Back in UK

I am home. The flight was on schedule, arrived at seven and I was home at about eight-fifteen. I got through Customs and Passport Control in record time, too.

It was a good holiday and I'm well browned off!

Don't tell me the Met Office is predicting 7c next week.

Corralejo: XI

Yesterday was spent at El Cotillo beach. We Belmonts generally tan easily, though I have been caught out on this occasion with the old sun and wind. I am minded to buy fresh sun cream and after-sun cream when I arrive at a resort, in future, rather than bringing it in the hand luggage.

Hand luggage regulations permit only 100 ml of liquids in any one bottle at present. The stuff adds to the weight of one's baggage, too.

Well I enjoyed another great meal at The Temple last night. With the old nose-bag neatly affixed, Timothy tucked in to a hearty dinner consisting of slowly-cooked lamb shoulder and vegetables, followed by home-made cheesecake with fruits of the forest.

John's brother Michael joined me and we had a decent chin-wag during our nosh-up. John is driving us both to the airport. Incidentally, Michael had The Temple's sirloin steak, reputedly the best of its kind in the resort.

The chef, Colin, is a veritable master of the culinary taste-buds. I am minded to write a separate article about The Temple later.

Corralejo: X

Timothy Belmont has been lying doggo for the last few days. It has been overcast, though with sunny intervals. Today seems more promising.

Have any readers viewed Julian Fellowes' latest blockbuster, Titanic? What is your verdict? Hit or flop?

I see that Lord Fellowes has been in Belfast, at the brand new Titanic Belfast complex.

Titanic Belfast has cost more than £90m and tells of the building of the liner to her maiden voyage from Southampton and her tragic end.

It is the largest and most expensive tribute to the Titanic in the world and taken three years to build.It will be opened on March 31st by the Province's First Minister, Rt Hon Peter Robinson MLA.

The attraction is expecting 425,000 people to visit in the first year.

Nine galleries chart the story of Titanic. The first starts with life in Belfast in the early 1900s. The next with many interactive and audio-visual affects charts the building of the ship.

Visitors then look at life on board with reconstructions of first, second and third class (steerage) passengers.

Areas also cover the departure from Southampton of Titanic through to the collision with the iceberg.
Trips end with a look at the recent dives to the wreck and the latest pictures from the site two miles below the sea.

Crom Becomes Blandings

A few readers have told me about a new BBC production filming at Crom in County Fermanagh, ancestral seat of the Earls of Erne.

The Victorian mansion has been transformed in recent days, as filming gets under way for the BBC production Blandings, starring Jennifer Saunders and Timothy Spall OBE.

Northern Ireland Screen has collaborated with the Corporation in the production.

The tranquil and picturesque settings of Lough Erne are providing the perfect backdrop for the TV show, based on the work of Sir Pelham G Wodehouse KBE.

Wodehouse wrote several stories about a fictional estate called Blandings Castle.

Timothy Spall plays Clarence, 9th Earl of Emsworth, while Saunders – known for her role in Absolutely Fabulous – will star as his formidable sister, Lady Constance Keeble.

Filming for the series, set in 1929, began on Monday, 26th March, 2012, and is expected to last for the next six weeks.

The manager of Crom Castle, Noel Johnston, said it was an “honour” that producers had selected the location for such a high-profile venture.

He confirmed it was the first time the venue had been used for such a “huge” project, having primarily only played host to numerous weddings in the past.

Mr Johnston said:

“We are delighted that they chose Northern Ireland. For star actors and actresses to come to Crom is an amazing thing. It is a huge boost for Fermanagh. The spin-off from it is going to be huge I would imagine.The whole county is buzzing and loads of people have been cast as extras.”

An open casting day for extras was held in Enniskillen earlier this month.

Mr Johnston said he first became aware of interest in Crom estate last summer. He said:

“We got a phone call asking could the producers come and look at it. They just fell in love with the place. They couldn’t believe it. Nothing was confirmed until January when we received the news that we got it.”

While Crom estate belongs to the National Trust, the Castle itself is the seat of Lord and Lady Erne.

Mr Johnston insisted, despite the obvious disruption, that the Ernes were “more than happy” to facilitate filming on their front doorstep.

Given the recent spell of good weather, he added that the crew and cast – totalling more than 100 people – had chosen perfect timing to begin filming in the Ulster Lakeland.

The cast are also expected to record various scenes at other locations in County Fermanagh.

Speaking ahead of filming, writer Guy Andrews described Blandings Castle as “dysfunction junction, the home of a chaotic family struggling to keep itself in order”.

Blandings is expected to be aired on BBC television in the autumn.

Corralejo: IX

John, the owner of The Temple restaurant in Corralejo, kindly offered me a lift to the airport when I depart. His brother happens to be travelling back to Belfast on the same flight.

I had their Mexican Fajitas last night, nose-bag firmly affixed, followed closely by their sublime cheesecake which, had I a ruler, must have measured three or four inches in depth.

The buses here are Mercedes-Benz. Passenger seats all have seat-belts and arm-rests.

They are fully automatic, with six gears, air-conditioning and all mod-cons.

Curiously, I wondered why they have a cigarette lighter at the driver's console, given that smoking on the bus is not permitted. Ought they not to be discouraging drivers from smoking?

Returning from El Cotillo to Corralejo, the driver was cruising along at up to 100 kph, whatever that is in mph.

Corralejo: VIII

One of my most loyal readers, Mad Pierre, apprises me that the UK, and Northern Ireland in particular, has been enjoying halcyon conditions for the time of year.

Oh, that it would last till the noble earl returns!

Readers and residents of the Exempt Jurisdiction of the Earldom of Belmont, be urged to make the most of what might prove to be Ulster's "summer".

I jest, by the way. Some of you might be glad to know that it was cool here yesterday evening and everybody wore coats or jumpers.

Corralejo:VII

Another day at El Cotillo beach, though windy and more sand-blasting. Exfoliation!

I ate again at The Temple last night. The diligence of the staff there is exemplary and there are a mere four of them: John, the proprietor; Peter, the head waiter; Colin, the chef; and an assistant.

I fancied the roast chicken dinner last night. The Deal was a starter and main meal for €10, so I had the ham and cheese quiche slice (I cannot recall what they called it), followed by the chicken, consisting of several slices of chicken breast; a small disc of stuffing; creamed potato; a roast potato; a Yorkshire pudding; rich gravy; and a side dish consisting of peas, carrot slices and cabbage.

Timothy Belmont generally eats whatever he likes, so I will happily partake of Tapas, though I shan't have the likes of mussel, limpet, sea cucumber, oyster, winkle etc. Prawn, lobster, crab and the like are all fine, minus their shells.

The Canarian clocks went forward an hour yesterday, so the sun is rising now.