London Town…

Went up into town on a Friday after week staying at the Grange City Hotel near the Tower of London (picked as one of the surprise hotels from Lastminute.com). It was a nice venue and had a section of the old city walls on the property. We went out and had a drink at the Bavarian Beerhouse across the road before having something to eat at Brasserie Blanc (a Raymond Blanc chain). We viewed the Tower and bridge at night before turning in for the night.

In the morning we had a wander around, across Tower Bridge and had breakfast at Browns in Butlers Wharf. We then walked up to London Bridge and took the tube to Green Park where we walked over to Jermyn Street to look for clothes (I was looking for something with a Steampunk vibe to it). We ended up in a shoe shop (Loake shoemakers) in Princes Arcade and bought a pair boots and a pair of shoes. We then walked over to Carnaby Street where we met Deb and Tom for a drink in the Shakespeare’s Head.

When they went we headed over to the O2 to see what music was playing as part of the C2C festival. We saw the actor Charles Estan who plays Deacon on Nashville give an award to the duo Striking Matches (who contributed several songs to the show). We then listened to a band called Dexter before moving to The Saloon (at Club WM) and listening to Alan West & Steve Black (from Dorset), Rackhouse Pilfer (a lively band from the west of Ireland – we sat next to their manger and one of the group), and then Cooper & Davies. We ate at Zizzi before catching the train home.

The next day after doing our shopping and picking the car up from where we had left it on Friday night, we went over to Paul and Lorraine’s for a muddy walk in the countryside and a roast dinner. 

Tom’s 13th Birthday…

Our eldest Godson is now a teenager and we gathered with his family at his home to celebrate with a fine meal and much entertaining conversation. 

Game Day II…

The return of Game Day, back at Derek’s this time with James in attendance, but still with fine food provided by Donna and Sue. The games we played included these fine examples:

• Imperial Assault
• Sheriff of Nottingham
• Abluxxen (Linko)
• Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards:Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre
• Forbidden Island
• Exploding Kittens
• Martian Dice

Bits and Pieces…

We visited Sue’s mum where nephew Nick was visiting with his girlfriend Siobhan. We had lunch with them and Deb and Dave.

Prompted by a special offer in our local supermarket Sue cooked Lobster Thermador for the first time. Splitting the lobster in half was a strange experience but it was a tasty treat.

For no reason other than nephew Terry had seen a picture of them in a paper, he asked Sue to make Chocolate ‘Scotch’ eggs. These are Cadbury crème eggs surrounded in a cake mixture, covered in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candied eggs. Each of them a heart attack waiting to happen and instant diabetes for anyone who eats more than one.

Our semi-regular Furlong Road Curry Evening where with the lads from the street (and friends – Deb joined us this time) visit the local curry house now called Indigo Spice. Afterwards we ended up having some lethal looking martinis at Howard’s.

We managed to get out and start clearing up the garden for spring. Deb helped us out and we managed to finish the pruning of the apple tree, weeding and removing old plants, and burning waste wood, leaves (and an old broken bench) on a bonfire. We rewarded ourselves with homemade dim sum (dumplings, wontons, satay chicken and all manner of deliciousness). We also had our lunch out on the deck in the spring sunshine.

Mother’s day was spent helping out in Sue’s mum’s garden clearing the flower beds, pruning unruly bushes and taking the rubbish to the dump. Later we had a heart meal to celebrate. Sue received a lovely bunch of flowers and box of chocolates from Jamie (who also sent flowers to Mum). 

More of wot we have seen…

We have become members at our favourite local cinema – Everyman in Reigate, and we visited a couple of times to see two disparate films.

Dad’s Army – a sweet, gentle film that is very respectful of its heritage with lovely references for the fans of the TV series.

Hateful 8 – a typically Tarantino film with some fine dialog, interesting filmic references and outrageous gore. 

Continuing Birthday Treats…

Sue took me to Shere and to Kinghams restaurant for beautiful meal as a birthday treat.

Terry and Gill visited and brought a 1966 bottle of wine. Sue cooked a fabulous meal for us (individual scallops with black pudding and pea puree, fillet wellingtons, apple brandy pudding) and we had a convivial afternoon.

