Up in smoke

The annual pilgrimage to Lords to see the first day of the Ashes test allowed SWMBO and I a few days in London. We started with dinner in J Sheekey, the renowned seafood restaurant, and the n spent the next day sightseeing.

I was keen to see what had become of Battersea power station, so we started there. It has its own tube station terminus so getting there was easy enough, albeit we had planned the river taxi, but they did not stop there from the Waterloo side of the river.

The main turbine halls have been turned into a shopping mall and food court, a bit of a poor man's Westfield, without the same level of foot fall. I think they might have been better going down the outlet mall route.

The main attraction though is the observation pod at the top of one of the chimney's. You take two elevators and walk a few steps, and the pop out of the top of the chimney already in the pod. The views are spectacular and give another perspective on West London. You would still prefer the London Eye if it was central London you wanted a good look at, but the chimney tour is still worth the trip. The whole area is now built up with flats and hotels, one of which had a cool pool and bar on its roof.

After a light lunch in one of the cafe's we did manage to get the river bus back to Westminster pier, and hit the West End before the must have burger in Joe Allen at Covent Garden. The restaurant has moved now but has tried to maintain the basement dive vibe of the old site, and with a fair amount of success.

The cricket was disappointing as England won the toss in bowler friendly conditions but failed to take the three or four wickets they needed to exert their authority over the Aussies. This year was the 60th year since I first went to Lord's as a ten year old with my Dad. I am wondering whether enough is enough now, although it would be good to get my 50 year reward badge from Middlesex first, and I think I have three more years to go to get that !!

Flat caps and farmers

It was always on the cards that I would be on the Tele last weekend. I had a front row ticket for the Australia v Argentina game between the halfway line and the 22, right opposite the cameras.
There was a false start when I featured on the big screen right after the anthems. That did not make the live coverage though as ITV cut to the adverts, as they do.
Did not have long to wait though as an Argentina line-up five minutes into the game allowed me a chance to doff my cap to my adoring fan base. Job done.

The whole weekend had gone well. We watched the SA v NZ game in a bar in Charing Cross and were glad we were not there when the weather closed in. We were joined briefly by a group dressed as animals who were out for a significant birthday. They had trotted out to Covent Garden by half-time and after the match we joined them.
We had supper in Joe Allen's in Exeter Street. No celebs, but a very fine evening which we finished off in the Farmers Club in Whitehall.

On Sunday (but not after supper!) farmer Simon used a contact to get us a plum table in the Bluebird Cafe on the Kings Road. I can't remember the last time I was on the lash in that area of  the capital. One pub I used is now a burger joint, and the Click and Whichity's have both long since shut down.

The Bluebird was swish and we would not have been surprised if Jose Mourinho or a few of his players had been in there...but then they could have been as we would not have recognised them!!

So back to Scouse on the Monday and now geared up for the final. We have embraced the tournament. Tickets were expensive, the fanzone in Trafalgar Square was a bit of an embarrassment, as were the host nation, but the times with rugby mates are always priceless, so look out Japan in 2019, make sure you have enough mobility scooters!!

Its good news week.....

Well, its started in that vein. Our eldest, Tim, proposed to his lovely girlfriend , Lili, while on holiday, and she said yes....good girl.....so on Monday night we went out to Joe Allen in Covent Garden for a bit of scram. Tim thought he was about 7 the last time he went, and in those twenty years, the style, decor , burgers and the boy on the 'joanna' have not changed that much. Lili is from Brazil, so she struggled to identify too many of the people in the flyers around the wall, but she liked the place a lot.

Also on Monday the youngest, Kieran, graduated from Liverpool University with a history degree . He is hoping to stay on to do a Masters, but it all hangs in the balance at the moment as he was awarded a 'Desmond' by the narrowest of margins. Tim and Maxine share the top billing in the house, with a 2.1 each, I remain the dunce of the class having just scrapped a few 'A' levels, in the days when they were considered a good qualification to have.

I broke my leg on a motor bike during the examinations, and sat my Maths papers in hospital, with a teacher by the bed invigilating. Consequently my grades were not good enough for Uni, so I ended up at City Poly in their Sir John Cass campus. After a year or so we came to an agreement that if I left they would not kick me out.

Still, the experience of living away from home, allowed me to improve my table tennis, basketball and rugby skills, as well as play footie for Balham Celtic on a Saturday afternoon. Parties were pretty plentiful, and being thrust into bedsits and student flats was a bit of an eye opener, so, social skills 1, Academia 0 I think.

I wonder what Nick Harrison and Rob Stokes are doing now?

I have taken the decision to change estate agents as I seem to have exhausted the network of my current incumbent, and the new people have viewings already set up for this afternoon, so that might even contribute to the good news.

An increase in the base rate tomorrow might not though.

Maxine will be in London on Fiiday to celebrate her birthday and when she's here its always good news. The week concludes with my oldest god- daughters 18th birthday bash in Guildford.