Snap Happy!

March 15th, 2010

So my last EVER Face of Tees Valley day out *sob* was for a Going Digital photography course.

Going Digital is a national company running all kinds of digital photography courses from portrait and weddings, to wildlife, travel and landscape – and they are available in every region.

This one was a landscape and travel course.  I got the itinerary through with the times (10am to 4pm) and directions to the beautiful Ormesby Hall in Middlesbrough where it was being held.  Information was provided on different types of cameras known as SLR’s (to me it basically meant the proper camera things with a big lens thingy at the front, of which I’ve always wanted to own one but just beginning to look at them scares me!).  Knowing I didn’t have such a camera worried me so I called the tutor Kelvin, who immediately reassured me that I could use one of his spare ones.  Phew! Had visions of me turning up with my very out of date ordinary digital camera!

So I arrived slightly late along with another student Pam, we chatted whilst heading to the classroom and I learnt that she had a vested interest in photography, but just could not take the photos she wanted to.  I was relieved that I wasn’t going to be in a group of ‘experts’.  Kelvin greeted us and we sat round the table for coffee doing introductions.  As well as Pam and I there were 3 males, all interested in photography, one a beginner, one with a little more experience, and one who had been on all of Kelvins other courses (a very good sign I thought).

Kelvin began with a power point show, and in very simple terms how to use the camera, what makes a good shot, and by pressing which buttons or changing certain settings had an effect on the actual photo.  I was keeping up, and seriously interested – this was great!  There were several ‘reallys?!’ by fellow students who after this first session said they learnt more about their camera then than they had the whole time they’d owned it, years for some!

We were all then able to sit down with our cameras and basically play with said settings and understood how they worked on our particular camera.  Kelvin went through the camera he was loaning me for the day, I loved this camera!  I couldn’t believe how good the snaps were I was taking (and these were of a classroom and coffee cups by this point).

As this was Landscape and travel we were shown slides of such pictures and given lots of tips on how we could achieve such good shots ourselves.  Then we went out into the grounds to put this into practice.  I was amazed at how one morning could bring me this far, I was snapping away making sure I had the focus right, the angle, that the photo was leading the eye, watching the graph after taking a snap, i was really enjoying myself, and Kelvin was constantly on hand for help and advice.

Lunch followed where we all chatted away about our morning and learnt more about each other, the group was friendly and a real mix of people, ages etc.

After lunch Kelvin went through the aims of our next shots which were around the church.  As soon as we walked there I got straight onto the shots I wanted, I was taking from all angles and even from the floor level!  I really explored the grounds and took some of the streams.  I was also chatting to Kelvin about wanting to buy a camera myself, and he gave some really good advice, to be honest I wouldn’t have known where to start before this course with buying a ‘proper’ camera.

Once the church grounds session as done we had a coffee in the classroom whilst Kelvin loaded up all of our images,  this was the ultimate part of the day, seeing what we’d learnt and what we had produced with our own hands.  We all got to see each others and I can safely say every single one of us were very proud of ourselves, there were some fantastic images, which were made up of us using all that we’d learnt from Kelvin.  We knew what to look out for, which angle to take from, what should be in the picture, how to make the most of whats around you and so much more.  The more ‘avid’ photographers amongst the group admitted it was the best £65 they had ever spent for their photography hobby.  There was some benefit to me having gone to the class without a proper camera, I know know which type/kind to buy!  There is a course for an introduction to SLR cameras too if your a complete beginner like me, or just wanting to get more from your camera.  I will definitely be signing up for another course, the family/portrait one really interests me.

Kelvin in a very talented photographer and everything you could hope for in a tutor, knowledgeable, informative, patient and eager for you to get all you can with no question left unturned.

If you would like to go on a Going Digital photography course in the North East with the very talented Kelvin, then please see http://www.goingdigital.co.uk/photographycourses/north-east.php.

If you would like to see more fantastic days out in the Tees Valley please see www.visitteesvalley.co.uk.

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vrooom vroom, muddy speedy twistsy turns bumpedy bump!

February 24th, 2010

Sat 13th Feb at quads for all just outside of Hartlepool near Dalton Piercy, it was raining and it was very muddy, but this quad biking was booked so we had to do it.  Needless to say, my 17 year old younger brother Daniel, was well up for the challenge.  My younger, squeamish 18 year old sister Katie on the other hand, well she took a little more persuading. 

