over the Grand Harbour to the Three Cities and while we were waiting everyone was taking plenty of photos. Unfortunately, it was a bit windy so Susan decided I would be safer staying in the bag - didn't want to become the first flying meerkat! The commentary for the noonday salute was very interesting and amusing, so I pestered the girls to go down for the guided tour afterwards. I was really keen to get up close to the canons, and learnt how to tell if it was a ships canon or a land canon.

After the tour, we walked around the old city of Valletta, running into the War Museum when it started raining heavy. Kat is very interested in things about the World Wars, but I thought Susan would have said something as she hates "modern history". I think the only alternative was to get wet, so we went in and even Susan took an interest in the history. It is amazing that any of the old buildings survived after the bombings they endured. Certainly very deserving of the George Cross that was bestowed on the Maltese people.

Wednesday I wasn't feeling myself but the weather was lovely so I couldn't resist tagging along with the girls. First stop was Mosta, with its famous Church which was struck by a bomb during the Second World War during mass, and it didn't explode. Then we went to Ta Qali craft village that Susan remembered from her previous visit. It was amazing to see all of the pottery, lace, filigree and glass being made there and then. I heard Susan saying that she is going to have to buy a property in Malta just to have all these pretty things in as decoration, because they would be very difficult to transport back to the UK by air.
After spending far too much money, we headed to Mdina for lunch. One of the things Kat wanted to do while in Malta was ride in a karozzin, and because of the weather we hadn't seen any in Valletta. So when we got off the bus and saw the horses lined up, that was the first thing we did. Our guide was very pleasant and stopped at a couple of places for the girls to take photos. I hid away while they got photos taken with the horse, but when we eventually got to lunch, I did have a quick peek at the food. The Fontanella has superb views from the terrace and the menu is very good too. They had an excellent choice of main meals and lighter snacks, and far too many cakes to choose from! After a leisurely lunch shared with the Sparrows, we wandered around the alleys of Mdina before visiting the Natural History Museum. Susan was keen to see the bird collection and spent ages reading all the labels and information - she was interested to see that really common species in the UK are considered rare visitors in Malta, and thought this may be something to do with the hunting culture on the islands.

Thursday I still wasn't feeling great, so decided to have a day at the house, catching up with some sleep. Susan and Kat were meeting Keith to show them around the Three Cities, so I was sure they wouldn't need any company. I think they had a good day exploring, despite the weather, and spent the evening with Sue and Norbert at a Pool Tournament.

Catching up with my sleep must have been what I needed, as Friday I was back to my usual perky self! However, Kat and Susan were both feeling the early starts and had agreed that Friday would be a lie in day! When they eventually got up, we walked down the hill from Mellieha and headed towards Anchor Bay, otherwise known as Sweethaven from the Popeye film. I have never seen the film so didn't know what to expect but the film set for Popeye Village is amazing! It all looks like it's always been there, and most of the buildings are open with scenes and props available - I posed as Mayor of Sweethaven and with Popeye's boat (we didn't have to pay any taxes though). We even watched a showdown between Popeye and Bluto in the Square and visited the elves at Santa's Toy Town. The sky was doing weird things and Susan commented that if it wasn't so warm, it looked like snow. It was actually a sandstorm which made everything dirty, including my bag!

After spending a few hours at Sweethaven, we walked back to Mellieha for Kat to get a few minutes sitting on the beach, before catching a bus to the top of the hill to visit the impressive church. Kat didn't want to be out all day as she wanted to pack for the journey home, so we headed back for a few hours rest. Kat and Susan then took Sue and Norbert out for dinner to say thank you for letting us stay, before hitting the bright lights of Paceville for a Maltese send off. Apparently they went to one bar and sat there talking about work, boys and travel plans, and before they knew it, it was time to go home!

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Malta, but will insist that Susan takes me on her next trip there too - I feel like we barely scratched the surface of things to do and see there, so maybe next time we will go for a bit longer than just a week!

Wet West Coast, Oct 13

I'm starting to feel quite at home at Crewe train station! This time we were heading north to Scotland, Oban to be precise, to visit Susan's family. And by family, I don't just mean the two legged ones - her mum has lots of dogs who all tolerate me to some degree or other, but I always get nervous when Susan leaves me unattended with them. Unless it's Shimmy, who I like quite a lot. I think she's quite old but she is Susan's special dog and sleeps in her room.

