A hot summer's day

Today was one of those lovely British summer days that is almost too hot.  We had arranged to meet at The Scoop, near Tower Bridge, to hear The Queen's Six, a group formed of Lay Clerks from St George's Chapel, Windsor.

They were excellent, although they were up against a rather uninterested crowd, who just wanted somewhere nice to sit and eat their lunches, and we were sitting at the top of the amphitheatre, so couldn't really hear.  But, you see, they couldn't really compete with this, now, could they:

Although Tower Bridge opens several times a day at this time of year, you still don't often see it happening.  In fact, my daughter said she'd never seen it before.

Once that that happened, though, and the bridge had closed again, The Boy asked if we could go down nearer the singers, so he and I went down and sat where we could hear for the last bits of the set.  They were excellent, and I do recommend them.

When the concert was over, and we had congratulated the performers, we decided to walk over Tower Bridge - the Boy was thrilled: "That's the bridge that just opened!" - and got the DLR at Tower Gateway, pausing to buy a large bottle of water (why did I think 500 ml would be enough on a day like today?) which we all shared.  We ended up in Stratford, and went into Marks to buy an outfit for Boy Too to wear at a wedding this Saturday and possibly also at his baptism in September.

And then there was yet another way home from Stratford!  The quickest way for the family to get home is to get a train to Tottenham Hale and then a 123 bus, but the trains are only every 30 minutes.  And, unfortunately, the National Rail app misled us as to the platform we needed to be on, so it was a mad dash up and down stairs with the pushchair and everything.  I took the Victoria Line home from Tottenham Hale, which was arguably the quickest and least step-ridden way so far!

Walworth bus garage open day

This year, TfL have been having a series of Open Days at various bus garages around London, but for a variety of reasons we haven't been able to get to any of them until today.  I should have liked to have visited Stockwell, as it is supposed to be a fantastic building, but we were otherwise engaged.

Today, it was Walworth Bus Garage's turn to be Open.  It is in Camberwell New Road, but is called Walworth Bus Garage to avoid confusion with Camberwell Bus Garage, belonging to another company, which is just across the road. 

There was a great deal to see - buses old and new, in service and out of it, from B-types to the very newest Borisbus. 

We were allowed to go on a bus going through the bus wash

and we ended our visit by taking a Routemaster along Route 40 to Dulwich Library, and back as far as Goose Green, where we stopped to have some lunch in a restaurant called Le Chardon.  I had steak and chips and the Swan Whisperer had chicken livers, and very good it all was, too.  We watched the heritage buses attracting attention as they went up and down:

 

 

Then we decided to go home on a 37, and it all went horribly wrong.  Partly, I think, because of huge demand for the route due to the Lambeth Country Show, but first of all there wasn't one for ages - the apps kept saying 4 minutes, but then when the 4 minutes were up they were still saying 4 minutes!  Anyway, eventually one came and I managed to grab a seat, but half way home it suddenly broke down!  We got off and walked to Herne Hill, which wasn't that far by then, stopping off for an artisanal ice-cream when we saw one, and then the Swan Whisperer decided to walk through the Lambeth Country Show, but I had already decided I had had enough.  However, just as I got to the bus stop, an empty 37 came along - I am not sure if it was the one that had broken down, or another one - and I got on.  It didn't stay empty for long, and was overloaded again by the time we got to  the top of Dulwich Road.  And by the time I got off, there were already two buses immediately behind it, and the one I was on had decided to turn round at Clapham Common.

So a quick dash round Lidl - well, they had women's T-shirts at £1.99 or three for £5, so it would have been rude not to - and then home to a nice cool drink!

Day Trip to Salisbury

On Tuesday of this week I went to Salisbury to meet some friends for lunch. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, involving delicious food from Cranes Wine Café, lots of talk and laughter, some buying of cotton yarn (ahem!) and some buying of books (I only bought ONE, honest, and it was a birthday present for The Boy), a lovely walk through the Close, and a cup of tea at the Museum. This is only a short post, but I wanted to share these pictures of the Cathedral:

The Tour came to the Stow

Today was the long-awaited day when the Tour de France came through Walthamstow on its way to the finish in Central London.  As it went right past my daughter's church, it was a no-brainer to go and watch there.  The Swan Whisperer took the day off to watch it, and we set off, armed with packed lunch, at about 11:30, and got to Wood Street Station at 12:35, where the Daughter and Boy Too met us.  The Boy was at nursery, and the Son-in-Law working.  The Church is only a short walk from there and the "Caravane Publicitaire" was due to come past at about 13:15.

Sadly, the Caravane was very disappointing.  It roared past and didn't really throw anything except trouser-clips.  It was supposed to take 40 minutes to go past, but had finished in about 10, really not worth having to sit for two hours after it to wait for the Tour proper.  So we sat down and had lunch - I was found a chair - and we sat and waited and waited and waited.  I had my Kindle with me, so read for a bit.  The neighbouring club told us when things were finally starting to happen by stopping the loud and rather tuneless music it had been playing. 

And then the two who were in the breakaway, Barta and Bideaux:

 And very soon, along came the main peloton

 And went on coming

 And there were one or two stragglers.....

Finally it was all over, and the "broom vehicle" came past.   You don't appreciate how fast the cyclists are going until the team cars come past - they are going at practically  normal speed! 

We packed up our stuff and made ourselves comfortable, and then walked down the road to Whipps Cross Roundabout where there was a big screen and - it was raining - we stood under a tree and watched until the very end of the race.   Which was, as anybody could tell you, won by Marcel Kittel. 

