Travels at Christmas 2010

To- day, Tuesday December 28th 2010, I am celebrating the best Christmas for more than decade and possibly one of the best ever. The main reason is that I did not spend it alone, involving a journey of some 180 miles, something of a challenge given the continuous atrocious weather conditions.

There was heavy snow falls in most parts of the United Kingdom with few, if any, areas escaping some snow and the extreme cold condition with temperatures below minus 20, colder that in parts of the artic and the Nordic countries. However it was significantly colder is Moscow according to someone who was working there recently.

Because of the severe weather warnings for the Christmas period I took the precaution of booking an early morning one way rail ticket for the Thursday before Christmas with an early morning of 8.30. At under £30 this meant if I was able to us my car, the first preference, then there would not be any great financial loss. Until this summer the idea of making a train at Newcastle by 8.30 was out of the question but after approaching 100 early morning swims the time posed no problem.

I am already looking back over a year when I managed my finances badly and have left myself in a restricted position for the next two to three years. I will begin the New Year cautiously.

The travel omens were not good first with mounting chaos at the UK’s premier airport, Heathrow, Greater London. In fairness to the travel companies it was reported they wanted to communicate to passengers not to travel until checking with them that their particular flight was going ahead but the management at the airport are then reported to have indicated the belief that they had learnt from the situation which developed in late November and would be able to cope.
In the event although one runway became quickly available there were few flights, if any, because most of the parked planes were locked into their station due to the failure to clear snow and ice below them. There was several days of chaos with some passengers sleeping rough within the airport terminal unable to return home because of traffic chaos and unable or unwilling to obtain temporary accommodation unless arranged by their travel agents/flight companies. There was mounting pressure which led to the Government offering to provide troops and the Chief Executive announcing he would not accept the entitled performance bonus this year. That other airports found themselves in similar situation here in the UK, in Europe and over the past 24 hours, in North America, was of little consolation to those coming home for Christmas, visiting relatives around the world or just getting away for the holiday period.

There was also chaos on parts of the rail network, with those using the fast trains to Europe hardest hit and for a time, significantly, on the East Coast Line with various problems which prevented most travel for 24 hours. This posed a challenged for me given the variable road conditions where suddenly you could become engulfed in blizzards, ice and freezing fog. However there appeared to be a respite on Wednesday morning so a week ago I hastily got myself prepared with a view to setting off as soon as it was light the following morning, preparing to take a wrap around, soup and coffee as well as food in case of some major delay.

In the morning I checked the road conditions and according to local news the way out through Durham County along the AIM was good and there was no reports for Yorkshire. However the weather report mentioned that heavy snow, falling over the south and west had reached the midlands, my destination, so reconsidered starting off and staying at the Days Inn Wetherby, or the Travel Lodge Sheffield Donnington. No sooner did this plan unfold the clouds covered the previously blue sky and first flurries commenced of what quickly became a blizzard and that was that for the day.

In the evening British Rail sent an email to say that although the line from Newcastle to London was now clear, it was not from Doncaster to Newark, my train destination, and from where I was to be collected by car for the rest of the journey. The email advised that I would be able to use my ticket for a direct train but within a short time of the original departure. The options was a train just before 8 and then one about 9. I arranged everything for an early start leaving the decision to order a car until the morning.

As it was dry and I was well organised I set off just before 6.45am down the hill, missing a Metro train as I reached the end of the platform but another came within 15mins and I was in Newcastle at the main line station by 7 40. A train to London about that time was cancelled so those passengers awaiting were advised to get the next scheduled for 7.52 the one I was to take. This in turn was delayed because of a local train and did not arrive until 8.15 by which time those travelling on the 8.32, my original train, were also arriving. Despite the arrival of three sets of passengers I was able to find a seat among those in the buffet car which also meant I was able to quickly get a hot coffee.

Sitting opposite was someone who driving from his home at Wark the vehicle left the road and went into a hedge at some 20 miles an hour damaging both rear light indicators and the rear bumper. The car was drivable to Hexham station where the train was caught to Newcastle onward to his central office at York although as area manager his patch stretched from Dundee to Hull. He was relaxed notifying the right people of the accident, arranging for a replacement vehicle and having contact with his family. We swapped bad weather stories and he admitted that when it happened he had wondered how it would end.

There are two aspects of the holiday which I will mention. I attended a nativity service in a Church of England which is clearly endeavouring to attract families with children of all ages. The pews have been removed and replaced by comfortable cushion chairs. There were two large screens on which the words of the hymns were relayed and instructions given to parents to usher their children to where the play was being enacted. There was also a full audio system for the small choir and musicians and hand mikes for the vicar and a woman who orchestrated the play with ongoing responsibilities for the children/family aspect of the church. The church was more American in style than evangelical revivalist and I was torn between feelings of admiration and uncomfortableness reflecting the usual struggle between heart and reason.

The second note is praise for those in the planning authorities which allowed the village to grow to the extent it has become an ideal countryside community with more than adequate local facilities such as a primary school, round the clock mini supermarket and a community which encourages the best aspects of village life without claustrophobia. The village grew primarily with a development of the chalet bungalow and two storey dwellings of the lodge type mixture of brick and wood with upper floor windows inserted into the elongated roofing. While each property has off road garaging to the front there are pleasant walkways between the rear gardens which lead to the various older public pathways which dissect the village or circumnavigate its eastern boundaries with the surrounding farmland. While these properties on this side of the village are all of a similar construction the remaining new development comprise individually styled executive housing.

