yes, look you see, another post about our trip to Manchester. or, to be sure, one related to it. with all the pictures coming from that fine city. maybe i should have done them all sooner, and together, but breaking it up a bit makes it easier to write and, i hope, easier for you to read.
this may well be the last such post related to all thing Manchester trip. also it might not; that depends on what other pictures i stumble on after forgetting of them. but hey, let us get on with what we have, for it's not where you're from it's where you're at.
indeed, that is the boys sat at a branch of Beefeater, eagerly awaiting breakfast. should i be permitted to flaunt parental bias, well that's a most splendid image of the two of them i capture there. well, i think so, at the least.
going to Beefeater was more of a happy accident than choice, for it was indelibly linked to the hotel where we stayed. i am rather glad that things went this way. should i recall correctly, that independently appointed ambassador for Manchester, Paul Calf, spoke about securing "top table at Beefeater" as a way of impressing the ladies. by eating there we thus secured a more complete Manchester experience, presumably. although as far as i am aware Beefeater restaurants can be found across this entire land of ours.
we stayed at the Premier Inn, then. with, yes, Heaton Park gloriously in the background. no, let me not go on more about Heaton Park, if you are of a mind to do so then there are plenty of earlier posts you can read on the subject.
how does a stay at Premier Inn rank? most splendid. it's as comfortable and as convenient as you would want a hotel to be. the staff were immensely friendly and, when called upon to be so, very helpful indeed.
the idea, to me, of going somewhere is to spend as least amount of time in a hotel as possible. one is there to visit, to do and to explore, after all, so as far as possible i like to reserve hotel time purely for sleeping. and breakfast.
but then when one has children that cannot always be. despite seeming to have limitless levels of energy when such has expired they do rather crash and burn, so some rest up is required. and where better than the hotel room you have commandeered?
keeping them entertained whilst chilling momentarily is another trick. to do this i ensured we brought with us a deck of cards. bringing both together saw me teach them a game my mother taught me and my siblings, or if you like brother and sister, called 2s and 8s.
2s and 8s is sometimes called Jacks, 2s and 8s for reasons that will be clear if you read my guide. or reasons that you already appreciate. an easy as you like game. everyone is dealt seven cards, and then the card on the top of the remaining deck is turned over, with the rest of the deck placed on the table first down.
decided as you will who goes first. a player must place down a card that is of the same suit as the card on display, or of the same nature but of a different suit. if the latter, the pattern is repeated with the new suit being in play. should you not be able to play then you must pick up a card from the deck, and either play it or pass.
if you have a Jack you can use it to change to any suit you like. if you have a 2 and play it then the next player must pick up 2 cards as a penalty. unless they have a 2, in which case they play it and the next player has to pick up 4. unless they have a 2, then the next 6, etc. should you have an 8 then the next player misses a turn.
one must declare "last card" when they are down to their last card, otherwise they forfeit their win. there's a few other rules and that which can be used. these, however, are the basics as i was taught, and make it a simple and fun game. thanks again Mum, and yes as you can see the boys love playing it.
the above represents the one down side to our travels to Manchester. in an admittedly inspired and genius cost cutting move - one that i would wager makes significant savings - Premier Inn has these things instead of them small bottles of shampoo and mini soap bars.
whilst i applaud the move and hope it has been economically successful, in truth my heart sank some when i saw this. i, to be sure, always really liked taking them small soaps and small shampoos home. not to be this time. hey ho.
anyway, that will be that for this. if you have a game of 2s and 8s, enjoy, and no cheating!
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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