And also by my friend Jilly and her team, who have been responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the Tour while it was in the UK.  They have done a superb job.  And I'd like to thank the staff of St-Peters-in-the-Forest for opening the church and allowing us to use its facilities.  This was the cycle they had decorated at the church gates:

Bus Cavalcade

Today, in Regent Street, was the special Bus Cavalcade to celebrate the Year of the Bus.  Even if the family hadn't wanted to come, we would have gone.  As it was, we arranged to meet at the first bus, down at the Piccadilly Circus end, at about 2:30.

So this morning first of all, I was preaching, and then we decided to have lunch en route.  Actually, it was more brunch - we went to the Duck Egg Café, one of the many local restaurants.  I had a Full English breakfast (huge), and the Swan Whisperer, who was being rather silly about eating today (this was, I warned him several times, going to be our main meal), had an Egg and Bacon muffin, which he found rather dry.  My Full English was lush, only too much toast, so the SW ate one of my slices.  I drank coffee and he had a San Pellegrino.

Then it was time to leave and we got the Tube to Piccadilly Circus, changing at Green Park.  The Boy, when we met him and his mother, said they had come on the Bakerloo Line from Oxford Circus.

The Cavalcade was boy heaven!  And us heaven, too, if I am honest.  It started with a horse-bus, and ended with a Boris Bus, and all points in between!  Rather excitingly, the horse bus had, in its lifetime, followed the route of the present-day 35, right past the front door! 

I don't see how to put the photos side-by side.  Sigh.  Anyway, we were on a 37 earlier today going into Brixton, and it didn't look like this one!  The route was much the same, though.

 

As the buses grew more modern, we were increasingly able to board them, and some of them even allowed you to sit in the drivers' seat, which our menfolk took great advantage of:

About 3/4 way up Regent Street was a children's theatre company performing "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus", one of The Boy's favourite books.  I took advantage of a row of seats in the middle of the street to rest my legs for a bit, so although I could see what was happening, I couldn't hear.  Not that it mattered - it was very interactive.  Not sure how much The Boy enjoyed it, but he certainly loved all the buses.  When we got up to Oxford Circus, after a look round a Boris Bus, which neither he nor his mother had been on before (we have, and don't think much of them) we discovered they are now running on the no 10 to King's Cross, so the boys (Boy Too had been quietly in the sling all afternoon, although he was getting bored of it now) and their mother went off to catch one, while we headed home down the Tube and home for a much-needed cup of tea! 

Blissful, and highly recommended if they ever do it again!

 

And.... home!

We left Verdun by just after 09:00 - it was a case of having to, really, as the paid-for parking in the street outside the hotel kicked in then!   We bought a sandwich and some chouquettes from the patisserie across the road for our lunch, having had breakfast at the hotel. 

As we had plenty of time, we decided to do the first part of the journey cross-country, rather than going on the autoroute, and asked the SatNav to take us to Cambrai, which it duly did.  Very cross-country, but it was a lovely drive; for much of the time we were the only car on the road, and the scenery was delightful.  We arrived in Cambrai at lunchtime, and ate our sandwiches, but unfortunately it was raining so we decided not to go for a walk, but to do our shopping.  There was a Cora on the outskirts of town, so we went there and stocked up, although they didn't have any of the lovely poppy-seed bread mix I really like. 

By the time we had finished and had an ice in the cafeteria, it was time to set off, so we went straight towards Calais on the motorway.  We decided to pop into Auchan to see if they had any poppy-seed bread mix (they didn't) and one other thing, and then, as it was now less than two hours before our scheduled crossing, headed straight for the terminal.

Sadly, we didn't get home early!  There was an ominous comment that "All services were suspended" due to a train stuck in a tunnel, and the automatic check-in (I do like the way the check-ins at the French terminal recognise your car number-plate and you don't have to find your booking number) gave us a number which I think corresponded with our original booking.  So we sadly went into the terminal and sat down with the free Wi-Fi, but as we went in, the log-jam broke and people started to return to their cars who had been held up on earlier crossings.  Our crossing, N, was subsequently advertised as an hour later than we'd booked, but we noticed they called N cars along with M cars for the previous ones, and rushed off  (we were already sitting in the car reading at that stage) and got on a crossing only half an hour later.  And the Shuttle wasn't full, which we thought a bit bad as there had been such delays.  Still, the crossing was uneventful and we got home at a reasonable hour. 

And look what was waiting for us on the window-sill:

 I haven't known that particular cactus to bloom at any time, never mind in June!  The other one is very much an Old Faithful and I only keep it because it blooms so regularly in December....

And so, back to the grindstone.  This blog will be updated when I do anything interesting, either out and about in London or on a short break. 

Slow journey

We started the day with a picnic breakfast in our room - no way were we going to pay €16 each for what the Mercure offered. Then we went shopping, as I wanted bread mix that was different from Lidl's offerings, and a loaf of bread to take home and/or eat for lunch tomorrow. Also a toy for my Boy.

We set off quite late - about 11:00 or so, and promptly ran into trouble on the motorway. There had been an accident and we were badly held up. The satnav said it knew a quicker way, so we said yes please, but in fact the accident was earlier than it thought it was so we should have stayed on. However, we had a lovely drive through the Rhine valley, culminating in a dam where we saw the gates closing on a tourist boat.

 

 Another stop to get rid of used coffee and full up with petrol, and then a final one for lunch at the entry to the Tunnel St Die. We had flammküchen, yum. Mine had snails and the SWs had mushrooms. And I had a beer and he had cola, which did not stop him feeling sleepy later. So we stopped yet again for him to have coffee and a nap, and I had an ice.

We arrived in Verdun eventually, though. The hotel room is tiny, but will do for one night. Wifi is unreliable, though. The proprietor gave us a tourist map of the town and showed us the suggested walk, which we have been on, and now we are in the restaurant next door, which is a baked potato place.

And so the homeward journey starts

So we packed up the apartment, going through the frustrating stage where it got worse before it got better, ate breakfast, made sandwiches for lunch, and finally set off about 09:45, getting lost on the way to the hotel to check out - the hotel and the apartments are at opposite ends of Oberstdorf.

