Praising with Angry Insects

The Swan Hotel in Staines was highly recommended by friends who often stay there. I think they prefer room 10, which is the room we had. The bed is nothing special. In fact we woke up a bit stiff from sleeping in it. (Although it is far more comfortable than a coach airline seat.) It's a spacious room, particularly by European standards and the view from the window of room 10 is absolutely stunning, as you can see from the photo below.

We had a leisurely lunch before our room was ready. They had beautiful outdoor seating along the River Thames. (I'd post a picture of that view, but you really can't see anything but our faces.) And the food was quite good.

At breakfast I found myself viewing the chalkboard on the counter. I didn't have a camera with me at breakfast and there was no way to come back and photograph the chalkboard with any degree of subtlety. (I was trying to photograph a sign in Nashville once and someone thought I was trying to get a good shot of her sketch of Johnny Cash. She was flattered. I smiled and nodded.) Anyway, no photo - you'll just have to take my word for it. The chalkboard invited me to "compliment" my tea or coffee with some "cross ants".

In case anyone is confused, to compliment means to praise. To complement means to make complete or perfect. The words are not interchangeable. As for the cross ants, I can only assume that the individual who wrote up the board that day misspelled croissants, probably spelling it crossiants, and someone noticed the error and erased the misplaced "i" leaving a space between cross and ants. Being a grammar Nazi and having the ability to spot a typo at 50 paces, I had a good laugh at breakfast.

When we went to the desk to check out, I noticed that the special brew for the day was "Seafearer's Ale", which I found a bit funny. "Rule Britannia, Brittannia rules the waves!" Brits do not fear the sea. Indeed, it should have been "Seafarers". Perhaps I'm just too easily amused.