27th June 2026 - Oslo

 Breakfast is serve yourself buffet.  It was very good with plenty of  variety. After breakfast I walked across the square and up Karl Johan Gate to the royal palace.  

The Royal Palace 

There is an incredible view from the palace down the hill towards the city centre. There were toy soldiers guarding the palace. The weather was fine and sunny with temperatures around 25C.

View down the hill. 

 I walked round the back of the palace where you could book a tour. I think I'm over palace tours. At the rear there was a little park with a spectacular fountain.

Fountain behind palace. 

 I walked back to the hotel via the National Theatre and the Fan Zone for the soccer world cup. Most shops, tourist attractions don't open until 10am. The police were out in force. There was a gay march scheduled for later in the day and the organisers and police were blocking off roads. When I got back to the hotel Dave Knight was sitting waiting to check in, Gus was there too. After they checked in and I moved my luggage to the room I'm sharing with Colin the three of us decided to walk to the port and catch the ferry to the Maritime Museum. It was longer than we thought and it was quite hot so we had a couple of beers in a waterside cafe instead. There was a rock concert going on over the wall which managed deaden the duff duff music. We headed back to the hotel for our 4pm briefing from Mike Ferris. We received the keys and paperwork for our bikes so we went outside to check them out for any damage.  Mine had a slight scrape on the right bark buster. Colin was late as his train from Sweden was delayed by a broken down freight train.  He arrived at 5.30pm instead of 4pm. We had dinner at 7.30pm in the hotel restaurant.  The food was good even though service wasn't brilliant.  I had bolognese and tiramasu. A bottle of beer is around A $20. A bottle of water is $7. The room Colin and I share is not much bigger than the single room I had the previous night. 

Toy soldier guarding the palace. 

26th June 2027 - Dublin to Oslo

 David came round to my hotel for breakfast. I only had a light one like his, one egg, bacon and sausage. We drove back to his place and I rescued my washing which was dry but looked pounded to death. The wash/dry cycle was 7.4 hours!!! David took me on his daily walk to Mortons supermarket about 15 minutes away. He buys his Irish Times and one days provisions there every day. 

David shopping 

On our way to the supermarket

Secret door into David's back access. 

We just had a snack for lunch, sausage roll. David ordered a taxi for me for 2.15pm to go to the airport. We said our goodbyes outside his place. I probably won't get back to Ireland again and David doesn't think he'll get to Australia. His eyesight is bad and his knee is pretty crook so his mobility is impinged badly. The gate to my SAS flight to Oslo was miles away and they didn't have a lounge for business class passengers. There were only two business class passengers on the flight, me and a Norwegian bloke. The seats were economy seats but right at the front. We had a meal provided where the rest of the passengers had to pay for their food. We were delayed getting away because of a shortage of staff to drive the trucks that push the aircraft back from the gate! ! We waited for 40 minutes but were only twenty minutes late into Oslo. I took the train from the airport to Oslo central station. It cost A $19. The hotel was close to the station. The extra night for a pokie one bed room unit cost A $449! !!! I was into my room at 9.30pm.

Entrance to my room. 

My bed  $449

25th June 2026 - Belfast to Dublin

 We had an early breakfast at 9am at Clandeboye Lodge.  We were on the road by 10am and heading through the city on the main highway to Dublin A1/M1. At Loughbrickland we turned off the highway and headed east to Rathfriland and Denis's old place. We went down these country lanes which were getting narrower and narrower.  I wasn't sure what we were going to do if we met a car coming the other way,  luckily we didn't meet anyone.  Denis's place was surrounded by lush grass and plants,  a proverbial jungle.  The new owner had built another house as he found Denis's place a bit dark.  