All finally sorted and paid for, we had a lovely drive along the Deutschen Alpenstrasse towards the Bodensee, or Lake Constance as it is sometimes called. We stopped for lunch in a rest area which had a restaurant/café/stall and bought some strawberries which are lovely. Then a very, very slow drive along the shores of the Bodensee, traffic nose to tail and it took ages.  We stopped again at Titisee for the SW to stretch his legs, and finally arrived here in Freiburg at about 5:00 pm.

After a cup of tea, we went for a stroll around the old town,

and had supper in a restaurant near the Munster, about 2 minutes' walk from the hotel. The SW went out again later to find a supermarket for the morning and to see if he could get in to a concert he had heard advertised, but he couldn't, as it was full.

Now we are about to have a picnic breakfast and get some more bread to make another packed lunch on what is the last full day of the holidays. But there is all of today and most of tomorrow....

All good things

Come to an end, and this is as true of the ISU Adult competition as of anything else.

Yesterday started very early, and we were at the rink by 06:00 for our official practice, after which we came back to the apartment to have breakfast and another couple of hours' sleep before getting ready for the competition which started at 11:15. We were the first to skate, and buggered up the lift, which we never do!  Grrr. However, our spin was given the benefit of the doubt, so we did get some technical marks, although not many. But still. 

The rest of the day was taken up with increasingly better dances, wonderful male skaters, synchro teams and, finally, elite ladies' artistic. We did pop out for lunch briefly, but that was about it.  Then the podium, although not all of our class attended, and then another quick change of clothes and make-up and it was off to the Oberstdorf Haus for the final banquet. We left fairly soon after the meal, as it was very noisy,, and with the SW not dancing, you couldn't hear what anybody was saying, and  the band wasn't that good!

Ah well, Oberstdorf may be over, but we still have three more days of holiday to go!

Quiet day

Neither of us felt like getting up this morning, so we didn't, but spent a quiet morning  reading and doing very little else. I expect we missed some great skating, but we find we can't watch all day. However, we had practice at 16:20, followed by the Draw, so we went down and watched the elite skaters before then. Sadly, the draw was early and the Clock in the practice-rink was slow, so we missed our draw, and have been drawn first. Which is good, I suppose, as nobody will be there so early to see make fools of ourselves. Oh well, we aren't the only old and slow couple in the class.  I just hope we skate it as well as we  are able.

After the draw fiasco, we had a cup of tea and returned to the rink to watch the short dance, again won in fine style by the Arnolds, who said afterwards they had only had two runthroughs. 

Then back to the apartment, as it was pairs next, and that is the one discipline I really don't enjoy watching - far too scary. So am now in bed as we must be up before sparrowfart tomorrow for Official Practice at 06:00.  

Ascension Day

I was far too sleepy, and it was far too late, to post when I got in last night. I had more-or-less slept off my funny tummy by the time I woke up, and we had a late breakfast before heading down to the rink to watch the elite ladies, who gave us some wonderful performances. Then back to the apartment for lunch, and we decided to go out for a short drive to see some of the surrounding countryside, ending up on a village in Austria, which was rather pretty.

Back to the rink in time to watch the pattern dances at all levels, and I bought myself a souvenir jacket and t-shirt. The dances ranged from the sublime - the Arnolds' Argentine Tango was simply the best I've ever seen, anywhere, and their Quickstep wasn't far behind - to the ridiculous: had we entered, we would not have disgraced ourselves. One couple's 14-step was rather like ours was when I said Enough was Enough and it wasn't going to happen this year! To be fair, their European was better, but not by a lot!  There were some appallingly bad European Waltzes - not that we could have done any better, but just saying - and a couple of good ones. I am hopeful that we aren't going to make too enormous folks of ourselves on Saturday. We are by no means the only Old and Slow couple.

Anyway, during a gap in all of that we popped up to the restaurant at the top of the rink to have supper - pasta for both of us, mine with mushrooms and I'm not sure what the Swan Whisperer's had. But he enjoyed it.

It was well past bedtime by the time we got back to the apartment, but we both slept really well!

Busy Wednesday

Actually, more stressful than busy. The Swan Whisperer was up early for his official practice, and when he came back we had breakfast, and then I made sandwiches for lunch. We got to the rink quite early and were able to watch the Silver Ladies II Artistic, including two very brave ladies who really aren't at all well, but who rocked it anyway.  And very pleased with themselves they were, too. Then it was Silver Men III, and then the SW's group - Bronze Men IV and V.

The SW skated very well, though not quite clean. Far more confidence than at Bracknell, said someone who has seen both performances, and I agree. He finished last, but in no way made a fool of himself, and was only one mark below the next skater up.

Photo: Liz McGlauflin

We stayed on to watch the Silver Men IV and V, and then the Silver Ladies III, in which we had a lot of friends skating. Then a bit of shopping (tomorrow is Ascension Day and the shops will be shut) and back to the apartment for an early supper, and we were supposed to have practice, but my tummy has gone back on me, not quite (yet) badly enough for Immodium, but.... So I have gone to bed and the SW has gone up for his podium and to watch some really good skaters. He is not very pleased with me, but then, I didn't tell him I was having tummy issues, only that I was tired. I'll be fine after a night sleep and some peppermint oil

Talking of sleep, I did sleep better last night with the bathroom light on - only woke every two hours, not every hour. The spare blankets they provide here in case the duvets aren't quite enough (which they aren't) look exactly like giant yellow dusters, right down to the red borders!

Oberstdorf Day 2

Today it was cold and wet. All day. It rained. However, Team GB got its first Gold Medal, in the Ladies' Bronze IV Artistic category - the one I would have entered,, had I done an artistic this year. Although I would certainly have been last, or nearly so, I would not have been disgraced. Anyway, I didn't,  so we'll never know.

