Paddy and the Skin of His Teeth

Another great night last night, including me cooking an alfresco paella on the steel fire-pit out on our tiny courtyard deck (with gazebo awning rigged to keep off the rain). That has got to be a good omen and influence on the weather to come for 2013! Regardless, the food was well received last night, and even though we fed 10, we still had spare portions left over (the benefit of a paella pan 3-feet across and 3" deep).

Sad, but today was out last day in Beaumaris before heading back to Knutsford. I was picking J up from Stockport Station at 6.30, so we planned a lazy breakfast, a quick tidy up, and then set off home at 3. To give us time to clean the house, Martin kindly offered to run Paddy and Steph the 40 minute drive back to Holyhead for the 2.30pm ferry, where they were foot-passengers back to Dublin (with a drive then back to Downpatrick, Northern Ireland).

All was going well with this plan until a phone call at 1.00 tells me that Paddy already dropped at the ferry terminal had left his car keys in our house in Beaumaris. Net result, a required emergency dash by me across the island to hand them over to him. I then went to get my iphone for a quick portrait, but Paddy had run off so quickly this was the best I could get of him. Happy to report that he and Steph made the ferry - but with only seconds to spare before they closed the desk!