David amongst the foliage round Denis's house  

The new house built by new owner 

The front of Denis's house 

There was a car there but no one home. We went next door to a garden centre owned by the farmer  (James ) who owned the property next door to Denis. He had destroyed David's dam but David didn't take issue with him just to keep the peace. We met James's mother,  Elisabeth who knew David from his last visit.  David likes collecting all these long lost relatives.  The garden centre had come to the end of its season and James was ordering plants for next year. It was a well presented establishment.  We left after a chat and headed to Newry to get back on the highway M1 to Dublin. We managed to get to David's place around 3pm so I loaded his washing /drying machine with all my dirty washing.  I had been wearing my shorts and short-sleeved shirt for three days by now. The weather was quite hot at 26C.  David James had booked a table at Layla's Rooftop restaurant in the Devlin Hotel.  I persuaded David to go one stop on the Luas light rail and walk the rest.  We walked past the restaurant as we had forgotten that it was on top of the Devlin Hotel. David and I were the first there followed closely by Kate.  Then David James arrived with Conor and Evan in tow.

David James,  Evan,  David,  Alan, Kate, Conor  

 It was a great evening and the food was excellent. Conor has to do a resit in August and Evan was heading off on a tour of Europe with a few of his mates. David James was heading to Sitges in the morning for a few days. Kate was in great form and walking miles every day. She gave me a gift for Jacki. David and I walked back to my hotel, The Uppercross. We had a chat in the lounge before David took a taxi home. 

24th June 2026 - Belfast

 We were going to have lunch with Barbara McCartney in Donaghadee today so before we went we did a tour of our old holiday location,  Cloughey.  We checked out Brackendale where it looks like the individual houses have been sold. Some have had serious renovations done whilst others have just had a lick of paint. 

Brackendale Cottages 

We walked down to the beach and along the strand. There was a lot of sea mist as the breeze was cool and not warm enough to burn it off. We went to check out the shop near the school but it is now a private home.

Admiring the view of Cloughey beach 

 Next we walked back down the road to the Kirkiston Golf Club where we used to play as kids. The new clubhouse is quite impressive and the Pro shop is in the same location as it was in 2002. 

Kirkiston Golf Club 

The course is looking in great nick. David had done enough walking so I went up to the top car park and drove the car down to where David was sitting.  We motored through the village up to the 'T" junction at lifeboat station and bought an Irish Times at the petrol station. 

Next we headed north along the coast road to Donaghadee. On the way we stopped at Ballywalter and I went for a walk to the harbour whilst David read his Irish Times. The tide was low so all the boats were sitting on the mud flats. 

We got to Barbara's place a little early so we had a chat and David gave her some photos he had found of Robin and Denis.

At 1.30pm we went to the pub for a light lunch. Barbara has had some pretty horrific surgery over the past year but she was well recovered. We reminisced about Kincora and Cloughey. I managed to find a few photos of her and Denis on my phone.

David, Barbara and Alan 

23rd June 2026 - Belfast

 David managed to lose his phone somehow.  We searched his room and the car.  I called John Birch and he told me that David's phone was at his place.  John was still in his PJs (10am) so we went into Bangor to get David's Irish Times before heading to John's place.  John had a guest,  David Russell,  a prop forward from his Inst days so we stayed a while and shot the breeze.  David's wife Susie  (Cowzer) turned up to pick him up and she told us she used to stay in Brackendale Cottages in Cloughey so we swapped stories about the water pump and outside dunnies. David and I left about midday and headed to Bells Emporium at Knock. David buys his coffee beans there at vast expense.  We had lunch in the restaurant,  not very inspiring. After lunch we headed to Neil Cameron's place, another schoolmate of David of whom I knew the name.  He is in a wheelchair as he has had both legs amputated because of circulation issues. He was a champion cross country runner but smoking and whisky got the better of him. In the evening Joyce,  Harry and Alison came to Clandeboye Lodge for dinner.  They were all in good form and it was a very enjoyable evening. Alison was heading off in the morning to Cornwall for a holiday with her daughter.  Joyce and Harry celebrate their 60th anniversary  on 2nd July!!!