I left open the day of return to take account of the weather but is looked good for the Monday, after the Boxing Day and I selected a train departure around mid morning anticipating that I might have to make the two hour journey without a seat. It looked this would be the situation as more and more people came to platform coffee and snack stop which also led into the waiting room. Shortly before the train arrived I had an important decision to make. I could make my way to the far end of the platform where the first class compartments would stop in the knowledge that for the payment of £20 I would find a seat, or take a gamble and position myself just under cover from where I was located and hope that by going into the open area just before the train arrived I would be able to place myself by an entrance door into a compartment and find a newly vacated seat. This happened although I was not alone with the same idea but seized the first vacant seat by the luggage area, leaving mine by a doorway. The seat was booked between London and Edinburgh and I assumed that it was vacant, sitting down without asking the adjacent young man if someone was away at the buffet car or toilet.

My confidence was rewarded. Others were not so lucky and were left standing although majority of those getting on at subsequent stops were also seat successful. I and the others nearby were entertained by a large colourfully dressed woman, perhaps in her early thirties, who at one point explained that she was a watch fanatic who could not bear to be without the knowledge of the precise time. The dial and wrist strap matched the colour of her top, skirt or dress and she explained that while she has seen one of a similar style for £160 she had purchase this one for under £30. Some eight of them in different colours! She loved to spend money on clothes and jewellery and he accompanying husband gave her a weekly allowance to do so.
She was on her way to a family wedding and met up with a first cousin, a slim and very attractive young women a dozen years younger together with the brother of the girl and her boyfriend. During the journey I learnt much about their present and past lives.

The Metro journey home was comparatively quite until at Hebburn a man entered with a whippet like dog who was instantly attracted or threatened by another creature already sitting nearby at least quadruple its size. The arriving animal began to let out some blood curdling cries which were responded by the other animal until its owners ensured it quietened. This contrasted with the other master who made little effort and which confirmed my impression that potentially vicious dogs are owned by vicious or potentially vicious people. Although the pavements were covered with slushy or compacted snow the roadways were clear and therefore as it was not raining I was able to trek my way home without the additional expense of hiring a car. I was pleased to find everything in order at home, including the one card I had had expected but had not arrived before departure.

Although I could have stayed up to watch the start of the fourth Ashes Test in Australia I missed the opportunity forgetting that a start on Boxing Day meant midnight on Christmas Day. I say could of in the sense of there was opportunity to do so, but I was long asleep by the start of play although I did wake around 2 am and could have gone down to witness the final collapse of the Australian first innings at 98 runs. The wicket was lively as prepared and England was fortunate to win the toss and admittedly it had quieted down by early afternoon when the away side commenced to bat. However by the close of pay England had amassed over 150 runs without loss. The issues was whether they could survive another lively wicket at the start of play the following day

The following morning of the match there had been some reverse swing which resulted in the loss of the openers Cook for 82 and Strauss for 69. But Trott commenced another fine innings and batted the rest of the day and following morning to end undefeated with 168 runs. Prior gave him excellent support with 85 and so did Peterson with 51 although he was the innocent cause of an incident which has probably ended the Test match career of Ricky Ponting the Australian captain. He has been one of Australia’s best batsman and has captained the team to its position as consistently the best in the world of cricket. It is his failure to make any runs this season which has contributed to the dramatic decline although this takes nothing from the fact that all the batsmen with perhaps the exception of Collinwood have performed brilliantly, and Collingwood has been brilliant in the field and bowled well when required.

Now for the incident in which the Australians claimed that Petersen had snicked a ball which passed closely to one side of his bat. The replay suggested he had not touched the bat. The Australian appealed against the not out decision and the celebrated when they saw a white spot on the bat which before close examination suggested that the bat had made contact with the ball. However closer examination indicated that this white spot was on the opposite side to where the ball has passed. It was conclusive evidence that the original decision was correct and should stand.

It is understandable that in such circumstances without the benefit of close examination of the technological evidence he would question the umpire. However he lost his cool and commenced a prolonged disagreement with the umpire, then with Petersen and then with the other umpire, unheard of in cricket, especially at this level and meriting a yellow or red card. In the event he has been fined 40% of his match earnings after some apology although it was not as fulsome as the circumstances required. His reputation has been badly damaged although he could have commenced rehabilitation had he batted well after England ended the third morning all out for 513, a lead of over 400 runs. Australia commenced well as anticipated on a flat wicket in hot sunshine, scoring at 5 runs an over for the first 10. Then at 53 one opener ran out the other, but still there was a determined look about the Australian batting and then the flood gate opened with the second wicket for 99, third at 102 and fourth at 104 with two more falling before the close of play. As midnight approached here in the UK the 7th wicket fell before something of a rally involving Haddin and Siddle but when the 8th fell at 258 the end was close, in fact no further run was scored and when the 9th went it was all over because the injury to Harris meant he was unable to bat and the celebration could begin.

To retain the Ashes in Australia and to do so emphatically has resulted in national jubilation and humiliation in Aussi land where local supporters did not take up their seats leaving the area to travelling Brits and those in Australia who still identify with their original homeland. However the series is not won until the final game next week where a draw will be sufficient to achieve this. It is time to catch up on recent films experienced before the New Year.

January 2009 Homeward day

Thursday morning with seven hours between waking up and leaving Victoria Station to commence the long journey home. I am torn between the options available. I resist the temptation to enjoy the unlimited breakfast knowing I will consume a vast quantity of the English hot cooked bacon eggs, sausages mushrooms, tomatoes plus cereals, fruit juice, croissants, toast bread and coffees. At £7.50 the cost is exceptional because the three sausages and mash hot meal with coffee is the same, and with planning some croissant Danish and fruit could be taken away for the journey.

However with fresh revolve I do not want to be counter productive and eat too much and a large breakfast will just generate more appetite later. So I said no and reminded myself that from now on I would be required to take similar decisions on a daily basis.