Parking was available on the site which is just off the beaten track of a country road and we were kindly greeted by the owner.  He showed us to the terms of use which we read through then within a few minutes we were on our quads – no messing about! 250cc quads and a quick guide of how to use them, we had a couple of small practice laps guided by the lads there, then the course was all ours!  I loved the fact were allowed to just go off!  I was going rather slow, just to get the hang of it, andcoming to a complete stop at every turn, as was Katie.  Daniel was straight into it with one lap done he was trailing behind us!  Bit by bit I managed to speed up, taking the corners at a little bit of speed and really getting into it!  There are staff on most of the big corners who point you in the right direction, gradually until your able to do the whole track.  I started moving down to the 2ndpart of the track which is way down hill with lots of bumps, holding on tight and not too much acceleration I bobbled down it bouncing around and laughing like crazy!  My pace gathered – and so did the mud, it was literally to the top of my helmet and all over my face through it, I was surprisingly not bothered and very happy to get completely covered.  We had a short break and a hot drink after 30 mins to give our thumbs rest (thumbs are used to accelerate the quads and after 30 mins we sure needed the rest) and had a good old laugh at how we’d all got on!

Back to the quads, I couldn’t wait!  The scenery is amazing here and the air was countryside fresh.  This time we were all very comfortable flying around the course knowing what paths were our favourite thrashing round them and waving when we went past each other.  The second half passed so quickly, we all just felt so at ease and were having superb time.  But all good things must come to an end and so did the quad biking.  We pulled up, took our helmets off and felt ready to carry on the day after an amazing start!   We  were covered in mud and said our goodbyes to the team there who were great, and knew we would return, £30 well spent for an full hours fun!

On to the Smiths Arms in Greatham for a hearty lunch and a warm up, my Mum had to bring us all clean clothes first.  One look at the menu and I was torn, between the Tees Valley favourite chicken parmo, peppered beef strips, and mince n dumps.  I went for the latter after much deliberation.  My brother went for a parmo, and Katie went for the homemade curry.  (Everything on the menu was home made, yum!)  After a few hot drinks, the food came in good timing and we munched through every last bit. Really good, home-some goodness grub, andwith most dishes priced at £4.95, it was a really good deal too.  We decided on 2 deserts, sticky toffee pudding and jam rolly polly andall had a taste of them.  A good all roundpub withgreat all round food.  Perfect for a bite to eat!

So if you would like to go quadbiking at Quads4All you can check out their website http://www.quads4all.org.uk/, they have quads and prices for all ages and take birthday parties, stag do’s etc.  You can see more great days out in our area at www.visitteesvalley.co.uk.

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Luxury hotel, amazing meal……..and a very good bargin!

February 24th, 2010

Sunday 31st Jan, and I had a treat in store, a hotel stay at Crathorne Hall, and £99 to spend on food and drink,  oh and breakfast the next morning.  All of this however, cost just £99.       How?  Just one of the amazing offers available with the Happening Pass and you can get yours from http://www.visitteesvalley.co.uk/site/whats-hot/happening-pass. 

So I arrived at 4pm in the 15 acres of land on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors on a Sunny snowy day, (check in is available from 3pm).  After a swift check in I was shown up to my room with my bags carried by the delightful concierge man, who has worked here over 20 years – a good sign if ever i needed one that this is a great hotel!   Room spacious, elegantly decorated, plasma TV, tea and coffee making facilities, and a very high standard bathroom.  Since my friend wasn’t arriving for a couple of hours I sat on the bed, and began to read the complimentary Sunday paper – absolute heaven as a hard working Mother ,who is always busy and never stops, this was just the tonic I needed.  After an hour i met my younger sister and my son Ramsay in reception (I’d accidentally taken her keys earlier in the day!) and decided they might as well stay for a warm drink and bite to eat in the drawing room, after all I had £99 to spend! We sat by the log fire and had hot chocolates and cakes, and a hearty sarnie for Ramsay.  A little while later after a great time, they left and my best mate Katie arrived.  She was in need of some relaxation time too and so I thought she was a great choice to acompany me! We got ready for dinner in the restaurant and we opted for the Table De Hoe menu at £35 per head.  Once seated we had canapes and a class of champers, we ordered some red wine from the extensive choice then indulged in the food menu.  My choice was smoked salmon to start, with creme fraiche, caviar and cucumber jelly, Sea Bream with crushed black pepper potatoes for main, and Yorkshire tart with plum sorbet for desert.  Katie chose the soup, then Seam Bream also, then Chocolate Fondue for desert.  Each and every single course was perfectly timed, perfectly cooked, super fresh and perfectly enjoyed!  Coffee and pettie foirs followed in the games room.  This really was top class food, heaven on a plate, in a n amazing, grand stately room, and one thoroughly enjoyable evening.  Even on an ordinary evening at £35 per head it was a steal, and I will most certainly return.  Retired to the room we chatted for hours after facials and milkshakes – it was like a sleepover when we were kids – except we were in a huge manor surrounded in luxury!   We sunk in to our perspective beds for a pure relaxing sleep!