 Although I have been to Oban before, I was excited about this trip as Susan had a few excursions planned! The wonder that is Couchsurfing had put her in touch with Brian, a South African living in the area. He had a visitor called Sebastian from Germany and they were planning a trip to Mull. Susan hadn't been to Mull in years, so she jumped at the chance to go with and play a bit of a tour guide for them. Unfortunately, the weather was horrible and the big plan of the day was to visit the White Tailed Sea Eagles. Now, I say, big plan, I wasn't too keen on the idea and made sure that Susan packed plenty of warm clothes around me just in case they could smell me from her bag! 

Thankfully for me, but unlucky for them, the Eagles had decided to hunker down somewhere else so they didn't see any. We still had an interesting hike up the hill to the nest with the ranger, and learnt lots about this species and the other birds on Mull. I think Susan would like to come back when they are ringing chicks, but I think I will make my excuses and not go on that trip! Sebastian was keen to get a photo of me with the eagle, and his sense of humour leaves a lot to be desired in my eyes - who "feeds" a meerkat to an eagle, even if it is a stuffed one!

Brian had taken his 4x4 over on the ferry, so we decided to drive to the south of Mull and visit Fionnphort, where the boat goes to Iona. Susan has visited Iona a few times with friends, but we didn't have time to take the ferry over to explore this small island, famous for its Abbey, which was founded by St Columba and brought Christianity to Scotland. I'd love to visit one day, as it's supposed to be a very tranquil place. We watched some fishermen bringing in the catch and saw the ferry make a couple of trips across the narrow Sound of Iona.
If you're not getting the ferry, there really isn't much to do in Fionnphort so we got back in the car and drove back towards Craignure. While we had been on Mull, it hadn't stop raining, and the road was very badly flooded in some places with all the water coming off the hills. Brian and Sebastian loved driving through the deep water and making big waves and splashes! Unfortunately, we were booked on the 6pm ferry and still had plenty of time so Brian suggested a trip to Tobermoray.
This picturesque fishing village was made famous by the children's show Balamoray. With it's brightly coloured houses and shop fronts, even in the rain it looks pretty! We spent some time walking along the quayside and visiting the few shops that were still open. While Brian went to buy a bag of chips, Susan popped into a chocolate shop and bought some sweet treats to take home. I would have liked to have visited the distillery, to meet Tobermoray Cat, but unfortunately we had to hit the road again to catch the ferry!

Goodbye Mull

With friends on the ferry

At the weekend, Susan's friend Kat was visiting Oban for the first time. I used the excuse that she may want another "kat" on the trip to tag along. On our way to meet her, we went over, then under the Connel Bridge, which stretches across the mouth of Loch Etive. When the tide goes out, the backlog of water cannot get out through the narrow gap quick enough, causing the Falls of Lora. There are often kayakers testing their skills on the water and the loch is a safe haven for marine life, with some record fish having been caught in its stretches (according to local papers.)

We took Kat into Oban and spent some time wandering around playing tourist. It felt strange in the off season, but there were still plenty of other visitors around, so Susan didn't look too out of place with her camera! Having Kat here was great cos she persuaded Susan to visit two places she had never been to before - the Cathedral and the War and Peace Museum. I'm not sure what she thought, but the Cathedral was pretty impressive for such a small town, and it was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the guy who designed Liverpool Cathedral and Battersea Power Station. Across the road we posed for some photos as the CalMac ferry came in from Mull. It was a different boat to the one we had travelled on, but they have three boats running out of Oban most days so ours might have been on a longer voyage to Coll, Tiree or Colonsay.

The most distinguishing feature in Oban is McCaigs Tower on the hill. The tower was designed by John McCaig, a banker during the late 19th Century. He based his design on the Colosseum in Rome and wanted it to be a lasting legacy to his family. Unfortunately he died before the work was completed and what stands today is only the outer shell of his plans. We didn't go up, but you can get fabulous photos with the tower from the North Pier, next to Ee'usk and Piazza restaurants which do fantastic seafood and Italian dishes!



 Kat was keen to see some more of the area, so we thought a wee drive down to Seil would be good. No trip down here is complete without a photo of the Bridge over the Atlantic, and we had fun sliding on the rocks looking for signs of otter.
Why? Because George Maxwells book Ring of Bright Water was adapted into a film which was set around Seil. Susan and I recently watched the film for the first time and it was really good to recognise many of the places featured.


We drove to Ellenabeich, which is often incorrectly called Easdale. Easdale is actually the island just a stones throw from Ellenabeich, and is home to the World Stone Skimming Championships, held ever year in a flooded quarry. We spent some time in the Visitor Centre, which Susan calls an Aladdin's cave of Scottish goodies. Being the off season, we were offered shortbread and tablet (a Scottish fudge), which was very scrummy! I must confess that I had a little too much, so when we left Kat threatened to make me get the bus back. Luckily for me, someone had erected a Meerkat sized bus shelter in the village square, so I wasn't too worried about the wait, but Susan persuaded her to take pity on me after I almost got nabbed by a seagull down on the pier!

