Today you join a refreshed and renewed blogger. A man rejuvenated, and very possibly a little heavier than when I last sat down to put fingers to keyboard.
Of course there is a particular reason for my relaxed, revitalised, and probably a lot of other words begging with 're' state of mind, and of course that reason may just be the subject of today's post.
So, shall we?
Virtually Reality
Myself and my rather lovely wife, Tina have just returned from a couple of days away you see, days which were given to as an Xmas present by my parents, and had accordingly been booked in for a fair while, but this week those days became a reality.
Our destination was not too far away. The lovely city of Durham being some 80 miles or so away from my home in Mirfield, but it was still different air, different surroundings, and a chance to luxuriate in a very nice hotel. Needless to say we took full advantage of those chances afforded us.
The Express Train
Before we could kick back and relax however, we had to actually get there, and with our usual flair for the last minute, we waited until three weeks beforehand to sort out our travel arrangements.
Our first instinct was to go by bus, having travelled down to London last year using such a service (see here for details). Unfortunately, the company we used back then didn't access our chosen destination, and although its closest competitor did, that service took some 5 hours to reach it. As the distance by road is still only a tad over a hundred miles, I can only imagine that it stops twice every five minutes, and picks up passengers from any, and every, town, village, and 'local' shop on the way. In the end we chose to travel by train.
The train wasn't that much more expensive, and it was one hell of a lot quicker. In fact the journey took just a smidge over an hour, not including the very kindly offered lift from my dad to Leeds train station. A five minute taxi ride saw us reach the hotel, full of only slightly wary expectation, and not even slightly the worse for wear for our journey.
If you've visited the link I posted above (You didn't? Well go do it. Now!), then you'll perhaps understand the concern. Luckily my parents had done a much better job of booking our hotel than we had managed in London, and we were very pleasantly flabbergasted by a lift-serviced, 3rd floor room which could have easily housed a medium sized political rally.
Bath Room
There was a king, or possibly emperor, sized bed (on further inspection this was actually two beds shunted together with a single mattress on top, but whatever) with room for a wheelchair on either side of it. This sat what felt like a good five minute walk away from the room door, and entailed passing a bathroom fitted with all the bars, raised toilet bowls, lowered sinks, and,accessible baths, a wheelchair user could dream of. It meant a definite upgrade from our own, half finished, council ruined, bathroom with it's disappointing shower and leaking toilet. It meant a bath. It meant a soak, and it definitely killed an hour or so.
So that was our base for two days. we had planned to explore the city, and to some extent we did. Durham however, despite containing perhaps the friendliest and most helpful people I've ever met (and I mean across the board), is not what you night call flat.
The Cathedral Ex Cathedra
On our one sojourn away from the hotel, to see the stunning Durham cathedral, entailed a series of hills which climbed, and climbed, and twisted, and then climbed some more until it felt we were at the top of the world. Luckily the cathedral was worth it.
It is an old building, it's construction having been started in 1093, although additions and alterations went on for another 400 years, making for a heady mixture of architectural styles. All of it is stunning however.
It's the kind of building that, when it's age is considered, makes the mind boggle. The craftsmanship, the detail, the way each turn of a corner opens up a new vista, and each raise of the head reveals some new detail such as the Prior Castell's Clock, or the Illumination Window, is amazing. Truly it would have been worth the trip on its own. And that's without the food.
Thought For Food
Yes, Slimming World will not go well for me this week, I fear. The Radisson Blu hotel we stayed at, although expensive, as hotels tend to be, cooked us some wonderful meals.
Breakfast was buffet style, something I am more than prepared to abuse, and claimed 90 dishes (I didn't count). A generous full English style fry up and a couple of croissant was more than achievable however, and I must admit to looking with some disdain at those choosing muesli and fruit.
That was the cornerstone of my expected weight gain, although the evening meals (The first of which was prepaid as part of the deal) wouldn't have helped. They weren't over fussy, or contrived, but they were full of flavour, and ensured we were nicely satiated. The cocktails (an Old Fashioned you say? Go on then) were nice too, and ensured a good nights sleep. A visit to the pool area for a swim, jacuzzi, sauna, and steam, might have knocked the edges off that cornerstone, but they certainly won't have dislodged it.
The Old Normal
Now, of course, we're back to something scarily like normality, and fending for ourselves. There is the small matter of an escape room, and a meal out for a friend's birthday, but after that it's probably going to be a good idea to rein it in a little bit. Something which might not be too easy after such decadent days away, but at least we can do so feeling holding on to the memories we've built..
Now, does anyone have the recipe for an Old Fashioned?
Until next time.
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