Christmas

[ckn]

Ahhh, we all know Christmas is upon us when we get email invites to spend a fantastic Christmas at the Holiday Inn M4 Junction 10.

All of you lot with your beach holidays and winter hideaways have nothing on the M4 Junction 10.

I wonder if my wife will be as enthusiastic as I am if I book such an exotic holiday.

[Tongs ya bas]

3 minutes ago, ckn said:

Ahhh, we all know Christmas is upon us when we get email invites to spend a fantastic Christmas at the Holiday Inn M4 Junction 10.

All of you lot with your beach holidays and winter hideaways have nothing on the M4 Junction 10.

I wonder if my wife will be as enthusiastic as I am if I book such an exotic holiday.

It does seem odd. You would probably bump into Alan Partridge .

Slightly off the point. I'm really looking forward to spending Christmas. My grandson will be only five months old, but I know he's going to have a ball.

[Griff9of13]

<Shudders> Know it well, the company I used to work for is right next door. 

Winersh Triangle is such an overlooked beauty spot.

 

[Robin Evans]

I bloody hate Christmas....

But at least I can spoil my granddaughter and play at stuff with her. 

[Tongs ya bas]

I love Christmas.

I get let loose cooking loads of top level ingredients ingredients courtesy of Blackerhall farm.

Do some steady but not outlandish supping of decent stuff

I get taken up to the lawnswood arms for a beer by my lad while the turkey roasts and my daughter finishes off the cooking 

I get to receive and give loads of gifts

I get to be surrounded by my favourite people, including and especially our Angus. 

Result.

 

[Shadow]

14 minutes ago, Tongs ya bas said:

It does seem odd. You would probably bump into Alan Partridge .

Slightly off the point. I'm really looking forward to spending Christmas. My grandson will be only five months old, but I know he's going to have a ball.

Will it be a Gilbert?

you can't start them too early 

[Tongs ya bas]

26 minutes ago, Shadow said:

Will it be a Gilbert?

you can't start them too early 

Why, you...you...

[Phil]

It's still September ?

[gingerjon]

It's okay. I've already picked up the Christmas menu from the station bar at London Marylebone so we're all sorted.

#winning

[Bedford Roughyed]

How many shopping days?

[ckn]

15 hours ago, Griff9of13 said:

<Shudders> Know it well, the company I used to work for is right next door. 

Winersh Triangle is such an overlooked beauty spot.

 

I've stayed at that Holiday Inn three times now, all for residential courses.  It's a fairly nice hotel and all but, well, first it's a Holiday Inn and the staff really have no business being that snooty and second it's in the middle of one of the dullest business parks in Britain.

I couldn't believe the snootiness of them the first time I checked in, they were almost tripping over themselves to make sure I knew that this was the highest graded Holiday Inn in Britain, how lucky I was to be staying with them and how it was a far nicer hotel than those Marriotts and Hiltons.  It was quite sickening really and it turned my attitude from "oh this is very nice for a Holiday Inn" to "oh come on, it's not that nice" and eventually to "hmmm, let's see how many other things aren't quite right compared to premium hotel chains".  I eventually concluded that a pig in makeup is still a pig.

That said, one of the other training cohorts on our course had their residentials at a Travelodge so I shouldn't complain too much.

[Bob8]

8 minutes ago, ckn said:

I've stayed at that Holiday Inn three times now, all for residential courses.  It's a fairly nice hotel and all but, well, first it's a Holiday Inn and the staff really have no business being that snooty and second it's in the middle of one of the dullest business parks in Britain.

I couldn't believe the snootiness of them the first time I checked in, they were almost tripping over themselves to make sure I knew that this was the highest graded Holiday Inn in Britain, how lucky I was to be staying with them and how it was a far nicer hotel than those Marriotts and Hiltons.  It was quite sickening really and it turned my attitude from "oh this is very nice for a Holiday Inn" to "oh come on, it's not that nice" and eventually to "hmmm, let's see how many other things aren't quite right compared to premium hotel chains".  I eventually concluded that a pig in makeup is still a pig.

That said, one of the other training cohorts on our course had their residentials at a Travelodge so I shouldn't complain too much.

Did you eat the food?

[Griff9of13]

12 minutes ago, ckn said:

I've stayed at that Holiday Inn three times now, all for residential courses.  It's a fairly nice hotel and all but, well, first it's a Holiday Inn and the staff really have no business being that snooty and second it's in the middle of one of the dullest business parks in Britain.

