EASTER DAZE part 2

We were back in London on Sunday. This time it was to attend a photo shoot which I had booked through Groupon, an organisation I highly recommend to you. Through these people you can by vouchers for all sorts of cut priced offers. The one I had seen was a session at a top London studio, complete with free booze, makeover and a shoot with two free photos. All for £29. With some trepidation we made our way up to the venue in Great Portland Street. Luckily I found a local pub to sit and get some Dutch Courage inside of us. Again, I thoroughly recommend The Cock in Great Portland Street where Sam Smiths Old Brewery Bitter can be obtained for the fab price of just over two quid.

The photo session was much less taxing than I had imagined, due no doubt to the alcohol imbibed before it. We were soon out of the place with an appointment to view the snaps or was it schnapps, tomorrow.

We then wound up in Greenwich at The Rose public house and thereafter some other hostelry until the early hours of the morning with Charlotte.

Now unless you have been living in a vacuum, you will be aware that the whole of the country is looking forward to a day off this week due to the Royal Wedding. So visitors to London cannot escape the paraphernalia associated with this occasion. Indeed. flags and bunting are flying everywhere. So imagine my surprise, as we sat, the three of us, innocently dining at a cafe just off Oxford Street, to be accosted by Chinese TV seeking our views on the forthcoming nuptials.

Suffice to say, that they decided, after a brief conversation with myself, to interview not me but Trish, who made it quite clear that she will be watching events as they unfold on Friday. What a pity I thought, I had some pretty good questions about China's contribution to global warming lined up for inclusion in my interview, I wanted to know for example why, when we are doing our best to recycle and source renewable energy here in the West, China is carrying on without a care in the world, polluting their rivers and skies with the foul stench of industrialisation. It was not to be. That reporter had some kind of sixth sense it seemed, a natural ability to avoid trouble.

Trish gets on Chinese TV

A really enjoyable weekend was finished off with a ride on a London Bus from Oxford Street to Deptford, a ride of such contrasts as to be inconceivable in these right Royal Times.

EASTER DAZE Part 1

Quite a weekend has just passed, a long weekend, a lovely long weekend with beautiful weather. My weekend started early with the arrival of Andy from Leicester on the doorstep, armed with a big box of booze to supliment his entertainment for the duration. Andy, a long time friend is also a serial serial viewer. He sometimes spends whole weekends at a stretch viewing box sets of particular series. He does this to avoid commercials and waiting for a week to see the next episode. I had just the weekend planned for him.

Not only were we due to visit The Lane on Saturday for the latest instalment of the Tottenham saga but I had the first series of 'V' the science fiction classic remake ready for viewing. And true to form he followed in my footsteps of a few weeks ago and watched all 12 episodes over the two days.

I felt like the evil pusher as he sat in the comfy chair, unable to resist watching 'just another episode' , armed with the neccessary paraphenalia essential to maximise the enjoyment, decent beer and snacks, before he retired to bed,I fully expected to find him when I went down in the morning, still sitting there, but to his credit he was first up, already having visited the papershop and ransacked the kitchen for coffee.

We had a great time, very different from the old days when a visit from Andy was, as he drove off back to Leicester on a Sunday night, usually leaving an item of clothing somewhere in the house or on the drive, difficult to remember. (for one reason or another.) It was a pretty dissappointing but entertaining 2-2 draw at The Lane which Andy enjoyed for the experience of the visit, his first one for many a year. We rounded it off with a couple of beers at The Old Sun with Nick who had taken us down to the match yet again.

It was great to see him again but our weekend was only half done.