In the morning Katie had work – so they delivered her breakfast early to the room.  I got up an hour later and had Ramsay dropped off as Hubby was at work, it was ok though because he joined me for a delicious breakfast!  With it being such a beautiful morning we went for a long walk around the grounds.  After returning to the room I packed my bag whilst Ramsay watched TV between gazing out of the window to the beautiful surroundings, then we checked out – which I was really sad to do so!  Thank you Crathorne for an amazing stay – I will be back very shortly :-)

If you would like to book a meal or stay at Crathorne Hall please see http://www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/hotels/crathorne-hall/, and for many more fantastic days out in the Tees Valley please see www.visitteesvalley.co.uk (and don’t forget to sign up for the happening pass for a few cheeky discounts!)

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A funny way to start the year……

February 24th, 2010

…with a hilarious night of laughter at the Arc’s Catch22 Comedy club!      

So its January, xmas is over and its cold, snowy and a pretty dull time.  My first day out was at the Arc in Stockton for some light hearted fun!  My 2 friends John, who i’ve been great friends with since I was very young, and Andrew a fab friend who was due to leave us for Australia, and I got a cab to Carpachios on Dovecott street Stockton.  Warmly welcomed we got settled into a booth and ordered drinks, beer for the boys and a nice glass of red for me!  We were there for happy hour, which always makes the ordering a pleasant experience when you now its a bargain!   All pasta and pizzas are just £5.45  from tea time opening until 7pm.  After garlic dough balls for starter I went for a real taste of Italy with Chicken and Wild Mushroom Risotto, John had a Calzone, and Andrew a Chicken and Wild Rocket Pizza A* and absolutely delicious, rustic, tasty, fresh and distinct.  A round of applause all round, sometimes its hard to know if the food is going to be good when its a happy hour deal, but this certainly didn’t disappoint.  In fact we raved about it the whole time we were there ad all agreed we would be returning soon!!  Thouroughlly reccomended, staff were amazing, speedy and polite, atmosphere spot on, so with all our starters and mains, with chips to acompany our mains and 3 drinks each it was £48.10 – a steal!

Over the road and not far away is the Arc, a wonderful arts centre where everyone can go play!

Catch 22 Comedy Club is now on fortnightly thanks to its popularity!  You get to choose your seats when booking so we has a table, £11 per head, which is just £2 more than the standard seat prices.  Mid way in the crowd we were comfortable in the knowledge we’d get a good view but not get hammered by the comedians! First up the MC (compare) for the night, this is a different person every time and they usually make the night and Jason Cook didn’t disappoint! Straight away a rapport was built with the audience (well the ones he wasn’t ripping anyway!)  and we were in fits of laughter at his quick Sharp sense of humour, best of luck to those that try and take the mick back or don’t play along.  Don’t be afraid, just don’t sit on the from row (unless you can take it!).  We had 3 comedians, Dan Nightingale who originally hails from Lancashire and hit us of in fits of giggles within seconds, great persona and didn’t seem scripted.   2nd act after a small break was a young lad Danny Mcloughlin who spoke about everyday life situations (which we all know about) and wasn’t afraid to speak about his own, his girlfriend, mum, gran, and even recited the um bongo song!  The third act was a guy from Cheshire and kept us laughing with all kinds of impersonations of when he was a youth worker in Liverpool.  He went further and further explaining his real life encounters with people and life but adding his own twists, and at many points we were all bent forward crying laughing! Absolutely great!

Arc is a truly amazing venue, from comedy, theatre, spoken word, dance, theatre and music classes they have something on for everyone.  All events are priced really well and people come from all over the country and world to the Arc.