Yesterday I was reasonable good only having a small plate of sandwiches plus a coffee at the reception held after the humanist cremation service. It was exceptionally well done and the tragedy provided the opportunity to meet up with members of the extended family including a teenage childhood friend who I had not seen for 55 years. In late afternoon I had the three Suffolk sausages and mash with onion gravy at the O’Grady pub restaurant with still water and ice (free) followed by a coffee, and later still a packet of crisps and a kit kat chocolate bar both of which I should have said no to.

Back in my room I watched the BBC two hour Inauguration programme and the second of the BBC 2 programmes on the British view of the financial crunch. This did not add to my overall knowledge but filled in the details of the development of Hedge fund trading which is primarily calculating marginal gains based on a complex mathematical formula, buy and selling the same share or stock thus eliminating the risk of significant losses and significant gains unless through gearing vast amounts of money are borrowed to multiply the marginal gains, and where when the formula was used to stand the concept on its head and make astronomic gains without understanding that the system could rebound with the consequence of astronomic losses. This result in AIT having to be bailed out with every USA citizen carrying a $500 dollar state debt.

The programme explained how the banks managed to become involved with every loss making aspect of what had promised to make them unlimited riches personally and for all their share holders. The anger is profound, made worse by the understanding that if the system is not to collapse with even worse results it must be fixed by the very people who caused the problem. Father it is difficult to forgive then what they do.

I tried to watch the second part of Trial and Retribution but only managed the first quarter so I changed the batteries in the radio and it works so will see what happens on the coach on the way back. I will continue writing thee notes until 10.30 and then make my way to Victoria station and back to the restaurant centre for a hot cooked lunch, buying sandwiches for long journey back.

On returning home I could not go early to bed and watched the remainder of trial and retribution which was a most unsatisfactory experience although I imagine true to life. A young wealthy girl with a well intentioned but controlling mother has been seduced by a good for nothing play boy who uses the honeymoon as the opportunity to engage in drug trading with funds from his wife. The drugs are smuggled back into the UK and the playboy and his friend decide to try and sell for themselves rather than use existing distributors at the prearranged price. Cornered the girl pretends that they have run out of medication which the playboy needs and calls an ambulance, but this does not stop the organised drug dealers from stopping the ambulance which results in the accidental death of the paramedic and driver and execution of the husband. The friend then accidentally dies with disassociates s they the attempt to covert the drugs which have been hidden i sacking coverage of the imported goods. The girl desperate in grief and fear arranges a meeting with the chief distributor who she successfully run down in her car

The film ends unconvincingly with apparent acceptance that the girl did not know about the drug deal until returning from the Honeymoon and that she in effect caused he death of the husband by withholding the medication in order to save her own skin, and he was already dead when the gunmen executed him so at best the gang master would be charged with conspiracy to cause murder than actual murder. There is a lack of justice about the outcome of all this, including the behaviour of the female detective who endangered the life of a paid informant by ignoring the rules and should have lost her job as a consequence. Wasted time.
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I am filled with resolve again about get fitter and losing weight as well as getting my affairs in such order that should something happen suddenly it will be a simple matter for executors to sort everything out. Easier said than done of course.

The news is that President Obama has spoken to four Middle East leaders which could prove significant as well preparing to sign Executive Orders on the closure of Guantanamo and issued an order about Integrity in government which will ban gifts from lobbyists as well as other measures. My mood rapidly changed form mixed up and uncertain to positive with a manageable agenda.

It was then time to make my way back to the O’Grady pub for a hot lunch but a few yards from the Travel Lodge there was a Greggs bakery and on going to get something for the journey I changed my mind and purchased two small made up baguettes, one with prawns and the other with spiced chicken and two Danish type pastries one with apple and the other cinnamon. A different approach to day was settled, It was time for breakfast and I had a bacon roll and tea at the platform waiting room. I had placed my bags by a vacant seat on one of settees but between getting my order and returning a young woman had come in a taken the seat ignoring the baggage and the other occupant had failed to advise that it was taken, obviously delighted to have a young woman sitting by him instead of an old fat man. Understandable but meant I had to place by breakfast down elsewhere and move my bags and then just as I had done that a train arrived and the young woman departed together with the two others occupying the other settee. So I moved everything over again but it trying to manage bags, roll and tea I spilt the tea all down my shirt. It was hot and wet. I eat the roll more hurriedly than was desirable and then took everything including the half drunk and spilt tea into the gents where I change shirt and returned to finish the tea.

I made my way to the top floor of the shopping centre one side of Victoria station given to a food court. Here at one end is the O’Grady sport pub with on either side restaurants, a Cafe Rouge and a Pizza place and Steak House. Further along there is Burger King and McDonalds, Subway and such like as well as toilets, In addition to the seating specific to a restaurant there was communal seating. I moved into the McDonalds seating area which I knew from previous experience was large and where one could usually find an out of the way table to relax and eat bring in. The area has been made over since my last visit in the latest Mac D livery which included four areas of armchair seating and other areas of double bench leather look alike seating as well as the conventional tables for four or two. I was evidently not the first to have discovered this facility as two businessmen, a younger one leading the other worked out something over a computer. Two others had their computers with them which suggested wireless availability and others looked as if they were relaxing enrooted. Someone did come by to clear and clean tables but there was no pressure although as I left around midday the number of vacant tables had considerably reduced. I read a chunk of the Audacity of Hope and then enjoyed the prawn baguette and Danish. I decided against a drink. It was raining hard on reaching the station so getting to coach station without getting wet posed a problem until I remembered that I could continue the length of station undercover along the first floor shopping centre which was angled tot he street level at the far end. I waited at the entrance until the traffic lights change to cross over the road to the Colonnade and second block of offices and small shops with a covered passage way which took one to the junction across from the entrance to the Coach station. Again I waited under cover and the lights enabled a quick move into the station. I checked the departures board to confirm that the coach for South Shields would depart from one of the bays at the far end of the station. As I travelled along one side it was evident that either the credit crunch was having its effect, or travel on a Thursday in January was limited. There were waiting seats everywhere and this was reflected on the coaches where the half past twelve departures appeared about a third full. I was able to find two seats by the entrance door into the coach parking area, There was just one instead of the two coaches for South Shields and Sunderland. The Newcastle coach had left at 12.30 although we did meet up again at Middlesbrough our first official stop. We were also less than half full. This was an older vehicles and less comfortable than on the outward journey. Instead of coffee I enjoyed a large glass of orange fruit juice when we stopped around 5.30 for 6, having consumed the second baguette. From Sunderland to South Shields I was the only person on the coach. I had not considered it cold in Croydon and central London but at out stop it was colder although I managed several walks around the pleasant walkway by the coach and lorry park as I felt I needed the exercise and some fresh air. It was even more cold at South Shields although not unpleasant.