The Belfast rellies

22nd June 2026 - Dublin - Belfast

 Breakfast was included with my room so I arranged to meet David there at 9.15 am. He said to start without him so I did and he eventually arrived at 9.30 am. I had cereal and full Irish breakfast.  After breakfast we headed back to David's place to pick up my suitcase.  The trip to Belfast was fairly uneventful,  we had lunch in Holywood on the way to Clandeboye Lodge.  We checked in about 2pm and went to our rooms for a nanna nap?? At 5pm we went into Bangor to fetch John Birch for dinner this evening.  He was captain of one of Inst's most successful rugby teams. They won the Ulster Schools Cup and the Roehampton Seven-a-side. He was in David's class at Inst and have been great friends for over 70 years. He won two caps for Ireland in Argentina in 1970. He was presented with his caps at the Aviva Stadium (Landsdowne Road ) on 15th November 2024. 

Alan, John and David 

We had dinner with John at Clandeboye Lodge.  He is a very interesting character and knows all the famous Irish rugby players.  He took a taxi home and David and I retired to our rooms to recover from the stresses of the day???

21st June 2026 - Dublin

 We landed early at 7.50 am. It was pretty basic as we used stairs rather than an air bridge to disembark!!!! Our luggage took for ever to get to the carousel.  Eventually the bags arrived.  David had texted me to say he was at the "arrivals". When I came out he was nowhere to be seen. My phone didn't work as Telstra doesn't include Ireland in their roaming deal. I logged on to the airport wifi and called David James on Whatsapp. He answered sounding breathless  (he was riding up and down Howth hill). He called David and discovered he was waiting in Terminal 2 Arrivals area not Terminal 1 where I was. Eventually David turned up and we took a taxi to his place.  We caught up with all the news and then headed to the Nursing Home attached to David's complex for lunch. Lunch was the usual canteen fare, not very inspiring.  

Lunch in the nursing home canteen 

I met a few of David's neighbours on the way back from lunch. They were charming and very friendly,  mainly women. Back at his placed I showed a few family videos using my phone screen sharing with his TV.

David's garden furniture! !!

Chair with cushions! !

A couple of old codgers soaking up the sun. 

 About 4pm David James turned up and we sat out in the back yard and shot the breeze. We had some quiche and sausage rolls for tea and a glass of Cote de Rhone. David James went home and David took me to my hotel "Uppercross Hotel " where I stayed in 2024.

21st June 2026 - Toronto

 John came round about 12pm for a spot of lunch and a chat. He is very social and always wants to know what's happening in the family. He was staying with Ghislaine at her mother's place. Margaret had bought some cold meats and bagels for lunch. John and I polished off the rest of the red wine. 

Big brother and little sister 

Cool dudes!!!

 After lunch we went for a walk round the park. After the walk John and I polished off a couple of beers. The weather was warm and sunny,  very pleasant. At 5pm I called an Uber for the airport.  John, Margaret and I said our good byes and I headed for the airport.  The check-in for business class was quick and painless with "Priority" access.  The main Air Canada lounge was closed so I was directed to the 'Signature' lounge. Unfortunately there was a queue outside the lounge as it was full. I had to wait about 15 minutes to get in. When there, the service was excellent.  I had some soup and shiraz and sent a couple of emails.  I headed to the gate around 8pm and was first on board so I got plenty of overhead locker space for my carry on case and helmet. We left on time at 8.50 pm and dinner was served soon after.  I had ordered pasta and pork ribs. Pretty average.  I watched a documentary on Ozempic, not very good. The flight to Dublin was only six hours and the time difference is +5 hours. I put the seat flat and tried to sleep but not very successfully.

19th June 2026 - Toronto

 Quiet start to the day. Breakfast then washing done at laundromat on the 3rd floor. I went to the library to pick up Margaret 's first preloaded audio book. Loaded a few more photos on Margaret 's Aura photo frame.  After lunch I went for a walk, Margaret didn't come.  All the activity over the past few days is catching up with her. She went to the dentist on the ground floor to have a cap replaced on one of her front teeth.

John and Ghislaine drove from Lewisberg arriving around 6.30pm. Ian ordered in chinese food so we got stuck in washed down with a few beers.  There was Ian, Anne Marie, John, Ghislaine,  Margaret and I. Ian and Anne Marie have a labradoodle called Runa. She runs all over the place trying to lick you. Not a bad dog pretty harmless. 