Arcs comedy club is run in assocation with Ten Feet Tall who also list the Big Mouth Comedy Club in Middlesbrough.  If you would like to check out one of the many happening events at Arc please see www.arconline.co.uk.  For a great variety of fab days out please check out www.visitteesvally.co.uk.

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It’s Chicco, Panto and most definitely Christmas time! Oh Yes it is!

December 17th, 2009

Darlington Civic Theatre Aladdin Panto 15/12/2009

This one I took Ramsay my lil boy who’s nearly 2, my Nana, and my friends 2 kids Annaliese age 5 and Georgie age 7.

We got parked easily and went straight to our seats in the dress circle, the theatre is set out as such so that you can see the stage very well wherever you’re sat.  Settling down to our seats for the 2pm matinee and the curtains rose, sending anticipation reeling round the theatre!

We were then in for the fastest 2.5 hours of our life, why? Because it was the most amazing, hillarious and entertaining panto ever to be staged!  We had Chicco playing Aladdin with his actually very amazing voice, we had a baddie whom we all booed (who was Max Somerset from BBC2’s The Sourcerers Apprentice) and the unforgettable Grumbleweeds who provided us with non stop laughter all in one fabulous historic theatre!   That was the one sound from the show, laughter, everyone was roaring with it.

The story, as with any panto, had a variation to the original Aladdin story and they did so well with it.  There really was something to suit all.  Plenty of jokes only us adults would get, my Nana had a fab time and sang away to the songs, despite not knowing the words (but its her signature trait, she makes them up)!  Annaliese and Georgie got involved from the off with the ‘oh no you didn’t’ ‘oh yes you did’s’.  There was so much to keep them entertained from the funny dances to the fantastic fireworks, even an appearance from the Churchill dog!  The children didn’t even so much as wriggle, it captivated them for the duration!  Most songs were from Hannah Montanna and High School Musical so the hundreds of school kids around were waving their arms in the air and singing every word, it was so lovely to see. 

There were magic tricks galore which even left me with the ‘How did they do that?!!’  question reeling in my head. If we thought we couldn’t be left more in awe Yu Yin from the chinese state circus balanced spinning umbrellas (all 5) whilst doing a hand stand, and this was just one of the many amazing things she did!

To be honest I thought i’d have great difficulty with Ramsay, he doesn’t watch telly and not a lot holds his attention.  Constantly running around, active and looking what he can get into next – he’s your typical toddler.  We sat down and he remained in his seat until the baddie came on, when he jumped onto me and tucked is head in. So cute, I was more pleased he understood it and was still.  Within no time at all he was booing, clapping his hands in time with the music and laughing with all the other kids.

What an amazing magical afternoon! 110% recommended to anyone looking at a great day/night out. Any ages and number of people, adults with kids, or if you don’t have children, get yourself out for some joyus time!

After we headed to Joe Rigatoni in Darlo. Really acommodating, beautiful restaurant and brilliant service.  All before we even looked at the menu!  My Nana and I both opted for the 2 course special for £8.95 available lunch and tea times until 7pm.  I went for chicken wings and the regions best known dish a chicken parmersan, my Nana had potato skins and seafood risotto. 

Let me tell you, there’s very few restaurants my Nana enjoys the whole experience from, more so the food, but she absoltuley loved it!  Couldn’t stop raving about the risotto!  Mine was also delicious the whole lot, i loved the homemade chips too!  The children each had a kids meal, they all chose the margarita and curly fries option from their menu.  They all loved it, and ate the lot (an achievement for any child in any restaurant!), and got ice cream included for afters, theirs were only £3.50 each!  Drinks for all of us as well as all the food totalled the bargain price of £35.80.  Just Brilliant, easy, accesable and delicious!

On the journey home we all talked non stop about the day!

If you would like more information on the panto and other great days out please please check out www.visitteesvalley.co.uk

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Odins Glowing at Roseberry Topping and it sure is pretty!

November 20th, 2009

Odins Glow 25/10/2009

 

odins 1Andrew (my Hubby) and I set off on 25th October to Pinchinthorpe Hall.  We drove there from our home in Stockton, and parking was available in the grounds.
 
We sat down to eat at Pinchinthorpe which had a lovely rustic feel, stone walls and all oldie worldy – it felt lovely and cosy!
 