The house however was distinctly cold as and it got colder as the evening progressed. I unpacked sort of, looked at the post and some of the accumulated emails some 45 items and checked out MySpace. I enjoyed soup and a roll, a banana and some water melon and then a coffee.

At ten I watched the second in the What happened series and this time Mr Peretti was examining the relationship between Dodi Al Fayed and Princess Diana. The programme was quite explicit about the son of the owner of Harrods and the Paris Hotel which his son left with Diana on that fatal night. I was much more impressed with this programme than that dealing with Paul Burrell. To understand Al Fayed and his son one understands the cultural background and the parental expectation and hope and the sons response. Irrespective of how Mr Al Fayed made and used his billionaire status wealth there is no doubt he both worshipped his son and was I believe also disappointed that the son did not share his drive and ambition in business. He became a very rich heir with a monthly cheque not dissimilar form today’s top footballers and film stars.

Shy, wealthy and with good looks Dodi found himself able to date some of the most beautiful and well known women in the world but also appeared unable to sustain a relationship and indeed there was evidence presented that he would date more than one individual at time without the two women being aware, or full aware of the situation. At the root of the tragedy was the wish of both father and son to be accepted within Anglo American society, especially Britain where Mr Al Fayed had bought the most famous store in the British Isles, Harrods. He was also one of the first ‘outsiders’ to acquire a football club and with ambitions of conquering all before him, appointing Kevin Keagan at one time. His mother was also a wealthy woman in her own right, sister of a Turkish billionaire arms dealer. Dodi received an appropriate education for someone with his background and also attended the Sandhurst military academy. He used the family wealth to finance and co-produce several recognised films, including the Oscar award winning Chariots of Fire and Hook. But the impression is that these were no more than divertissements. He appears to have been driven to find ways to please his father while remaining himself and he also is said to have hankered for fame, although I suspect this was only a means to find love for himself rather than his wealth and social position. At the same time there is evidence that he used his wealth to buy his place in society, always being prepared to take up the cheque. The film suggested that he enjoyed Cocaine because it made him feel more of a personality in his own right, but again the suggestion is that he was also a provider socially for friends and acquaintances along with the champagne and the caviar.

The programme suggests that he very serious about a relationship with the model Kelly Fisher with evidence that he had become engaged after a relationship spread over two summers and that she was on one yacht while Dodi was entertaining Diana at the same time on another adjacent. The available evidence is that Mr Al Fayed on meeting the Princess at a Charity event invited her to holiday with her sons which she accepted, and arising from this arranged for her to meet his son. The programme suggests that it was the combination of parental ambition and drive for personal fame which drove the relationship to begin and for Dodi to dump the model.

The sudden dramatic death of his only son was a devastating blow to his father and the programme suggests that the claims of a British Royal inspired assassination and erection of a flamboyant statue of the couple at Harrods together with the claims made at the Inquest have to be viewed a parental scream about what happened. I was left feeling sad about the both of them despite the disgraceful misuse of wealth. It also puzzling that the Princess should take up with such a man given her own commitment to the welfare of others. Perhaps she hoped his wealth could provide her a financial basis independent of the British establishment and to gain objectives. Such a relationship was entirely inappropriate for the mother of a future King, let alone a marriage.

Watching the programme meant I missed the opening half hour of Question Time, something which I have now done and which instead of discussing the inauguration of President Obama concentrated on the revelation that staff at Northern Rock were being paid 10% bonuses because they were repaying the government loan at a faster rate. In order to achieve this the bank has been asking customers to move their mortgages to other lending institutions and foreclosing quicker than other banks. Understandably the general public is horrified about the continuation of a culture which rewards people for doing their job more effectively than before although this only exposes the naivety and stupidity of the general public for not understanding the financial and economic system of the country. No one in government or the three main political parties is saying that we ought to opt out of the capitalist system and become a third world authoritarian communist state, to seriously attempt a social justice democracy. We live in a global competitive at times ruthless capitalist economy dependent on an effective and expanding financial services and where London City and Wall Street are two of the principal centres. You have to pay people the going rate to recruit the best and the more competent and to unpleasant things. Clearly there will be and has to be under a limiting of the bad debts and this means getting back money as one can, limiting and reducing the cost of existing lending and restricting new lending. It is the government‘s job to ameliorate the social consequences of the system putting itself right again. In a Party Political situation it is almost impossible for the government to tell the truth without the opposition being able to exploit coming up go a General Election However the by pretending ignorance or evading real questions as did Carolyn Flint any sympathy for the position of the government not just ebbed but turned away in a torrent, She was hopeless and Gordon needs to find something for her to do out of the media spotlight as quickly as possible.

