Scoot’s thoughts on all things technology, design, photography and life in general !
A couple of weeks ago got to go to a really nice hotel with work for a business planning meeting and stay over for dinner. This very nice hotel was Stapleford Park near Melton Mowbray that has fab grounds, great service, fab food and a really good experience.
Each room had its own unique design and I got the Fairy Tale designed room by Campion Bell, not exactly my taste.
But to compensate there was some sloe gin 
The hotel had a spa, golf course and provided activities like snooker, archery and clay pigeon shooting for guests. We got to do some archery and clay pigeon shooting after the meeting before dinner.
The overall experience was fab and I cannot fault the service , food and experience. The hotel is not cheap, but if you want a different hotel break and have a special occasion I would go for it. Below are some more pictures I took on the trip.
On Saturday went into to Woking to go and look at bikes for CJ so that we can get out and about with LCJ, so bike seat needed. It was a quick zip into the bike shop to have a look and discuss the options for bike. Having already done her research it was a straight forward discussion on options so now CJ has some ideas for the future.
We had a quick look around and managed to grab a new pair tracky bottoms and a pair of trousers and then we headed home. In the afternoon we headed onto Chobham common for a wander around, seeing we have lived around this area and not been here before.
On Sunday I played a quick 9holes in the rain at Moore Place and my golf had improved on previous week. We got a bit wet, but my bag was soaked and only just drying out now. Decided it was not the weather to venture out. Decide to make rolls and bread for fun and worked well Rolls were fab and will try the bread later for tea
Over the weekend managed to get some work on the garden done, but not a lot due to other activities and being a little tired from a long week breaking that damn concrete. I did get a lot more in the skip and its nearly full with so much still to do, oh well. Managed 9 holes at Moore Place in Esher and also got a glimpse of the plans for the new hotel which does look good.
On Monday I did a couple of trips to the DIY stores to pick up concrete and gravel, ironic that after spending so much time removing concrete I have to buy more to set the edging and finish off the trimmings. So 6 bags of concrete and 8 of gravel collected and in the garage.
After these trips off to fix a problematic PC and to see if I could fix an issue with iPhoto on a Mac. So after a couple of hours and several coffees later the PC was fixed but no joy with iPhoto issue. Will do an upgrade tomorrow to see if this fixes the issue.
Moved more earth this afternoon so skip is nearly filled. Will need to see if I can get some edging stones tomorrow at B&Q.
On Saturday went into Reading to have lunch for Valentines day. We decided that we needed or wanted something fairly quick so LCJ didn’t get bored so Wagamamas was selected. As it was a Saturday it was guaranteed to be a traffic nightmare and so with this we opted for the train. Ascot to Reading is only 25mins and six pounds returns so easily comparable with the cost of driving.
Once in Reading we headed off to Wagamamas to grab a table and fill up on their lovely food. The place was very busy and we seemed to get our timing just right as the queue outside just seemed to get longer. CJ opted for her usual of gyoza (although deep fried instead of steamed), yasai yaki soba (without mushrooms), an OJ and Green Tea. For LCJ it was decided on cha han and for me it was ebi katsu with Chicken Chili Men. I washed this down with a very nice bottle of asahi premium black lager beer. Needless to say due to the hustle and bustle LCJ eat very little food which was a pity. Once finished we decided that it would be good to get his lordships feet measured with a view to getting him some new shoes. Into JLP we went and LCJ feet turned out to be R 6 G and L5.5 G so needed to get some replacements. After trying three different pairs on the we purchased a pair of blue trainer style shoes that have flashing red lights in the soles so no doubt endless hours of fun.
Shoes sorted we then found some Iggle Piggle slippers that LCJ wanted and then off out of JLP to visit M&S on the way back to the station. At M&S we grabbed a load of snack foods for a buffet that evening as it was easy and we had a large lunch After M&S off to the station and back home.
A quiet evening in with M&S food and a nice bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Non Vintage Champagne
On Sunday I played nine holes at Moore Place and spent the rest of the day lazying around with the family.
Had an excellent weekend. Managed to tidy the office desk on Saturday morning, strange thing to be doing at the weekend I know, but it needed it. I rediscovered the desk and realised it is still made of wood. The desk has an enormous capacity to junk, paper, books, electronic etc etc.. So it was good to sort some of the stuff out and clear out the old paperwork. Managed to fill the shredder three times and that doesn’t include all the work rubbish I have just dumped in the recycling bin at the office.
Ruth stayed over on Friday night for a curry and wine to catchup on all things including Stuart’s new Beetle plus their wedding plans.
On Saturday afternoon we had lunch with Debbie and Romain then off for a walk around Virginia Water with the little boy.
Finally Sunday was spent playing 9holes of golf and followed by wrapping of presents and many Xmas films on the telly.
