Viva la Skeg-Vegas!

Heyy All, 

The last few weekends of stress, not one but two fastly approaching weddings and last weeks catering catastrophe; a weekend away was very much needed.

As yet, it is now over a week on, and still, there has been no contact made regarding the previous caterers. So unfortunately when detailing in last week's blog post that come today I was sure there would be more tea to spill and yet there is not. I have yet to receive a reply to my countless voicemails or emails or phone calls. I have tried to understand where they are coming from and the compromising position they must be in, however, whilst I can appreciate this I really don't think this is good enough and to have had no communication AT ALL since that moment on Bank Holiday Monday. Mr. Warehouse and I had just arrived and seated ourselves at the table ready for the meeting with them, only to then discover that email, and that was only by sheer fucking luck that Mr. Warehouse asked about the bar prices, otherwise I wouldn't have seen the email at all and we would have been sat there like fucking lemon's waiting. 

At no point have we had any phone calls or anything, despite being in contact with them very regularly over the last few months and weeks. After a full week of no contact and being ignored, I am struggling even less now to appreciate their predicament and my sympathy with the situation is slipping. Multiple discussions with friends and family all scrabbling around to help, I am not alone in believing that this is highly unprofessional.Whilst gratefully we have found other caterers now, I am still pissed off at their absolute lack of communication and seemingly professional or sympathetic approach to our situation.

So when few weeks ago it was Mr. Warehouse's birthday I couldn't think of anything more perfect than as part of one of his presents was a romantic weekend away. Paris? Venice? Rome? No, even better according to the future hubby-to-be ... The great British seaside with plenty of arcades, 2p's and a large helping of fish and chips on the beach. However, with places like Paris, Venice, and Rome still under Coronavirus travel restrictions, a lot of people were thinking the same and that a 2021 Staycation was the one!

So finding a reasonably priced hotel in Skeggy was hard, so I needed to search further afield. That's when I stumbled across The Kings Arms in Boston. No, not Massachusetts. Located just over 20-miles from Skegness, The hotel provided us with everything we needed including a restaurant and free WiFi, although we never actually used either. On Booking.com, the description goes on to say that guests can relax in the garden at the property, and with Grantham 31-miles away and Woodhall Spa is less than 15-miles there was plenty to do. The nearest airport is Humberside Airport, 43.5 miles from the accommodation.

But my fiance and I had plenty of things planned. After packing up the car and leaving home (albeit over an hour late due to Mr. Warehouse being essentially forced out on the road due to the lack of drivers in the warehouse) we headed to Momma's house just outside of Huntingdon in the Cambridgeshire countryside. Dropping off the dogs and making a swift departure we continued the two-hour journey to our final destination, The Kings Arms in Boston. FINALLY, I would have a weekend without Mr. Warehouse's damned fan blowing cold air throughout the night. I joked, pulling into the car park of the hotel, both Mr Warehouse and I exhausted from work and travelling that if there was a fan in the room he would be sleeping in another bed. I never thought he would take it literally though!

The bed and breakfast offered comfy rooms all well equipped with large flat-screen TVs capable of Netflix, Youtube, and catch-up. A small and if I am honest, dated en-suite private bathroom also said it came with a hairdryer and free toiletries although I never saw these. The shower was a little limescale-ridden, however, there were plenty of pillows for us only being a couple and sharing a quadruple room. The novelty of not having to share a double bed was appealing though and so we parted ways and headed to our separate beds. 

Waking on Saturday morning without the pitter-patter of tiny paws forcing you out of bed to let them out for a wee at 6am was a relief and I don't think it was until gone 9am when we eventually both rolled out of bed and downstairs for breakfast. Our table looked out over the river, one of the many waterways that peppered these parts of the Fens and directly opposite the hotel and filling our breakfast window was a beautiful windmill. But we couldn't stare at the beauty out the window all day; we had stuff to do. 

Located on North Parade, Skegness's Natureland is a Sanctuary dedicated to treating and returning seals to their natural habitat! On its website, Natureland says that since opening they have dealt with, and returned to the wild whenever possible, many unusual animal visitors including dolphins and whales, a “lost” walrus and pelican, plus numerous oiled seabirds and injured birds of prey! 

On our visit, walking around like it was a romantic date, that every year, particularly during the breeding season, seal pups are washed up on the beaches around Skegness, abandoned or separated from their mothers by the tides! The lucky ones are brought to Natureland’s Seal Hospital where they are cared for by dedicated staff members. However keepers tell tales of the real problem which is persuading the pup to eat, the pup suckles differently from other animals (such as cats and dogs) and they cannot be taught to suck from a bottle. With a little help for a week or two, they can swallow a few whole fish (known as sprats) which are about 3 inches long, something we were lucky to see on our visit in the warm sunshine. If all goes well the pups are moved into the Rearing Pool where they are taught to feed on fish in the water and gain the body weight they need to survive in the wild. Some months after joining us when the pup is fit, fat and healthy, it is returned home to the sea!

Other than that the weekend was eaten up entirely by long hours and many coins frittered away in the arcades, long walks down the beach sharing fish and chips (along with Mr Warehouse's first experience of scraps - Basically all the bits of batter and tiny chips that bubble around in the fat of the chip-shop), a trip to a local market and a very long journey home. We had fun and now with the new caterer sorted plus a few more things ticked off the wedding to-do list, it's onwards and upwards in the final few weeks countdown until I become a wife!!!

'Til next time, Love A.Lou x

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