After that, I came away and went into the village, first to run an errand, and then to go to the Oberstdorf Haus to use the free WiFi to download the latest Elizabeth Moon on to my Kindle and have a coffee, which two things I could have done simultaneously had I realised!   Then back to the rink and, eventually, to the apartment for lunch. I

I read all afternoon, but we had to be back at the rink at 5.00 for the Swan Whisperer's draw, and our practice at 6.20, which was not very good, as I was  tired. I have not been sleeping well as it is a bit too dark, but I am hoping that leaving the bathroom light on will solve that.

Stayed to watch the Ladiies Gold III artistic, and then home to lentil curry!

First Day of Competition

The competition started this morning with various Bronze and Silver artistic and free skate. We watched some of them. Canada swept the board with the Bronze III Artistic, but the highest-ranked Briton was 4th.

There was also a trip to the supermarket, but we had woken up too early after a bad night, for to my phone insisting I'd set the alarm, when I had firmly not. Oh well, better that than the other way about!  So after lunch I had a nap, during which I kept dreaming about Canadian skaters!  Why?  Anyway, after that I got supper ready, and then we went back down to the rink to watch the first part of the Bronze Ladies IV, in which our friend Chris was competing, and then we had practice ice ourselves. We had a good session, during which I realised why my STF wasn't working (three steps, and I only have two feet!), and a fantastic run through to the music, after which I said Enough was as good as a feast, she got off. 

We came back to the apartment to eat shakshuka and ice-cream, and now are digesting this. In a bit, the SW is going back for his free practice, and I shall go to bed.

First practice, opening ceremony, team dinner

I did not set an alarm this morning, and it was nearly 09:00 before we were awake for the day. We spent a quiet morning - the Swan Whisperer went out for a short walk, but I stayed in and caught up online now that I finally have decent (but not free) Wi-Fi  After lunch, it was time to get changed and go to the rink for our first practice  on the main rink.  We also had to pick up our accreditation, but that took all of two minutes. I thought we might need passports and so on, but no.  The ice was fabulous, and We had a good runthrough, except my STF is still not working properly. We took a wrong turn going back to the apartment, and had to get the satnav to come to the rescue! One of the main roads through town is closed for refurbishment.

When we finally got back, we had a much needed cup of tea, and some fruit cake, and the SW went on yet another walk while I caught up on my crochet, and then it was time for the Opening Ceremony, all very grand with champagne and flags and Bavarian dancers and speeches, and a video with Frau Kreiselmeier arriving on a hang-glider, like the Queen at the Olympics.

And finally, after a long day, the GB team dinner at the restaurant at the rink, which was delicious, but I am sleepy now.  Especially as we took a wrong turning walking back from the rink, and had to retrace our steps!  Good night!

Oberstdorf at last!

... But not before a delicious German breakfast with the Niece, who kindly let us make sandwiches out of the leftovers. Away by 11:00 - actually a little before - and an uneventful, if slow (roadworks) run down to Oberstdorf. We stopped once for a "comfort break" and then came off the motorway at Memmingen for shopping and petrol.  We were lucky, as the first exit to the town was closed, but the second exit was right by a supermarket and a petrol station. And then a straight run.

The apartment is lovely - one big bed-sitting room with bathroom and kitchenette, and a bit of garden. When we had unpacked, we went for an explore to the rink, just too late for the accreditation, which closed at 6:00, but meet some friends. Then accidentally crashed the Canadian team dinner on a hunt for beer, which we have now found. Then back to the apartment for supper and an early night.

Another day, another three countries

Actually, one of the countries was Belgium, where, of course, we were yesterday. We had a good breakfast at the hotel, and were away by 8.45, which was far too early, really. We decided to drive via Luxembourg and Trier. And then across the Hunsrück and down into the Rhine valley to Mannheim.

It would have been a pleasanter drive if it hadn't poured with rain most of the way!  However, by the time we got into the Rhine valley it had cleared up and stayed lovely the rest of the day. We stopped at a services to have lunch as we were far too early to check in to the hotel, and to our joy it was a Marché.  We had been expecting soggy sandwiches, but got rösti and ice-cream!

The hotel is very pleasant, although the WiFi is hopeless so I'm using 3G. We had a cup of tea and relaxed for a bit, and at 5.30 the SW's niece, who lives here, cane to pick us up. We went for a walk round the town,

which has some kind of festival on, and stopped in the park for a beer (lovely!).

Then we headed on, past the Niece's flat to the brewery where she had booked us a table for dinner. I had Zanderfilet with asparagus and new potatoes, and we shared a trial thing of six of their best beers. It were lush!

Then we came back to the hotel on a tram, and trams are always good.  And so to bed. Tomorrow to Oberstdorf at last.

3 Countries, one day

We set off at about 07:30 this morning, stopping off at the Youth Centre to vote, and were away by about ten to eight. A very smooth run to Folkestone, where we were given a place on the 10:20 crossing, which just gave us time to eat our picnic breakfasts before boarding. The Shuttle was as uneventful as always, and then it was off to drive across France, past Lille, and so into Belgium.

We stopped at a random services to eat lunch - again, I had packed a picnic, finishing off what was left in the fridge to do so. Then we drove on, passing, to our delight, our old friend the Strépy-Thieux canal lift, and so on to Namur. The hotel is as nice as ever, but there is no remote control for the TV, and they are saying there is nothing they can do, so I am going to try to get a discount. The Swan Whisperer says not to bother, but....

Anyway, I had a much-needed nap, having slept badly the previous night, and then the SW went for a walk, and I read for a bit.  And we found a very nice Chinese restaurant a few hundred metres away, and he had beef with noodles and I had Thai-style squid, and we shared a bottle of very delicious red wine. Too much, really - he is snoring, and I am not far off!  I did upload a picture of the meal to Facebook, but it hasn't synced, so can't load it here.

