pogofish

Yup. Time to let it lie.

Yup. Interesting - I see Hogshead's parent company was restructured last year: Laurel Pub Company to call in administrators - Times Online

Ohh, don't start me on them! And even then, they are not averse to shutting down branches once they have kiled-off the competition an an area.

Maybe that will go along with the Nandos that is apparently headed for Union Square, or one of the empty units at the beach? Didn't I hear a rumour about the former Amadeus maybe being subdivided into three units?

Seen various toy/gadget shops take-on short lets for just the festive season here before. Maybe this was another one?

Thanks This will be for another website so I'll need my own.

Is that running here yet? - I could use a photo!

Union Square is still under construction & growing like topsy. I have heard disquiet from the inside the council about just how few units are actually going to be let when it opens. Adams here was not on the list of 111 shops closing first, so I presume it is still trading. Noticed the CLC (Christian Literature Crusade) shop has shut or merged with another outlet too.

Yup. Mind you, its developer's skill at getting councils to pick-up its debts in other places (eg Leeds, Huddersfield) probably mean they will be OK. I can see this one being subsumed into our uber-mall sooner rather than later. I was laso looking at he hoardings for the new fashion extension yesterday - Think five of the six firms spearheading the renovation are now doddering badly.

I see the Hogshead has closed now: http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/Article.aspx/1017444

Well, here is my other cat Whiskers: And the other one surveying her territory:

Maybe another on Cockburn St then but the one I looked at once was quite jawdropping. Also worth checking the Travelodge website - If you know your dates a bit in advance, you can sometimes get a room there as cheap as any hostel, cheaper if there are a couple sharing.

If that is the one I'm thinking of, it used to be a grade-a rip-off IMO

Funnilly enough, the last thing I did before going on a brandy, cough mixture & strepsil run just now was to dump all my bedclothes in the wash! A hot bath & a clean bed does make you feel better.

New SYHA hostel up near the top of Leith walk - Single/en-suite rooms IIRC & in you price range. It is open 24hrs but there may be a last book-in time.

Excellent! :D

Cold & flu can however make you more succeptable to bacterial infection - particularly chest infections & if that happens, antibiotics can be about the only thing that will shift them/prevent it becoming chronic. Currently sniffling away with a mild cold here. Covonia original & brandy up to now but the brandy ran out last night. Now on to the Grouse!

Go ahead then!

Having a mate who is a Dublin taxi driver is a very useful thing!

Thought the Malt Mill had given up on bands, or did they change their minds?

Upland Aberdeenshire - Bloody freezing but nice to stretch my legs for a while. Yes, she's a cheeky wee cat: Wideangle distortion!

I was posting from up here the other day: More normally, I can see something like this: or this:

Here we go: How to travel London to Dublin by train+ferry | From ?27 each way SailRail Rail and Sail from Holyhead to Dublin Port | Stena Line Think it was SailRail that gave me the best price/train time options.

It was 40-odd fo the bus when I looked at it last year. Rayanair was a funny schedule no? Or have they improved the service? Last time, I could have got there & back in two days, or had to stay the best part of a week if I wanted only a day longer. The combined train/ferry ticket was only slightly dearer (55 OTOH) & proably more worthwile for time & comfort. The train companies do combined rates from all over the UK, so do not try to book it through the normal rail portal as you will get a stupid rate, plus ferry. Website was a fucker to find - I'll away & look again.

Get yourself a small hurricane lamp. Good light, not heavy, no batteries & runs for ages on a small amount of paraffin. Carry this in a seperate bottle & wrap the lamp in a resealable plastic bag. A decent ironmonger will have them for a few quid. Think my 8" (perfect rucsac size) one was 3.50 & I've seen 10" or 12" inchers in places like Internacionale (downstairs) for less than 2. It also has the benifit of detering insects in summer & is a useful tent heater, which might be handy if you are camping in a few weeks. Another tip - Put a dog-clip in the loop at the top of your tent to hang it from. Otherwise, the Coleman battery lamp is pretty good & the remote control is dead useful for finding your (or any other coleman equipped) tent in the dark. You don't get anything like the advised hourage out of a full charge tho.