They have adopted the ‘Country Steak House and Grill’ menu, which offered various steaks, burgers and even some pasta’s. The starters and desesrts offered were extensive and varied.
 
For starters I had Tiger prawns with chilli dip, Andrew had Farmhouse pate with caramalised onion chutney, these were delicious and went down lovely!
 
For main it was mussels and chips for me, and battered calamari and chips for Andrew, with a greek side salad, very filling, with homemade chips!
 
With still room for dessert I had creme brulee and Andrew had sticky toffee pudding, we shared these and they finished the meal off perfectly (with a cheeky esprresso to wash it down!).
 
It is a very different menu from what Pinchinthorpe previously offered, but its really good value, with most of the main meals priced around £6.95, perfect for a family meal out. Customer service was also good.
 
Next we jumped on to the minibus (part of the park and ride service for Odins Glow) which took us into the village of Newton under Roseberry.
 
The event came about because Roseberry Topping is such a dramatic landmark that it was regarded as a sacred hill dedicated to the Nordic god Odin by the Vikings, who settled in the Tees Valley in large numbers during the early medieval period. 
 
The whole village was in darkness when we pulled up, with the only visable lights being those of the light insulations, some of which lit up Roseberry Topping and it looked amazing. When exploring the village you found something round every corner.  There was a giant solar system set up in the middle of the road rotating around, there was a huge (like the size of a bus shelter) fish tank which had graphics of fish floating around.  There was a local drum group who were druming along in sync with one another.  Further down the road it was a drama group of youngsters acting out stories of the vikings on the water.  Near the church yard they had lights and mocked up boats in the lake with a lady dressed in medieval costume singing old ryhme.  The streets and turns were packed with people but had an enchanting awe about it, families were apleanty, excitement was in the air and they all seemed to love it!  It was a beautiful evening and certainly one of a kind.  I am unsure whether they will be repeating this event in coming years or not, but if they do, it is well worth a visit!
 
The best bit, was Roseberry Topping lit up, unfortunately due to the darkness you couldnt see it well with the camera, but it really was breathtaking.
 
Fantastic all round event.

You can take a look at more great days coming up by checking out www.visitteesvalley.co.uk.

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Bang! Wow! Space Themed Fireworks!

November 20th, 2009

Darlington Fireworks 31/10/2009

Andrew, Ramsay and I headed to Darlo, and first stop was the Voodoo Mexican Cafe on Skinnergate, which is above In Arcadia - an alternative clothing shop.  It’s not obvious that there’s a Mexican there but I’d heard about the place by reccomendation.
 
We were wowed from begining to end! The setting was lovely and as its situated on the first floor we were fine to leave the pushchair downstairs. The table was set with a high chair and pumpkins with candles in them decorated the table! It was a lovely setting, nice tables, ample space and you can see the kitchen.  First came the drinks, as well as having a really good selection of wine, the lagers and beers were amazing!  We had the option of about 10 from around the world, even I as a non lager drinker had a bottle sourced from mexico!
 
Being an authentic mexican, there was no childrens menu, but the staff could not have been more accommodating! They made Ramsay some chicken and fresh potato wedges with dips and strawberries for afters!
 
The menu had 5 starters, mains and desserts on offer, all for the grand price of £12.95!  Andrew had nacho’s for starters and I chilli prawns. Delicious!  For mains it was a chicken burrito for me and chicken fajitas for Andrew, absolutley delicious, everything was fresh and sourced locally, even the salsa, sour cream and guacamole was home made, and ample amounts in every pot, along with cheese and peppers etc.  They also came with spicy rice, needless to say, home mad!
 
Andrew tends to choose Mexican dishes from most menus, even when it is a pub or Italian, but now we had the real deal there really was no comparison. We also had deserts, just to finish off nicely! But hey, for the price you couldnt say no!
 
When the bill came in at £36, I could not believe it! 3 beers, 1 diet coke, 3 course meal for Andrew and I and a 2 course for Ramsay!  All in all a divine dining experience, very welcoming, very relaxing, more than accomodating, and above all the food and drink was top class!  Can not reccomend this place enough!  We will definetley be returning!
 
Next to the fireworks, where unfortunatley my camcorder battrey went (i do now have the hang of the thing so my next day out will look like its shot by a professional!). 
 
