So last weekend I finally gave TW her 2014 Christmas present - a weekend away.
For both of us, that was. We left the kids at home with M&P on the Friday, well, they had them for a sleepover, and then the MiL picked them up on Saturday and looked after them until we got back on Sunday.
I had a day's leave left over from last year, so I took that on the Friday, and walked with TW and The Youngest to school. Then, when we got back to the house, we packed and headed off to Southampton. It was a weekend treat for both of us, but it was actually my present to her, so I couldn't really argue when she said she wanted to go to Ikea. I didn't like it, but I did get to sample the amazing Swedish meatballs that everyone keeps going on about - and quite nice they were too. Once she had had her Ikea fix, and casually spent £60 on napkins and other assorted tat (which was all "completely necessary", of course), we headed north to Winchester.
We've stayed in Winchester before, or rather I should say near to Winchester, at the Norton Park hotel. This time we stayed in town, at the Winchester Hotel & Spa, which was very nice. They were doing a deal, where they gave us £25 per person towards our dinner costs, which we happily took advantage of.
We had booked our evening meal in the brasserie on the first night, and the food was delicious. I had the sirloin steak, and TW had the seared tuna. Both were cooked to a tee, and we decided over dinner on Friday night to eat again there again on Saturday. It seemed a bit silly, when they were offering a discount on such delicious food, to spend real money eating elsewhere. So over the two nights I reckon we saved about £100, which I mentally offset against the £200 cost of the hotel stay - that made me feel better. On the Friday night after dinner we sat in the hotel bar and drank cocktails (TW) and whiskeys (me) - as a result, I felt a little jaded on the Saturday morning (some might say "no change there, then").
On the Saturday morning we walked into town and mooched around the shops. TW delighted in being able to shop at Joules, and Primark. We snuck into a lovely little coffee shop, where TW bumped into an old Uni friend - she was always bound to see someone she knew. We had a chat and then went our separate ways. By this time it was getting towards lunch, and so we looked for somewhere to eat. Luckily we chanced on Green's restaurant, which was a lovely little place. They did light bites and full lunches, and TW & I had some delicious snacks. TW had a spinach and salmon battenburg, which was an inventive and delicious meal, and I had scrambled egg, bacon and avacado on toast. It was a fine lunch.
After we got back to the hotel, we went for a swim and a sauna, and then prepared for dinner again. The second meal was just as good as the first, and we then went into town for more drinks back at Greens, before heading back to the hotel.
Sunday morning we got up and enjoyed the breakfast. They had everything - bacon, egg, tomatoes, hash browns, mushrooms, sausages, pancakes, fresh fruit salad, toast, tea, coffee, fruit juice... After breakfast I was so full I needed to go back to the room and have a lie down... :)
Unfortunately the weather was a bit grotty, so we checked out and headed home via Petworth and Midhurst. It was a nice drive, but we arrived home a bit earlier than expected. The girls were with the GiL in Brighton, so we had a nice quiet afternoon.
All in all, it was a lovely weekend, and well worth it. We agreed that we should spend time away together more often, and while it might not be a weekend away, an occasional evening here or there shouldn't be too difficult...
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Tuesday 16-01-19 True Detective Season II (Spoiler Alert - probably)
I can't say much about True Detective Season II without giving spoilers, and what I'm going to say will probably constitute spoilers anyway. Just to get that out of the way.
The cast were fantastic. This wasn't a copy of the first series, it wasn't a rerun of the buddy story between Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. That was a slow, atmospheric thriller, with a load of sidelines to get lost in. This new series (which finished last summer but I have only just watched) was a real tureen of plots, which included the Russian mafia, the Mexicans, bent cops (of the U.S. variety), club owners trying to make a living, and high-end sex parties, not to mention land deals and government corruption. To summarise: there was a lot going on.
It was difficult to keep up with the plot in some instances, but I think this might have been due to the script being butchered during the making of the show. There are a couple of instances, such as the "who is Stan?" furore, and the sudden revelation in the penultimate episode that Ani Bezzerides was abducted as a young girl and held against her will for four days. It has no bearing on the show, and the plot, as far as I can see; she has already confronted her father and the permissive society he facilitated; this seemed like some kind of unnecessary afterthought.
Having said all of that, I enjoyed the series. The story showed the seedy underside of a (it seemed to me) West Coast city, which was quite different to the redneck, hicksville atmosphere of the first series. Vince Vaughn, even as an ultimately corrupt and morally absent club owner, was a likeable character with his own version of integrity. He seems like he would have done okay in an episode of "Hustle". His wife was the beautiful Kelly Reilly, who really came into her own towards the end of the series.
Ultimately, however, the series ended in disappointment. In the "real world" where these sort of things happen, good never triumphs, because the good actors (and by that, I mean the forces on the side of "good", who we are supposed to empathise with during the show) are never prepared to sink to the levels of the baddies.
The show is nihilistic in the extreme; mostly everybody dies, and nobody escapes unaffected. However, having said that, I would watch the show again. It is beautifully paced, the layers of humanity are slowly stripped away from the participants, and the end seems to approach inexorably and unavoidably. Despite the fact that some of the characters are trying to escape their situation, their failure to do so seems fated.
