Down to Earth with a Bump!

Ah well, all good things must come to an end. Isn't that an awful glass half empty, buzzkill of an expression, though? To me, it smacks of Mondays and holidays ending and diets starting and bloody loads of ironing....or maybe I'm just reading too much into it?

The cocktail bar in The Merchant

 Fittingly, the media whirlwind of last week was topped off with a wee night away in the Merchant* with Loverboy-only the fanciest schmanciest hotel in Belfast! It was a gift for his recent (big) birthday from his brother and sister in law, and it even included babysitting! Now, THAT'S what I call a present! Don't take this the wrong way but, (speaking for myself), it was a zillion times better than last year's gift of sewer rods.  Although not an obvious gift choice, they've proved to be very useful in their own way, and Loverboy certainly seems to spend many a happy hour outside, sticking them down drains or whatever else you do with them.
That said, I'd be lying if I said that this year's gift wasn't much closer to my own heart, and even though it wasn't technically my present, I can enjoy it too, non? And logically, as my appreciation likely deepens HIS enjoyment, everyone's a winner here!
So, into the Big Smoke we went, straight to the brand new Mac for a constitutional glass of wine and a yummy cheese and ham toastie, which was somewhat pretentiously named a Croque Monsieur. (Or maybe they were being ironic? I'm not sure.) Then it was off around the town, soaking up the atmosphere and having a mooch in the shops.

Nice work, if you can get it!

I just HAD to show you the picture of this boyo though, (and yes we did put money in his basket!). Is this not the laziest bit of busking you've ever seen in your life? What basically happens is, he sticks on a bit of music and then kicks back while the two giant Tiny Tears up the front do all the work! Not a bad gig at all and it got me thinking about 'Billy Bass' on the wall in the playroom.He's a fish on a plaque that wriggles about and sings 'Dont Worry, Be Happy' and 'Take me to the River'. Now, what's to stop me bringing Billy,  a load of batteries, a picnic, a deck chair, and most importantly of all, a sturdy cash receptacle, and setting up in Corn Market some Saturday afternoon? Bound to be worth a few quid surely, and the craic'd be ninety!

To the manor born..

After that, it was off to the Merchant, and up to our HUGE art deco inspired room- pure luxury-it even had gold leather cushioned doors on the wardrobe, and a mirror with lights right around it, just like in Cabaret! I was in heaven! Honestly though, how does one stay in a Holiday Inn after this? For me, the answer is an unequivocal 'they don't !' (unless of course, you've 5 kids in tow, in which case all bets are off.)
 We went up for a nosy to the top floor, where there's a gym, (as if) and an outdoor hot tub looking out over the city. Perfect for quaffing champers in, but unfortunately, another couple had the same idea. Himself and myself couldn't be arsed making small talk, and besides, I'd just had a blow dry and hadn't shaved my legs, so we headed back to the room to languish happily, reading magazines and 'double Apple-ing'**(Me!), before heading out for dinner.
 In the midst of all this relaxation, I became terribly distracted by a photograph, posted by a friend on my Facebook wall, of one of the most delicious caramel squares I'd ever clapped eyes on. Instantly demanding to know who supplied her, she informed me of an entire stall dedicated to tray bakes in St. George's market -just ponder on that for a moment- because quite frankly, I've been able to think of little else ever since. So in the name of research, I'm off to see the wizard next weekend and I intend to stockpile several- I even plan on testing their freezability potential, but don't fret, I'll give you a full and detailed analysis.
It has to be said, that it was the loveliest of twenty four hours- my only complaint was that it wasn't long enough! One minute I was in the Great Room in the Merchant having a 3 course breakfast, and the next, (or so it seemed!), putting on a wash and making the lunches. Talk about down to earth with a bump! Then again, maybe it helps you appreciate it all the more? And sure, as someone helpfully reminded me- all good things must come to an end....
 * I am not being sponsored to give lovely compliments to this hotel....but I SO would if I was asked.*bats eyelashes*
** Managing two Apple products simultaneously. 


I MAY have mentioned this before ;-) but I'm a finalist in two categories in the MAD Blog Awards. If you're feeling any love at all for this wee blog, I'd really appreciate it if you could vote for me in the Family Life category (the other one is decided by judges). Here's the link- http://www.the-mads.com/vote.htm and thank you very much xxxx
PS While you're there, check out the other finalists-who'd have believed there were so many amazing blogs out there?