I love shopping trips! Sept 13

Susan had a dilemma. She is going to be a bridemaid for her best friend and although they had picked out the dresses, she needed to buys some silver shoes. Bangor does not have many shoe shops, so she decided to have a shopping trip to Chester. I really wasn't looking forward to a day being dragged around the shops, but I knew that Susan was hoping to do some exploring and didn't want to be shopping all day. We got an early-ish train and arrived in Chester around 10am. The train station is a bit of a walk away from the main shopping area, and Susan hadn't been here for years, so she did what I would do and followed everyone else leaving the station! We soon found signs to follow and spent most of our time walking around admiring the architecture and not actually looking at potential shoe shops! When we got onto the main street, I heard a chuckle from Susan - she explained that her only memory of Chester was the Eastgate Clock and a Disney store beside it, which is exactly what she saw! I was so keen to go up to the clock and walk the city walls, but we had to do shopping first.
Thankfully, Susan isn't that keen on shopping either, and she only need to visit three shops before she found the pair that she liked, and could walk in! Even better - they were in the sale, so she had some pennies left over to spoil me!

One day, I might bring Susan to the races

Watching the birds on the river

We visited the Cathedral, then went on a boat ride along the river. I enjoyed watching the birds and Susan was keen to spot something rare (unfortunately, only swans, ducks and gulls on show). For some reason, Susan didn't want to buy a map of Chester, so we figured we would follow the river for a bit. It took us around the back of the city, and came out at the Racecourse! Susan was joking that she should have bought a hat and dressed smarter, but they weren't racing - in fact there weren't any horses to be found, even in the stables.
We walked under the railway bridge and found the city walls, which we walked around until we got to Eastgate and I could have my photo with the clock!

Finally! She made me wait all day for this photo!

Well...?

 When we got home, Susan thought it would be a good idea to practice wearing her shoes around the house. I thought it was hilarious watching her totter around in the heels, but she managed reasonably well for someone who doesn't wear heels at all, even going up and down stairs, outside on the path and on the kitchen tiles too! When we went downstairs for dinner, I couldn't resist trying them on to see what all the fuss was about - obviously not my size, but I think Sruffy likes them!

The boys are back in town, Jun 13

Susan had a houseful in June when her brother and dad arrived for a visit. Unfortunately Susan was working most days, but on her day off they arranged to go for an adventure and visit all the old haunts from when they used to live in Wales when she was a "wee girl". 

We set off in her dad's new car up into the hills, with the first stop being Bethesda. This was the first time she had taken me here, and I was intrigued to see the place she grew up in. We drove up the main road, with everyone remarking how much it had all changed. Then we went past her old primary schools and her dad suggested that we might go in (I don't think Susan or Tom were very keen on this idea!) Susan suggested that they take a walk up "the rocks" so we parked the car and walked up a footpath. Apparently when they lived here, the field we were walking through belonged to them, and her dad had a bright idea to keep ostriches on it! Thankfully her mum said no, and it was left as a public access path between the main part of Bethesda and the smaller village of Gerlan. We reached "the rocks" and I was amazed by the view! Right over towards the Penrhyn Slate Quarry! While I admired the view and their dad recovered from the climb, Susan and Tom climbed on the rocks, remarking how much easier it was to get to the top now that they had grown a bit (or a lot in Tom's case!)

Dad suggested that we look at the top falls, so we went a bit across the boggy ground to where the waterfalls were. They remembered the numerous occasions when teenagers would go skinny dipping in the river, BRRRRR!!! Even in June with the sun shining it was still freezing! We followed the river upstream and found a hole in the boundary fence that was supposed to keep the sheep out of the field - apparently some things never change as this was always a problem when they owned the land! We snuck through and spent almost an hour playing by the river, with Tom and dad building a massive dam using the stones, and Susan taking photos of them, me and the wildlife.

After Tom fell in (well, he dropped a foot into the water!), we headed back to the car for a late lunch. Susan's dad is great because he wasn't happy just sitting in a carpark eating his rolls, he wanted a view! So we drove a few miles up Nant Ffrancon to Llyn Ogwen, in the shadow of Tryfan. Here we had a very pleasant lunch watching the climbers scaling the Milestone Buttress at the base of Tryfan.

Viva Espana, Feb 13

Susan was visiting Adam in Spain, and she snuck me into her bag! I was so excited, as this was my first trip to Europe with her! I also hoped that Adam would be happy to see me - I think he thought I was spending too much time with Susan and was maybe a bit jealous of all the fun we were having while he was working abroad.