The Late Night‘s politics show was enjoyable as Diane Abbot could not contain herself nor did Rageh Omar on the world wide impact of President Obama and Kwame Kwei-Armah on the President as a role model. Although all three were euphoric their analysis was will be considered and I heard nothing to challenge or disagree with, Mr Portillo was very cautious which was puzzling and I detect jealousy among certain sections of the White British population. I was not ready for bed and watched the second episode of Trial and retribution. A mistake but in had been a long and full day.

London to Brighton during a lifetime

While the journey from Croydon to the Sussex coast was filled with memories the decision to travel back in one day when an overnight stop for £9 had been arranged, appeared an error of judgement until now.

The centre of the Sussex coast is Brighton with a road from west and central London which passes through Wallington High Street, to Coulsdon and then joins into the major road from central London the A23, through Waddon passing the former Croydon Airport to Purley and Coulsdon. There is also the third way from the City and East London, through to central Croydon and it is on this road between South Croydon and Coulsdon that the Innkeepers motel is located. The convergence of these three routes has always created a traffic bottle neck since the day when the everyone from London headed for the coast during Summer Sundays, and even more so when the M25 was created and then the M23 to what has become London’s second airport Gatwick with both motorways accessible a couple of miles from Coulsdon via Hooley and where conveniently in recent times there were petrol stations on either side of the road and a few yards further a Little Chef restaurant where after collecting my birth and care mothers from Sunday mass and stopping at their flat for a toilet break we would go for Sunday lunch and then a little motoring during the afternoon before turning home for tea.

The Innkeepers Lodge is situated close to Purley Oaks station midway between South Croydon and Coulsdon and as I drove towards the motorway junctions on my way for Sunday lunch on the South coast I encountered the first surprise. Instead of going through Coulsdon High Street from where the road to Wallington via Smithin Bottom Lane branches off, there is now a bypass which goes under the new railway station bridge and rejoins the road before Hooley. This reduces the extent of the stationery traffic from the motorway to the Hooley Traffic Lights and then to the two sets at Coulsdon. The petrol station on this side the road has been demolished and the Little Chef has become Starbucks. I hate such changes the older I get, but the bypass is brilliant. On my way to the coast I had to remember to take the far right set of lanes as the middle two are for the M25 to the junctions with the M3. M4 and M40 before the M1 and then the A 1M. At the junction between the M25 and the A1M is a large service area with an extended seat area the other side of which are shops, meal outlets, toilets electronic games and slot machines.
Yesterday as I reached the outskirts of Wetherby in Yorkshire I discovered the new Wetherby Service area which has been built on similar lines except that the whole site is several times that of the London end with a vast parking area for Goods vehicles after a large petrol garage and multifunction store, a large area for car parking with a new Days Inn Hotel being built at the far end and the super food and shop outlet to one side, with outdoor seating for the smokers and picnic area.

For the greater part of two decades I would leave the A1M just before Wetherby village and where on the right hand side before doing so there was a pleasant pub restaurant with gardens ideal for a lunch stop. This then closed and remained bordered up be for close on two decades. Wetherby itself is a very attractive prosperous town with several pub restaurants in the town centre which is also a good meal time stop, or alternatively there are also three places on the road from Wetherby into Leeds town centre and then out of Leeds for the start of the M1. The alternative was to continue on the A1 where there was a motorway service area at the junction with the M62 from Hull to Liverpool. Then about a decade ago, perhaps less, an extension was made to the M1 which takes it around Leeds to join A1M. There had been an earlier improvements which first took the AIM onward without the former Wetherby roundabout, and more recently an improvement which meant that one did not have leave the A1M at the service area roundabout to join either the M62 which crossed above so now one has the choice of directly continuing south on filtering in to the M62 East or West.

All this means that one can travel from Scotland and Newcastle to London via the M1 without entering or stopping around Leeds, or via the A1M, or go on to Hull, Manchester or Liverpool again without stopping or needing to confront roundabouts and bottle necks in the Leeds area. There is a good service area and Motel at Scotch Corner some 30 miles North of Leeds, The Wakefield service area motel is some ten miles South of Leeds on the M1 and the Pontefract service area and Motel some ten miles to the south east of Leeds on the A1M. Therefore the new Wetherby service stop ten miles north of Leeds fills a major gap and no doubt the agricultural land owners made a good profit.

There are so many changes coming in the next twenty five to fifty years and beyond that I will not live to see, so developments such thus one, however minor in the great scheme of things is of interest although the prices are such that I shall continue to make do buying beforehand. One interesting find is that yesterday I bought two packs of two salmon fish cakes for £3 usually £3.28 where at Azda a quality pack of two haddock fish cakes costs just under £2


I missed a call on my mobile, and decided to ring back. Usually it is the wrong number but this time it was important, to say that the TV was fixed and would be returned tomorrow between 10 and 1. Some years ago I had a video recorder which went wrong and was taken away and it was after several months and constant telephoning that eventually I was given a replacement as a stand by and then a cheque the cost of the original which could not be repaired. Having heard many stories and knowing that these day the cost of repairing in such that frequently products are written off with a voucher alternative offered I wondered if I would be without my wondrous set over Christmas, Now I have the rest of the day to catch up work, do some shopping and get the room ready. I shall buy the Christmas and New Year Edition of the Radio Times. The Gods of the many faiths of the world are being kind towards me.

