It had been a long day at Garth View for Sooty and Tia and there was no better way to end it other than with a glass of wine while watching the sun go down.
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We stopped off during our meanderings through York on Saturday afternoon at what will hopefully become another of our favourite Cafe Bars. The sun was shining and the place was already very busy particularly outside on the pavement where people were eating and drinking in the warm heat. As I’ve said before in earlier reviews (read here), the Blue Fly Cafe Bar does indeed serve very good food and dare I say, cake. Last time the decoration left quite a bit to be desired and a good clean was in order. We were pleased to see though that this time, the seating had been either replaced or repaired and the windows had actually seen a cleaning cloth.
Sitting down after we had ordered (they no longer make you pay before you get your food/drink, which is much more sensible and likely to result in more sales for them - well done), we relaxed while watching the people pass outside along New Street.
Our coffee, tea and two slices of lemon drizzle cake soon arrived. While the crockery could still do with been replaced, the quality of the drink and cake were as usual very good indeed. The cake is always fresh, moist and served with cream and went down a treat.
A further improvement I would suggest to the owner, is that they bring back the cool chill out house music they used to play last year. I am not sure if they had a DJ who did mix tapes for them, but they should get him/her back. With decent music, keeping on top of the cleaning and a change in crockery, this place could be a mecca for straight and gays alike, who enjoy good coffee, cake, a beer or two while watching the world go by.
Pryordurkin Rating. 2.0 (improvement by 1 since last time following cleaning, new/repaired seating)
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Reading recent blog entries from Michael it seems as if life is getting a little strenuous living in a hotel. So if anyone else is getting stressed living away from home then here are my top tips for a more peaceful life taken from the Michael Durkin book of psychology. Get over it, life happens! Paul XX
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I noticed an interesting thing today when I came to buy a ticket to get home from London to York. I found I could buy a business saver return from London to York for £169.00 The only restriction (and given I live in York and generally don’t travel on a morning) is that I can’t use Kings Cross between 6.45 and 7.45.
So where I have previously found that traveling from York to London return costs £297 1st class, I can make exactly the same journeys at exactly the same times, £128.00 cheaper if I always buy the outward ticket from London to York. A simple yet effective way to save money.
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Filed under: Trains, Travel
What I have never been able to figure out in Hotels that provide mini bars in rooms, is why the prices charged are so prohibitively expensive. It has over my working life always puzzled me, why this particular aspect of the capitalist society is immune to the normal supply and demand principles that apply to pretty much every thing else.
However at last I have found a hotel that breaks this rule once and for all, albeit in a very strange and frankly annoying way.
I arrived back at my hotel for the evening and as you will see in an earlier review, settled down to watch a bit of mindless television with a glass of wine. I noticed in the mini bar a small 25cl bottle of white wine, checked the price and thought £3.95 was extortionate but given my current state of dress, worth taking. It was only when I was recounting the previous evenings meal in the hotel restaurant that I remembered I had been served the same 25cl bottle of wine at £5.55. So in my mini bar, I could buy (albeit only 1 was stocked and this is important to remember) the same bottle of wine as I had in the hotel restaurant the previous night for an extra £1.60. OK you might think I paid a premium for the use of the restaurant. Fair point, for now.
However this evening I wanted to stay in my room and started leafing through the short room service menu. This time, the same bottle of wine was again priced at £5.55. I had a choice. Ring reception and tell them to re-fill my mini bar, where I could then take said bottle for £3.95. Or, I could ring room service, likely to be answered by same people, and order a bottle of the same wine from the room service menu and pay £5.55.
This was an annoying option in it’s own right simply because it had no logic. However things got worse. Feeling a little peckish I decided to order up some food. Like many hotels now, there is a tray charge (£2.50 here) and that itself winds me up. However it is just about (with a strong wind) justifiable on the grounds they have to carry the food upstairs. So I browsed down the new menu, and noticed many of the exact same dishes as were served in the restaurant, only this time they were more expensive. An example (not a good one as it shows my taste but hey, I’m working class), Benn & Jerry’s ice cream. Served at £5.00 in the restaurant for a little tub (they don’t even try to add value these days), but on the room service menu it was £6.00. Outrageous. Not only were they charging £2.50 for the tray charge to bring it to my room, but the cost of the food had mysteriously gone up by 20% as well. How can this be. Is it me. No logic to the pricing structure, except one that is based on the assumption customers are stupid and there to be ripped off while tired and relaxing in the hotel. I am very tempted to stop coming to this hotel on these grounds alone.
Pryordurkin rating. 1.0
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I’ve reached rock bottom. It was bound to happen soon. After receiving the phone call from Paul to say he was going into York to meet up with some colleagues from the University for a few drinks, I turned on the TV thinking I would have another relaxing night in my hotel room.
A glass of wine later and I was laughing and cringing at the same time, while watching the British Soap Awards 2008 on ITV. The Sexiest Male category was won by some such person who was clearly embarrassed by the whole episode and I could only imagine he was there because it was in the ’soap’ contract he had signed. Mumbling something about, “it’s great to be recognised for my acting talent” sarcastically, I really felt for him.
