Bill Riley - Author

This place is a true jewel. Stopped by the KEF hotel in Keflavík Iceland while waiting for a flight. Had the langoustine and tiger shrimp salad. This was the best salad I ever tasted. Iceland has become a crossroad to Europe. Definitely an exceptional stop over.

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Sideways rain in Edinburgh. When the Scots say, now that’s some rain we having, you’re getting wet. Pics taken in the lulls between the deluge.

WWII Recruiting posters, soldiers with lots of lipstick and rouge, a stature called pyromaniac, and getting to see the restoration of the Supermarine Swift aircraft that set the world speed record in 1953.

Plus one final walk about town. If you visit Southampton, check out the Solent Sky Museum. The staff are phenomenal.

Spending the night where the Titanic was designed. Now it’s a great tavern in a “be seen” part of Southampton. I WAS disappointed there were no ghosts, but I did see a couple of former footballers trying to meet girls with their half million pound cars parked in front, and sadly, not succeeding. Maybe they were well known wolves, but packs of pretty girls, once engaged in conversation with them, tended to slowly back away. But the ballers returned to drink across from their cars with their mates, the girls danced the night away, and a good time was had by all.

Hanging out in the KEF Saga lounge as British Airways works out a delay. So I’m sampling Icelandic liquors whilst I wait. Has BA encouraged anyone else to day drink? 🤔😃👍👍

Weekend Therapy. Wine and chocolate pairing for the win. I love it when the sum taste of food and drink is better than just the food or drink. It’s an alchemy that many restaurants pitch, but few really achieve beyond, interesting or a good excuse for more wine. But when they get it right is is magical. Yes, this is the sommelier equivalent of self medicating, but I did share, a good time was had by all, and the ride was very nice 👍😃🍷🎉



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Feeling nostalgic, I tried the Wendy’s Krabby Patty Meal. Yum! Even better with a liberal amount of tasty rum and a cocktail umbrella in my frosty. (Not included).

Birthday dinner 🎉👏🎉👏 was excellent. Great place, perfectly prepared seafood, pleasant service, wine and vibe. I always wish I was a food writer. Those guys have the life 😃

I was asked to teach a poetry class next summer and it got me thinking. As I was getting ready, of the love song of J Alfred Prufrock, the line, “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” hit hard, and I continue to, hopefully for a long time still. Link to the whole poem below:



https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/44212/the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock

😃✊❤️

This was my morning. Coffee. Lovely coffee in the guise of a silky Spanish cortado.

Then, the serenity of my zen moment shattered when a scrappy little Cooper’s hawk, with more sass than skill or mass, decided to annoy a golden eagle, bigger than a Doberman. I watched the small hawk dart around the eagle like a mosquito.

When, WAM! The eagle bitch slapped the hawk with a kung fu wing strike that sent the little hawk tumbling from the sky and bouncing off my window. To be honest, the little hawk stuck the land in my yard like a Marvell hero. The eagle swooped down, hovering over the little hawk I thought was about to be a Darwinian snack—when it looked like the eagle laughed.

Then, it locked its smoldering brown eyes with mine. Even through the window its gaze was piercing as it hovered before me. I saluted it with my coffee, it smirked at the grounded hawk, who did look sorry, then it launched it self back into the sky.

The Cooper’s hawk waited long enough for me to finish my coffee, then it shook itself off and flew away. Yet another moment to love living in Idaho.

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