Bank Holiday Excursions

Well, you've got to do something, haven't you?  Can't sit at home in front of your computer all day, tempting though that is.  So I looked up Free and Cheap Events on Londonist, and found a variety of options.  There were two which appealed to me - an African Market at Spitalfields, and a Spanish Market on the South Bank.

Discussion ensued, and it was decided we would go to the Spanish Market.  However, this turned out to be a complete bust, as it was packed out - you could hardly move - expensive, and generally nasty.  Many stalls sold tapas - but £2 for 1/4 slice of bread with something on top?  I don't think so!  One could have scarcely lunched for under £10 each, plus drink.... and the stalls that had more sensible helpings of food at sensible prices had queues a mile long.  So we gave up and went into Eat, where we bought pulled pork with coleslaw and rice and I had beer and the SW had orange and mango juice, which he said was very dilute and more like squash.  The food, as he said, was not gourmet but very good!

He wanted to visit the Olympic Park.  I've been there often enough recently to know what it is like, and I did want to go to the African market, so we agreed to go to Liverpool Street together and then separate.  So we walked across the Jubilee Walkway, or whatever it's called beside Hungerford Bridge, and through Charing Cross Station, and on to a no 11, which is, of course, a Boris Bus.  Quite fun to get in through the open platform and use the back stairs, as in the olden days, but when we got off we used the middle stairs and middle door, just like any other bus.  The SW got a train to Stratford, and I walked over to Old Spitalfields and the African Market.  This was much better than the Spanish one, far fewer people - or more room to spread around in, one of the two.  And I bought a lovely African-style trouser suit to wear at my niece's wedding, which I had hoped to be able to do.  So a win all round.

I wished the Swan Whisperer had been with me when I saw this poster:

Lamb and rhubarb being two of his favourite things ever!  Although what they are like together I hate to think (I dislike rhubarb, so wasted on me). A koresh, or khoresh, is apparently a kind of stew.

Then I wandered back to Bishopsgate, stopping off at a Patisserie Valerie for an ice-cream, and caught a 35 home.

Meanwhile the Swan Whisperer had seen all he wanted to of the Olympic Park fairly quickly, so followed the Lee Navigation up to the Lea Valley Ice Rink, and then caught a 56 bus down to Barts Hospital.  I would have caught a 48 to London Bridge, but he didn't know about that one.  And then he wandered around and came home about 45 minutes after I did. 

Bracknell Adult Open 2014

Yesterday was the annual Bracknell Adult Open, and as usual, it was a delightful competition, impeccably run, very efficient, very friendly, and a good time was had by all.

We got up at sparrowfart, and left by 06:30, which means we arrived well before 08:00, but you can't leave for Bracknell any time after 07:00 and hope to get there before 10:00!  The traffic simply doesn't work like that.  So there was plenty of time to watch the solo dancers before we had to skate.

I don't think we skated that badly, and the audience liked it:

The judges, however, did not!  In this country, they do seem to judge you as if you were the Kerrs or Penny and Nick..... thank goodness we get better scores abroad.  Another couple also got really poor scores - less than 1 point better than us - so it didn't mean we were crap and everybody else was fabulous!  Still a lot of work to do before Oberstdorf, though, and not much time in which to do it.

The Swan Whisperer did his free programme, not very well, and got a costume deduction for fancy dress.... which is totally our coach's fault as he insisted.  Never mind, we'll know better for Oberstdorf, and he'll probably skate it better there, too.  He still managed not to be last, which is gratifying.

We left before the end of the competition to avoid the worst of the traffic!  I slept in the car for quite a lot of the way home.  It was a lovely day, and loads of thanks to Nicki and the team for making it a great competition, as always.  And thanks to Colin for shooting the video for us.

Being a transport geek

Over Easter week, TfL has been replacing Pudding Mill Station. The old station was in the way of the Crossrail project, so it had to go. So on Maundy Thursday, which was the last day of operations, I persuaded the Boy that it was a good place for trainspotting, and we went there (and on to the ViewTube to look round and spend pennies. Today, he was at nursery, so I was on my own. I set off from Clapham High Street station and took the Overground as far as Shadwell, where I changed on to the DLR. The first train was heading to Lewisham, so I hopped off at Canary Wharf and did the cross-platform change to a Stratford-bound train. Got off at Pudding Mill Lane, but didn't leave the station - it was the station I wanted to see.

It is, of course, very new and shiny and very dull really! But lovely views of the Olympic Park and of the ArcelorMittal Orbit

When the next train came along, I hopped on, and got off in Stratford. Did a little shopping, which I could have done anywhere really, but while I was there... and then came home on a Greater Anglia train to Liverpool Street and a 35 bus! Geeky, or what? But having been to the old station on the final day of operation, I couldn't not go to the new one on its first. I was interested to note - you can't see it in this picture, but I saw it from the train going home - that they have already taken the rails up! They don't waste time.

A weekend in Weymouth

The Swan Whisperer renewed his annual Gold Card (season ticket, basically) at Clapham Junction station this year instead of, as he normally does, at Redhill.  And, to his delight, South West Trains sent him a reward of 6 free train tickets, each of which could be used for a day's travel at weekends (including Fridays) on South West Trains.

So as we have a major wedding anniversary on Monday, we thought we would treat ourselves to a weekend away.  And settled on Weymouth, as neither of us had ever been there, and I booked us into the Riviera Hotel.  I thought it would either be delightful or disastrous....