Deb, Dave, Tom and Ollie visited as did Chris, Carole and Lucy. Another lovely meal by Sue (bacon and egg pie, pumpkin fritters, Cullen skink, crumble and more apple brandy pudding). We played some games and had a drink or two

Return to the Granite City…

The week following Up Helly Aa I was back in Aberdeen, this time with work, staying at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Aberdeen City Centre. We did get out one evening and went for a meal at Rustico a pleasant Italian restaurant with friendly staff.

Up Helly Aa…

My big 50^th birthday excursion to the far northern reaches of the British Isles took place in late January.

To start with Sue and I travelled with Deb by plane from Gatwick to Glasgow, where we met Chris and Carole at our hotel, the Holiday Inn Theatreland conveniently located near the bus and train stations. We had a couple of drinks in the bar before venturing our heading towards the Merchant area of town (on the recommendation of the concierge) where we ate at The Corinthian, a rather ornate ballroom of a place.

On the advice of our friendly waiter we took cabs to The Howlin Wolf blues bar which was a crowded place, full of noise and fun. Here Bill and Linda met us after flying up separately. We enjoyed the music of an accomplished duo before turning in for the evening.

Next morning we started out early and went over to the House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park. It is a relatively new building built to an old design by the celebrated designer Rennie Mackintosh and it is a fabulous building set in nice grounds surrounded by sculptures.

After this we returned to the city centre and went to the Willow Tea Rooms (another Mackintosh building) for lunch where we meet Jodie and Andy. Our party was starting to swing now with the application of some alcohol and more company.

Some of us ventured of to the Hunterian Art Gallery at the Glasgow University for a spot more culture before meeting up together at Ashton Lane where we had a few more drinks in the Wee Pub at theUbiquitous Chip where Jamie met us.

We then went to eat at The Grosvenor Café next to cinema of the same name. A large exciting place with an interesting vaulted ceiling.

Back at the hotel we had some more drinks and Jamie and I did a Glenfiddich whisky tasting.

The following morning we made plans to move on to the next stage of our tour. Jamie and Deb went with Andy and Jodie in their car while Sue and I went to the Queen St Station to catch a train. Chris and Carole and Bill and Linda returned home.

Those of us that were continuing on met up again in Aberdeen at the Jurys Inn Bar where we also met Paul and Lorraine. Together we took the ferry to Lerwick. We played a few games including Cards Against Humanity for a few hours until we turned in to our boys and girls rooms. Sometime during the night Jodie ‘fell’ off the top bunk (or sleep walked) in the girls cabin and injured herself and Lorraine and Deb in the bunks below. After 14hrs we arrived in the morning at Lerwick.

We were met by our hostess, Shelley, and were taken to our accommodation in West Baila Street. A nice large and well-appointed house up on the hill overlooking the town.

We picked up some supplies and explored the area in smaller groups. Jamie, Paul and I visited the fabulous ancient Clickimin Broch nearby, a mystical and baffling place.

Later on we all went into town and had a drink in the bar at The Lounge bar where we sampled a few of the many local brews.

On Burns Night we had with haggis (including a vegetarian alternative), tatties and neaps and attempted in an embarrassing way to address the haggis by reciting the largely unpronounceable poem.

Andy took Sue, Deb and I out on a field trip to visit Scalloway (castle) and then Meal and Bannamin beaches. On the way we saw some old bothies and plenty of dramatic scenery.

Much of our downtime was spent playing the various games I brought and drinking heartily.

On the morning of Up Helly Aa it was raining heavily and we were concerned about the conditions. But it cleared up as we made our way into town. There we saw the youth squads burning their galley and up on the hill we passed the main galley waiting with some of its entourage for the start of the parade.

In town we found a place for a quick drink before staking our place out along Hillhead where the squads had assembled (some 900 odd folk – some odder than others, dressed in all manner of fancy dress). The main squad matched up in their fabulous handmade armour waving torches to gather around the galley.

At the nominated time a signal flare was launched and the street lights dimmed as the squads lit their torches from burning flares and smoke and cheering filled the air. A brass band struck up and the galley and its attendant squad matched down, the head Geyser at the helm. The other squads fell in behind and they paraded along the streets towards the park. We moved on to try and secure a good vantage point overlooking the park in amongst the crowds of excited onlookers. From Saint Olaf Street we watched the boat as it was surrounded by the many torches as the climax was reached and the burning brands were hurled into the ship to set it alight. The sky had cleared and as the ship crumbled the fireworks started in a spectacular display. Afterwards we found Captain Flints in town and continued the party.

