rich_jacko

Just got back, having been away for a few days. Since these days we're scattered across five counties, visiting the whole of my immediate family was a rare achievement :o)

We visited Vick and Ady in their (very) new pub on Sunday, and it's a definite step up from their previous one. For a start, it's actually reachable from Sheffield by train. It's also really nice inside, and the layout is well-designed - i.e. - The big screen telly and the smoking area are right at one end, and the maximum possible distance from the family/eating area. And they're even going to have guest ales on tap. Hurrah!

What was really good was that, since the pub doesn't open until next Monday, we had the whole place to ourselves. It was such a hard afternoon lounging around on leather seats, with a huge private bar that we could hop behind and help ourselves to whenever we wanted, whilst waving to all the puzzled locals outside who were trying to work out if the place was open. *sigh* :o)

On Monday I would've gone along to the Pershore Plum Fair - if only for the marvellous prospect of base-jumping teddies - but sadly the weather was teh crap and the parachuting was cancelled.

We went swimming on Tuesday. The pool I used to go to for swimming lessons has now been demolished and replaced by a high-tech new one. The moving floor was slightly alarming. I kept expecting the computerised water depth display to change to "2.5 miles", and look down to see it had sunk away into blackness with eldritch voices and giant tentacles rising up from the depths. But unfortunately this didn't happen...

It was nice to catch up properly with everyone again. And of course eat and drink lots. I came back up on the train today. Oh, and Birmingham Moor Street station is fab - recently renovated to make it look exactly like it did when it was built in 1910, complete with hand-painted wooden signs and a steam engine on a disused platform. So much more welcoming than the hell that is New Street :o)

Okay, I take back my comments about The Riverside. 'Twas not at all smokey and in fact has a non-smoking area that I'd completely failed to notice before (and, I'm reliably informed, good baby-changing facilities). Plus, the food was as great (in quantity as much as in quality!) as ever.

Mind you, The Fat Cat still wins out on several points for me - fruit crumble (Mmmmmmmmmm...), more variety of good beer, cheaper prices and better atmosphere.

If I wasn't too cheap to get a paid LJ account, some sort of poll comparing the two might be in order here :o)

It was nice to see so many people there, including Clare, Ste and Chloe, whom I'd not seen for ages (or not at all, in Chloe's case!).

Saw Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit later on, which was so packed with visual gags and in-jokes, I'll probably have to watch it again just to make sure I spotted them all. It also had the unexpected treat of added penguins beforehand.

I have a day to kill now, as I'm not in work (W00t!), but Vick and Ady aren't coming up to drag me daarn saarf until tomorrow lunchtime. Of course, I could have gone into work today anyway, and saved myself a day's leave, but let's face it, I'd already booked it off and that was never going to happen! ;o)

I have a choice. I need to go into town for a few things, but if I did so, I would almost certainly wind up going here, which would almost certainly be bad for my bank balance. So, would I be better off staying at home and reading Jonathan Strange?