And back in the day when Daddy’s Little Girl was littler I used to make her mocktails.
When I was making us ‘grown-ups’ Summer Breezes, Mai Tais, Tequila Mockingbirds, Singapore Slings and my go-to Strawberry Daiquiris.
Those cocktails have killed some brain cells and eroded my memory so I can’t quite remember what was in my Daylight Strawberry.
Dublin’s fair city
Of course Daddy’s Little Girl has moved onto big people’s drinks.
And we have clinked glasses around with my travel partners and friends around my erstwhile home, Dublin.
These days it’s the sleepy rugby and golf retirement town of North Berwick where we grabbed us some cocktails.
At our new local, the Fly Half bar at the Netherlaw.
And cocktails at home
Where confirmed dudeist that she is she went for a White Russian, in homage to her new favourite film, The Big Lebowski,
And I flirted with The Monaco which was listed on the menu.
A cursory look on Cyberspace pointed towards a drink with amber beer although my cocktail waitress reported that hers consisted of Prosecco and Chamboise.
Something lost in translation there… just like it was in Cannes where we went for Dawn drinks at some spanking hotel.
Dudeist Laurie
And the barman put a dash of Prosecco and Aperol and big scooshes of orange juice and soda and charged us €18.50.
I was doing them for less than €1 at home.
Better when you’re on the French Riviera, and you will be again, going to Mandelieu La Napoule.
By persuading a real cycling climber to lend me her bike.
I prefer the flat road these days and did get my chance to rotate the legs at the Campus in Quinta do Lago www.quintadolago.com and SPORTUGAL in Portugal.
Only to overplay it and come off at a corner in the woods…
Lake Como has entranced visitors for centuries but have you tried it by bike, or e-bike?
The Lake Como Greenways snakes above picturesque villages.
While the Chilometro Della Conoscienza (open only on Sundays) allows explorers the chance to wander through the extraordinary gardens of Villa Olmo, Villa Sucota and Villa del Grumello.
Cyclists can enjoy various climbs that traverse tunnels left by the Italian army during the First World War.
With Alpine views stretching to Switzerland.
Let the train take the strain
We’ll get onto Switzerland in a jiffy but you’ll be wanting to know where to stay in Lake Como.
The answer, if you don’t know George and Amal, is Grand Hotel Tremezzo.
It will reopen for the season on June 26th at a third capacity (30 out of 90 rooms).
As well as its five restaurants and three swimming pools looking out over the lake and natural park.
This year, the hotel team is launching the T Beach club – comprising a sandy beach with chic sun loungers and cocktail bar framing its floating swimming pool.
Rooms available from €550/approx. £497 per night + VAT; free cancellation up to eight days prior to arrival. For further enquires and bookings, visit www.grandhoteltremezzo.com.
The spekboom, South Africa: The good people at Raggy Charters https://www.raggycharters.co.za would take us out on Algoe Bay in the Eastern Cape in South Africa…
To spot bottlenose dolphins and penguins.
But they would always plant a spekboom to counter the fuel consumption from the boat.