Jamie returned to Aberdeen on the ferry the next evening for his onward journey to London to meet up with friends where he was to be best man at a wedding.

On our last day we walked around Knab Point and saw a double rainbow but we were apprehensive as we had heard there was a storm (Gertrude) coming. At the ferry terminal the staff advised we might have bumpy crossing and they were not wrong, I retired early unwell as did Jodie and I arose early in the morning to find Sue and Debs asleep in the bar where they had been all night. The captain advised we would be late into the harbour due to the weather which did not go down well with Sue. Eventually though he saw and opportunity and docked after we disembarked we gathered our strength in a coffee shop before Jodie and Andy drove for home. We found out that our ship was the last out for a while and the storm did batter the Shetlands quite badly. It was fortunate we did not have the same experience on the way out or Sue would have insisted I buy us flights out.

In the Union Square shopping centre the rest of us went to the cinema to see The Revenant and afterwards we ate at Wagamamas. Had did have a walk about Aberdeen and visited the maritime museum &Provost House and saw a few old buildings.

In the end we took the train to the airport and flew home glad to finally return to the comfort of our own beds.

More of wot I have heard…

It has been a while since we had any new music and we have come into the possession of a few old and new items such as:

Jamie Lawson self-titled album. This has the haunting track called Wasn’t Expecting That, the lyrics of which bring a tear to my eye.

Come up Full by Meg Hutchinson. This was a gift from Sue’s cousin Matt, the artist who sings about her experiences as a person dealing with schizophrenia.

Another Country by Rod Stewart. One of Sue’s favourite artists and I must say his choice of songs on this album suits his voice very well.

Decade by Neil Young. Classic songs from a classic artist, another gift from Matt.

You’re the One That I Want by Lo-Fang. This is the single from the Chanel perfume TV ad and it is a very different and ethereal version that I like very much.

Games Day…

I had a fund day around at Derek’s with Martin and Kevin playing several board games both old and new. Among those we played were:

• Sherriff of Nottingham
• Celestia
• Thunderbirds
• Formula D
• Isle of Skye
• Zombicide: Black Plague
• Tsuro of the Seas
• Port Royal
• Karuba

We were also spoiled with some lovely food by Derek’s wife Donna and a cake made by Sue. All in all it was a great day

More of wot I have read…

On The Road by Jack Kerouac

Occasionally I pick a book that is supposed to be a worthy and important addition to the literary world and as I had done a road journey across America I chose this one to read. Perhaps it was the 50 odd years since it was written or that it was aimed at audience with a different sensibility, but whatever it was I did not engage with the characters or narrative at all. As to be expected it was dated with anachronistic references and language, but worse for me was the jarring attitudes of the characters who did not come off well for their wilful, selfish, and hedonistic ways. It seemed a self-indulgent and quite naive story but I guess it would have been more revolutionary and revealing when shone against a background of post war America.

‘Fans of Kerouac get the whole beautiful, groovy deal with this new recording of the radically hip novel that many consider the heart of the Beat movement. Poetic, open and raw, Kerouac's prose lays out a cross-country adventure as experienced by Sal Paradise, an autobiographical character. A writer holed up in a room at his aunt's house, Paradise gets inspired by Dean Moriarty (a character based on Kerouac's friend Neal Cassady) to hit the road and see America. From the moment he gets on the seven train out of New York City, he takes the reader through the highs and lows of hitchhiking, bonding with fellow explorers and opting for beer before food. First published in 1957, Kerouac's perennially hot story continues to express the restless energy and desire for freedom that makes people rush out to see the world. The tale is only improved by Dillon's well-paced, articulate reading as he voices the flow of images and graveled reality of Paradise's search for the edge’.

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

I had read this short book some time ago and wanted to revisit it again. It is interestingly written as correspondence between several people forced to use an ever-shrinking alphabet. Its main themes are about freedom of speech and the dangers of political tyranny, but it is an amusing and diverting story that is both short and sweet.

‘As Ella Minnow Pea writes to her cousin with the latest news on the small, quiet island of Nollop, little does she imagine the crisis ahead. The letter z has fallen from the statue of Nevin Nollop, revered author of the sentence ‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’ – and the island’s rulers interpret this as a sign of devine displeasure and ban its use in any form. In a novel composed of correspondence, the loss of z is inconvenient; but far worse is to come as more letters fall and more are banned, until only l, m, n, o, p remain…’