If my group of Beteckers are reading this again - a big THANK YOU for your lovely card and comments. I miss you too!!! Hope all the interviews and stuff are going well. Sorry I accidentally deleted your comments - so you'll have to send me some new ones to add to this post:)

Here are some pictures from last weekend and our visit to my home county - yes - I'm an ESSEX GIRL at heart;)

We were there to see 'ol' blue eyes' on tour
(and please don't go telling me he's dead - coz I've seen him - full size, in colour and walking on the stage):)

The Cliffs Pavillion - at Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex - a brilliant venue - especially on a wonderful sunny day like we had on Saturday.



Looking out onto the big, blue Thames estuary with a cold glass of white wine? Yep - very 'us' ;)



Unfortunately, the first performance was cancelled due to a technical hitch - but I managed to run to the box office (when all the oldies were reaching for their walking sticks) and got the last few tickets for the evening performance. Luckily we were there early as the stupid man had written 8.15pm on the tickets when actually it was an 8pm start. It was an excellent show - and I'm not even a particular lover of Sinatra-stuff (J is of course - born in the wrong decade)- but his story was really well told and the technology they use was amazing - he really came alive - so much so, that the dancers on stage we actually a bit of a distraction to watching him sing! fantastic choreograpy....



So, anyway, we had an unexpected afternoon walk along the seafront - along the pier (the longest in the world you know - 1.33 miles) - we took the train back as the wind was blowing a hoooley!
After a wonderful lunch (plus two bottles of wine) at the
Fisherman's Wharf restaurant we ended up at Leigh-on-Sea (which is slightly more upmarket that the amusement-park, candyflossy "saaffend"...



We found a good and friendly fishmonger cooperative (Mmmmm.. wild sea bass: mental note to stop there before we headed home) and stopped for a drink at the seafront bars. Shame that we would have to miss the reservation at the Boatyard restaurant (voted the best fish restaurant in the area) - but actually it didn't look that brilliant a place after all. And the reviews aren't very good. The woman at the reception was not at all friendly:( somaybe it was just aswell we weren't eating there. Its a bit of a Michelin food desert round here:(



Little did we know (and much to J's excitement) the international annual airshow was on and during Saturday there was lots of rehearsing in the skies above the cliffs and the seafront was beginning to fill up with all kinds of RAF and Army lads on roadshow-type lorries with banners. Shame the weather closed in on Sunday - but that's England for you (it was a bank holiday after all):)








Does he think he's in Crete or something? This is the Thames - not the Med' you know!!







Nice hat Dad;)

>

Last week my friend K and I treated ourselves to a mid-week day out in scenic Rutland. As it was a special occasion we decided we deserved a Michelin-starred venue for lunch and Hambleton Hall’s ‘Lunch 4 Less’ deal was irresistible!
It's grand Victorian architecture looks over the huge reservoir and even though it was midweek they were fully booked and the dining room had (as always) an excellent atmosphere. The hotel is more like a rustic home than a posh hotel. Hidden away down a wooded gravelled driveway. Apparently the Latin above the front door says ‘ do as you want’ and they certainly are keen on their guests taking part in fishing, cycling or walking around the Water’s paths.




But we were here for Aaron’s famous food. In a recent review "Hambleton Hall stands at the forefront of that dying breed of quintessential, personally run, unmucked-about luxury country-house hotels". And has been known for some time as 'best restaurant outside London'..
So after the obligatory glass of champers;) K had the Beetroot assiete to start (Mmmmm interesting – not as good as a rhubarb favourite of mine from a certain other Michelin place) and I had the ravioli mushroom thingy (very mushroomy) and for our mains we had veal bolognaise (not too rich and served in a separate little pot to go over the pasta – very stylish) and the organic wild salmon (lovely and the mushed peas it was served on even better). We especially enjoyed earwigging others conversations “would you believe – the new vicar is a woman!” And laughing at the walking party who left all their muddy boots and Barbours in the porch, as the head of the group discreetly handed the sommelier two (duck or pheasant)? eggs saying (in his middle class accent): “would you ask the chef to poach one and fry the other – we’ll have them before the starters”.


Eccentric bunch these middle-of-week- Michelin-star-lunchers. The rain outside was pouring down. We enjoyed the relaxed, comfortable lounge, warm from the open log fire, full of plump feather cushions and the scent of its enormous vase of lilies.

Fortunately the rain held off when we left, and the spring-time sun appeared. Hambleton Hall is just down the road from the late BBC gardener Geoff Hamilton’s ‘Barnsdale’ – which is a maze of little gardens all with an individual theme. It held a special significance for K, so I was glad to walk around and enjoy learning a few new names for all the plants. Each garden has a seat to sit and enjoy the plants and we had the place virtually to ourselves apart from the few staff busy weeding away. The peace was only shattered occassionally by the aircraft from the local MOD site. After a cream tea in the café, we walked around the shop and each bought a new colourful addition (or two) for our gardens. Ladies who do lunch? We must do this more often!

Bradford - home of cheap and cheerful bingo halls, shell suites and famous for its curries....MMMmmm not the best venue for an annual corporate charity do. The Hilton here has to be THE worst I have ever stayed at. We parked at the ugly, smelly, concrete NCP next door and I had a foreboding of what the hotel was going to be like. And Yep- very old and tired and dark rooms where the windows were literally falling out if the frames, clean but very small, well-worn rooms full with out of date stuff and uncomfortably hard beds. Can you believe not even one room donated to a treadmill or two - let alone a proper gym or a swimming pool "Oh, yes madam - there is a leisure centre available to guests. It's about a ten minute drive away" Stuff that. Anxiously driving around Bradford looking for a sports centre with your doors locked first thing in the morning. Definitely not my idea of fun.

Rooms: awful.
Service: bearable.
Food: inedible.
Music: fair
Company: great;)
Another annual duty? Done!