Anyway, we were flying early in the morning so decided to get a room at the travelodge at the airport. We weren't planning on arriving too late, but Susan didn't fancy paying for a meal in the restaurant (she was watching her pennies), so we stopped at a supermarket on the way and grabbed something to get us in the mood for Spain - Chorizo on a baguette!

The next day, we checked in and Susan spent quite a long time browsing the airport shops. Manchester is one of those really annoying airports that makes you walk past all the duty free stuff before you get on the plane. I swear they have money magnets in the shops that force people in, even if they don't want to spend any money! Poor Susan had this happen many times, but she listened to my advice and didn't spend any money other than a bottle of juice for the flight. I was so relieved when they called us to the gate and we could take our seats on the plane. Unfortunately, Susan hadn't actually booked me a seat, but the plane was quiet enough that I was allowed to sit next to the window and loved being above the world!

 We landed in Seville and were met by Adam. They had a lot to catch up on so I gave them some privacy while they went out exploring the area. On the second day, Susan said I could come too, and we had a wonderful day in the sun exploring the Alcazar Gardens. I just had to get a photo with some Seville oranges, but Adam advised me against eating them because they are very sour. I also had a game of hide and seek which Susan won after finding me hiding in this Jasmine tree.



Adam was keen to show us the Plaza de Espana, which was amazing! I loved seeing all the Province Alcoves which were decorated with tiled mosaics depicting the local trades for each province. Adam told us which ones he's been to and which ones he was planning on visiting.

After a few days in Seville and an overnight stop in sleepy town Osuna, where Adam was working, we headed for the Costa del Sol of Malaga! Widely known as a bit of a party place, we were surprised by how much history and culture there is alongside the busy bars and clubs. Susan had favoured Seville over Malaga for this reason, but I think she regretted not having longer in Malaga to experience the full culture of this region. Definitely a reason to go back!

Conquer the Castle! Beaumaris, Nov 12

Well, if they will leave the gate open...

Susan had arranged to meet up with some Spanish guys who were living in Llandudno and show them around. I tagged along, as I love meeting new people and the Spanish are always so friendly! Miguel, Marco and Luis were great, and we decided to take them to Beaumaris, a short bus ride across the Menai Straits. During the summer, Susan tells me that it is a bustling seaside town with lots of people buying ice cream and crabbing buckets, and going on boat trips along the Straits or to Puffin Island. In November, it's not so busy, so we decided to visit the Castle.

It was very quiet and we seemingly had the place to ourselves, so I had a great time posing as if I was trying to conquer the castle!

Sometimes I think Susan thinks I was a spy in my previous life before she found me. I'm happy to play along with this idea, but my true past will never be revealed!

Not the best entry option

I promise it wasn't me!

All alone... plenty of scheming to do!

Sometimes, over the wall is the best option!

Trip to Snowdonia with Susan and Tom, Oct 12

 First stop on our adventure was Beddgelert. This picturesque village in the middle of Snowdonia is home to the legend which gives the settlement its name.

"In the 13th Century, Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales had a palace at Beddgelert. One day he went hunting without Gelert, "The Faithful Hound", who was unaccountably absent. On Llewelyn's return, the truant stained and smeared with blood, joyfully sprang to meet his master. The Prince alarmed hastened to find his son and saw the infants cot empty, the bedclothes and floor covered with blood. The frantic father plunged his sword into the hound's side, thinking it had killed his heir. The dog's dying yell was answered by a child's cry. Llewelyn searched and discovered his boy unharmed but near by lay the body of a mighty wolf which Gelert had slain. The Prince filled with remorse is said never to have smiled again."

You can walk around the field where the palace stood, and we met with a replica of Gelert in the stone ruins.

We then drove east to Betws Y Coed, where Susan had a great time browsing for Christmas presents for her friends and family. We had lunch at a nice cafe overlooking the railway. I really wanted to go on the miniature train, but Tom was getting bored so we decided to head home. Just about had enough time to grab a snap with Kazie the Gorilla before we left though!

We drove back along the Conwy valley, which was breathtaking! I'm looking forward to Susan passing her driving test and getting a car so we can go back and explore properly!








As we were driving along the A55, Susan suggested that we take a small detour and walk up to Aber Falls. Susan had been on a walk here with a friend from Couchsurfing a while back, and thought that Tom might like to look at the rocks (he likes climbing). We parked and walked through the woods, following the stream up the valley. By the time we arrived at the Falls, it was starting to get dark, so we barely had time to look around before Susan was rushing to get us back to the car (I think she's afraid of the dark!) Persuaded her to take some photos of me in front of the Falls, but next time I might go for a swim, or climb to the top!