Birthday at Barcelo

We were late leaving the house on Tuesday morning.  I don’t know why, we got up right away when the alarm went off and I’d packed the car the night before.  I felt a little guilty because I sneaked into Harriet’s room to borrow her long black cardigan and also to get her whites washing and woke her up in the process.   It was nearly twenty to seven by the time we pulled out of the cul-de-sac and already Phil was stressed.  He reckons that ten minutes makes all the difference with the traffic.  The drive to Abingdon from MK really winds him up and I can quite understand why.  It’s heavy traffic all the way as soon as you get to the Little Chef roundabout.   I switched on my mobile when we got to the Oxford ring road and had to laugh when it beeped to tell me I had a text.  It was Emma from next door to say that Jason was travelling on the same road as us and had just had to brake hard as Phil overtook him, a lorry and 2other cars in one go.  I do remember the manoeuvre and breathing a large sigh of relief when we made it back to the right side of the road.   I am not sure where Jason was heading to; I know that sometimes he has to do some repairs in Jamie Oliver’s kitchen in Oxford so maybe that’s where he was heading.

Thankfully we made it to Abingdon in one piece; I dropped Phil off at work then went to get cream cakes from the Tesco Extra so Phil could hand these out at work for his birthday.   I then programmed the Tom Tom to take me to the leisure centre for a workout.  I did deliberate whether to jump on the Park and Ride and visit Oxford for the morning but then decided this wouldn’t be much fun on my own.  The gym was quiet and in spite of my early start I managed a good 2 hour workout followed by a swim.  Afterwards I made my way back to Abingdon town and did my usual routine, visiting the library for internet access followed by a bit of shopping in the high street.

I picked Phil up at 2pm; luckily he had enough hours in the bank which meant he was able to leave early for his birthday.   The hotel that I had booked for his special day was the Barcelo Oxford, situated just off the ring road and about 15 minutes drive from Abingdon.   I had managed to get a dinner, bed and breakfast rate for £99 which was by no means cheap but a bargain price for the normal Barcelo rates.   I booked on line and put in a special request for a ‘nice standard room’ as we were celebrating a birthday.   This hotel had been recommended to me but after I’d booked I checked out Trip Advisor and saw the reviews which weren’t great I didn’t have any great expectations.  However I was pleasantly surprised when we got to room 140 to see that the reception had upgraded us to a premier room which was huge.  Phil was delighted as we had a king size bed and a sofa and two chairs.  The hotel itself was a little bland, ultra modern but the gym and the pool were tiny and the restaurant lacked ambience.  Still the free upgrade to a premier room made up for it. 

The plan was that we would work out in the gym and then chill out in the pool and the steam room but Phil was tired and I’d already worked out so we decided to go back to the room and relax.  Phil opened his cards and his presents that I’d brought from home.   Harriet got him boxers and posh hankies and I’d brought him a digital camera and a shirt and tie from Hawes & Curtis.  He wasn’t too impressed with the shirt as he said it was probably too small and even if it did fit, it was too pink, so I shall have to return this to the shop.  He was, however, very pleased with his digital camera.  I get fed up of him hijacking my camera and although he has the Olympus, he likes to have a camera that he can fit into his camera.  I also got him a memory card which mega memory which he was really happy with. 

We watched some telly then got ready for dinner.   The table was booked for 7pm but we had a drink in the bar before.  Phil ordered a pint of larger and a glass of wine and nearly had a heart attack when the barman asked for £9.50!  The three course dinner which was included in our room rate was excellent as was the service.  This normally costs £23.50 pp so I was feeling even more pleased with my room deal price.   We ordered cheese and biscuits as our sweet and decided to take this back to our room because Phil didn’t want to miss the start of the Big Brother final.  I saw the first 15 minutes but as soon as I climbed onto the king size bed I fell fast asleep.  It wasn't the most exciting of birthday but I think Phil enjoyed himself.

The big bed was so comfy and we slept like logs until 6am. We hadn’t set any alarm so it was amazing that we awoke at our normal time.   Breakfast started at 7am and we were one of the first ones in.  It was a great breakfast, loads of fresh fruit and lots of items to choose for the cooked breakfast.  It was serve yourself which was fine because we were out by quarter past seven and Phil was in his office just after half past.

I went back to the hotel and watched the repeat of the Big Brother Final and then packed the car and went to the gym in the hotel for a workout.  It was okay, the equipment was a bit old but I managed an hour or so.  I think being a member of  David Lloyd and DW, I am a little spoilt and am used to using state of the arc equipment. I didn’t bother with the pool, it wasn’t really big enough to swim any lengths and there were a few mums and toddlers already in there.  So I showered and dressed, checked out and then drove back to Abingdon.   Unfortunately the rain had kicked in by the time I had parked up and the town centre was soggy and miserable.   I wasted some time in the library, did a bit of shopping, and then went to a local hairdressers where I had booked in the day before for a whole head of mesh highlights.  Going to a new hairdressers is always a worry but to be honest I was glad that I had booked because I didn’t fancy walking around Abingdon for another 3 hours in the rain.  Jodie in The Look salon was very nice and I was pleased with my colour when I came out at quarters to four.  My timing was perfect because I just had 5 minutes to spare for when Phil came out of work at 4pm.

The drive home was awful; it was pouring with rain and visibility was poor, also there was a lane closed on the approach to the Peartree Bridge roundabout on the A34.  The tyres on the KA are not good and we aqua planed in all the surplus water driving round the roundabout.   This was a little scary and I was anxious the whole way home.   It took us an hour and a half to get back which was not too bad considering the awful weather. 

Last night Phil went out with the Wednesday night boys.   Phil was considering whether to walk to the pub in the rain when Steve knocked on the door offering Phil a lift which a godsend because it saved him getting soaked.  I briefly saw him when he came home last night and we spoke a few words before he left this morning.  Both the back tyres are bald and illegal on the KA and I think the front tyres need some air so I’ve made him take the Land Rover to work this morning because it’s safer.  I see it’s still pissing down outside which I suppose is just typical English weather as we approach a bank holiday weekend.  Its days like today when I wished I lived somewhere hot.