On Sunday as I drove in the sun burning fog my mind was full of past experience, conjured by the places played along the route. I have used Gatwick as an airport a few times. To Corfu, to Italy and to Gibraltar and I have stayed overnight in the area at least once, possibly twice. The car parking is usually at some distance with special buses taking to the Airport and there is now a fast service from London Victoria and with connections at East Croydon. After the war the major train route stop on the way to the coast by train was Three Bridges where if memory serves me well there were connections to trains going to other destinations along the South Coast. Hasting which as a family we did not like, St Leonards and Bexhill where we had family holidays. There is also Camber sands at the far end of East Sussex and Pevensey Bay, and then the major resort of Eastbourne before the famous Beachy head where I once listened to a live Dire Straits concert on the radio sitting in the car. Then there is the Newhaven Dieppe ferry port before Peacehaven, Saltdean, Rottingdean and Kemp town before Brighton and Hove. My first experience of the seaside was to Brighton just after the end of World War II when the beach was still covered with fortifications and I went with my birth mother, the only time that she went out with a male friend, in his lorry.

Next to Brighton is Hove and the football team is known as Brighton and Hove Albion and as a young man I went to watch Crystal Palace play Brighton in the decider which settled whether Brighton or Palace would become part of the new 4th division when the two third divisions were amalgamated. I have been to Hove twice to watch Durham play Sussex, during visit stays with my birth and care mother’s at Wallington. This reminded me to check if the Durham 2009 fixtures are as yet announced, they are not but I do want a copy of the special edition of Wisden if they are still available. I will check this out and renew my membership day as well as booking the annual service of the central heating system and the cooker.

Returning to the London to Brighton route my childhood recollection was also of the Vintage car race which is run in November of each year since 1896 which was the date when legislation was passed which enabled motorised vehicles to travel up to 14 miles an hour from the previous 4 and which required a man to walk ahead carrying a red flag, Since 1971 the Queen has entered a Daimler car which is driven by members of the Royal Household. Prince Michael of Kent who is President of the Royal Automobile Club has regularly participated in the race. This year 483 vehicles out of the original entry of 550 managed to get away from Hyde Park and 420 reached their destination. For the past 100 years the Moulin Rouge Paris has had entries and this year a chorus line of Can Can girls from the celebrated night club did a pre London visit in September and formed a guard of honour at the start. The race was the subject of a comedy film called Genevieve. with Kenneth Moore, John Griegson and Kay Kendall.

There is also a famous film called London to Brighton in Four minutes of the railway journey from London to Brighton Station which was shown sometimes on TV as an Interlude. The original 1951 version was six minutes at 500 mph and the later is over 700 mph and then to mark 50 years of the electrification of the line a colour version was produced and than new version was available on the BBC I player but no longer, However several version are still available on You Tube including the original versions.

The present M23 motorway ends at Pease Pottage which as a child caused much merriment (Pease Pudding) and still does although not I presume to local residents along with those at Cuckfield, Hurstpierpoint, Pyecomb and Moulsecombe, Uckfield and Buxted., Now at Patcham there is a dual carriageway which continues on to Lewes and Newhaven to the East or to Shoreham and Worthing. I have stayed at Lewes, a small old town full of antique shops, for short period of three or four days on a visit by the Local Government Association’s Drug Advisory Committee, to facilities in the Brighton and Sussex areas.

Unless you have cause to drive along the coast most people are now aware of the extent of the port at Shoreham by Sea, but Arundel Castle a little way inland from Littlehampton another day trip venue along with Bognor Regis because unlike Brighton with its Pebble Beach there is sand as these two resorts. I believe that as a child we had a holiday at Bognor Regis. It was only in recent times that I visited the great Cathedral at Chichester and I am not sure if I have been to Selsey and the Selsey Bill as the headland is called. Travelling north from Chichester is Midhurst and then just over the border into Surrey there is Haselemere where the youngest of seven sisters in the family of my mother, Ethel, died at the convalescent hospital from tuberculosis run by a Catholic order of nuns and where I made one visit going by bus to Guildford and then by another to the outside the town where the hospital was located on the side of hill and the beds were taken outside into the open air.

Yesterday the journey from Purley Oaks home was of a different order with constant warnings on the M25 that there were long delays between junctions 15 to 18 which covered the stretch passed London’s main airport Heathrow and where planes arrive to land every minutes or so. In fact although we did slow down to 10 MPH I cannot recall an actual stopping and for the most part we went along at a comfortable 30 to 40 MPH. I could not wait to stop for some prepared coffee, which was luke warm, at Toddington, and to buy a pack of rolls to enjoy nearly all the second pack of smoked salmon, except or a few slices used with to two further rolls with sliced olives and anchovy immediately on arrival home around 5pm. It continues to feel strange continuing to South Shields and not going through Sunderland as I had for some thirty years

Having bought a week’s use of Travel Lodge internet, I parked outside the Travel Lodge and was able to connect with my 5 year old Sony V10 but then found I only had a few minutes left with the battery, which was surprise, I then checked that I had two hours with the new free Acer via AOl, but I could not get out of Yahoo and this needs to be sorted for future reference over the next couple of days.

I did stop again at Nottingham, this time for a cup of hot coffee £2.09 and a toilet break and then it was the boring struggle to keep going for the rest of the way, hence stopping to explore the new service area at Wetherby.

