We went down to the Inchydoney Lodge and Spa (near Clonakilty) on Sunday lunchtime for a relaxing 24 hours. The setting is divine, looking out over the Atlantic and the huge expanse of beach. The hotel is comfy and a nice size so it doesn’t feel impersonal. Our first treatment was booked for 3.30, Sam rang down to the Spa (on the 3rd floor) about what we should wear going down. All we needed to put on was a robe and footwear (we had our own slippers), they’d provide disposable underwear, because of all the oils, creams etc. You head down to the Spa, are given a form to fill in and shown into the Relaxation room which has a glass wall overlooking the ocean. Your therapist arrives and calls out your name and brings you down to the treatment room. I started off with a:

Marine Body Polish  ‘A body scrub with active seaweed ingredients to exfoliate and remove dead skin cells and impurities, leaving a soft and oxygenised skin.’

The therapist was Patricia (a Polish girl), near the end of the session she commented that I was frowning, when I mentioned that I just had a headache, she finished the body polish and started a headache treatment, massaging temples, neck, and scalp -  such relief! The headache didn’t lift immediately, but by the time the next treatment was due it was gone.

Herbal Back Cleanse with Massage: ‘Using a mask with premium grade fruit essential oils, combined with cleansing Eastern massage techniques, this treatment acts like a facial for the back, helping to cleanse and replenish leaving your skin radiant and glowing.’

Although the therapist was a slight Irish girl, she was certainly well able to get stuck into my back for a deep massage - I never knew that some spots were even tender! Very relaxing and some of the oils/creams used had a lovely fragrance, particularly the menthol Instant refreshing gel.

Because we were near Clon, I’d booked Gleeson’s restaurant (see the review), but actually if you want to stay in a chilled out frame of mind, you might not want to bother having to drive to Clon, and just eat in the hotel restaurant.

Next morning we’d booked a Rasul for 10am:Rasul: ‘The Rasul is a traditional Arabian ritual cleansing treatment which uses a steam temple and chakra muds.’

The treatment room has a shower and a steam room with two seats. The girl explained that there were two different muds to use, one for joints and the other for the rest of the body. You enter the steam room and spend 5 minutes or so smearing mud all over your body (kids would love it!). Then you sit and steam for 25/30 mins.Unfortunately, for the first 10 minutes or so the steam room wasn’t very “steamy”, only when we were checked on and mentioned it did the steam really kick in for the last 15 mins. To make up for that we were both given a goody bag with sample sizes of Elemis products and a larger bottle of bath oil.

What a wonderful couple of days. Today I am so allergic to being back in work!!

Down in the Inchydoney Lodge and Spa (near Clonakilty) for a night, so really wanted to try Gleeson’s restaurant which I’ve heard a lot about. Initially when I tried to book in February, they said they wouldn’t be opening on the Sunday of the Paddy’s weekend (they’re usually closed on Sundays, except for bank holidays). However, a couple of weeks later they decided to open after all and, showing fab customer service, they contacted me to let me know.Because we’d had an unexpected trip to Cafe Paradiso the night before, we weren’t in form for a 3-course meal, so just had a mains each, and I had dessert.

Sam had roast rump of lamb with root veg, braised red cabbage, and potato. The lamb was melt in the mouth tender and delicious. I had turbot with a single lobster tortellini (what’s the singular for this?), and spinach and baby potatoes in a bouillabaisse. The turbot was yummy, the lobster an extra bonus, and the flavour of the bouillabaisse was lip-smacking.

For dessert I’d a chocolate fondant with ice cream (can’t remember which flavour). I scraped the ramekin clean!

Was given a pressie on Sunday of a Starbucks thermos, the donor had been in the Big Smoke (no not Seattle, Dublin).I brought it into work on Tuesday and commenced to scald the mouth off meself! I’ll have to change my tea/coffee making habits if it’s to be a part of my life. My usual method is make a cup, and let it rest on the desk gradually cooling, until I’m still drinking it 45 mins later when it’s stone cold.

