Barking – 25th December

Captain Caveman’s alarm went off at 7am on Thursday 25th December, or Christmas Day, in the Barking Ibis hotel. The bed was super comfy, particularly great pillows and black out curtains so I didn’t get up when Captain Caveman did. He went for breakfast with his work team mates and I lolled about in bed.
Captain Caveman came back to the room and said the breakfast was ‘alright’ for £12.95 and said he’d be back for 8.30pm tonight. He took samosas, tomatoes and mozzarella for his lunch, leaving me with 2 of my favourite salads and a pack of sausage rolls. In the corner of the room was a bag full of cheese, some charcuterie meats, chutney, crackers, a bottle of port some wine and a box of mince pies. These were for later when Captain Caveman got back.
I had plenty to keep me busy for the day and just needed to get the WiFi password so that I could use the internet. I had GiffGaff credit but the signal didn’t seem to be very good.
I had a shower with all the nice products in the bathroom and then went to breakfast. Even though it was Christmas Day, all was continuing as a normal day; breakfast was from 6.30 to 10am and, for the price, was pretty good value. I troughed down a full English, pastries, meats, cheeses, orange and apple juices then lots of tea. The hotel was fairly busy too which I was surprised at and there wasn’t a Christmas jumper in sight.

Back in the room there was no luck with getting any WiFi so I decided to have a chill out day. I opened my proof copies of ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ and checked the amendments I’d done were showing – they were. I was really pleased with the look of the book and I just needed to get it seen by more people. Amazingly, I had got the font size right, making it easy for anyone to read and use.

The Handy Travel Planner Amazon link is here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0G7S5VX47/

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For the rest of my Christmas Day I relaxed on the bed and watched a Miss Marple on TV. Although I have a TV in Turkey, I no longer pay to have any channels on it so tend not to watch any UK TV at all. This was fantastic and I really enjoyed doing nothing, eating my favourite salad followed by a mince pie and a cup of tea.

Captain Caveman called at 8pm to say he, Richard and Tom were on their way back and I should be ready for a cheese night!
I asked the receptionist if we would be allowed to bring our own cheese and port in to the restaurant and the hotel obliged. It turned out to be a really good night; Captain Caveman’s colleagues were really nice and were grateful for the cheese. Captain Caveman had gone above and beyond, even bringing a cheese knife and chopping board. We stayed in the reception until 11pm when I decided I couldn’t eat any more cheese nor drink any more wine! I left Captain Caveman and Richard discussing caving rope techniques – I’d had enough excitement for one day so left them to that conversation!
Back in the room, my phone connected to the WiFi but, interestingly, I’d not missed any messages at all! How did your Christmas Day go? Did you celebrate?

Gratitude List
1. A lovely hotel breakfast
2. A very relaxed, restful and easy going day
3. Cheese with Tom, Richard & Captain Caveman.