Petes Pix 2022

To Memorial Hall, Criccieth, to see the Starlight Players summer performance, an entertaining variety show written by cast mainstay Kate Dunn titled Starlight Showcase. First half follows the occupants of 'Clearford' as they form an amateur dramatic group and try to discover the talents of Clearford's villagers through open auditions -- scope for lots of am-dram in-jokes. Second half was the show put on by 'Clearford Amateur Theatrical Society - CATS'. Standout in this show was new member Samuel Jolly, playing Clearford Arm's rake-thin bartender - "Do I look like I drink real ale?" - and CATS choreographer. Paul Dunn as Horace gave his usual solid performance and a very touching soliloquy. Great to be joined by Caroline, Stuart and Elliott for dinner in Dylan's before we all saw the show. Thanks to Dan and Krisie for show tickets. Cast on Starlight Showcase in the final number

Preparing to leave Porthmadog station Aboard the Welsh Highland Railway - the UK's longest heritage railway  running for 25 miles between Porthmadog and  Caernarfon - in the luxury of the Pullman carriage with Dan, tickets courtesy of Krisie.  Enjoying a chilled split of Prosecco served at the table while seated in the comfort of the Pullman armchair with the beauty of Aberglaslyn Pass.  Halfway along, at the highest point, we swapped trains for the ride back.

24 July. Side salad that accompanied  Napoletana pizza at L'Italiana had long thin strips of cucumber fashioned as a bowl holding in the other ingredients . 25 July. At the Probus summer lunch  at Belvedere Restaurant I couldn't resist this French Apple tart. But as I was presenting a wine tasting for Welwyn Wine Society that evening I had to resist the wine - apart from the pre-dinner Prosecco served in the garden. . .

Viking Sineus To Odesa to cruise a little of the Black Sea and up the Dnieper River to Kyiv, with Peter & Sue Chasney who got a real bargain price. We moor along the route to sightsee at Kherson, Zaporozhye, Dnipro and Kremenchug. It's the final year for this particular itinerary, from 2020 the cruise will start/end near on the Danube near the city of Tulcea in Romania with all day bussing between Tulcea and Bucharest, lunch in Constanta, and a stay in a Bucharest hotel. This is to avoid Odesa and to use Bucharest which has better airline connections. Peter & Sue Our car came for us at 03:30 to get to LHR T2 for an 08:25 departure with LOT Polish Airlines. We had 90 minutes at Warsaw to make our connection for the onward flight. We - and our bags - met it. About a dozen passengers not on our flight had to wait till the following afternoon to get their bags. Lot Breakfast LHR>Warsaw Lot Lunch Warsaw>Odessa Seating on these flight, using Embraer aircraft, is 2x2 in busi