The show continued with Sexiest Female (I went to the loo at this point as there is only so many ways to pout) and rolled on into several more categories while Phil and Fern tried to make reading from an autocue interesting and jovial. It was day time television brought into the evening slot. Awful.
The one notable exception was Liz Dawn who won a Lifetime Achievement award and had the grace not to take it all too seriously. I suspect with her own real life issues, she had a better perspective on this whole sorry event than the rest of us.
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Filed under: All Our News, Entertainment, Television
We walked towards the City Screen Cinema and saw a sign in the corner of St Martins Courtyard pointing to the Orgasmic Cafe. It looked like the entrance to a cheap nightclub but being adventurous we wandered in. The first thing you come to is a large empty space at the back of which is a corridor where, if you follow the sounds of the kitchen you eventually enter the main cafe area. Our advice is don’t let the entrance put you off, this place is modern and stylish with plenty of seating, tables, views across the River and a large walled garden patio area.
Finding a table overlooking the river, we settled down and Paul placed our order. We decided to share a couple of mains between us and ordered up the freshly cooked Pizza and a warm chicken Caesar salad, both of which you can see being prepared in the very busy kitchen.
The place was very busy which, despite its entrance, goes to show, quality will always shine through. The clientele were mixed in age, but thoroughly modern in dress sense and style. Beautiful People, you might say. We were happy with lots of eye candy to keep us amused as we waited for our meal, which was quickly served by a young fit thing.
The pizza was very good, thin, crispy and clearly freshly made. The Caesar salad was also very nice, but had just a little too much dressing on for Paul’s liking.
With the warm weather, the views across the river, nice food and plenty of eye candy, this is a real find and I’m sure we will be back for more.
Pryordurkin rating 3.0
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Filed under: Cafe Review, Food and Drink, Yorkshire
Saturday started late having enjoyed a welcome lie in. We then headed off into the City, opting for the Park and Ride.
Wandering through the city we took a look in the Gild Hall (yes it’s spelt right) and found a local artist, Debbie March, was displaying some interesting pieces of glass work. Obviously in the mood for a bit of culture, not only did I take a photograph of the wonderful stained glass window, we placed an order for one of her more contemporary pieces.
Feeling a little peckish by this point, especially given we had just parted with a chunk of cash, we headed off for spot of lunch. We came across the Orgasmic Cafe Bar (see separate review) where we enjoyed a very pleasant hour and a half.
Wandering back through town, we took in the sights and sounds that York has to offer its tourists before heading back home.
Sunday was an altogether more physically strenuous day. I decided to help Paul in the garden and found myself weeding. Feeling ever more adventurous I even decided to try my hand at baking some scones and despite the lack of confidence from Marg in Australia who happened to phone just as I was having a little measuring crisis, they turned out very well indeed (always read the recipe twice over!).
With blisters and pains in places I didn’t know I had, we rounded off the evening with my cooking a very nice roast dinner and sipping a couple of beers as the sun set out the back of Garth View.
Monday continued to demand my physical prowess and I again helped Paul weed in the garden. This time,we tackled the fruit and vegetable garden and fought bravely with the little blighters that were threatening our soft fruit trees.
Of course all this work made for two hungry bunnies so I slipped away to get some gas for the BBQ and returned to cook our first ever BBQ at Garth View. With a decent bottle of white and a freshly cooked meal, we took a break from the arduous work that is gardening to enjoy a rest. By this time the sun was belting down and we enjoyed an hour or two soaking up the rays while watching the wildlife go about its business over the fields that lie behind our home.
Before wrapping up for the day though, I just needed to put one final coat of paint on a small garden bench. Canary Yellow, was not Paul’s first choice, but my stubborn nature resulted in it being chosen in the end. As you can see, it will certainly brighten up the corner of the house near the front door, where you can now sit and have breakfast on a Canary Yellow bench. Mind The Paint!
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After a week in London for me and a very long week at work for Paul, the Bank Holiday is here. If we don’t see you over the weekend, have a great one and enjoy the sunshine.
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With all the canvassing at a close and the polling underway I feel safe to now share my clearly influential voice on the whole London Mayor Election. With a sense of responsibility on my shoulders and a humility that I easily wear I offer up the one issue that would have swayed my vote. (If I had one of course).
It is this. The candidate who promised to mandate a “First In, First Out” system for London Hotel lifts would have got my complete and rightly important backing.
Every time I come to head for breakfast or check out my hotel, I find if I am the first in the lift I end up being the last in the queue. It is really annoying when I clearly get out of bed first, dress first, leave my room first, push the lift button first and board this travelling piece of wonder, that I get beat to the reception desk or breakfast “meet and greet” point by the miserable bugger who got out of bed after me, dressed after me, left their room after me and pushed the bloody lift button after me. To top it all, they always look so flaming pleased with themselves as well. I find little old ladies and miserable bulky business folk the worst offenders.
So there you have it. Too late to sway the London vote with my pearls of wisdom and enormous influence. But had Ken Livingstone, Boris Johnson or that bloke who really wanted to be a Tory but was picked by the Lib Dems, had said “First In, First Out for Hotel Lifts”, then they would have had my complete backing.
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