For a change I decided to treat my mam to a meal the other
day. It doesn’t happen often, so when it does, well you just go with it. We
decided to go to the Angel View Inn. This is where my mam and Geoff are getting
married in a few months. She wanted to show me the room for the wedding and
plus we wanted to see what the food was like as we’ve never eaten there before.
Well, the room is nice. It’s hard to say what it will look
like until it’s decorated in their style. First impressions are good though.
The Angel View Inn is kind of in the countryside, but yet close
enough to local roads and things. Its right next to the Angel of the North and
you can see it in the background when you pull up. I love the outside as the
rooms look like something from an American motel or something. (Obviously a lot
less sinister though.)
Inside it’s gorgeous. It’s a bit like an old fashioned pub,
yet a stylish, modern converted barn if that makes any sense. There’s lots of
dark leather seating and dark wood, then exposed beige brickwork and funky
lighting. I’ve decided these are the kind of places I like the best. I like the
traditional aspect of it, but it’s not stifling and too old fashioned.
The place wasn’t too busy and we felt like we could just
chill and talk which was nice.
I went for the grilled salmon with hollandaise
sauce, boiled potatoes and buttered greens. There was a struggle going on in my
brain that’s for sure. I wanted nothing more than to get a nice big juicy
burger and then some cakey pudding for dessert. I’m trying to be healthier
though so salmon was the best option. It tasted amazing I’m not going to lie.
It looked great on the plate with the sauce in a little jug and a slice of
lemon on the side. It just tasted healthy. You know when you eat something and
you feel great afterwards because it’s done you some good. Well that.
My mam went for a chicken burger. You could imagine that
looked even better. The chips came in a bucket and the little potted
dips, the onion rings too. Oh if mine didn't taste so nice I would have been
gutted I wasn’t having what she was having.
Sadly we didn't get any dessert. Next time I'm going to treat myself though as the menu sounded amazing.
It cost £25 for both of us which isn't too bad for the quality of the grub. Granted it's not somewhere I could go every day for those prices, but for a one off treat it was fine.
It was good just having some mother daughter bonding time and talking about the wedding. Next time I'm definitely getting pudding though, no doubt about it.
Have any of you been to the Angel View Inn?
Bank Holiday Monday just gone, most people would be either
sitting in a beer garden chilling, maybe doing a bit of DIY around the house.
Well I was trying to convince my dog Poppy that it would be a good idea to go
for a long ass walk. I say trying to convince her, I’m not a crazy dog lady who
talks to her dog. When she’s continuously pulling on the lead and getting me to
stop every five minutes. I start to plead with her though.
It wasn’t really that bad. It always starts off good,
and then on the way back, hell even I start to lag after we’ve been going for
an hour or so. I doubt she’d carry me back like I do her though. I say carry,
but I managed a couple of steps. For having little legs, she’s still very
stocky and heavy. I tried my best though.
So yeah, I decided to just walk around next to where I live.
If I continue walking upwards, it takes me past lots of farmer’s fields, little
nature paths surrounded by trees and then if you keep going all the way up you
get to Tanfield Railway and Bowes Railway I think. Well that’s what the sign
says anyways. How far up you actually have to go I’m not too sure. We didn’t
get that far, but we were heading in the right direction.
It was a nice walk, the sun wasn’t really out but it was
warm. There were numerous things along the way to make it a bit more exciting.
We passed sculptures of birds and even came to a nice bench that had been
carved out of wood. Naturally Poppy stopped for a little sit down, and of
course I was the weirdo that took loads of pictures of her doing it.
You know by now, that I’m always out and about walking,
especially with having Poppy. It’s more than that though; I just like being
outside surrounded by nature. I could do without all of the flies that have
turned up out of nowhere, but still the actual walking about and soaking up the
sun always makes me feel better.
I loved the different colours that were about. The grey sky
against the yellow of the rapeseed in the fields, and then the orange in the
bushes, it was more than just greenery everywhere.
There was a cool little walkway that had mosaic pieces with flowers growing around it which I thought looked so pretty. It's all about the little things.
This just makes me want to go to one of the railway stations. I've never been before and I'm curious to see how long it would take me to walk there. According to Google maps it will take about 11 - 15 minutes in the car. Who knows maybe I'll try getting there on my next walk. Whether I take Poppy I'm not too sure. She likes the look of that bench and I don't think I'll be able to tear her away from it so easily next time.
How did you spend your Bank Holiday?
Not Thursday just gone, but the Thursday before, myself and
my mam took Poppy back to Beamish for another wander around. It was another one
of my 4 mile walk kind of days and I thought the change of scenery would be
good.
It was totally different to the last time we went. Then it
was a lovely sunny day, we stopped for drinks and ice cream. This time was more
business, more about just power walking around whilst still having a little nose
about the place. The weather wasn’t as picturesque. This time we spent a lot of
time looking around Pockerley Old Hall and also up at Home Farm checking out the
animals and the old farmhouse.
I love Pockerley Old Hall. It represents the home of a
wealthy farmer in the 1800’s. I love looking in all of the rooms, checking out
the old fashioned furniture, the dusty smell in the air. It’s just great seeing
what it would have looked like back in the day. There’s a gorgeous garden too.
