Monthly Archives: March 2011

Crazy Bear Hotel

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I was away in Aberdeen when it was Rosemary’s birthday.  Quick call on the Monday to tell her where her birthday present was hidden.

Back from Aberdeen, we went out for lunch at a restaurant in Stadhampton.  It is a hotel, pub, and restaurant.  Two restaurants, one English and the other Thai.  They also do Thai massage there.  Yes it was a pub, there were people drinking there, and it is called the Crazy Bear Hotel.

Rosemary and I opted for the English meal, and the express lunch from the menu.  The price of the fixed menu was very reasonable.

The decor of the place was eccentric. The bar had a huge stuffed bear, odd tables and stools, chandeliers.  The restaurant was all padded leather and looked a bit like a cross between a padded cell and a tart’s boudoir.  I should have asked if the Thai massage came with happy endings. There were pictures of the bedrooms in the advertising pack, again eccentrically furnished and decorated, but lovely touches such as being able to slide from the bed into a large tub like bath.  Definitely a place to go for an illicit or romantic liaison.

The food was good, I started with salmon pickled with beetroot and Rosemary had a goat’s cheese tart.  Main course was pork belly, yes a proper Gloucestershire Old Spots rare breed animal grown slowly unlike the Large White factory breeds.  The farm is part of the Crazy Bear group.

I  get the feeling this is how the previous landlord of our local pub, the Plough and Anchor, had wanted it to become.  The place decorated how he wanted it, in his case with pictures, and lots of nice nick nacks. Good food, good beer, good wine, a destination pub, and small hotel for guests to stay in.  Sad it never quite happened.

Since visiting the restaurant, I have heard of rumours of two show girls,, hired by the owner, writhing around in baked beans.   I can’t though see any reference to this on the internet.

Aberdeen the oil city

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A working week in Scotland.   In Aberdeen, the first time I have ever been there.  One different aspect of the Aberdeen airport was the number of helicopters landing and taking off.  I assume they were off to the rigs.

Arriving in Aberdeen with my fleece and water proofs only to be faced with sun.  Yes Aberdeen was sunny all week, though not yet warm. I was off to work at the Robert Gordon University, taxi into town with a chatty driver, who explained where the entertainment spots in the city were.  He also explained the city was called the Silver City, the mica in the Granite reflecting the sun, making the place Silver in the sun, though reverting to the drab granite in the more usual cloudy wet weather.

Made it to work in a large building on Andrew Street.  After work walked to Mint Apartments, about a mile away.  The company I work for had booked me into a hotel that was 15 minutes away.  Yes 15 minutes by taxi on a good day, 30 plus minutes during the day rush hour.  Google Street view also showed the hotel was stuck in the middle of an industrial estate with nothing around.   I cancelled this hotel and booked Mint Apartments, a serviced flat nearby.  Nice place, recently upgraded to a good standard, the place is cleaned daily and they even changed the towels and made the bed every day. Free Internet connection, a must.

I ate in the local Italian restaurant  under the apartments, friendly staff.  Should maybe have eaten there another day, but places to explore.  What else did I eat,  Chinese  down the road, large place in an office block.  Reasonable. price

Wednesday and Thursday I ate at the Monsoona on Bridge Street, a Healthy Indian Cuisine Restaurant. What is one of those  It turned out to be good.

Next day, a long day, lots of waiting around in Aberdeen airport for the  late flight home, and eventually back home just before midnight.  Drive back from Luton was fraught, no fuel, driving on empty.  The  road I was heading for was closed for night work.  This is were I found the vagaries of Sat Nav.  Took it ages to forget the route I had wanted to drive, despite the fact it did not originally want me to go that route.  Once she had decided not to take me down the closed road, she was to take me down the M1, M25 and up the A41.  Yes she, Hunni Desire was fixated on this route and would not forget it.  Luckily I knew where I was going and ignore her imploring.!!!