Ian and Anne-Marie 's takeout feast

Rogue's gallery taken by Anne-Marie 

18th June 2026 - Toronto

 We had a lazy morning before Caira and Aidan came for lunch. We went to one of their favourite restaurants "Union Social " just down the road from Margarets. They are really a couple of charming and engaging kids.  Caira has finished her second year of a nursing degree and Aidan has just finished high school and is going to try out for a higher level hockey team. If he gets it he is going to defer his Business studies degree for one year. 

Ian, Margaret and Ian at lunch.

The last delivery arrived from Amazon,  two wing nuts and bolts for Margarets smaller walker. It is a lot lighter than her tegular walker so it is easier to take on public transport etc. 

A bad attempt at a selfie in Margaret's toof garden 

Ian invited Margaret and I for dinner at an Italian restaurant near him called Occhiolino (wink,,,) . The food was really good. Margaret and I were really impressed.

Ian and family are going to Greece and Turkey in July. I suggested to the kids that they should do the hot air balloon trip in Cappadocia.  When I suggested it to Ian he said no because he suffers from acrophobia ( fear of heights ). Margaret and I took Ubers to and from the restaurant.  Very efficient and reasonably priced. 

17th June 2026 - Toronto

 Slept like a log last night, must be the jet lag catching up with me. Today Margaret and I did jobs around the flat. 

- Replaced all the blown light globes.

- Replaced the ink cartridges in her printer. 

- Installed an HDTV antenna so Margaret could watch free to air TV without having to       

This is Margaret at her computer. 

have a Cable TV account.  She gets five channels. 

-Went to the library and got an eaudiobook. They have books preloaded on an Mp3 player and all you have to do is add a AAA battery and headphones.  Margaret didn't have decent headphones so I went to the local Dollarama shop round the corner and bought a new set. 

The view from Margarets balcony. 

We went on the library website and I showed Margaret how to search these eaudiobooks. She has ordered one and will see if the system works.  The website is not very intuitive. 

After lunch we went for our regular walk around the park. The weather is warm and overcast but no rain.

We went to the Swias Chalet for dinner. It is just round the corner from Margaret's place. The meal was good but the waiter was a bit odd. It was raining  when we got out so there goes through the good weather!!!

16th June 2026 - Toronto

 Margaret has been having some issues with the intercom for the building when she opens the front door for visitors. Anybody that enters her code at the front door gets an odd message from the Bell Telephone Company talking about converting to fibre or being cut-off. We thought it was scam but Margaret found out it was the Bell telephone company trying to get all the residents in the building to convert to fibre connection.  She has already converted but still gets the message. Apparently Bell just sends it out to everybody because it is easier for them. Unfortunately it affects the voice communications between the visitor and Margaret.  She can't hear them and they can't hear her. If she presses the magic button at her end the door opens but it could be anybody Margaret is letting in.

I had lunch with Jim and Aldona at Allens pub. I had been there before with Aldona on St. Patrick's day in 2014 when I was here for Margaret's 80th. It was a nice sunny day so we sat out in the back patio. Jim insisted on paying so Aldona and I ordered up big time!!!!

The Three Amigos

Aldona has just got back from her annual holiday with Anna and Monica to some exotic place in Italy. According to Aldona it was a tour if geriatrics. Five blokes and twenty-odd women all well over seventy.... interesting.  

The things you see when you haven't got a gun!!!

When I got back to Margaret's apartment I had to have a Nanna nap to process the beer from lunch??

Margaret  and I went for a walk round the park again. The weather was still fine and cool although there were some black clouds to the north but as yet no precipitation. 

I did some more tinkering on Margaret's computer,  adding bigger fonts to the desktop and email.  She has an appointment on 8th July with an Opthalmologist to determine what treatment she needs to cure the cloudiness in her left eye. 

Hit the sack at 10.30 pm.

15th June 2026 - Toronto

 Got up around 8am and had some breakfast, checked out a few computer problems for Margaret and then headed into town for a doctor's appointment at a local hospital. Ian came along as he wanted to understand more about Margaret's condition. 

