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Our weekend off: Lolling at the Abbey Beach Resort
If I took longer than normal to respond to your emails over the weekend then I apologise profusely. Yet I had a good reason and it wasn't just because I was being slack...actually, no...it was entirely because I was being slack.
My wife and I scored a weekend away at our local 5 star hotel, the Abbey Beach Resort. It was actually a culmination of blessings and didn't cost us a cent. The perfect weekend, really.
Firstly, my boss gave us one night's accommodation for catering for the staff Christmas party - I was a chef in a past-life. Then, friends of ours wanted to thank us for helping them landscape their new home and so bought us another night and threw in complimentary baby-sitting for our 4 precious darlings.
So, I'm a new man as I write this post. Completely relaxed and refreshed, the tinge of jadedness from dealing with readers complaints and issues having just dissipated like water off a duck's back. The rose tinted glasses seem to fit better than ever and the air appears easier to breathe and far less polluted. What a difference a weekend makes.
We spent the days enjoying some great local art galleries, and the odd nursery, playing a spot of tennis and taking a dip in the indoor pool. Coffee, the real stuff, was never far from our lips as we poured over our magazines and newspapers just whiling away the time and savouring every moment of our break from our very busy lives. We even explored a few eateries that have been added to the TO-VISIT list over the years and they lived up to, and even exceeded, our expectations.
But, a weekend can only last for so long. So I'm here in front of my computer again having enjoyed catching up with our children's exploits and contentedly reminiscing of a time that was. Hopefully we'll get a chance to do it again, soon - and maybe even with the kids next time!
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Comments
Good for you and your wife, Stuart! That sounds wonderful. Getting away from it all is something we all need to do occasionally. I'm glad you're feeling refreshed.
Posted by: kerri | March 17, 2008 11:16 AM
How wonderful that you had a weekend off, Stuart--well done! I'd give you one if I could, myself, for all you do for us readers (even the complaining types). Especially good that you were able to get away from the wee ones for a couple days. We all need that now and again.
Posted by: jodi | March 17, 2008 11:39 AM
Stuart, I'm so glad that you and your wife had a wonderful little getaway.
I'm also sorry that you've had to deal with so many complaints and problems. I think it would serve us all well to remember that this is your service to us not your obligation. Thank you for your hard work.
Posted by: Robin | March 17, 2008 12:17 PM
Thanks for comments Kerri, jodi and Robin. Please don't take my comment the wrong way. I'm not owed anything by garden bloggers either and feel privileged to be serving you via this blog and Blotanical.
The positives far outweigh any negatives and I love seeing garden blogs bloom.
It was a great weekend and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Cheers.
Posted by: Stuart | March 17, 2008 1:45 PM
If only we had known you were gone then we could have had a party. We would have caused lots of problems and had loads of fun. You don't just have 4 kids--you got over 500. Probably mostly women our age who are outspoken and trouble makers. Maybe we will make you rich one day and you can forgive us.
Glad you got away. Dh and I have a great spot we love too. It's called The Grove Park Inn, Asheville,NC. Tell your boss that I'll cook him fried chicken next year if he'll book me a night at the Inn.
Posted by: Anna | March 17, 2008 3:17 PM
Good for you Stuart! Glad you had a nice getaway. You certainly deserved the break.
Posted by: linda | March 18, 2008 6:33 AM
My husband and I were blessed with a similar weekend last December - we'd been gifted two separate nights of accommodation in the city of Melbourne so spent our anniversary weekend in total bliss - it went far too quickly but we did have a great time!
Posted by: Kathie M. Thomas | March 18, 2008 7:19 AM
Wonderful holiday location! I went to Marbella, Spain over New Years, and it was just what the doctor ordered.
Posted by: Worx GT | March 20, 2008 5:40 AM