It's a long train journey down to Weymouth, nearly 3 hours, so we set off early afternoon, and arrived shortly after 6:00 pm.  The room absolutely stank of damp and mildew, and the door didn't fit very well.  I hadn't worked out how to use the key by the time it was time to leave!  And it was either too cold or too hot until we found the radiator thermostat (which helped get rid of the smell by the second day).  No toiletries were provided, although they did give us a handful to take back to the room when we complained. And quite the worst is that there were no individual switches for the reading-lights - really, why do they think people are going to want to snuggle down at the same time?  One switch controlled both, and is why I've given the hotel such a scathing review on TripAdvisor.

We had decided to eat in the hotel restaurant because the hotel itself is quite a long way out of town, but we wished we hadn't bothered - the food was mediocre and the service appalling.  I was quite ready to go back to London next morning!

However, after a bad night's sleep because I was so cold, we discovered that the towels they provided were huge and luxurious, which is always nice, and the breakfast was delicious, copious, and adequately staffed!  So we felt different.

We went out after breakfast and walked along the beach into Weymouth, which was a lovely walk on a very windy day.  Usually nothing is sadder than a seaside resort out of season, but the sea was actually full of kite-surfers, which were great fun to watch.  There were a couple of sailboarders, too, by midday, but most people were doing kite-surfing and having enormous fun.  We stopped in a random café for a cup of surprisingly good (slightly weak!) coffee and a sit out of the wind.  Then we walked on, and found the shopping drag (I needed tissues after all that wind!), and pottered around for a bit, until we found a café to have lunch, which was a crab and salad sandwich which would have been nicer if thicker, and if the bread hadn't sat out for half an hour too long!  But it was good.

Then we found a bus back to the hotel, which, improbably, turned out to be free!  And then we explored the swimming-pool and sauna/steam room complex, which was very good.  To have been perfect, they should have provided shampoo, but they did provide more of those lovely big towels.

There was no way we were going to eat in the restaurant again, so we walked half-way back into town, up a huge hill and down again, to a pub we'd noticed en route that advertised a carvery, which was very popular and deservedly so.  Very good food!  But I was exhausted by then and insisted on a taxi back to the hotel!  They had changed the towels when they did the room, despite our having hung them up, so I used the clean bath-sheet as an extra blanket and was warmer.

This morning, after another delicious breakfast, we decided not to linger as there was a possibility of seeing my parents (which didn't happen as the party they'd come to Town for finished late), and we knew there were engineering works.  So we caught the 9.15 bus into town, marvelling at how different the sea looked now the wind had dropped, and there was just time to buy a paper before the train arrived.  We had to change at Bournemouth on to a rail replacement bus for a rather pleasant drive through the New Forest to Southampton Airport Parkway, where we caught a train to London, and thus home.  I slept most of the way on the trains and then again when we got home.... An early night tonight and I might just have caught up with myself!

Unexpected Aeroplanes

It was a lovely day today.  The Swan Whisperer and I went skating first thing, and then he went off to work, and I did a bit of shopping.  It was too nice to go home. But while I was in Argos waiting for my item to be brought up, I checked my phone, and there was a text from the Daughter to say they were going to watch aeroplanes, and would I like to come too? 

So I texted back "Yes, please", and as soon as my shopping came, I went straight home, threw the makings of some stock into the slow cooker, and went out again.

To watch aeroplanes, you go to Cyprus DLR station, which is way out near Beckton.  Then you walk through the UEL campus and there are loads of benches facing the dock, just across from the London City Airport runway. 

What wind there was was from the east today, meaning that the planes took off from directly in front of us, but they landed nearer the terminal, and came half-way up the runway to turn round, so you did get a good view of them. 

The airport is much busier than it used to be, and planes were taking off or landing every few minutes.  You seemed to get a batch of planes taking off, and then a batch landing to fill the slots at the gates, and then another batch taking off. 

We bought rather disappointing filled baguettes in a local coffee shop - two between the four of us.  Boy Too seems much keener on food than his brother was at that age, and enjoyed the bread, although he wasn't given much, if any, of the filling.  The Boy and I shared a strawberry-banana smoothie, too.

After that, we went on watching planes for a bit, although the Boy was more interested in playing trains, and found the very loud engines of taking-off planes rather scary.  Then we went and found a loo, and took the DLR back to Canary Wharf to have a potter around there. 

It's a long, long time since the Daughter and I used to go there for a wander when she was little, and it's very easy to get lost there - I wanted to go to the big fountains, but we couldn't find them.  We did, however, find a M&S and bought ourselves ice-lollies - sadly, the Boy's fell off its stick before he'd finished "And I wanted to eat it all!" he sobbed.  Boy Too, who had been napping while we were travelling, enjoyed some of his mother's lolly, and we decided we might have to buy some fruit juice and make some lollies.

The Boy said he wanted to go home on the Underground - dull, but faster than the DLR, although he does love the DLR - and I decided I would do likewise.  And then I realised that there is a new way of going home from the days when I used to work in the area, and so I changed at Canada Water.  Luckily, there was a Clapham Junction-bound Overground due in 2 minutes when I got to the appropriate platform, and I am sure I got home faster than I would have done had I done the very long and stair-ridden change at London Bridge.  I must remember that next time I want to go to Stratford!

Spring Walk

It was the first real Spring day of the year, far too nice to stay indoors, so the Swan Whisperer and I decided we would do the "other" leg of the canal walk we had been planning ever since we walked up the Limehouse Cut about 18 months ago.  So we took the Northern Line to Bank, and then the DLR to Limehouse, and then we took the first branch of the canal, which is, of course, the Regents' Canal at that stage.  There was a place hiring canoes, and we made enquiries - not that we planned to do that today, but we thought we might like to at some stage.  Actually, I'm not too sure I do want to - there was an awful lot of rubbish in the canals,  yuck.

