Cranmer Country Cottages

I guess this will have to be the last post on the holiday.  We got back last week, and had a great time.

We stayed in Cranmer, in a place called Cranmer Country Cottages.  Our cottage was Swallow and was an amazing place to stay.  The kids had loads of room, and there were a few board games for them to play with.  In addition, in the garden, there was a playground (a climbing frame/swing/slide and a playhouse) in the enclosed field outside.  There were ants in the cottage, but other than freaking out my daughter, they kept to themselves!  Both kids loved the heated swimming pool as well as playing outside and I even taught my daughter the basics of playing chess!  (Well, only how to move the pawns.)  One important thing with kids is that the television has to have access to Cbeebies, which it did.     

It was a great base from which to explore North Norfolk and from there we were able to do things like take the kids on the Wells to Walsingham light railway.  We had a great time there, and if you want to go to North Norfolk with the kids, that is a place I would recommend!   

The Hoste Arms review

Right, the next post.  


First of all, the Hoste Arms.  My wife and I had eaten here before, many many years ago.  BC in fact (Before Children), and loved the food back then.  Of course, staying in the area, we decided to eat there again.  And loved it so much, we ate twice.  It is a bit posh, but eating there mid week, and getting there at noon, there was plenty of tables for us to feed the kids.  Being in a village, there was lots of places to get the kids to walk while we waited for the food, and one of the two times we ate there, a waitress even came out to get us!


But the food...  I remember that when I ate there, the food was great.  But after several years, we returned, to find that our memories were correct.  The food was brilliant.  Full of flavour and of course with children, they had the right sort of food that a four and a two year old would want to eat.  Great for adults and for children, if you are willing to take the kids out for a walk outside the place.  My only gripe was that I was the drive and therefore did not get to drink!  The wine list went well with the food, though of course, I was more interested in the beer which sadly, I did not get to drink.


But during the week, between the two times that we ate there, we took the kids out to several places.  To the beach of course, they loved that.  The beaches at North Norfolk are amazing.  When the tide goes out, it goes a long distance out.  With beautiful sand, it was great for us, and of course, the two kids loved the sand.  Loads of sand castles made, and of course, we were 'forced' to help them make some!


They got to see a crab on the beach, which considering they had been to a sea life sanctuary earlier on the week (and loved that) my daughter loved.  Instead of seeing one in an aquarium, she got to see it trying to hide from us (in case we were going to eat it).  

Anyway, time for the next post...

 

Ostrich Inn South Creake

Afternoon all.  Right, I have to post a lot now.  Let me see if I can catch up with what had taken place since I last posted.

First of all, another place to eat.  The Ostrich Inn in South Creake.  Opposite a park, it does serve good food.  We stopped there for lunch one day.  The kids had loads of energy, and with a park for the village opposite it, I took the kids there after we had ordered our food.  I did not expect what I thought would be pub food to taste so good!  But it did.  The kids loved it, and the staff there were understanding about our two children which is always nice.

And of course, the kids in the playground.  They love playing on playgrounds. A pretty place, there is a stream running along the main road between the park and the road.  The kids loved watching the ducks as well as playing on the swings and climbing frames.  I did have to stop my daughter from tormenting the ducks though!

Anyway, time to post another update in a moment...

 

Strattons Swaffham review

Evening all again.  Time to post again.  I have put the kids to sleep after reading them Toy Story.  Both love it, my son loves Buzz, and since he has got a Woody doll, Woody as well.


But now we are on holiday.  In Norfolk.  We are staying in a place in Cranmer which the kids love.  I will have to remember to write a review on it later once we have left.  Started however with a trip to Swaffham and a stay in a place called Strattons.

It was lovely.  We had stayed there before BC (before kids) and loved it then.  It has interesting decor, which in general you love or hate.  Me, I liked bits, and did not like others as much.  One bit that was there last time we stayed was a light piece in the main reception room.  Last time, I nearly broke it!  Initially I did not like it.  I thought it was awful.  But the more I looked at it, the more it grew on me.  Intricate, there was so much to notice, a bit like the decor.  While you may not like it at first, there is a lot to take in.  And while you may not like all of it, if you are like me, you will find pictures or other things there that you do like.

The room was great, and set up brilliantly for kids.  Unfortunately, there are no chickens in the courtyard as there were before.  Apparently, too many accidents with cars and dogs.  But the food...  For kids, there is a deli which will serve dinner for kids at a time that allows the adults to go to bed.  We took our own intercom, but apparently they have a listening service that they offer.  Now when it came to the food, I wanted to cry.  My starter was nice.  Good food, and in itself, very good.  but the main course...  I wanted to cry.  I could not finish it.  I love steak, and they did it to perfection.  Full of flavour and tender, I could eat it over and over again.  It was one of the best three beef meals I have ever had, the other two were one in Madeira and the other at Locanda Locatelli. I have to recommend the place, both as a restaurant and a boutique hotel.

