Run (not so) fat boy, run!

This weekend all of Joe's running training came to a head as we headed north to Edinburgh for the marathon weekend.  As well as Joe, my brother Michael and his friend Alan are also gluttons for punishment and had also signed up for the marathon, and it was a bit of a Barcroft fiesta as my cousin Rosie and her boyfriend Karl were up to do the half marathon too!  We were also joined by Uncle John and the lovely Jean who were up to see Rosie cross the finish line.  Unfortunately Joe's mum was not able to join us for the weekend but was there in spirit and Joe has already signed up for the Liverpool marathon so she can join me on the next finish line. 

Joe and I went up on Friday after work, making a quick stop off at the pub in Leeds train station (quite the treat!) where I very generously bought Joe a drink, and then promptly knocked it over and spilled it all over him...woops.  Well it's best to get your mishaps out of the way early.

Me, post beer spillage.  Oops!

Joe, pre-beer spillage.  Look how happy he was!

Friday night dinner - my mum's brilliant fish pie

Clearly the focus on Saturday was getting the runners prepped for the big race.  Rather unusually Edinburgh was super warm this weekend (just typical on the weekend when everyone had to run long distances!) so we were able to have a bit of a picnic party in the garden.  We even treated the family to a sneak preview of the wedding pork pies - which received a resounding thumbs up!  It seems you can spend forever researching the best food to eat before a marathon, and I'm sure there is some science behind it, but we just went for the general carb-load.  Lots of pizza, pasta and bread, along with some more fun treats for the lazy ones in the party!

The only thing I am certain of is Eurovision makes for perfect pre-marathon viewing - very distracting car crash tv!  Poor Engelbert but he was outdone by some European calamities.  I love Eurovision.

Saturday's pre-marathon fiesta.  Count the carbs!

The Haley & Clifford pork pie

Dad and I enjoying the sunshine

Rosie and Karl looking a touch nervous before the half marathon

On Sunday we were up bright an early.  The half marathon kicked off at 8.00am, with the marathon starting at 9.50!  The runners all started in Edinburgh city centre and then made the long stomp out to Musselburgh, with the marathon runners continuing on to Longniddry and back.  26.2 miles sounds damn long to me!  Mum, dad and I were all well positioned at the finish line to see the runners come in - the first ones making it in at just over two hours!  Incredible!  For spectators, the sunny day was fantastic, but I'm sure the runners would have appreciated a little cloud cover after a while.  It was a fantastic day, cheering on the athletes as they made it down the home stretch, encouraging the ones who looked in difficulty and applauding the showmen.  Joe made it across the finish line in 4 hours and 3 minutes, a fantastic time made even more impressive with all the heat. My brother and Alan made it in at around 5 hours and 20 minutes, which was just brilliant as well and I'm incredibly proud of them all. 

Joe's pre-marathon breakfast - bagel with peanut butter and jam, beetroot juice and an isotonic drink.  Breakfast of champions!

Joe before the race, looking very fetching in his pink Breast Cancer Care vest

Michael and Alan just before the race

Mum and dad at the charity enclosure waiting for the runners to come in

Joe, 25 metres before the finish, looking good

After the race, champion!!

After the marathon we retired to mum and dad's so Joe could kick back for the first time all weekend.  Some well deserved beers and fizz in the sunshine and a chicken and chorizo stew were just what the doctor ordered. I think Joe was fairly dazed for the remainder of the day, and now appears to be sporting some very interesting tan lines! 

John and Jean

Joe and I, toasting his success

Joe and my dad, definitely sun-kissed!

Post marathon dinner - chicken and chorizo stew with rice and garlic bread.  Well, you can eat what you want after a marathon!

Post marathon treat wine

We were back on the train on Monday, leaving behind a beautifully hot Edinburgh (but not without a quick pause in Princes Street Gardens for a sunbathe and some photos!)

It was a fantastic weekend with some great achievements.  I am in awe of anyone who can run a marathon, but more so my wonderful and family and friends who made it across the finish line.  This time last year Joe was a part time runner at best and is a great example of what can be done with a bit of determination (or bloody mindedness!).  Congratulations Joe, Michael, Alan, Rosie and Karl - very well deserved.

Me reclining in the gardens before jumping back on the train to Leeds

A beautiful sunny day in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens

And our dinner, and Joe's first spice in a week - barbeque'd prawns with a sweet and spicy noodle salad

A weekend in Edinburgh

This weekend we were in Edinburgh, combining some important wedding planning (the food!) with baby Tom's first birthday.  It was a fantastic weekend and Joe and I stuffed ourselves silly with home cooked delights and some wedding food, which will not be previewed here - that's just taking it too far! We also got to catch up with friends and family, including Werner and Zita who dragged themselves from lovely sunny Germany where it was 25 degrees, to Edinburgh where it was about 10 and rained most of the time!  That's dedication to your loved ones...!