The park was filled with families, children and couples and there was anticipation and excitement was in the air!
From the very first bang it was a spectacular!  They chose to host their fireworks on Sat 31st October to celebrate 40 years since man landed on the moon.  The fireworks were all in time to music which began with David Bowie’s Ground Control to Major Tom, then on to Prodigy – Sending Out Of Space and more, the overall result was class! One i can not put into words! 

It was really breathwaking, the fireworks were gigantic, it was obvious a lot of work had gone into it and it showed.  I was worried Ramsay would cry, only being 20 months old, but he loved it! He kept pointing saying ‘look look’. The whole park was filled with people, rides, and space themed pieces of art, there was even a giant ‘moon’ floating around in the sky line of the park.  Well Done Darlington, you couldn’t have got this display more spot on! And by far the best display yet!

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Lets get some speed up!! Wahoooo!

November 20th, 2009

Chris Birkbeck Rally School 07/11/2009

Flags down and they’re off! Woohoo Rally Car Driving Day! Wow, well we started off on an amazingly sunny morning at the Chris Birkbeck Rally School parked up and left my little standard car for a pep talk on the do’s and don’t inside ‘The Archers Hotel which forms part of the rally school. All eager to get going we went down to the track! I took along my Uncle Steven, who’s a car and rally enthusiast. As we gazed around the track it was breathtaking, right on the top of the Saltburn coatsline, just past Brotton, we knew we were in for a really good day!
 
The cars pulled up, all Ford Focuses and rigged out. The helmets were on, no messing around and I was right in the drivers seat! The aim of this first session was to master right handbreak turns and as I began driving I soon realised this was like driving no normal car, and on no normal road. It was loud and the car was powerful, and we were on a dirt track! The instructor was fab, he talked me through what we were going to do as I steadily drove around it, getting a feel for the car and the environment. 

My first handbreak turn was more of a little side step, but not to worry, I built it up and built it up until wush, i was skidding round the corners and landing forward (where I should be) ready to take off again! bruuuummm!
 
I watched on the trackside hill with the other rally goers whilst my uncle took his turn, well he certainly got the knack quiker than me! The next go I did right AND left handbreak turns, going round right and left bends that is. This was a little tricker for me, I took a few left turns to get the hang. After this go I realised what I wanted to do was go for it, building up some good speed for the corners. So when I got to do the full track, my foot was down, I was only doing this once and I had my safety helmet on! (Oh and the instructor had his own set of peddles!) The whole time you’re in the car you’re miced up to the instructor so you can hear him clearly, and he could hear me!  This last lap was a whole lot bigger, and we got to test out all that we had learnt and more! The adreneline rush was amazing, I think the instructor even felt this with my driving!
 
I then watched my uncle, who put me to shame making my driving look like a learner’s first go! Just when I thought it was all over, they shouted me in again to put my helmet on - what I hadn’t realised was that the instructor was then going to drive me! Well this was face pulled back kind of driving! He took each corner with a cm away from the twists and turns and did the whole lap in 30 seconds, I spent the whole time screaming! I think this was pay back time! it was really funny, and really interesting to see what the real rally drivers do! All of us learners then went back to the hotel where lunch was served up. Since we’d all been together trackside during the day and we’d all got along really well so lunch was a nice social affair.  Then, certificate time, I got mine and I was well chuffed, we’d all achieved a lot that day, complete beginners to actually rally driving very well!

We also got to have a sneak around the workshop where they make up rally cars for different drivers, my uncle being the car enthusiast asked loads of questions and they answered every single one, these are not just instructors, they part time rally drivers themselves and are complete enthsiasts.
 
All round great day out, they even do rally days for the kids. Here we were with 10 other people who had came from as far as Scotland to do this experience, and its right on our doorstep! Marvallous day out had by all!
 
If your interested in having a go, see their website voa www.visitteesvalley.co.uk

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Waiting for Sundays and my was it worth waiting for!

November 20th, 2009

Waiting Room Eaglescliffe 08/11/2009

Waiting for Sundays is an evening of entertainment and fine food put on by The Waiting Room restaurant in Eaglescliffe.  It is a vegitarian restaurant, and I have to admit, i’m not vegetarian and never really choose vegetarian food, but I thought why not give it a go.
 