Anyway time to post a picture. It is a fake, the headline was Cameron and Clegg (begin) running the country.  But this made me laugh!

An interesting deal considering that the Tories were against a coalition.   They said a hung parliament would be bad for Britain and Cameron considered Clegg to be a joke!

I will see if I can post more details on the holiday tomorrow.  Take care all.   

Pizza Express Great Portland Street review

Afternoon all.  In case you are insane, blind, not in the UK or stupid, you will now know that the UK has a new Prime Minister.

 It has been interesting from a political perspective.  I have to say, that once Labour did not win the election, this was the outcome I was hoping for.  In my view, it means that it gives Labour the best chance of regaining power come the next election.  I can not see the right of the Conservative party staying quiet about a forced marriage with the Liberal Democrats.

Anyway, it has been some time since I last posted.  Quite a bit has happened.  I took the kids on the weekend to London Zoo again, this time with my mother.  My wife and one of our friends were in London for something else.  The kids once again loved the zoo, and as my son is older, he appreciated it a bit more than he did last time.  The only downside to the trip was the odd man who seemed to be following us about!  Why a single man was hanging about a playground was beyond me.  Well, it was not, my mother and I suspected that he might be a kiddy fiddler, and the staff at the zoo were great in seeing if he was about or not.  I might be wrong and there might be an innocent explanation for his behaviour...

Anyway, the visit to the zoo was on Friday.  On Saturday we met up with David and had lunch at a Pizza Express. I love pizza, and the kids do as well.  My wife is not normally a big fan, but she and David both loved what they had there.  And the service there was brilliant.  I expect good service and good food at Pizza Express, but this was great.  Probably the best I have had there, and to a standard I would recommend to all just based on the service.  Attentive and understanding of children, we actually forgot to ask for things that the waiter brought for the kids!

The Lexden Crown, Colchester, review

Afternoon all.  

Have been celebrating this week.  

I went to an interview on Saturday and on Monday, found out that I got the job!  I broke the bad/good news to my work today.  Good from my perspective.  Bad from my current workplace.  I will have to take a 30% paycut to work there, but it is closer to home.  Among other things as well.

I have to admit, I did feel disloyal going for a job interview without telling my current workplace that I was going to do the dirty on them.  

I got it in writing on Monday when I got home from work, and told my work yesterday.

So today we celebrated.  We went out to The Lexden Crown, a really nice restaurant.  It is owned by the same people who own the Lemon Tree in Colchester, a place I highly recommend.  We have been to it before in the distant past before children.  I did not mind it, my wife did not like it though.  That was how it was in the past.

Now it is a great place to take kids.  It has good food, great food in fact.  The building has loads of character which I took the kids round.  It has a 'secret room' which was part of the old kitchen apparently.  But most importantly, it has a garden!  With a four year old (sorry, four and a half year old) daughter and a two year old son, they need to be kept occupied.  They played about in the garden, loved looking at the fountain in the corner (which takes away some of the noise from the main road which it is on).  Now as any parent knows time spent with your loved one while the kids are occupied is great!  You can talk to each other!  And did I mention that we liked the food?  Will be going back there again, and I do recommend it to parents in the area.  No toys or anything in the garden (it is not that big) but the garden is big enough and pretty enough for kids to run.

Uh Oh We're In Trouble

Well, once again I am knackered.  I thought I had got over my illness from last week.  But I am wrong.  Never mind, at least it is not the plague!


One thing though, the kids did make me laugh.  My wife telephoned me at lunch.  She was doing some cleaning around the house, and realised that she could not hear the kids.  
So she found them.  They were upstairs, where they had found some toys that can be used to kill up things with water.  And filled them up with water.  Upstairs.  In the small toilet that my daughter uses (it is easier for them to get to and turn the taps there).  There was some water in the toys.  Loads more on the floor though.  Her reaction was such that the kids knew that they were in lots of trouble.  Lots indeed.  The problem was that when she telephoned me to share this with me, I could not stop laughing.  Nor could her parents who had telephoned her to ask her something either!

Anyway, I hope this makes you laugh as well! 

This little guy is sitting at the bar just staring at his drink. He's been sitting there for half an hour when this big trouble-making truck driver steps next to him, grabs his drink and gulps it down in one swig. The poor little guy starts crying. "Come on man, I was just giving you a hard time," says the truck driver. I'll buy you another drink. I just can't stand to see a man crying." This is the worst day of my life," says the little guy between sobs. "I can't do anything right. I overslept and was late to an important meeting, so my boss fired me. When I went to the parking lot, I found my car was stolen and I have no insurance. I grabbed a cab home but, after the cab left, I discovered I had forgotten my wallet in it. At home I found my wife in bed with the gardener. So I came to this bar and was thinking about putting an end to my life, and you show up and drink the damn poison."