Joe and I arrived on Thursday night after a rather treacherous drive up the A1 - torrential rain all over Yorkshire, the A66 closed by flooding, and heavy cloud all over - not so fun!  That said, its rare we ever have a straight forward drive to Edinburgh so it should not have been a surprise.  It was all made better by a warm welcome of spicy pork stew with mash and cabbage and a nice glass of white wine - what could be better.

Mum's pork stew with mash and cabbage

Friday was quite the glutonous day, starting with two food and drink tastings and a wander around Edinburgh.  Zita and Werner arrived on Friday afternoon and joined us for dinner - and with mum in the kitchen again we were quite spoiled!  Dinner was roasted seabass on ratatouille with new potatoes and garlic bread, which was all fantastic and topped off with a lemon tart and a Mississippi mud cake.  As I said, totally stuffed stupid.

Roast seabass with ratatouille, potatoes and garlic bread

lemon tart and Mississippi mud cake - well, how could you choose between them?

On Saturday Michael and Kerstin threw a first birthday party for Tom.  It's hard to believe its been a year since he was born - and its a world away from the tricky times they had at the start.  No more feeding by syringe - he is a healthy little thing who is now rapid on his feet!  He would definitely outrun Michael in the marathon!

Kerstin and Michael cooked up a storm for all their guests - home made pizzas, quiches, breads, cakes and all sorts.  I chipped in on a minimal level with some Thai prawns, tandoori chicken bites and cheese and pancetta straws.  It was a great afternoon, the sun was shining, the drinks were flowing and Joe even now has a tan!  It was lovely to catch up with lots of the family and we had a great time - thanks very much Michael, Kerstin and Tom!

The table, groaning under home made pizzas, breads, quiches, cakes and salads.  All so very good.

Very proud grandparents - Zita and Mum

Home made pizza with courgettes, mushrooms and chorizo

Friday - Visitors!!

It's always nice to have people visit, and this weekend it's lovely to have Jo's folks around until Sunday. As ever, Jo is never happier when she is cooking for other people and last night we had a really good prawn curry with rice and a naan bread (ahem). I said naan bread is the most loose sense of the word as it did quite work out as Jo planned after leaving it in the oven for a little too long!! It did make a really well spiced crisp bread!!

Later on today we are eating at the Deer Park which I am sure will be really good, but I'll be staying off the booze and eating a load of carbs as I am running the Liversedge Half Marathon tomorrow morning which I am quite looking forward too - I think I am getting to much into this running lark! 

M&S starter treats

Prawn curry

Rice

Crispy naan bread

Diner one - Sheila Mum

Diner 2 - David Dad

Diner 3 - Chef Jo

Diner 4 - Me!!

Guest Restaurant Review - The Woodside, Horsforth - 5/10

Our first guest restaurant review from Dave Bro feat. Jen. 

On Saturday I asked a few people, including my brother Joe, if they had any recommendations for good pub grub in Horsforth for a Sunday dinner. A few names cropped up (Town Street Tavern, The Woodside, Medusa Bar) and after having a quick butchers online we decided to go for The Woodside. It looked to be more of a 'proper pub', which to me means a nice atmosphere, maybe a fireplace or two, comfy seats well suited to lounging/newspaper reading and good quality, simple, homely food. Company was provided by my equally hung over and hungry buddy Jennie Chapman.
 

On arrival Jen was quick to point out that the outside could do with a spruce up, which is right as it didn't look great, but once we opened the main entrance door and the smell of a hot carvery came wafting into our faces we'd forgotten about the dodgy external paint jobs and hunted out some comfy seats. After a couple of standard Coffee's (one of which we took back - Jen's - because it's was very weak) and a peruse over yesterday's football reports, we had a linger over the menu. The Woodside has a good reputation for it's carvery and the queue for it was getting longer by the minute, but after much deliberation we both went for menu items - Jen a lamb shank with peas and rosemary mash, me a mixed grill with all the usual suspects.
Apart from the chicken breast in the mixed grill which was so tough and dry it would have made a good slipper, the rest of it was good. Gammon, steak (medium rare), Lincolnshire sausages, black pudding, home made chunky chips etc etc, all very tasty and well cooked. Jen wasn't so lucky. After a promising first few mouthfuls it became quickly apparent that her lamb was a lot more bone than meat, her mash was pretty solid and tasted a lot more butter than potato and she kept finding bits of fluff on her plate/food. Not impressed. Upon speaking to the waiter he was suitably embarrassed and quick to take 50% from the final bill. Pretty fair I thought all things considered.