I took along my Mother who’s a food lover, we arrived at 7.30pm and were led to our table in the back room, which is a big warm cosy conservatory.  The tables are set out so that everyone can see the stage whilst eating, it was a really intimate atmosphere from the off.  Once we got ourselves sat down we checked out the drinks menu first which was very out of the ordinary in a really good way. Everything is organic and they had a good selection of wines with an extensive range or largers, ciders and beers, and more unusually a mouth watering range soft drinks! Not your average line up even in a bar!  
 
‘Waiting for Sundays offers a less extensive menu than usual and you can choose from 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 desserts.  I straight away opted for the lemon houmus with warm bread and my mum had mushroom and chashew nut pate for starters.  We were both pleasently surprised with how nice they were, full of flavour and came with a lovely fresh side salad.  For mains it was a spinach, mushroom and feta curry for mum and I had a spinach, red pepper and ricotta lasagne.  These were just delicious and changed my mind in an instant about vegetarian food, it had more flavour than most meat dishes i’ve tasted. The veg in mine consisted of peppers, courgettes and spinach along with many others.  Mum’s curry was delicious (yes, i will confess, I am one of those people who loves to try my fellow diners food) hot and raging with full flavours, again with the delicous fresh salad and also herbed potatoes. 

The band started midway through our meal, it was Keith James and Rick Foot singing the music of John Martyn, one singing accousticly with a guitar and the other a huge cello. The music was bliss, heavenly and a beautiful compliment to the food.  The entertainment on offer for ‘Waiting for Sundays’ changes every week, the week before it had been burlesque dancing, the week after, a silent play. 

We headed onto dessert, Mum had a coconut and raspberry tart, and I a chocolate roulade and an espresso.  What an amazing place, still to be discovered by a lot of people.  One thing I would say is don’t let the fact its a vegetarian restaurant put you off.  I was really surprised at how nice vegetarian food can be, it was delicious and I had to keep reminding myself I was eating vegetarian food! Even if you want to pop in for lunch or a standard evening meal, do go. If your looking for something different for a Sunday, this is definetley it!

 You can check out The Waiting Room’s website and many other great days out by clicking on www.visitteesvalley.co.uk.

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Local fine food, wine and crafts! What a delightful Christmas Fair!

November 20th, 2009

Living North’s Christmas Fair at Wynyard Hall 14/11/2009

Christmas is coming and the first place to head to in this holiday period is Wynyard Hall’s Christmas Fair!

This event runs from the Friday until the Sunday on the second weekend in November and is hosted by Living North. 

I pulled into the Wynyard Hall grounds which you can’t fail to be amazed at, and followed the directed path to park my car up. I was with my son, mum, nana, sister, and nephew.  Tickets are £5 each pre ordered online, buy 3 get one free, or £7 on the door.  There is not much luck getting in on the door because it is so popular, it was heaving at 10am when the doors open!

When we first entered the huge marquee it was brilliant! I say marquee, this was industrial size, huge - with red carpet and central heating throughout! There must have been 200 stalls, all different sizes and selling everything you could ever imagine.  There were tonnes of crafts and handmade jewellery stalls, handbags, and various beauty products, hand made cards, toys and wooden delights! 

I was straight for the foodie stuff, it was a foodies heaven!  I bought some delicious pesto, made in no other than Bedale!  Some of the best olive oil I have ever tasted made in italy but sold by a local guy who imports on a small scale! Appleby’s Cakes, Chutneys made in Newcastle, and toffee vodka made in Northumbria!  It was hectic, and I had Ramsay who was tired after walking around it all with me (despite me having the pushchair but boys will be boys!). The upside was that he ate samples from almost all these food stalls, he was in his element!  So we went into the main hall for a coffee and a sit down.  If you have never been inside Wynyard Hall before, you really are missing something, it is wow wow wow!  Like stepping back in time entering into the country’s finest stately home.  It really is magnificent and is especially nice because it still seems so untouched, so uncommercialised.  There was a jazz quartet playing christmas classics, the giant tree, and the festive cheer buzzing around in the air.  We had coffee and lunch, then chatted about all our buys, we had all got split up many times, so it was good to have a nosey.  It also gave us time to think too because we all went back to stalls to purchase items we had debated over buying earlier on in the day.  Each and everyone of us loved it, all bought lovely things, either for ourselves, or as a present for others, and agreed we would definetely be there next year!

Now if you do want to be there next year you will need to buy tickets in October by signing up to the email notifications on Living North website, or keep your eyes out for it on www.visitteesvalley.co.uk where you can find many more fantastic events and days out in the Tees Valley.

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