(not really) 200 motels: Horsley Park

Over the holidays, De Vere Venues had an incredibly cheap room rate. At £19 ($29) a night, it was difficult to resist a few days away in an empty conference center. So just before Christmas we went to Horsley Park.

Like most of De Vere's properties, Horsley Towers was once a private home. It's now in use as a conference and event space. Isn't it beautiful?

There are bedrooms in the main house, but they weren't part of the discounted holiday rate. We stayed in the much newer hotel and conference center built next door on the property.

The conference center and hotel where we stayed was far more modern and businesslike. It was impersonal and strange in its quietness. As odd as it was, I still liked it. I took pleasure in how surreal it seemed at times.

There was tunnel connecting a couple of buildings that could have been in an 1970s episode of Doctor Who.

And the garden smoking area was damned impressive. This photo was taken from one of the covered benches.

I later learned that British American Tobacco has a stake in Horsley Center, which explains the smoking area. You can read more about the smoking areas at BAT smoking areas.

We didn't eat at the hotel restaurant as it looked a bit dull. Happily, there was a great local curry house right around the corner. We ate at Pink Garlic three nights in a row. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was welcoming. There was some fun quirkiness to the place. For instance, we were given handfuls of chocolates each night and on the evening of our last meal there, one song was on permanent loop. :)

(not really) 200 motels: The Angel Hotel

The first two nights I was in England, we stayed at the Angel Hotel. It's a beautiful little place in the heart of Guildford's shopping district.

Upon walking in, it feels cozy and comfortable. I'm a sucker for flocked walkpapers and beautiful wood paneling. Our room wasn't ready because we had arrived very early, so I sat by the fire in the lobby and had a complimentary pot of tea. I'm afraid I may have nodded off a little while I waited.

Finding the room was funny. It was on the second floor, around a corner and through a little fire door. I should have taken photos. I was so exhausted that I stumbled into bed shortly after checking in. I'm not kidding about stumbling. The floor was so uneven (it is a 500 year-old building after all), that I felt like I was falling downhill toward the bed after entering the room. It was fantastic!

It was a lovely room. The bed was deliciously comfortable, the pair of stuffed chairs were also very comfortable, and the bathroom had a deep tub and bathrobes. I was especially in love with the bathrobes. I think cozy comfort is what I crave most after traveling for a day.

Check out the leaded glass window and a snippet of the alley view.

The creepy painting was an added bonus to our room. Graham and I were making up stories about the children. We think the girl is creating a sun while the boy is being terrorized by a spirit.

The chef there works with game meats incredibly well. On our first night I had a roast duck with cabbage that was amazing. The duck was so good, Graham ordered it the second night.

This photo was taken from the dining room, looking into the lounge and the stair that goes to the first floor.

Staying here was definitely a splurge. We were able to get our room at a discount, which is why we were there at all. Even so, it was an expensive stay. However, after a day spent in airports and in-flight, two mildly extravagant nights were a blessing.

holiday dreams

My best dreams tend to be dark and strange. They're created from worries in my mind and the things I watch and read. Last night is a great example.

Just before bed, I watched a documentary on medieval children. Of course there was talk about the black plague and how half the population of England had died as a result. I also have been worrying a little about my future, moving to a new country where I know only a very few people. These add up to a dream of a coming apocalypse, how more than half the population leaves and I'm among the few who stay behind. It actually was an upbeat dream, with all things considered. We were building strong lives in a new world.

I've written up the dream, but I'm not certain whether or not to share the document on a blog. I may hold on to it, and use the ideas for other things.

monday morning

My laptop is living on East Coast time. It's nearly noon here in the UK but I look at the screen and see that it's not even 7am at home. That's why Twitter is so quiet, my friends at home are still waking up.

I'm in Graham's kitchen, facing the windows overlooking the yard. It's beautifully sunny. I may need to take a walk later. It's chilly but not freezing and I'm wearing one slipper sock. I knit it yesterday evening. I've cast on for the second, it's on the table in front of me. My hands are quite cold after washing mushrooms.

We haven't eaten yet. I'm running on two cups of coffee and an imaginary clementine. (The fruit bowl was empty when I went to get one.) I'm feeling a little hungry and am tempted to have shortbread and chocolate, both of which are in abundance. But I'd like to eat a little healthier today. Graham will be cooking a full English breakfast for us once he's progressed a little further on his paper. A full English breakfast isn't the most healthy thing, but I think it will be better than shortbread and chocolate.

Today I'd like to knit the second slipper and draft something for the magazine project. I've been thinking about the writing since last night, percolating away. I wish I had that copy of Twilight I tried reading. I think a lot of my comments there are similar to my feelings about a certain fashion magazine.

goings on

I'm re-envisioning this blog again, or rather, I'm accepting it as what it has been all along. It's always been a mishmash of things, personal life, writing, knitting and gaming. That's cool, I like having a place to babble. But I've always wanted it to be focused on writing goals. So instead of making some statement about how this blog will be refocused on writing, I went and made new blog. I've linked it on the side as Joanna's Writing Goals. (How original!)

On the 29th I had a list of four writing goals. By the 30th I had five. A brainstorm I had in the shower yesterday has taken off in a way that makes me incredibly happy. The other four goals are still in play but this new one-off magazine project has shot to the top of the list.

I'm still visiting my fiance's home and be here for another couple of weeks. Tonight we'll be spending New Year's Eve with some of his friends. Later next week, we'll be away in a eerily empty conference center in the middle of nowhere. The week after that, we'll be spending a few days in a city filled with awesome architecture. I'll likely be posting some photos along the way.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Excitement

Surprise! I got engaged on Christmas morning. Hopefully this time next year I'll be getting married. I'd love a winter wedding.

one man's decoration is another man's ingredient

I am not a fan of ornamental cabbage or kale. It's not that it isn't pretty. On the contrary, the colors are lovely and the feathery leaves of the plants are great.

While they are attractive plants, they are also, very distinctly, vegetables. Every time I see one of these ornamentals in a garden, I want to reach out and pick them for dinner. And guess what? They're perfectly edible.

Maybe that's part of my issue with seeing these plants in a garden such as this. In a few weeks, when the plants wilt or overgrow and look ragged, a landscaping firm is going to pull them all up and mulch them. That's a lot of soup getting thrown out.