They grow herbs and things and it overlooks the countryside below. It’s the
kind of house I’d love to live in. (with today’s technology and advancements of
course.) I pottered about looking in and out of all of the different rooms
whilst my mam kept Poppy entertained outside.
Home Farm is beautiful too. The animals were all out. I
watched a little lamb rubbing itself against a drain pipe, to scratch an itch I’m
guessing. They were just so cute. They have cows and geese and chickens and all
of the animals that you’d usually associate with a farm. Again, I left my mam
and Poppy so they could go and get some chips whilst I tried to get as much
walking done as possible. I didn’t go into the actual farm house as I was too
preoccupied with the animals. (I’m a big kid at heart.)
We spent a little bit of time at Pockerley Waggonway too
just watching the steam train come and go. It was there that we spotted a pig.
(Again with the animals) We spent a good five minutes talking to it (as you do)
and Poppy even tried to have a little look.
We still had to treat Poppy to her little ice cream. Obviously we just gave her a couple of licks. I mean as much as she would love a full one, I know she isn't allowed it.
Beamish always puts me in a good mood, it makes me feel like a little kid. It's just one of those places that you can go to again and again and you just never get bored. There's always a little detail that you missed or something new going on.
I'm just looking forward to my next little trip. Those season tickets come in handy that's for sure.
Have any of you been to Beamish Museum recently?
When: 2014
Where: London
I’ve already talked about the trips I took to London last year. The first one was with my best bud Nic, where we went to the CallingFestival to see Stevie Wonder. It has to be one of the best experiences of my life. I mean when am I ever going to see Stevie again? (Probably never.)
The second time was a family trip to see the sights of London. We saw quite a lot of them by boat. It was such a hot day and just relaxing on a boat with the wind blowing was amazing. Me being me, I crammed as many things as possible into the three days that we were there.
We saw the usual sights like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the other ‘proper’ things to see when in London. We also did other things. I researched places to eat and different parts of London that we could visit. I kid you not I made an itinerary so we knew exactly where to go and how to get there. When we were there we didn’t follow it completely, but it helped us out an awful lot.
Some highlights for me were definitely going to Harrods. I’m not a massive shopper, but you have to see Harrods at least once. My brother and I spent a good hour or so just going from floor to floor and looking at everything. We went to the Ice Cream Parlour and got milkshakes. I couldn’t leave without paying a little visit to Laduree and getting some macaroons too. They were delicious, and also expensive. I knew I would get some when I went though, so it was a little treat. We ate them that night when we got back to our apartment.
I also loved seeing Wicked at the Apollo. It was just spectacular and I can’t really do it justice with words. You just have to see it for yourself. The part with ‘Defying Gravity’ left me with goosebumps.
Madame Tussaud’s was another highlight. I’ll admit I was embarrassed getting my photo taken with the fake celebrities, but after a while I stole a photo or two. I can’t believe how alike some of the models look. My mam also took a photo where she was lounging on top of fake George Clooney.
Where: London
I’ve already talked about the trips I took to London last year. The first one was with my best bud Nic, where we went to the CallingFestival to see Stevie Wonder. It has to be one of the best experiences of my life. I mean when am I ever going to see Stevie again? (Probably never.)
The second time was a family trip to see the sights of London. We saw quite a lot of them by boat. It was such a hot day and just relaxing on a boat with the wind blowing was amazing. Me being me, I crammed as many things as possible into the three days that we were there.
We saw the usual sights like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the other ‘proper’ things to see when in London. We also did other things. I researched places to eat and different parts of London that we could visit. I kid you not I made an itinerary so we knew exactly where to go and how to get there. When we were there we didn’t follow it completely, but it helped us out an awful lot.
Some highlights for me were definitely going to Harrods. I’m not a massive shopper, but you have to see Harrods at least once. My brother and I spent a good hour or so just going from floor to floor and looking at everything. We went to the Ice Cream Parlour and got milkshakes. I couldn’t leave without paying a little visit to Laduree and getting some macaroons too. They were delicious, and also expensive. I knew I would get some when I went though, so it was a little treat. We ate them that night when we got back to our apartment.
I also loved seeing Wicked at the Apollo. It was just spectacular and I can’t really do it justice with words. You just have to see it for yourself. The part with ‘Defying Gravity’ left me with goosebumps.
Madame Tussaud’s was another highlight. I’ll admit I was embarrassed getting my photo taken with the fake celebrities, but after a while I stole a photo or two. I can’t believe how alike some of the models look. My mam also took a photo where she was lounging on top of fake George Clooney.
We went to a really cool place for food one night called Bar.B.Q Lobstershack in Covent Garden. Think massive plates of meat, ribs, chops, chips... We even got little plastic bibs to wear so we didn't get sauce all over ourselves.
I love London. I hate how overcrowded it is. I probably could never live there myself. I do love to visit for a few days though. It's nice seeing all of the sights and just being somewhere different for a while. It's such a big place and there's still so much more I've got to see. It just means I'll have to go back again. Which I don't mind one bit whatsoever.
Have any of you been to London recently?
