Ian Sweeney

I tried to book my September flight to Abu Dhabi yesterday using the Etihad website. During the process there were a number of messages telling me that the website was overloaded due to popular demand and suggesting I try again later.
I eventually finished the booking and payment process, or so I thought, but when I tried to email the reservation number to myself the website redirected me back to the Etihad home screen.
I thought nothing of it as I’ve booked with Etihad often in the past so was happy to wait for their confirmation email.
The email never arrived. The website allows me no way to check the details of a booking unless I have a booking reference which I don’t have.
I called their UK customer service number, 020 3450 7300, and listened to their brand tune for 15 minutes before speaking to someone, AGENTID04318979, who put me on hold (more band tune). The call lasted for 38 minutes in total.

http://www.etihadairways.com

I went to Stevenage today to see Stuart’s new flat and to take Mum out for lunch. I took her a present too; an amarylis ‘kit’. The kit had no bulb! It’s been that sort of day.

We (Mum, Stuart, Nicole, and me) had lunch in the Waggon and Horses in Graveley as Stevenage was deemed to have nowhere decent to eat. The garden of the Waggon and Horses is quite a nice setting.

Stuart’s flat is beautiful. I wish I had something as nice. Instead I have to live in substandard accomodation which is all I can afford while he benefits from all the council have to offer. Bitter? Me?

http://www.thewaggon-graveley.co.uk

I’ve just had a new fitted kitchen installed and the brand new freezer, full of recently frozen food, is dead. It’s very irritating that so much food will be binned, and who know how long it will take to replace the f****er.

To celebrate Helen’s birthday we (Helen, Ian, Susanne, and I) lunched yesterday at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, a two star Michelin restaurant in central London. It was top notch, both in terms of food and service. Highly recommended!!!

http://www.joelrobuchon.co.uk/

I saw the Don McLean concert at Hampton Court Palace last night with Martin & Patrick. The songlist was fairly dull although American Pie went down well and the venue was a great setting for his closing number about the ghost of Anne Boleyn.

With Her head tucked underneath her arm

In the tower of London, large as life,
the ghost of Anne Boleyn walks they declare.
Poor Anne Boleyn was once King Henry’s wife
until he made the headsman bob her hair.
Ah, yes, he did her wrong long years ago
and she comes up at night to tell him so,

Chorus:
With her head tucked underneath her arm
she walks the bloody tower,
With her head tucked underneath her arm
at the midnight hour.

She comes to haunt King Henry. She means giving him what for.
Gadzooks, she’s going to tell him off. She’s feeling very sore,
And just in case the headsman wants to give her an encore,
she’s has her head tucked underneath her arm.

(Chorus)

Sometimes gay King Henry gives a spread
for all his pals and gals and ghostly crew.
The headsman craves the joint and cuts the bread
then in comes Anne Bolyn to queer the do.
She holds her head up with a wild war whoop
and Henry cries, “Don’t drop it in the soup!”

(Chorus)

One night she caught King Henry, he was in the canteen bar.
Said he, “Are you Jane Seymour, Anne Bolyn, or Katherine Parr?
How the sweet san perryann do I know who you are
with your head tucked underneath your arm?”

(Chorus)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_McLean

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampton_Court_Palace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pie_(song)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_Her_Head_Tucked_Underneath_Her_Arm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Boleyn

We went to see Kerry Ellis and Brian May at Hampton Court Palace last night.

As part of the Hampton Court Palace Festival Kerry Ellis sang every song from her album Anthems. She also sang a selection of Queen hits which included ’Love Of My Life’, ‘Save Me’, ‘We Are The Champions’, and  ’We Will Rock You’ as well as the Brian May track ‘No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)’. Brian May accompanied her as lead guitarist as he also produced the album. Of course Dr May (PhD in astrophysics!!!) did a few sets on his own too.

I hadn’t even heard of the musical Kristina before but ‘You Have To Be There‘ was cracking.

I’m embarrassed to say what I spent on the tickets but I thought the show was worth every penny and then some. Kerry Ellis has a fantastic voice and Brian May’s talent speaks for itself. The venue wasn’t bad either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthems_(Kerry_Ellis_album)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Ellis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_May

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampton_Court_Palace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristina_fr%C3%A5n_Duvem%C3%A5la

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0040EFVBK/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk6

I’ve been to the dentist and had one of my back teeth removed. My tongue tells me that the gap left behind is huge. The tooth, which was returned to me, doesn’t look all that big although it does look fairly gruesome. It doesn’t smell too good either. Yeuch!!!

The dentist, Rosie d’Souza, I happily recommend. As the local anesthetic wears off I plan to max out on pain killers and catch up on some sleep.

Last night I read ‘The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy‘ in a single sitting. It was good fun.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Affair-Bloodstained-Burford-Family-Mysteries/dp/0749080493/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1307545303&sr=8-2

We ate at Cantina Laredo last night: a shared chicken quesadilla starter, followed by enchilada Veracruz and chicken fahitas. At £5 for the starter and £15 each for our main courses you might be lulled into thinking the this Tex/Mex was just about affordable. The catch is with the drinks.

This is a chain restaurant with branches worldwide and the location on St Martin’s Lane (next to Jamie’s Italian) partly explains the higher prices. Service was efficient but the room was too noisy which meant conversation was harder than should be neccessary. You can eat the same fare at the Texas Embassy on Trafalgar Square at a lesser cost, so that’s what I’ll do in future.

http://www.cantinalaredo.com/menu/bar.pdf

We saw X-Men: First Class last night. It wasn’t awful but it was very slow.

http://www.x-menfirstclassmovie.com/