A few weekends ago was rather a sad weekend as it was the last Poker 425 trip with the closure of the channel. However we did finish up on a nice note with a lovely trip to Paris. The staff were great as always. When Cameraman Dan was asked if he'd been before, he said no and got out his ID, they turned to me and said, "We know you have been before," with a big smile. Hmm, I wonder if it's nice things they remember about me or the fact that almost every time I end up in Paris I get very, very drunk at their bar???The tourney had an exciting end with the German who came second kicking up a fuss about his heads up opponent’s phone sounding right on a crucial hand. Everyone thought some cheating had taken place, but it turned out the German was just a bad loser and he refused to give an interview.
Then I arrived in Dublin with Dave and Marc to find the very fine looking Regency Hotel was not all it was cracked up to be on the website. It's quite amazing how much better a building can look at night with lights twinkling around it. We arrived to find our TWICE booked room had been cancelled, again, and we had no room. Marc was playing at two that day and had requested early registration, “No, Sir, it won't be ready till Three pm, why don't you go and have some breakfast in our lounge?” So off we trot rather disgruntled to find we have to pay for this kind offer of breakfast, and hear that many other guests already booked in have no hot water! Then came reports of rooms with wallpaper peeling and plaster crumbling off behind. EEEK. Who's bright idea was it to move from the luxury City West with gorgeous Golf Course on tap to this so-called Hotel? Needless to say Dave and I promptly moved to a different hotel, the Carlton, which was much more up to standard and very modern, after I had taken in some shopping therapy from the fine Grafton Street shops.
Since the close of Poker 425 I've had a bit more time on my hands and decided to pay my long lost friends and family back in Scotland a visit. It was one of my friend's 26th birthday, so we took full advantage of this opportunity to spend the entire weekend in a drunken state, with Saturday being our homemade cocktail day. I don't remember too much about the weekend with it passing in a blissful kind of blur, but I do know that at some point I toppled over in the street, due entirely to the unevenness of the road and absolutely nothing to do with the alcohol I had consumed, with a nice big bruise and graze on my knee as a trophy.On the road home I stopped in at Blackpool to get a few snaps at the Northern Lights Tournament. It was the strangest feeling walking in there without a camera crew in tow. Something big was missing, and it was a shame as the final table consisted of many names: Mickey the Legend, Joe Grech, JP Kelly among them. It would have made a fantastic show. Alas.
With all the wet windy weather we've had in the UK these last few weeks I could not wait to head out to the Caribbean Island of St Kitts for some hot rays and soft sandy beaches. We arrived yesterday after a somewhat tiresome journey, with our Virgin flight being delayed over an hour at Gatwick then what should have been a quick and simple change over in Antigua turn into a drama we were very worn out and cross when we finally did land. However, we were greeted by a small group of locals performing jingle bells on various instruments as we walked into passport control. It was very sweet and did cheer me up. I'm just in off the beach as I write this note, with sand between my toes and in other places I won't mention, after an over enthusiastic gulping down of sun today and some rather red looking skin. Cool. Ah, it's a hard life.