It was a spinal specialist who explained very clearly using xray pictures what the issues were with Margaret's scoliosis in her spinal column. This is the first time in years that anybody has explained to Margaret her options and her prognosis. The main problem is that certain vertibrae are impacting her spinal cord and  causing her pain. It is getting worse but very slowly and she is managing the pain. The doctor explained the options.

1) An epidural.

2) An operation which is keyhole surgery to relieve the pressure on the spinal cord.

3) Monitor the pain level and only do 1) or 2) if it becomes unmanageable. 

When it does become unmanageable she should have an epidural which should give relief for three or four months. She can have multiple epidurals.  Option 2) has risks because of Margaret's age and should only be considered as a last resort.  Margaret and Ian were really happy with the doctor's diagnosis and explanation.  Before we went into the doctor Margaret and I went to the food hall for some lunch. I tried to pay with my new Wise card but it was rejected. It seems I hadn't activated it and needed to enter an activation code that was sent with the card. Of course I left the letter with the code in Sydney.  The only other way to activate the card was to withdraw money from an ATM. I tried a couple of ATMs near Margaret but they all wanted to charge me $3 - $5 in fees so I withdrew  $50 and it cost me $5!! At least the card works now as I tested it buying some beer and groceries at Loblaws.

We went for a walk round a local park which I recognised from previous visits. The weather was fine but cool, very pleasant. We ate in with Margaret making chicken pasta and caesar salad. She had a bottle of red wine which I gladly imbibed. She doesn't drink because of all the medications she takes.

I added a few more photos to her Aura Photo Frame and we talked to about 10pm. We both hit the sack at 10.30pm. 

14th June 2026 - Sydney to Toronto

 I drove to the airport with Mike leaving at 6am for my 9.20 am flight to Vancouver. My luggage was way under my 32kg limit at 21 kgs. I was able to carry my helmet as cabin baggage as well as my cabin case. Going business class I got priority through security and passport control which was all automated now with machines reading your passport and taking your photo. I went to the Air New Zealand lounge for a coffee and finish reading my Financial Review.  I didn't eat anything as I knew we were having 'lunch' served soon after departure.  The flight, Air Canada AC34 left pretty much on time. The business class seats were the 'pod' type which could be converted into a flat bed. There was enough room to store my helmet at the very end of it on a shelf by your feet as the overhead lockers were full.  Everybody seems to travel with carry on luggage as big as a suitcase???

Lunch

The view from my window 

A Bloody Caesar

The entertainment system was OK but the movies were the usual wham, bam save the world type. I watched an old movie "Dog Day Afternoon " which was Al Pacino's first major role. It was  a bank robbery in slow motion and I couldn't finish it. I mainly listened to music and later on watched Brad Pitt in F1 about Formula One.  Surprisingly good!!

Most of the 14.5 hr flight was spent in darkness with passengers sleeping even though it was daytime for us. The flight was fairly smooth but  I didn't sleep as when we arrived in Vancouver at 7.12am on 14th June it was just after midnight in Sydney on 14th June. 

I was travelling to Toronto via Calgary as the direct flight would have cost me $2,000 more??? I'm not sure why.  The flight to Calgary left at 8am and I had to get to it before 7.45 am when they close the door.  The flight crew on my Sydney flight assured me I would make it even though I had to clear immigration. I made it .... just ... and so did one of the pilots from my Sydney flight but I had to run all the way to the gate. Luckily my suitcase was booked all the way to Toronto.  The aircraft to Calgary and Toronto were smaller Boeing 737s with a fairly small business class section.  The seats were good with plenty of legroom.  They served breakfast to Calgary and then lunch to Toronto. I passed on the breakfast as I had some on the Sydney flight just before landing.  I had lunch on the way to Toronto. The flight was on time to Toronto but the baggage was slow to appear on screen telling us were to pick it up. I suddenly thought that there was no way it would have made the Calgary flight so I looked for a luggage carousel with a Vancouver flight and there it was!! 

Ian picked me up and took me to Margaret's place. I'm glad he did as I was flagging badly with jet lag being on the go for 23 hours. Margaret greeted us at her front door and was surprised how quickly we got there from the airport. 

I hit the sack around 10pm knackered.