I showered, and had to unpack to find something pretty to put on to go down to dinner.
I put all the clothes on hangers in the wardrobe......Ma just changed her blouse.....we both put a bit of lippy on and went to find the dining room.
Yes, well....it wasn't exactly a dining room, it was a restaurant......again I followed my nose......it is fairly reliable when it comes to the smell of grub.
We had to wait to be seated.
The young waitress came towards us and we told her that we were with the Robinson's Coach party.
We were shown to a table for eight......there were a couple of ladies already there and a married couple(don't ask me how I knew thet were married....they just looked married)
We seated ourselves and were given menus.......as we were trying to decide what we were going to have, another lady was shown to the table.
She introduced herself as Christina...so we then introduced ourselves to her......the two elderly ladies were Ethel(who suited her name) and Pauline(who didn't, ...she looked more like a Doris...or a Gladys) and the married couple were Frank and Pauline.
We then settled down to seriously consider the menu.
I chose Broccoli and Stilton soup, and Ma chose fan of melon with sorbet.
I don't quite know why I chose the soup......I don't like broccoli much and I can't stand stilton...so it wasn't to my taste at all......having said that I tried my best to eat most of it......Ma said her Melon with sorbet was lovely.
I had Fish and chips for my main course......with minted pea puree(which I suppose is the Southern version of mushy peas.....mushy peas are definitely better)......Ma had Belly pork on Apple and sage mash.....with a dish full of seasonal veggies...which were shared by the table as Ma doesn't do veggies.
The desserts were to die for......toffee fudge apple pie with cream or custard.....but I know someone who had both......Fresh fruit salad.....which I always think is a bit boring.....but this fruit salad had raspberries, strawberries, peaches, kiwi fruit and fresh cherries....not a bit of apple or orange......and it was served with clotted cream or local farm made ice cream......Creme Brulee with raspberries....vanilla cheesecake with summer fruits..... profiteroles with hot fudge sauce,the list seemed to go on and on.
I was licking my lips as I deliberated over what to have....I really wanted to have a taste of everything....but was fairly full from the delicious fish and chips....so I opted for the Creme Brulee. Ma had boring old vanilla ice cream...fearing that the other desserts would play havoc with her blood sugar readings.
The Creme Brulee was delicious....just one little criticism.......they should serve it in a 2lb pudding dish......when I said this to the waitress she laughed and said she would tell the chef I had enjoyed it....she was probably thinking 'greedy Northern bovine'.
Although we had only just met our dining companions, we had all got on really well.....it felt like a family feast, as we laughed and joked and Ma told stories about past trips to different places.
Before long it was 9pm and we were wending our way back up to the room.
We were both tired, but agreed that we had had a lovely day....in spite of the uncertain start.
We washed off the tutty, got into our nightwear and settled down to sleep....Ma was too tired to even think of watching TV.
Tuesday...we had a free day, no trips or excursions.
I was going to whiz round taking photo's.....I was going to walk up to the Circus(and see if Nicolas Cage would invite me in for tea and crumpets)...then amble on to the Royal Crescent......I was going to visit the Roman Baths....the Abbey, to light candles....I was going to walk across Pultney Bridge and down to the river bank....I was going to smell out the charity shops for Ma to visit....and with all these things on my 'To do' list I fell asleep.
More to follow.......
I put all the clothes on hangers in the wardrobe......Ma just changed her blouse.....we both put a bit of lippy on and went to find the dining room.
Yes, well....it wasn't exactly a dining room, it was a restaurant......again I followed my nose......it is fairly reliable when it comes to the smell of grub.
We had to wait to be seated.
The young waitress came towards us and we told her that we were with the Robinson's Coach party.
We were shown to a table for eight......there were a couple of ladies already there and a married couple(don't ask me how I knew thet were married....they just looked married)
We seated ourselves and were given menus.......as we were trying to decide what we were going to have, another lady was shown to the table.
She introduced herself as Christina...so we then introduced ourselves to her......the two elderly ladies were Ethel(who suited her name) and Pauline(who didn't, ...she looked more like a Doris...or a Gladys) and the married couple were Frank and Pauline.
We then settled down to seriously consider the menu.
I chose Broccoli and Stilton soup, and Ma chose fan of melon with sorbet.
I don't quite know why I chose the soup......I don't like broccoli much and I can't stand stilton...so it wasn't to my taste at all......having said that I tried my best to eat most of it......Ma said her Melon with sorbet was lovely.
I had Fish and chips for my main course......with minted pea puree(which I suppose is the Southern version of mushy peas.....mushy peas are definitely better)......Ma had Belly pork on Apple and sage mash.....with a dish full of seasonal veggies...which were shared by the table as Ma doesn't do veggies.
The desserts were to die for......toffee fudge apple pie with cream or custard.....but I know someone who had both......Fresh fruit salad.....which I always think is a bit boring.....but this fruit salad had raspberries, strawberries, peaches, kiwi fruit and fresh cherries....not a bit of apple or orange......and it was served with clotted cream or local farm made ice cream......Creme Brulee with raspberries....vanilla cheesecake with summer fruits..... profiteroles with hot fudge sauce,the list seemed to go on and on.
I was licking my lips as I deliberated over what to have....I really wanted to have a taste of everything....but was fairly full from the delicious fish and chips....so I opted for the Creme Brulee. Ma had boring old vanilla ice cream...fearing that the other desserts would play havoc with her blood sugar readings.
The Creme Brulee was delicious....just one little criticism.......they should serve it in a 2lb pudding dish......when I said this to the waitress she laughed and said she would tell the chef I had enjoyed it....she was probably thinking 'greedy Northern bovine'.
Although we had only just met our dining companions, we had all got on really well.....it felt like a family feast, as we laughed and joked and Ma told stories about past trips to different places.
Before long it was 9pm and we were wending our way back up to the room.
We were both tired, but agreed that we had had a lovely day....in spite of the uncertain start.
We washed off the tutty, got into our nightwear and settled down to sleep....Ma was too tired to even think of watching TV.
Tuesday...we had a free day, no trips or excursions.
I was going to whiz round taking photo's.....I was going to walk up to the Circus(and see if Nicolas Cage would invite me in for tea and crumpets)...then amble on to the Royal Crescent......I was going to visit the Roman Baths....the Abbey, to light candles....I was going to walk across Pultney Bridge and down to the river bank....I was going to smell out the charity shops for Ma to visit....and with all these things on my 'To do' list I fell asleep.
More to follow.......
