2012 in the UK

Despite European monetary difficulties, there is  generally positive mood throughout the UK at the moment - this picture shows bunting in the street a week after the special Bank Holiday to commemorate 60 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign.
This year not only celebrates UK monarchy, but also the coming of the Summer Olympics. The UK is arguably fortunate to be cushioned a little from the Euro crisis by being outside the Euro currency, but the consequences of the Euro-crisis will not entirely pass us by.
The interesting fact about this positive photo is that it was not taken in what might be regarded as royalist heartland of the home counties of England, but in the Welsh Capital Cardiff (Caerdydd in the native tongue). The truth is that the celebrations have reverberated around the commonwealth and touched the rest of the world too. Now is a good time to visit the UK, London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast and see what this kingdom has to offer.

Ireland

You will be made to feel welcome in Eire, of that you can be sure (to be sure...) as it is true that the Irish are the most hospitable people on the planet. We took a tour around Ireland by car and were made to feel welcome wherever we went. Ireland has an 'olde worlde' charm that never fails to leave you happy that you visited. We started our trip in Kilkenny and discovered a town that was made for visitors with it's castle and fine array of restaurants and places to drink.
We ventured further West towards Cork and discovered the 'delight' of navigating by road-signs in the Emerald Isle... If you plan to drive take a good map and make sure you use it, as you will find yourself following road signs that seem to stop indicating your chosen destination even though you are not yet halfway there... The rural setting is truly refreshing and you will see many sights that will tempt you to get your camera out and start snapping away.
We visited the Blarney stone at Blarney Castle, but I really think there should be a health and safety warning on that thing and I was not tempted to smooch it... We took a trip north via Galway bringing us finally back round East towards Dublin the fair city where rural Eire gives way to a busy capital city with an air of excitement and expectation. There's always something going on in Dublin, and it's always worth a visit. Good food, drink and entertainment are always a priority in Ireland as anyone who has visited will tell you.