Something for the weekend..
One of the downsides to working shifts is that you don't get all that many weekends off - you are at the mercy of the roster. And when you do, you often end up not doing very much at all, as people tend to write you off socially, assuming you will be in work. And it's sod's law that if I do get invited anywhere I am working, and there is nothing going on when I have a weekend off.
This weekend, thankfully, proved rather different.
On Saturday I went out for a meal with Fahim and Maxine from the gym, and their friend Dave (who I had already met at parties and other events). We went to the Swindon Rendezvous, a vastly underrated Chinese restaurant in Swindon town centre. For those of you that haven't been, I highly recommend it. The food is superb, better than a lot of Chinese restaurants I have been to, and the service is second to none, fast and efficient whilst remaining extremely friendly. At no point were we made to feel rushed in any way. The Swindon Rendezvous also offers excellent value for money - you can take advantage of the "all you can eat buffet" which will cost you £18 at the weekend and £15 on weeknights. All in all, an excellent venue for a work do, night out with friends, or something more romantic..
On the subject of things romantic, I had a cinema ticket for Sunday morning to see a preview of the highly acclaimed "The 40-year old virgin". This was a special showing for UGC unlimited cardholders.
The film was highly enjoyable but did not quite meet my expectations, especially as it has achieved an average vote of 7.9 out of 10 on imdb.com. For me the film took too long to get going, used too many clichés (drunk girl throwing up over the protagonist, protagonist attracts nubile yet mentally deranged girl) and the makers didn't seem to know which way to go with the humour - it was somewhere between gross-out and the more subtle, melancholic humour of Sideways. Either would be fine with me, but I had the feeling the producers weren't really sure what sort of film they were making.
In the afternoon I ventured into Bath with my current lodger, Hannes, who is doing a work placement at BP in Swindon, and his friend Julia (pronounced You-lia). I always enjoy a trip to Bath - these days I usually go there to meet up with my friend Pete for a drink, but the aim this time was to show Hannes and Julia the sights. So as well as doing a quick bit of shopping I showed them Pulteney Bridge, the Abbey, the Roman Baths (being impecunious students they chose not to pay the entrance fee and so didn't go in), the Royal Crescent and the Botanical Gardens (one of Bath's lesser known attractions and somewhere I regularly used to go for Sunday afternoon walks with my parents).
When they had had enough of sightseeing I took them for what I hoped would be a special treat: a burger from Schwartz Bros, next to the theatre. Unfortunately Julia's meal didn't go down too well - something Hannes put down to too much beer the night before.
I had anticipated that we would spend the evening in Bath and visit some of my favourite pubs that I have been frequenting for the best part of the last 20 years - the Crystal palace, the Huntsman, the Roundhouse, and some of the newer ones such as the All Bar One. Unfortunately Hannes and Julia were not in the mood for drinking after a late night the previous day and so our day in Bath ended earlier than expected. Had I brought a good book or a paper I would have been tempted to stay in Bath without them, but alas this was not the case!
There was one surprise remaining however - in the lounge at the station was a man bearing an uncanny resemblance to the actor Bill Nighy. I was tempted to approach him but felt that if it was indeed the famous thespian, it would be politic to respect his privacy. I like to think that if I ever achieve fame and fortune (it could still happen!!) people might do the same for me..
This weekend, thankfully, proved rather different.
On Saturday I went out for a meal with Fahim and Maxine from the gym, and their friend Dave (who I had already met at parties and other events). We went to the Swindon Rendezvous, a vastly underrated Chinese restaurant in Swindon town centre. For those of you that haven't been, I highly recommend it. The food is superb, better than a lot of Chinese restaurants I have been to, and the service is second to none, fast and efficient whilst remaining extremely friendly. At no point were we made to feel rushed in any way. The Swindon Rendezvous also offers excellent value for money - you can take advantage of the "all you can eat buffet" which will cost you £18 at the weekend and £15 on weeknights. All in all, an excellent venue for a work do, night out with friends, or something more romantic..
On the subject of things romantic, I had a cinema ticket for Sunday morning to see a preview of the highly acclaimed "The 40-year old virgin". This was a special showing for UGC unlimited cardholders.
The film was highly enjoyable but did not quite meet my expectations, especially as it has achieved an average vote of 7.9 out of 10 on imdb.com. For me the film took too long to get going, used too many clichés (drunk girl throwing up over the protagonist, protagonist attracts nubile yet mentally deranged girl) and the makers didn't seem to know which way to go with the humour - it was somewhere between gross-out and the more subtle, melancholic humour of Sideways. Either would be fine with me, but I had the feeling the producers weren't really sure what sort of film they were making.
In the afternoon I ventured into Bath with my current lodger, Hannes, who is doing a work placement at BP in Swindon, and his friend Julia (pronounced You-lia). I always enjoy a trip to Bath - these days I usually go there to meet up with my friend Pete for a drink, but the aim this time was to show Hannes and Julia the sights. So as well as doing a quick bit of shopping I showed them Pulteney Bridge, the Abbey, the Roman Baths (being impecunious students they chose not to pay the entrance fee and so didn't go in), the Royal Crescent and the Botanical Gardens (one of Bath's lesser known attractions and somewhere I regularly used to go for Sunday afternoon walks with my parents).
When they had had enough of sightseeing I took them for what I hoped would be a special treat: a burger from Schwartz Bros, next to the theatre. Unfortunately Julia's meal didn't go down too well - something Hannes put down to too much beer the night before.
I had anticipated that we would spend the evening in Bath and visit some of my favourite pubs that I have been frequenting for the best part of the last 20 years - the Crystal palace, the Huntsman, the Roundhouse, and some of the newer ones such as the All Bar One. Unfortunately Hannes and Julia were not in the mood for drinking after a late night the previous day and so our day in Bath ended earlier than expected. Had I brought a good book or a paper I would have been tempted to stay in Bath without them, but alas this was not the case!
There was one surprise remaining however - in the lounge at the station was a man bearing an uncanny resemblance to the actor Bill Nighy. I was tempted to approach him but felt that if it was indeed the famous thespian, it would be politic to respect his privacy. I like to think that if I ever achieve fame and fortune (it could still happen!!) people might do the same for me..
posted by Jon | 1:39 pm
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