Bosting Weekend

In Anglesey over the weekend. Didn't catch a sight of our famous neighbours, Will and Kate, despite hanging around in Waitrose for the very purpose - only joking, we were buying mucho meat for the barbecue and stocking up on Good Ordinary Claret.

We rejoined the National Trust, an act practically compulsory for the middle aged of middle England. With all this baggage it's something of a miracle that I manage to still be so massively down with the kids. Truth be told I work jolly hard on being this cool. Which is a difficult thing to say when you are sitting at the computer trying to get used to the new triathlon wetsuit which I have just recovered from the house round the corner to which the imbecile courier chose to deliver it. Have you ever had to don a wetsuit? It's frigging difficult - quite possibly the hardest part of a triathlon. Typing in a wetsuit is also very challenging. But I'll master it because that's the sort of gadgy I am.

As eaten by The Overgraduate

But anyway, the weekend. A challenging early dinner in The Antelope, a pub at the mainland extreme of the original Menai Bridge. Now you've got me marked down as a fine diner and gourmet I'm sure but I do also like to tackle the gourmand end of the market. For those of you not too squeamish about American excess I highly recommend Man v Food on the Food Channel, to be found on your common or garden Council House Tele. In this an Ivy League educated presenter eats ever more gigantic dishes in American fast food joints. It's bloody brilliant, a particular favourite of  The Overgraduate and his older daughter. We are, both of us, suckers for the over-filled platter. Which brings me to The Antelope's 'mega tower burger' as tackled by your correspondent last Saturday. My advice to you, if you feel minded to follow in my giant footsteps, is to avoid eating  a big breakfast on that day. The portion comprises four, yes four, quarter pounders, layered with bacon, cheese, salad, mayonnaise and onion rings, in the obligatory bun and coupled with a decent portion of chips. I also had a pint of Brains S.A.but that bit is not mandatory. Very satisfying but I couldn't manage a pudding.

Whilst on the fair isle I also availed myself of some Y Fenni cheese (see previous blogs) which I enjoyed each morning on toast. I did a bit of running to assuage my guilt at all the eating and drinking and I also watched three classic films. Little Miss Sunshine turned up on the schedules and I was reminded what a joy this film is. It is a work of great art to take senile drug delinquency, suicide, beauty pageants and semi-pornographic juvenile dancing and turn them into something sweet and uplifting. 

There is still a VCR at the house in Anglesey and all our old videos have gone into retirement there. From amongst this stash Helen selected Beauty and the Beast. I'm not wrong am I when I say they just don't make cartoons like that any more do they? The lyrics of some of the songs are genuinely brilliant. When the oafish Gaston sings, 'I'm especially good at expectorating' and, 'I use antlers in all of my decorating' I think that we have to concede that we are in the presence of greatness. Here it is in all its HD glory. 

Last but by no means least, Fargo, the joys of which I introduced to Sharon and Helen having found a copy I must have recorded years ago. Yes, a bosting weekend. Have to go now, the wetsuit's starting to chafe.