Back home I had intentionally left two lights on while away, and by mistake had left a third, I also put the heating system on a timer and the timer heating had worked and was on at arrival. I hate to thin what has been the cost, there was a little post including the replacement debit card which I must find out if the code number still works. It also reminds that on the way I heard a song with the lyrics along the lines of I saw the crescent you saw the moon. I meant to make a note of the title when I stopped but can I remember and can I find it?. The search led to finding the sound track CD of the film called Benjamin Button where the first number is a traditional jazz marching band version of the When the Saints, called, Shall we walk through the streets of our City by Dr Paulin. the second number Ostrich Walk Frank Trumbauer featured Bix Beiderbeck. These are no 30 second snippets but full length versions lasting three to five minutes. Amazing. That’s how Rhythm was born Boswell sisters; Freight Train Blues- Billy and de de Pierce; Basin Street Blues by the Preservation Hall jazz band; If I could be with you tonight- Louis Armstrong and the new Cotton Club orchestra; Chanson sur Stalin; Out of nowhere Sidney Bechet; Dear Old Southland Louis Armstrong; Skokiaan-Perez Prado;. My Prayer The Platters. Bethana a concert waltz. Very enjoyable

I was desperate food and a warm drink on arrival yesterday which became priority over unpacking. Then there were plants to be watered, post to be opened. I wanted to watch part of Wallander that I had dozed through and then end Little Dorrit and listen to the X factor final. There was also the episode of Merlin Later I enjoyed a cuppa soup and four salmon fishcakes bought for £3 at Marks and Spencer’s, the last lemon Turkish delight and a few Whitakers Mint Creams. There was quite a lot of printing, the Blogs both in draft and the published version for myself and several new Friends as the mission to reach the same number as Blogs continues.
It was not a day to be remembered but it meant that I had gained a day. As my days run out I resent time spent in travelling.

A visit to the new Saatchi Gallery

The frost turned to driving rain in the early hours and continued all day. I did not buy time on Cloud, as spectrum Travel Lodge was not available, until waking in the early hours and deciding I was not going to sleep. I wrote the user name and password code carefully and this was a good decision as I was to find some twelve hours later. I could hear the wind and the rain, although it was otherwise quiet. I was hungry and tried to ignore the call but failed and consumed two cheese topped bread roles without a spread or filling. They were delicious.

I got myself ready for breakfast around 7 although had to wait until 8am. I was hungry and enjoyed two pan au chocolate which I have just discovered can be bought in the USA $3 for one. It is croissant form of baked dough with a layer of chocolate in its base, I also had one plain croissant and saved a Danish Pastry for later, I commenced with a good size plate of grapefruit segments and then had a small bunch of grapes, finishing the meal with strong coffee. Back in the room after collecting supplies from the car I used one pack of Scottish smoked salmon with the remaining two cheese rolls, packed the MS carton of grapes and one Danish but decided against making a flask of coffee. I set off in the rain and the walked up the hill to the station was not enjoyable.

I have taken trains from here on at least half a dozen previous visits but this was the first time I was directed to the open waiting room which quickly filled with everyone arriving for the Victoria or London Bridge trains. I got off at East Croydon for a fast train and then the one stop from Victoria to Sloane Square and the famous Kings Road in Chelsea. I was in the greater neighbourhood in the summer for the Promenade concert at the Royal Albert Hall and three year before I was further along both the Kings Road and the adjacent Fulham Road for the Cineworld cinemas.

The new Saatchi gallery has been created in the former Duke of York HQ building which is right angles to the Kings Road In the Spring of 2003 I visited the former Gallery in the former offices of the Greater London Council on the South bank and that visit together with the visit to the Tate Modern changed my life. Today there was nothing that moved me, nothing that engaged with one exception and I was greatly disappointed, The cloak room was on the lower ground floor and here there was also the only installation which engaged my attention. There were thirteen electric wheel chairs with thirteen life like very old men, including a Greek Orthodox Priest, an Arab Sheik, and Naval Commander and an army general. The exhibit is called Old People’s Home. It captures the sense of waiting for death, of limited or lacking of connection with anyone, of being locked into their past lives and alienated from the present. I asked the attendant if there was any reason why the number thirteen had been chosen and not ten or twelve. We had a little chat. Her interest was architecture, rather than contemporary art. She was very interested in my experience in relation to the care of the elderly and my mother. I also had a chat with a Chinese couple who were visiting because the Gallery had been given over to ten contemporary Chinese artists.

I registered as a member on line and looked at the two areas where work was exhibited from the schools project competition and the on line artists competition. Outside it was raining just as hard and I was in no mood to tramp the streets in these conditions so I decided to go to the cinema again but first it was time for some food. There are only eight seats in the Victoria station area before platforms 9 to 17 but one was free between two people but then the person on the end seat left so I moved over and enjoyed the smoked salmon rolls and a Danish pastry, I fancied coffee but there was time to catch a 12,35 train to Clapham Junction station where I cross over the road for a bus to Wandsworth High Street, It is a matter of debate whether to get off at the Town Hall stop or the one after. I chose the latter but will try the first on another occasion. It is a long walk from the street entrance to the escalator up to the Cinema ticket office and then a further escalator to the individual theatres, some 13. Mine was immediately at the entrance number 8.

The Day the Earth Stood Still is a remake of the 1951 science fiction film in which Michael Rennie comes to earth in a flying saucer with a present for President to study life on other planets but is shot by trigger happy soldier until all the weapons are disabled by a large robot who takes Rennie back in the saucer to be revived. He has come to bring the message that the world will not survive if they use atomic power as weapons unless they learn to live together, Rennie takes refuge in a boarding house run by World War II widow with a young son who befriends the visitor and takes him to Arlington cemetery where his father is buried and to a local internationally recognised scientist, completing some work with a solution which amazes the scientist. Rennie explains that he is representing a number of interests across the immediate universe that unless human beings quickly overcome the problem the people of earth will be eliminated, To give a demonstration of power all electricity is turned off for half an hour with the exception of hospitals and planes in flight. As Rennie sets off in the saucer he delivers a warning to the world. The film has a traditional Christianity aspect with a resurrection and statement to humanity before disappearing off into the heavens. I seem to recall something in the New Testament

The 2008 version has Keanu Reeves in the role played by Rennie and John Cleese as the international scientist. The issue of concern to other space races is the failure of the earth to protect the planet from environmental destruction and only at the last moment does the alien prevent the destruction of human kind and all human made constructions returning the planet to its original state. After the film I was asked by a nearby young couple what I thought so I told them about the original and the similarities of the themes. I added that I did think we could expect outside intervention to save us and we had to decide to take action ourselves, although the young couple expressed the hope that there would another remake in 50 years with different concerns. I was entertained and it is a worthwhile remake. I stopped for a coffee and coffee and muffins where the Ice cream was a New Zealand brand. I must confess ice cream is cream and I do not understand why some costs a fortune.