Mixed grill

Lamb shank

 In conclusion.. I thought it was a shame they got one of our dishes so wrong because I liked the atmosphere, I liked the pub, the staff were friendly/attentive and my food was pretty good. Unfortunately though I am one of those that can see a hair in my gravy and that’s a wrap on the rest of the meal, I can't touch it. So with that in mind, I won't be returning to The Woodside any time soon, at least before trying other local establishments first (Town Street Tavern next I think). If I do ever return, I'll be waiting in the long carvery queue...

Jenny

Dave Bro

Thursday - I Love Pool

For as long as my memory goes back, playing pool has always been there. When I was a young kid, the family home had a pool table which was a proper pub table with a coin slot and I absolutely loved it. Some of my fondest memories are playing pool with the family who all could play a bit;

Me - on my day could beat anyone but could also be beaten!
Dave Bro - as above - my nemisis!
Dad - Don't know why I could never beat him no matter how much I practiced after school!
Uncle John - the best of the bunch in pool and snooker. Two of my favorite phrases - The 'Ethiopian cut' and 'too much black in the eye' came from him....legend!
Nick Bro - also a very good player but beatable!
Grandad - the elder statesman of the Rees family pool table could certainly hold his own and he took me to the cleaners a good few times!

Other people like Uncle Raol, Georges, Mike and loads of others got involved at Christmas and special occasions but they were no match for the above!

In more recent times, some of the people I play have changed. Dave Bro is still my No1 challenger; more recently we have played snooker and are currently competing for the 'Rees Brothers Challenge Trophy' - I can't wait to claim it as my own!.....The Wolf has been an on - off adversary who puts up a good fight, Soraya has beaten me and Jo has a good crack too! Last night at the Elbow Room I had a rematch against Cliffy after I had beaten him 8-9 when he was a 8 - 2 up over summer....it was a real gutter for him and he challenged me to a rematch - see text below....

I am a bad loser and a terrible winner! I won again - hahahahahaha.....unlucky Cliffy!!!

When Jo and I get a decent sized place, one of the first things I am going to get is a pool table (luckily Jo is in agreement!).....its a brilliant thing to have when entertaining and its a family tradition that I am keen to keep up if I can......If you want to challenge me to a game then get in touch!!!!

The trophy is yet to be claimed

 PS - my dinner last night came from a free buffet at the Elbow Room which was for a private party; I wasn't invited but was hungry!....

Some random free stuff!

Saturday - Coffee, Candles & Great Lunch

We were both up at out before 10am, with Jo and Sheila Mum browsing for wedding dresses and me exploring Edinburgh for a few hours before joining everyone for lunch at L'Escargot Bleu.

My first stop (as recommend by La Bottega Milanese) was Stag Espresso which is a cool little coffee place run by Richard in the old part of the city where I grabbed a flat white. As the papers hadn't arrived yet, he lent me his Ipad to browse the Guardian - very generous!

Stag Espresso - definitely worth a visit

On leaving Stag, I headed through the Grass Market to the Edinburgh Farmers Market which takes place every Saturday morning. En-route I passed the Last Drop Pub which is immediately next to the scene of public hangings which took place there back in the 18th century! - Edinburgh is jam packed with these little pieces of history. 

A grizzly history

Next up was the farmers market. As I wasn't in buying mode I didn't stay too long but I would recommend a trip. Its a good size with an excellent variety of local produce.

No where near as good as mine!

A few years ago now, Jo and I were in Paris visiting my family there. We went sightseeing with Sister Sally that took us up to Sacre Coeur which is beautiful; there she lit a candle for our Dad who passed away in 2006. Although Sally isn't religious (or me for that matter) she explained that she lit a candle for him whenever the opportunity arose 'just in case'.....Jo and I have been lighting candles ever since, with mine for Dad and Jo for her Grandad. On Saturday I stumbled across St Cuthbert's Church at the foot of the castle - the candle second from the right is Dads.

The candle - second from right

After some more strolling, lunch was soon upon us. I'll leave Jo to do the review but I will say we had a great time. Food pictures to follow but here are some of my snaps of the diners using Instagram on my Iphone;  

Tom

 Auntie Jo

Tom and Dad Michael

Grandpa Dave

Granny Sheila

Mum Kirstin

Uncle Joe

At lunch we had the full 3 courses and were stuffed! Jo and I can be a little lame sometimes and decided on staying in rather than going on the ghost tour.....rubbish by we were sleepy!!

I spent the early evening doing my Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas, which was a success I think!

Jack Skellington

We then headed to Mike and Kirstins for drinks, nibbles and the Sainsbury's party range!

A selection of treats