So we walked up the Regents' Canal, overtaking some walkers, being overtaken by others, and having to climb the banks for passing cyclists.  The route was rather interesting, actually, as it goes along the side of Mile End Park, which we hadn't met before.  And of course Mile End Park finishes at Victoria Park, where the Hertford Union Canal turns right - and so did we. 

We walked along the canal - there are houses on the first bit, but eventually you see Victoria Park, which was seriously standing-room only, we thought!  Not too surprising on such a lovely afternoon.

The canal joins the River Lee opposite the Olympic Park - the stadium and the Orbit are to one's right, and the Copper Box to one's left.  I am not sure how much of the park, even now, is open to the public, although I know some of it is - the swimming pool is now a public baths, and watch this space as there may well be a visit sometime in the next few weeks. 

Anyway, that was more-or-less the end of our walk.  We would have liked to have had a beer at a recommended brewery and pizzeria just there, but we were running out of time, so we went straight to Hackney Wick station, a few hundred metres away (and a very splendid zig-zag path leading up to the platforms, much nicer than stairs!), from which we were able to catch an Overground to Highbury and Islington, and then the Victoria Line back to Brixton.

Sunday and Monday

We had ordered breakfast for 09:00 on Sunday morning, so that we could be away in good time, and were away before 10:00.  We needed petrol, but Madame in the hotel didn't seem to know about any 24-hour stations at supermarkets (French petrol is far, far cheaper in the supermarkets than anywhere else, even a service station across the road from the supermarket), but said there was one open on our way out, so we filled up there (and of course found a plethora of supermarkets on our way out of town, so typical).

We were on our way to a little town called Lezay, where we were to meet a very old friend - in the sense that I have known her for over 40 years, not that she is particularly elderly - who lives in that area, and had recommended this restaurant called l'Assiette for lunch.  We had plenty of time so decided to drive on the N and D roads, which are, of course, a lot slower, but arguably more interesting - although on the outskirts of towns one does get a little bored of the endless supermarkets and "zones industrielles" lining the roads, and the satnav's endless instructions to "Cross the Roundabout; 2nd exit".  However, we also went through some beautiful countryside on what were archetypal - or did we mean stereotypical, we couldn't decide - French roads, very straight with trees either side.

We arrived at the restaurant shortly after our friend, and after a good meal we went back to hers, where we were spending the night.  We took the dog out for a walk, rejoicing in the lighter evenings, France being an hour later than we are (although it doesn't try to get light before 08:00, which must be thoroughly depressing when you have to go to work in the dark for three months of the year).  And watched a bit of British television, and ate supper, and then talked and talked and talked until the wee small hours, just as we had done forty-odd years ago!

All too soon we had to leave next morning.  The hotel had very kindly telephoned us to say that the Swan Whisperer had left his alarm clock behind, so we had to call in there en route.  We also wanted to go back a slightly cheaper route than we had come, which had cost the best part of €50 in motorway tolls, so we went via Chartres, or the outskirts thereof, which is arguably slightly slower, but very much cheaper as there is little or no toll motorway, but quite a lot of dual carriageway.

The journey seemed, to me, practically endless!  We ended up with plenty of time to shop in Auchan and then a quick bite to eat in Buffalo Grill before getting our planned Shuttle home, but that last two hours.... oh dear.... and I wasn't even driving!  I love to see my friend, and if we go to Tours again it does seem silly not to go and see her, when she is only a couple of hours away, but it does make for a very, very long day's driving home.

Long Day

The competition started at 08:00, but as we were not involved in the first session, we ordered breakfast for 8.15, and didn't get to the rink until 09:00. To find, of course, that things were running slightly late, but they always do, and the delay wasn't bad. We also found that we were the only foreigners, as the Austrian couple who had planned to give the Masters skates a run for their money had withdrawn.

The Swan Whisperer was skating after the break, doing Bronze solo dances. We realised when he was warming up the 14-step that he was fairly obviously the weakest skater in the group, and he duly came 5th out of 5. However, his European was good, for him, and another skater had a disaster trying to make it one lobe instead of the two everybody else had sensibly settled for. So the SW was Not Last, which, considering he is at least 20 years older than any of his competition, was very gratifying.

Lunch was provided at the rink, and after it we went back to the hotel for a break. I fell asleep and then had indigestion caused by Too Much Cheese at lunch (well there was a fantastic cheeseboard), so stayed in while the SW went for a walk. Finally it was time to go back to the rink and get ready to skate out free dance.

We already knew we had no competition, but we wanted to see what sort of marks we would get, with a view to skating at Oberstdorf if we scored about 8 or thereabouts, which is normal for us. The ice was hard and fast, and I found it scary and didn't think we skated that will. We fluffed the spin, and I rushed the highlight after the step sequence, and didn't even try to be on one foot while the SW did his spiral. So imagine our delight when the scored were announced - not the 5 or 6 I thought it deserved, not even 8 or - wildest dreams 10 - but 14·32! A personal best by a mile! Oberstdorf, here we come!

After that, there was (a stiff drink and) a lot of hanging about until the presentations, after which we got changed and went to find a restaurant that would do us a meal after 10:00 pm, and fortunately there was one just found the corner from the hotel. Not exactly cheap, but seriously worth it - I had the most delicious fish, and a beer. And so back to the hotel, and bed. And trying to wind down from an exhausting day.

First trip of 2014, Day One

I'm sure I've already used the heading "A weekend in France" and if I have not, I might want it again. So today was the start of our long weekend mini-break to compete at the Coupe de Druides, which this year is dance-only and is being held in Tours.

This meant getting up early to leave by shortly after 7:00 am, not helped by an attack of cystitis, fortunately not severe, but enough to wake me several times in the night. We made our booked crossing, which always feels slightly like a failure, as it feels we've won if we get on an earlier one. But we had 20 minutes to wait in the terminal, enough to buy a new road atlas and for me to discover where I should have bought a new travel hairdryer - the one I bought on Amazon is practically full-size.

