Our JG Jolly!
Once a year our MD, Pip, takes us away for two days on a little surprise trip. It is a great way to do a little ‘team bonding’ as well as getting to know one another out of an office environment.
This year our surprise trip was to HENLEY ON THAMES! Here is a little insight into what the JG Gals got up to…
On Tuesday 22nd of July at 4pm we set on our way to Henley on Thames to stay at the Red Lion hotel which situated on the beautiful River Thames renowned for the very famous Henley Regatta.
Having arrived in high spirits we dropped our bags in our extremely large and luxurious king size bed en-suites and quickly found ourselves across the road to an idyllic pub – ‘The Little Angel’ with a glass of Rose in hand and a beautiful view of the River. (Ideal for anyone who has come for a romantic weekend btw or indeed with a group of friends?)
Once quenching our thirsts with some delicious Rose and having a good old giggle we slowly wondered back to our rooms to get ‘all glammed up’ for the night ahead at the highly renowned Argentinian Restaurant the Cau : http://www.caurestaurants.com/
“Our menu embraces Buenos Aires cuisine, a melting pot of comfort food inspired by Italy and Spain alongside the jewel in Argentina’s crown, its beef. Mouthwatering steaks, burgers and steak sandwiches are joined by a tempting selection of more-ish favourites, each with a distinctive Buenos Aires twist.” (Taken from their Website)
The menu was filled with mouth-watering and mind blowing food that captured the JG Gals growling hungry stomachs with a vengeance. Starter after starter came flowing in from squid to enchiladas to lots more with immediate and excellent service. Then followed were the delicious mains from steak to tuna to succulent pork belly, engulfing the JG table and our stomachs were expanding more and more! Again this evening was filled with laughter and endless stories that entertained the room and indeed the restaurant. It was an excellent team bonding moment throughout the table where age and experience just became a number, leaving work at the office desk. Having finished our meal at a reasonable hour… we rolled our way back to the hotel for a nice gin and tonic night cap before going to bed fairly shortly after.
Day 2
Boat Day! Pip and Fenella had organised a boat trip to go along the Henley River from 10:30am to 2:30pm. The weather could not have been better- wall to wall blue sky with beaming bright sunshine. With our traditional baguette, dips, crisps etc in hand we climbed aboard the beautiful blue vessel, with Pip immediately taking the helm for our little excursion.
We made our way up the river with our crazy hats placed on our heads, taking in the beautiful surroundings and lapping up the glorious heat of the sun. During our excursion we came across one very large boat and a few canoes with people dressed in their stripped suites and their white straw hats eagerly waiting for the arrival of the Queens birds- the swan- also renowned as ‘Swan Upping’ see link for more details: http://www.royal.gov.uk/royaleventsandceremonies/swanupping/swanupping.aspx
All the JG girls politely smiled and waved as we drove by them, full of excitement in coming across the very prestigious swam-upping group.
Our day sadly came to an end and so too did the weather as the heavens opened just as we were arriving back to where the boat was moored. “When it rains, it pours” and it certainly did!
A great two days of fun, laughter and good old team building!
