Charles on the move!Tuesday: At breakfast Charles decides on the kidneys but after a 15 minute wait is told they are OFF!
Today we are bound for St Patrick's Cathedral and require more than the usual amount of equipment so load up my car (known as China).
Jinx #4: En route we spot a garage selling Diesel and join a queue for the pumps. Being early morning it is fairly busy and the owner, standing on the forecourt, directs me into the out lane. She then announces that she will fill the car and shooes me off in the direction of the shop to pay, but part way there a warning bell sounds in my head and I race back - sure enough - she's filling China with PETROL! Aaarrrrgh! All 17 litres of it.
I have to say this for the lady, she is exceptionally contrite and exceptionally helpful. We pile our luggage into her car and she drives us to St Patrick's, finds us at midday to give a progress report and finally collects us at 4pm when we find China sitting quietly in the forecourt gazing at the Grand Canal, having had the petrol siphoned out and a full colonic irrigation before being filled up with DIESEL. Inside the car is a jolly carrier bag with 2 bottles of wine and a large box of chocolates! So, from experience, I have to concur that Irish fuel is exceptionally cheap.
Despite the crowds, filming in St Patrick's goes very well, thank goodness, and Gavan Woods, the Cathedral Supervisor, proves to be very jolly and most helpful. Vertigo kicks in when I attempt the spiral staircase and I wimp out of the second set even though they provide good views of the Brangwyn window.
Jinx #5: Roadworks et al. We then move outside and set up in St Patrick's Park to take some external shots of the ediface and record my usual galimatias. However the hedge trimmers are out in force and some men are digging a very large hole in the adjacent road. I dash off to enquire how long the work might take or when they next anticipate a tea break - ah, this is an emergency, but they might be finished within the hour. So we move on to the Iveagh Trust buildings but they are plagued by the same noise and the traffic, so move on again to the Iveagh Market. Here a van conveniently parks in front of the camera, almost mowing me down in the process (Charles has a knack of positioning me in the middle of the road for my babbles - could this be coincidence or malice aforethought I wonder?!) Having relocated the camera, the dreaded road menders appear from nowhere and start drilling with gusto.
Returning to St Patrick's and the Iveagh Trust we discover that the hole in the road is now being shored up and the noise has abated. We manage to complete by 4pm as arranged with the garage proprietor.
I then drive into the City and Charles films the Liffey and O'Connell Bridge whilst I sit in the car in an illegal space and hope the garda don't appear. On to St James's Gate for film of the Guinness Brewery, and some more illegal parking.
Jinx # 6: Back to the hotel for a quick wash and brush up and book a taxi because this evening we have promised ourselves a treat - a meal at the Alexis Bar and Grill in Dun Laoghaire. We tell the driver quite clearly that we want the Alexis Bar, St Patrick's Street, Dun Laoghaire and are slightly confused by the route he takes. When he arrives at St Patrick's Street, Dublin we politely point out his error - and, to be fair, he is also contrite and helpful - rings up the restaurant, explains that we will be late, resets the meter, and when we arrive reduces the fare!
The meal is superb especially the freshly caught tuna, the waiter produces 2 spoons for Charles's dessert without prompting, and the prices are less than in Dublin itself. Highly recommended.
This time we state very very carefully that we wish to return to D U B L I N - 'oh', says the taxi driver, 'no worries, I'll take you to Timbuctoo if you really want.'
Jinx #4: En route we spot a garage selling Diesel and join a queue for the pumps. Being early morning it is fairly busy and the owner, standing on the forecourt, directs me into the out lane. She then announces that she will fill the car and shooes me off in the direction of the shop to pay, but part way there a warning bell sounds in my head and I race back - sure enough - she's filling China with PETROL! Aaarrrrgh! All 17 litres of it.
I have to say this for the lady, she is exceptionally contrite and exceptionally helpful. We pile our luggage into her car and she drives us to St Patrick's, finds us at midday to give a progress report and finally collects us at 4pm when we find China sitting quietly in the forecourt gazing at the Grand Canal, having had the petrol siphoned out and a full colonic irrigation before being filled up with DIESEL. Inside the car is a jolly carrier bag with 2 bottles of wine and a large box of chocolates! So, from experience, I have to concur that Irish fuel is exceptionally cheap.
Despite the crowds, filming in St Patrick's goes very well, thank goodness, and Gavan Woods, the Cathedral Supervisor, proves to be very jolly and most helpful. Vertigo kicks in when I attempt the spiral staircase and I wimp out of the second set even though they provide good views of the Brangwyn window.
Jinx #5: Roadworks et al. We then move outside and set up in St Patrick's Park to take some external shots of the ediface and record my usual galimatias. However the hedge trimmers are out in force and some men are digging a very large hole in the adjacent road. I dash off to enquire how long the work might take or when they next anticipate a tea break - ah, this is an emergency, but they might be finished within the hour. So we move on to the Iveagh Trust buildings but they are plagued by the same noise and the traffic, so move on again to the Iveagh Market. Here a van conveniently parks in front of the camera, almost mowing me down in the process (Charles has a knack of positioning me in the middle of the road for my babbles - could this be coincidence or malice aforethought I wonder?!) Having relocated the camera, the dreaded road menders appear from nowhere and start drilling with gusto.
Returning to St Patrick's and the Iveagh Trust we discover that the hole in the road is now being shored up and the noise has abated. We manage to complete by 4pm as arranged with the garage proprietor.
I then drive into the City and Charles films the Liffey and O'Connell Bridge whilst I sit in the car in an illegal space and hope the garda don't appear. On to St James's Gate for film of the Guinness Brewery, and some more illegal parking.
Jinx # 6: Back to the hotel for a quick wash and brush up and book a taxi because this evening we have promised ourselves a treat - a meal at the Alexis Bar and Grill in Dun Laoghaire. We tell the driver quite clearly that we want the Alexis Bar, St Patrick's Street, Dun Laoghaire and are slightly confused by the route he takes. When he arrives at St Patrick's Street, Dublin we politely point out his error - and, to be fair, he is also contrite and helpful - rings up the restaurant, explains that we will be late, resets the meter, and when we arrive reduces the fare!
The meal is superb especially the freshly caught tuna, the waiter produces 2 spoons for Charles's dessert without prompting, and the prices are less than in Dublin itself. Highly recommended.
This time we state very very carefully that we wish to return to D U B L I N - 'oh', says the taxi driver, 'no worries, I'll take you to Timbuctoo if you really want.'
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