I’m looking at different approaches:

• add more milk to cool it, then it’s probably too milky
• add cold water, that thins it too much
• leave the hot drink in an open cup till it reaches the optimum temp, then transfer to the thermos

In summary, if you want a thermos that keeps hot drinks HOT, then this is it.

(PS Product displayed on Starbucks website is representative only, product reviewed is slightly different.)

Our dept. Admin in work recently mentioned having Goji berries with her breakfast, wha? I’d never heard of them and of course as soon as I take notice I see them in every pharmacy and health food shop. They’re high in antioxidants, even more so than blueberries, and also very high in vitamin C. Grand so, on my latest health kick I bought a bag of the dried berries (also known as wolfberries) along with a box of Extra High Strength Cod Liver Oil (1050mg per capsule). The berries were pricey enough at 7.99 euro for a 250g packet: Linwoods Sun Dried Goji Berries.

On Saturday morning I tasted a dried one which was OK, and I threw a handful into my porridge bowl, where they soon plumped up. I’m afraid I didn’t really enjoy them, in fact they ruined my brekkie. I should have realised that my aversion to currants, raisins, and other yucky dried fruit might have affected my enjoyment. I hated the texture and the flavour got worse on re-hydration. I really can’t see myself starting the day by eating something that makes me gag. Having said that thousands do eat, and enjoy, Goji berries, I’ll just give the packet to one of them.

Postscript: To keep the dog quiet while typing this, I gave her a handful -success, she loved them!

Went to Hannibal Rising last night -don’t bother! My excuse is that Sam is a Hannibal/Anthony Hopkins fan, and I’d bought her the book a few weeks ago, she even admitted that it’s pretty bad too. Scraping the bottom of the barrel comes to mind. But let me tell you a little about this dire tale.

Poor little Hannibal Lecter, and his family (Lithuanian aristocrats) are caught up in fighting between the Nazis and Russians towards the end of WWII. His parents are killed and he’s left looking after his little sister Mischa, who’s captured, killed, and eaten by a group of starving Polish soldiers who’ve been looting in the midst of the carnage. I almost haven’t the will to go on!

Anyway, a few years later he makes his way to France, to his uncle’s widow, a Japanese woman from Hiroshima, in fact Gong Li is the one of the few good things about this film, maybe because just she looks so elegant and attractive, and also lends an aura of faux Samurai mystique to Hannibal’s development as a killer.

Later he goes to Paris to attend medical school, and begins exacting his revenge on the group of soldiers who killed Mischa. From here the film really goes downhill - just gruesome, sadistic killing. Not helped by the fact that Gaspard Ulliel (Hannibal) has all the charisma of a wet blanket, or a dead stoat (and that’s an insult to stoats).

Don’t bother watching this ever, life is too short.

PS. Rhys Ifans has a couple of good moments as the leader of the soldiers.

Continuing on from my previous review of the “organic” deodorant, here I’m looking at the other hygiene products I bought on 2nd Jan:

Aloe 80 - Aloe Vera Body Wash, 14.99 euro(http://vitanetonline.com/description/LI0037/vitamins/Aloe-80-Organics-Body-Wash/)

Dead Sea Spa Magik Mineral Shampoo, 9.95 euro(http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/808317.html)

Aloe Dent Mouthwash, 5.30 euro(http://www.yourhealthfoodstore.co.uk/details.php/p1937_aloe_dent_mouthwash.html)

Aloe80 - Aloe Vera Body Wash

Pleasant scent - very refreshing, I think it’s kind of minty, but I’ve been told that it’s aloe vera! It might be pricey for a body wash, but then again it’s in a biggish bottle and I’ve still loads left.

Dead Sea Spa Magik Mineral Shampoo

This shampoo is lovely, I’d recommend it. Again a bit pricey, but it’s lasted well. I tend to alternate shampoos anyway, I think hair can get a bit tired if you use the same one all the time.

