I got down there with minimal train difficulties (one quick change and even arrived early), and was met at the station by Jane. We had a drink in a nice little caf&eactute; before moving on for lunch at Le Monde, the brasserie where Jane's flatmate Hannah works.
It's quite a strange place - fairly up-market décor , and a floor deliberately scatter with sawdust. Rather than ordering from a menu, you go up to the deli-style counter to select your food - the fish and cuts of meat are all laid out on ice for you to choose from. We both went for the very reasonably priced set menu and Hannah picked us out a good bottle of wine (*not* the £1,500 one), and all was very nice. We finished off with coffee or liqueur (that would be the £2.75 calvados, not the £275-a-shot brandy) for a total of just over £30 all-in.
After lunch we did a minimal bit of sightseeing - climbing Cabot's Tower for a look at the views over Bristol - before heading back to the car. Just before we got there, we encountered an abandoned armchair at the side of the road. Jane - always the scrounger - immediately but dibs on it and we wrestled it into the car to take back to the flat. Their nice flat resides in an area of Bristol known as St. Andrews - and to make the freakish coincidence complete, there's even a 1930s advert for the other St. Andrews (where I was last weekend) on the pinboard.
In the evening, we met up at The Cube, where both the girls do volunteer work behind the bar (cheap staff prices ;-) Had a few drinks and a look at the VJ festival (a bizarre mix of loud music and strange visuals - my reaction was very much "That's interesting. Oh, look, I need another drink..."). Headed home at around half midnight to sleep on the sofa - and curse my height.
Today, got up at a fairly sane hour and whipped up a batch of m00se. Jane was up a little later and we breakfasted on croissants and honey before moving straight onto lunch preparations. I got started on setting up the computer I donated to her at Christmas, having brought down the keyboard, mouse and modem. After the usual minor niggles, I had it up and running just in time to sit down for a nice roast dinner. Yum!
After lunch, we were planning to go and see a free concert being recorded for the BBC World Service, but due to parking difficulties, they were out of tickets by the time we got there. Instead, we opted for a nice walk up on the downs - the much-needed fresh air was probably a better idea in any case. The weather was just right for it, and I got a good look at the Avon gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge (work of the great Isambard Kingdom Brunel), plus some manic kiters.
When we got back to the flat, we feasted on m00se, and I finished up the software install on the PC before sitting down for the afternoon's musical entertainment (Sister Act - a classic), which we had to cut a little short in order to get to the station for the train back to Oxford - which is where I'm typing now.
Next weekend, I actually have nothing planned for, like, the second time this year. Which is nice.
