Weekend Away

Mr Ball and I were the lucky recipients of a weekend away curtsey of our Ushers. So exactly six months after the wedding we headed to the outskirts of Bath. 

The Kings Arms (Monkton-Farleigh) is a four star B&B with three guest bedrooms - ours being room 2 which should be described as a suite.  Our initial arrival caused us some confusion as we weren’t sure which door to use - common sense directed us towards the very front of the building but we found ourselves faced with a curtain. Emerging from behind the curtain we realised we had wandered into a restaurant where people were eating lunch.  After signing in, we were shown our posh (see photo) suite where we dropped our luggage and headed back out (through the correct door) to explore nearby Bristol. 

Mr Ball sometimes goes to Bristol for work so had some shops in mind to take me to. In particular Park Street, which is a great place to go for vintage accessories and clothing. Bristolian Banksy’s mural ‘Naked Man’ is situated towards the bottom of Park Street and is worth a visit and a double take. 

Thoroughly shopped out, we headed back to the B&B for dinner which was also kindly provided by the Ushers. Whilst perusing the menu, Mr Ball enjoyed some local cider whilst I had a yummy Cosmopolitan.  Shortly we were taken to the restaurant area and sampled some local herby bread which provided a welcome stop gap before our unusual appetisers. Mine was Scotch egg with chutney whilst Mr Ball had Crackling with Apple Sauce (he loves anything resembling pork scratchings and he hoped the Ushers would get an itemised bill as one of them is particularly health conscious).  The main course for me was a scrumptious burger with wedges and cute mini gherkins. Mr Ball had Rib-eye steak with fries. I have to admit I found myself defeated – almost – so I was happy that the desserts came in teeny portions. Mr Ball had Tonka Bean Parfait (a variant of the cocoa bean) with blueberries and strawberries which was very tasty and I had Chocolate and Orange bread and butter pudding with apricot sauce – unfortunately this was a little bland and could have done with some more sugar which is a common problem with bread and butter pudding. I had this with a lovely Pinot Grigio Rose (terracotta in colour according to the waitress). 

It is fair to say (and has been noted by other patrons) that the rooms in The Kings Arms are boiling hot and although the bed was comfy, the temperature (even though we turned the heating off) was not conducive to a brilliant night’s sleep. Water was provided (they put it in the room whilst we were having dinner) but nowhere near enough. The staff can come across as a bit sarcastic but I think this is just their way. They are trying to be funny rather than offensive. 

The next day we headed down to breakfast (included) and Mr Ball enjoyed a fry-up whilst I had boiled eggs and soldiers with a glass of ice cold water (a relief after the hot room).  We could also help ourselves to cereal and fruit along with a morning paper. Afterwards we said our goodbyes and headed out.  We were surprised that like moles we were sensitive to the light (after being in such a dark building) and it took us a while to adjust to the sun. 

Before going home, we visited Bath where we spent more time looking around the shops. In fact we must have walked for about four and a half hours stopping only to enjoy a cooling Italian ice cream (Oreo and Candy Floss flavour mmmmm). Content and exhausted I spent the two hour car journey home sound asleep. Poor Mr Ball didn’t have much company I’m afraid. 

 

Hard Times - Charles Dickens.

I have decided that I will only read one Dickens book per year (I love them so much I don’t want to run out and of course he isn’t going to be writing any more). This year’s book was Hard Times which although I found somewhat more easy to read in comparison to his more laborious works (for example Great Expectations which I enjoyed), I felt it was a bit forced. It became clear that he was writing to order (Dickens was often in trouble with publishers after trying to back out of contracts). So it did appear rushed without too much going on (I prefer the interweaving storylines  Dickens is so good at). Hard Times is the story of the Gradgrind family whose patriarch Thomas Gradgrind deals with Fact! Anything else in life is irrelevant (no one is allowed to partake in recreation) which is particularly difficult for his daughter Loo. Throughout the book, Dickens suggests that balance is important and illustrates the consequences if one does not have this balance (predominately mental health issues and crime). As with most of Dickens’s work he has a political/social message - I found this element of the story most difficult to understand and as a result had to press on and focus on the human side of the story. Hard Times is definitely worth a look but I still think Great Expectations (so far) is the best Dickens to start with. Also, Joanna Lumley recently said (on the ITV programme: David Walliams on the Genius of Roald Dahl) that if you are a fan of Dahl it is an easy transition to Dickens and vice versa. Personally I have never been much of a fan of Dahl but am considering having another read if he is meant to be like Dickens.