Aloe Dent Mouthwash

Generally I don’t use mouthwash very often, I find it very harsh. I had thought that this one might be somewhat easier on the mouth and not leave you with that burning sensation, so you can’t wait to spit it out. But it seemed similar to other ones I’ve tried, but then again if I’d to choose between Listerine and this, I’d pick this more natural product. It contains no alcohol or saccharin, but has tea tree and grapefruit seed extract (which is the biz if you’ve a sore throat).

I’ve been trying to justify buying a large saucepan, but haven’t been winning the argument so far. By volunteering to cook a Hungarian Goulash for Gary and family (5 plus us 2) on Saturday night I had the perfect excuse. Debenhams didn’t have a huge selection but they were having a 20% off sale. So the Jamie Oliver 30cm ragout pan was reduced from €78 to €62 - bargain!

“Professional quality, heavyweight brushed aluminium exterior. Riveted steel handles.” It’s my bit of cookware luxury.

(Next time I’ll splash out on the €129 saucepan promoted by Raymond Blanc!)

Review first written on the 11th of October 2006.

Another successful meal in Cafe Paradiso last night, to celebrate getting a contracting job due to my imminent redundancy!

I had roasted globe artichoke with a tasty Knockalara sheep’s cheese and pinenut filling; basil aioli, a potato tortilla, and courgettes with cherry tomatoes & basil. I’m not much of a courgette person, but these were delicious, the nicest I’ve ever had - small, firm, cut lengthways and, according to the waitress, panfried. Sam had a tasty dish as well: feta, pistachio & couscous cake with sweet & hot pepper relish, sweet-spiced kale, coriander yoghurt, and chickpeas with fresh chilli & tomato.

We were tied on the mains, but I won hands down on the dessert! Poor Sam ordered a very plain poached pear in ginger with an almond tartlet, in itself lovely if that’s what you like, but “hot fruit” is not in her top ten. Mine on the other hand was unassumingly called limone Paradiso, it was a treat of lemony miniatures: horn with mascarpone, tartlet, sorbet, and baked alaska. Class!

Review first written 19th Oct 2006.

The Cork Film Festival was on last week and they’d increased the number of drive-in films from last year. Showing were, Rocky (it’s 30 years old!), the Pink Panther, and Silence of the Lambs. Of course drawn like moths to the flame (bad joke), we had to see Clarice and Dr. Lecter.

I’m not one for scary films (I used to hide behind a chair while Dr. Who was on telly in the 70s), but by now SOTL is camp, Hannibal is even fancied by some women, Dr Chiltern’s awfulness is to be savoured, and Buffalo Bill has turned into a middle-aged, moustachioed cop on Monk.

The venue was the old Ford distribution centre on Centre Park Road down by the Lee. We arrived in plenty of time and luckily were directed to a parking spot in the second row right in front of the screen. Advised by someone who’d been last year, we’d a sleeping bag, several pairs of socks and two hot water bottles - we were sweltering, it was actually a lovely mild evening. Waiting for it to start we had the crisps and chocolate eaten half an hour beforehand, tuned the car radio to 104.2.FM and listened to the jazz (what else?).The drive-in experience was really enjoyable, the sound on the radio was fantastic, and because you were in your own little car bubble there were none of the usual cinema distractions. Will definitely go again next year.

If you love plants and want to see a wide range of trees and hedging then take the time to travel down to Future Forests in Kealkill, Co. Cork. It’s about an hour from Cork city, left before Macroom, past Gougane Barra, and through the Pass of Keimaneigh.

The main office looks like the Gingerbread House (although made of wood) and the staff are very helpful. Make sure you wear boots and take time to browse among the winding paths, you’ll find all kinds of treasures.

If you know what you want they also do mail order for bare rooted hedging, trees, and shrubs.