Christmas is done and now it’s Happy New Year with Hastings Battleaxe

Last time I wrote I was busy not preparing for the neighbours drinkies. That passed fine, although numbers were a little down this year due to absences, illnesses etc. Christmas Day lunch for Philosopher and me was at Bannatynes Hotel, where we stayed last year. A visit from old friend Shaun, then Anna came to stay. Was lucky enough to be able to take her to a Mallydams seal release, and then yesterday we all went up to London to meet Gareth for lunch at the Clermont Hotel, Charing Cross. And now it’s December 31, Blogoversary time! Do you realise, have been the Hastings Battleaxe for 13 years now? Surely it’s time I gave it up. But maybe not quite yet – there’s a lot going on this coming year…

Oh look, I’ve put that jolly New Year pic above, but it doesn’t really feel that jolly at all. To Battleaxe New Year’s Eve is just another day, usual 10pm bedtime plus irritating fireworks to wake her up at midnight. I gave up enjoying New Year’s parties years ago. It always seemed to be such a long time until midnight, and then all that Auld Lang Syne malarky, and kissing whiskery strangers. No thanks. Not any more.

That sounds really cheerful and positive, doesn’t it? But the weather is totally dire – grey, grey and more grey, with bursts of wind and rain to liven things up… Hastings is looking increasingly shabby, the national/world situation is terrible, and Battleaxe will have regained the four pounds in weight she painstakingly lost before Christmas. I think 2025 is at best, to be survived. And we’ll all be another year older. Ah well, less of that.

Christmas lunch at Bannatynes Hotel was fine. Not much to say about it really. Food was very good, service was excellent, attentive and friendly but got a little ragged by the time we had coffee. We were initially impressed by their efficiency, letting people into the restaurant a few at a time to avoid over-reaching themselves, but by the time we had finished our meal everyone was in and wanting attention. It is not a cheap lunch, but overall, Battleaxe would recommend.

No pics of Shaun’s visit unfortunately… he was in good form, still basking in the success of his Forsyte Saga theatre success. Here is Battleaxe on our recent visit to the play.  He has got a number of projects in the pipeline, including writing for the Archers.

Then Anna’s visit, one day of which which luckily coincided with a Mallydams seal release, down at Pett Level. It was a bitterly cold morning, but nice and calm for the pair of common seals to venture into the sea. Then coffee at the Hastings Contemporary, a quick whip round some shops in the Old Town, fish and chips for lunch and an afternoon spent snoozing in front of the telly. Good stuff.

Yesterday, it was up to London and lunch with Anna and Gareth at the Clermont Hotel at Charing Cross, before they went back home to Bristol. Battleaxe readers may remember that she has developed a fondness for old railway hotels – here is a recent post about lunch at the Great Northern at Kings Cross, and tea at the St Pancras Hotel. Why am I currently drawn to those places? Simple. Comfort, space to move around, old-fashioned elegance and above all, the ability to eat while being able to hear yourself think. Most London restaurants are just so crowded and So Noisy… Dunno if this is a sign of age or what… maybe I am turning into my mother, who wouldn’t even stop for a wee on a journey (usually to a dog show) without finding the nearest  ‘Trust House Hotel, dear…’

 

Anyway, most people who know London will have walked past the Clermont, above Charing Cross Station, umpteen times, but how many will have actually been in there? We certainly hadn’t, so it was a bit of an experiment. Turns out the old place is truly elegant inside, with beautiful public rooms. The Christmas decorations were very good. We ate in the Conservatory part of the restaurant, at the front of the hotel. There is also a very attractive-looking bar, which serves bar meals – something for the future… as was afternoon tea. So, what did we think? The food was very good, and not too expensive,  but the service was a bit scrappy. There seemed to be a fair number of staff drifting about, but few apparently empowered to do anything useful like taking orders or clearing plates… and they deserved medals for their skill in avoiding eye-contact with the guests. However, I’d give it the benefit of the doubt because we were still in the Christmas chaos period. Some of the staff were probably temporary. Overall, Battleaxe would recommend.

Every year I post a link to the first ever Hastings Battleaxe post, in December 2011, so here it is again.  How life has moved on since then…

Sure, it takes time to write this stuff but it is a good exercise to do – taking time to review the events of the past few days, what was good, what was less good, and so on.

Happy Blogoversary to Battleaxe!