I couldn't believe the snootiness of them the first time I checked in, they were almost tripping over themselves to make sure I knew that this was the highest graded Holiday Inn in Britain, how lucky I was to be staying with them and how it was a far nicer hotel than those Marriotts and Hiltons.  It was quite sickening really and it turned my attitude from "oh this is very nice for a Holiday Inn" to "oh come on, it's not that nice" and eventually to "hmmm, let's see how many other things aren't quite right compared to premium hotel chains".  I eventually concluded that a pig in makeup is still a pig.

That said, one of the other training cohorts on our course had their residentials at a Travelodge so I shouldn't complain too much.

Yep, that's pretty much how I remember it; though you've got to go a long way in the snobbyness stakes to beat the Holiday Inn J4 M4 - home to many long haul air crew stopping over on Heathrow flights.

[ckn]

8 minutes ago, Bob8 said:

Did you eat the food?

Yes.  The bar/lounge food was OK, if a bit overpriced for fairly basic stuff, it was about the standard you'd expect in any decent hotel's non-premium restaurant.  The premium restaurant food was decent but really not worth the money and was, again, that pig trying to be a princess.  I really don't need to be told every time I'm there that they have two AA rosettes

[Griff9of13]

6 minutes ago, ckn said:

Yes.  The bar/lounge food was OK, if a bit overpriced for fairly basic stuff, it was about the standard you'd expect in any decent hotel's non-premium restaurant.  The premium restaurant food was decent but really not worth the money and was, again, that pig trying to be a princess.  I really don't need to be told every time I'm there that they have two AA rosettes

There's a decent butty shop by Winnersh Triangle station, gets very busy at lunchtime though.

[JDINTHEHIZZOUSE]

Ah yes,Christmas. An enforced 2 weeks off work for us self employed folk with no money coming in,just so the contracts managers and site agents can take a break as we obviously can't be trusted to build things when they aren't there,bah humbug

[ckn]

2 minutes ago, JDINTHEHIZZOUSE said:

Ah yes,Christmas. An enforced 2 weeks off work for us self employed folk with no money coming in,just so the contracts managers and site agents can take a break as we obviously can't be trusted to build things when they aren't there,bah humbug

A good friend of mine who is a contractor puts away 12% of his profits as his "holiday pay" and draws it down as his "entitlement" at the same rate as he earns.  He has a self-imposed punishment that if he doesn't draw it all down by the end of each year that his wife gets it to spend on shoes and handbags; he says it's the only way he's been able find that helps ensure he doesn't burn himself out with too much work.

[damp squib]

1 hour ago, JDINTHEHIZZOUSE said:

Ah yes,Christmas. An enforced 2 weeks off work for us self employed folk with no money coming in,just so the contracts managers and site agents can take a break as we obviously can't be trusted to build things when they aren't there,bah humbug

Bah, humbug!

[damp squib]

21 hours ago, Tongs ya bas said:

I get taken up to the lawnswood arms for a beer by my lad while the turkey roasts and my daughter finishes off the cooking 

I think this is a uniquely British tradition. Do the pubs open all day or just for a few hours?

[Tongs ya bas]

9 minutes ago, damp squib said:

I think this is a uniquely British tradition. Do the pubs open all day or just for a few hours?

I don't know mate. I'm usually prepping the stuff from early morning and cooking it during the day. My son gives me a break from it by taking me for a pint in our pretty ghastly local, whilst my daughter finishes off. I'm usually cooking for about a dozen to fifteen people so the respite is welcome.

[damp squib]

Just now, Tongs ya bas said:

I don't know mate. I'm usually prepping the stuff from early morning and cooking it during the day. My son gives me a break from it by taking me for a pint in our pretty ghastly local, whilst my daughter finishes off. I'm usually cooking for about a dozen to fifteen people so the respite is welcome.

Can't beat a big crowd at Christmas but I say that as someone whose main job on the day is "taster".

[Griff9of13]

59 minutes ago, damp squib said:

I think this is a uniquely British tradition. Do the pubs open all day or just for a few hours?

Don't get me started on pubs at Christmas! Bah humbug indeed.   

[JDINTHEHIZZOUSE]

Just back from the shops and the Christmas decorations are on the shelves in home bargains(or,as they say here in liverpool,home and the bargain) as phil said,it's september,surely they need to get rid of all the pathetic Halloween stuff that litters the shelves first

[Padge]

The one good thing about Christmas is.....

 

...errrrrrrr

...ummmm

....nooooooo

...can't think of one.

Nope not one.