Smooth journey, stopping three times, and arriving at the hotel about 6:00 on. Hotel is really lovely, just the kind of place I like. Very warm welcome, large, comfortable beds, and somehow very French. Also cheap!

After a cup of tea (not provided but I brought my trusty travel kettle), we went out for a walk and found the rink, and then looked for a restaurant. Found a very nice one called L'Entracte, not far from the hotel, and had a delicious, if meat-heavy, meal.
Then wandered back to the hotel and a relatively early night.

Travelling First Class

I had never travelled First Class in my life before last Saturday, when I went up to Crewe for the day.  Now that I have a Senior Railcard, the Weekend First option was not impossibly expensive, and I thought I would treat myself.

The outward journey was via London Midland, a train company I had not used before and, frankly, I don't think I mind if I never use them again!  I would have regretted paying for a First Class ticket had the train not been so full as to be standing-room only between London and Stoke-on-Trent.  The seats were no bigger or more comfortable than in standard class, and the compartment was not at one end of the train so there were a constant stream of people walking through trying to find either a seat or a lavatory that was working (in vain!).  And it was COLD!  The heating seemed to have been turned off in favour of the air-conditioning!  At least in First Class I had a seat and nobody sat next to me so I could spread out a bit.  Plus I could plug in my phone while listening to Saturday morning radio (via Internet, which ate my data rather, but I couldn't get a signal on the FM bands).   Nobody checked my ticket at all - good thing I'm honest - although the guard did say there was an inspector on the train and First Class Tickets Would Be Checked.  They weren't.  On the whole I was not very impressed.

I was, however, very impressed with the facilities at Crewe station, which were both clean and free to use, not a common combination.

My time in Crewe was lovely, apart from being severely hailed on just before I arrived - I had gone to attend a friend's husband's induction to the Pastorate of a Baptist church, and there were other friends there, too, which was great.  After a lovely tea, some kind people let me share their taxi to the station - it had stopped raining and I would happily have walked, but it was nice not to have to.

Then the First Class really kicked in.  I was able to go to the First Class lounge which was very comfortable and had free Wifi and was warm and clean.  I made myself a cup of Earl Grey to drink while I waited.  I was going home with Virgin Trains, and as the train was non-stop the waitress suggested I sat where I pleased, so I had a lovely four-seat bay all to myself.  I didn't want any tea or coffee, but did have an orange juice, although I passed on the snack box, having had a huge tea.  Really, I should have had one and eaten it another time....

Virgin trains were blissfully comfortable and had free WiFi, and plugs, so I turned on my phone's maps and had great fun watching the train careering through the countryside.  Well, while I was awake, that is.  I did sleep between Stafford and Milton Keynes!  The only blight on the journey was that the train was rather late, the earlier storms had caused some damage to the overhead lines.  But when you are sitting snug and warm and it is dark outside, this doesn't really matter!

Virgin Trains did cost about twice as much as London Midland, and you can quite see why.  I am not sure whether I would travel First Class again - certainly not on Southern or South-Eastern, it really isn't worth it.  If I could get a decent bargain on Virgin, though... well, their First Class is worth it!

A visit to the Museum of London Docklands

I had always wanted to go to the Museum of London Docklands, and finally had the opportunity to take my elder grandson, the Boy, now 3½ .  We met up at Westfield Stratford City, and after coffee and Babycinos we left the Daughter and Boy Too with her friends and their babies of roughly the same age as Boy Too, while the Boy and I made ourselves comfortable (he loved, as I knew he would, the loos in the parent/child room there, which have a big one and a little one in the same space so you can pee comfortably together, and then two wash-basins at varying heights so you can wash your hands together, too.  But there was no way to dry them ("We'll have to shake!" said the Boy) until you got out and there were some paper towels in the nappy-changing area.

We set off on the DLR to West India Quay and then walked to the Museum. I thought at first we had gone the wrong way, but Google navigation soon confirmed we were right.  However, when we arrived it was about 11:30 am and we were told that the children's play area - which is very, very well-reviewed - did not open until 2:00. We hired an activity backpack, but much of the stuff was too young for him - a couple of very easy puzzles, and a book that he dismissed, scornfully, as suitable for his baby brother.  There were some binoculars, though, which he loved, a friendly dolphin finger puppet, ditto, and some shapes which you were supposed to match, but he didn't fancy that.

I think I would have enjoyed the museum better without him.  It wasn't very suitable for young children, as there was an awful lot of reading, and I think you had to know about things coming in big ships and how they used to come to London.  However, he liked the mock-up of Old London Bridge, and showed me which house he would like to live in!  And he liked a lot of the model ships, and was very, very brave when it came to Sailortown, a reconstruction of how the sailors would have lived back in the day, which was very dark and gloomy and spooky, and he hated it, so we came out - and then he insisted on going back in for another go, even though it was scary. He also loved - so did I - the boxes of spices, tea, coffee and sugar that were there to be looked at and sniffed and identified.  The cloves smelt gorgeous!

We had a very disappointing lunch in the café - expensive and my salad was incredibly dry and nasty, and my tomato quiche was very odd, although not unpleasant.  I wish I'd chosen a sandwich that looked nice, but it didn't happen.  The Boy had a "kiddies' sandwich" - cheese in white bread - and a pirate chocolate (we thought it was cheese) which was disappointing by being merely a lump of chocolate, not printed like the chocolate coins he got for Christmas and has been enjoying.

Then we went back home via the DLR, the Central Line and the W16 bus, and arrived home a good 45 minutes before the others.  "I expect Mummy's doing boring shopping!" said the Boy.  So we made ourselves drinks and another cheese sandwich as we were still hungry.  Not the most satisfactory day out ever, alas, but not the worst.