Weekend away

Well, what a weekend! When we got up on Friday morning, Pete’s wages hadn’t gone in and all our bills had bounced, so that was not a nice thing to wake up to. Thankfully the wages were there by lunchtime, or we would’ve been in trouble.

On Friday night all the staff from my office went to the greyhound racing in Romford. We haven’t been for a few years, it was a good laugh, and Pete and I won £90 so we broke even. During the day on Friday, we bought a ticket for the Euro Lottery, and when we got home from the dogs at midnight I checked our numbers. I nearly died when I realised our numbers had come up. The jackpot was £88 million, and it had to be won, so whoever had the highest amount of numbers would get the jackpot. For a few minutes my emotions ranged from jumping for joy to pessimistic. I didn’t get excited, but it’s hard not to wonder. Of course, when the results were released, too many other people had won the same prize and it had been split. We’ve still got a little amount coming to us, but it won’t be paying for any luxuries, probably bills. Maybe next time.


On Saturday, Pete and I dropped the kids off for the weekend and waltzed off to Norfolk to stay in a hotel called Catton Old Hall. Well, I say hotel, when you get there they give you a door key to this fabulous Jacobean hall, built in 1632, and you have the run of the house.


It’s more like staying with friends. I was in my element! The house is all original, with antiques everywhere. They have thought of everything, and it’s the little details that make it special. There are books to read everywhere you look, at the breakfast table, the lounge, the toilets, but the best one was in our bedroom. On our bedside table we had A History of Sainsbury’s and The Complete Guide to Sexual Love. What made them choose that combination, I wonder?
We had a spa bath/Jacuzzi in our room, it was bloody marvellous. We need one of those at home. We chilled out for a few hours, then went out at about 9pm for a lovely Italian meal in Norwich city centre. Back at the house, Pete went up to watch the football (men!), while I sat in the lounge alone armed with my camera and a glass of Baileys being brave/soaking up the atmosphere. I wouldn’t say it’s haunted, it certainly wasn‘t scary, but it’s very old and atmospheric.



I then had the worst nights sleep, I woke up every half hour of so needing the loo or I just couldn’t get comfortable. At 10am we had breakfast, then drove a few miles north to The Broads to hire a boat. Pete hadn’t been to the Broads before, and he loved it, and we are hopefully going to take the kids up there for the day in October (if the weather doesn’t get freezing before then).













It was probably one of the most relaxing weekends away we’ve ever had. We normally go clubbing, and although it's very fun, it isn’t relaxing. You come home more tired than when you left! I can’t wait to go back to Catton Old Hall either, but it won’t be for a while I should imagine.