It is well worth watching and I would recommend it - if you haven't already. But be prepared for a bit of a downer at the end.
TTFN.
The cast were fantastic. This wasn't a copy of the first series, it wasn't a rerun of the buddy story between Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. That was a slow, atmospheric thriller, with a load of sidelines to get lost in. This new series (which finished last summer but I have only just watched) was a real tureen of plots, which included the Russian mafia, the Mexicans, bent cops (of the U.S. variety), club owners trying to make a living, and high-end sex parties, not to mention land deals and government corruption. To summarise: there was a lot going on.
It was difficult to keep up with the plot in some instances, but I think this might have been due to the script being butchered during the making of the show. There are a couple of instances, such as the "who is Stan?" furore, and the sudden revelation in the penultimate episode that Ani Bezzerides was abducted as a young girl and held against her will for four days. It has no bearing on the show, and the plot, as far as I can see; she has already confronted her father and the permissive society he facilitated; this seemed like some kind of unnecessary afterthought.
Having said all of that, I enjoyed the series. The story showed the seedy underside of a (it seemed to me) West Coast city, which was quite different to the redneck, hicksville atmosphere of the first series. Vince Vaughn, even as an ultimately corrupt and morally absent club owner, was a likeable character with his own version of integrity. He seems like he would have done okay in an episode of "Hustle". His wife was the beautiful Kelly Reilly, who really came into her own towards the end of the series.
Ultimately, however, the series ended in disappointment. In the "real world" where these sort of things happen, good never triumphs, because the good actors (and by that, I mean the forces on the side of "good", who we are supposed to empathise with during the show) are never prepared to sink to the levels of the baddies.
The show is nihilistic in the extreme; mostly everybody dies, and nobody escapes unaffected. However, having said that, I would watch the show again. It is beautifully paced, the layers of humanity are slowly stripped away from the participants, and the end seems to approach inexorably and unavoidably. Despite the fact that some of the characters are trying to escape their situation, their failure to do so seems fated.
It is well worth watching and I would recommend it - if you haven't already. But be prepared for a bit of a downer at the end.
TTFN.
Friday, January 08, 2016
Friday 16-01-08 HTC Re Camera
I want one.
I know, it's irrational. It's completely unnecessary. Lots of reviews of these little things say that they are actually not as good as the camera which I already have in my phone. And I am not a photographer, or a picture buff. I don't know about composition or focus or exposure, or anything. But I really get excited by the fact that I can point and shoot with a thing like this and get some kind of history.
I've had my current phone for more than a year, and I have no real yearning to replace it. It cost me £280 or so outright, back in Aug / Sept 2014, and it still serves me well. I don't have "new phone envy", but now it seems to be all about the peripherals. And the fact that this little "re camera" has plunged in price from ~£199 to £70 is certainly driving my lust. Not only would I be getting a cutting edge bit of kit, which is compatible with my phone, but I would be getting it at a knock-down price. There are examples, though, of these cameras (ex-demo, granted) available on eBay for £49.99 and I am still reluctant to buy. I am conflicted. There are days on which I am an unreconstructed consumer, and I would not hesitate to surround myself with plastic tech manufactured in China, and on other days I eschew unnecessary worldly belongings, deciding that we should only buy secondhand books and furniture, since we are such a consumerist society. It is still a big deal to throw £50 away on a new concept, which I am not sure will fit in with my lifestyle. So even though these examples of new tech are massively reduced in price, it's still a question as to whether I should purchase one or not. And further, the white ones are not attractive enough and the orange or teal ones are more attractive to me...
I am stuffed, basically - I expect I will buy one or the other of these in the near future...
I know, it's irrational. It's completely unnecessary. Lots of reviews of these little things say that they are actually not as good as the camera which I already have in my phone. And I am not a photographer, or a picture buff. I don't know about composition or focus or exposure, or anything. But I really get excited by the fact that I can point and shoot with a thing like this and get some kind of history.
I've had my current phone for more than a year, and I have no real yearning to replace it. It cost me £280 or so outright, back in Aug / Sept 2014, and it still serves me well. I don't have "new phone envy", but now it seems to be all about the peripherals. And the fact that this little "re camera" has plunged in price from ~£199 to £70 is certainly driving my lust. Not only would I be getting a cutting edge bit of kit, which is compatible with my phone, but I would be getting it at a knock-down price. There are examples, though, of these cameras (ex-demo, granted) available on eBay for £49.99 and I am still reluctant to buy. I am conflicted. There are days on which I am an unreconstructed consumer, and I would not hesitate to surround myself with plastic tech manufactured in China, and on other days I eschew unnecessary worldly belongings, deciding that we should only buy secondhand books and furniture, since we are such a consumerist society. It is still a big deal to throw £50 away on a new concept, which I am not sure will fit in with my lifestyle. So even though these examples of new tech are massively reduced in price, it's still a question as to whether I should purchase one or not. And further, the white ones are not attractive enough and the orange or teal ones are more attractive to me...
I am stuffed, basically - I expect I will buy one or the other of these in the near future...
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