Back at the motel there was some difficulty in getting online before another al fresco meal bought at MS Clapham Junction station together with olives and feta cheese bought on Friday afternoon and then the evening double bill of Strictly Come dancing semi final in which all three couples were taken through to the grand final next week followed by the X factor final. The first surprise of the night was the performance of JLS who have become more professional every week and their performances this evening were entertaining and merited their place in the last two. I have written before that one of my favourite songs of all time is the Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and the second surprise is that this is selected Christmas release single for the winner. I was impressed with the JLS version but the performance of Alexandra Burke was outstanding and was winning if that was not already determined by the public voting. To cap it all, Managerless Sunderland won 4.0 having lost four times at home in succession. It had become a much better day. Hallelujah.

A visit to London 2008

I have travelled South with an overnight stop midway in A1, unfortunately on the wrong side of the dual carriageway, so I stopped at the Travel Lodge on my side of the Road and enquired. I have stayed that the lodge Grantham South Witham several times on my way home when visiting my mother and aunt, and then my mother, so when told to look out of the Red Fox Inn I knew the place well, with an American neon lit diner set back from the road together with a gas station, I was to take the road going left immediately on passing these establishments, even though there was no bridge over the roadway,

I followed the instructions and then took a left turn at the junction which took me under the A1M, something not visible in daylight let alone the pitch black unlit countryside. The next task was to move onto the traffic fast flowing motorway for just 100 metres before turning into the slip road for the Little Chef Restaurant behind which was the Travel Lodge.

I had an uncomfortable evening and night because the small heating radiator had not been turned on beforehand and it was an exceptionally cold night, no doubt because I had booked the room at the give away price of £9 and would eat into that with the lap top electricity, the lighting and heating, including bath, added to which was the cleaning of room, change of bed linen, the free coffee, tea, milk and sugar. I did sleep from about 10.30 to 4am but it was too cold to have a third sleep session so I got up did some writing and then returned to bed for a warm, almost fully clothed,

I was up clearing the windows and windscreen of the car of thick frost just after seven and then had an assortment of breakfast, a puff pastry mince pie and a pot noodle with coffee! I was away as the sun tried to rise before 8am. I continued travelling for an hour before taking the new motorway section of the link road to M1. It is 16 miles due East to reach the M1 at this point and until this trip, the first made on this route since 2004 it was necessary to travel single file through villages split into two by the constant traffic in both directions. Now for the first or nine miles there was a dual carriageway and which only came to an end because of the continuing need for a single each way passage over the railway line and where there were small lake from some previous workings on one side and a substantial industrial commercial estate on the other.

Instead of taking the M25 to near Purley and from there to Croydon my destination for the evening, I continued the length of the motorway which is been widened into 4 lanes each way before and after the M25 junction and at the end took the ring road past the new Wembley stadium and onto Hanger Lane, a notorious link road between the North and South circular routes which passes through Ealing Common, Brentford and Kew, a journey I made for three year each way from my home in Teddington to the Children’s Department in central Ealing. Kew Bridge is a wonderful Bridge over the Thames with a village type Green on the other side and some restaurants. Instead of taking the road to Twickenham or Richmond before Teddington, I turned westward towards Clapham and before then Wandsworth which was to be my lunchtime destination, Before then close the internationally famous Kew Gardens and I took a side road heading towards the National Archive and Family History centre, and before then a small area of out of town centre shops which included a large Marks and Spencer’s.

I enjoyed two salami baked cheese topped rolls and the last puff pastry mince pie, before heading for the store and its hoped for toilets. I was not disappointed and afterwards took the opportunity to visit the food hall where I bought another pack of rolls, two Danish pastries, a small carton of olives and two small packs of the finest Scottish smoked salmon which would serve me over the weekend supplemented by cooked meals eaten out.

Arriving at the one way system at Wandsworth I made an inspired guess took the first right turn, crossing over Wandsworth High Street, close to the Town Hall where I once played a chess match on behalf of Croydon’s County Borough’s chess club and earned a worthy draw, and into the road towards Tooting and Mitcham, a short distance along opposite Sainsbury there was the side road leading to the Southlands shopping Mall and recreation centre, my destination being the Cineworld multiplex. I was able to find a parking space on second level and made my way across to the marked doors leading to the stairs with the cinema third floor level, missing the adjacent lifts. The stairs came out next to the multiplex entrance where the choice was between the remake of The Day the Earth Stood still and the Changeling. I was more in the mood for the former but left the decision till later as there was nearly an hour before the choice had to be made, I adjourned to the nearby fast food outlet where I had a comfortable chair and an inexpensive but enjoyable cup of coffee for 95 pence while I read part of the first chapter of President Elect Barack‘s Obama The Audacity of Hope. He speaks as well as he writes, direct, honest, the ability to select the right word or phase to communicate his feelings or ideas. His speaking and leadership skills have become internationally known but what the first chapter reveals is a mind that understands what is wrong and what is right with bipartisan politics in a democracy and has developed an approach which is a genuine third way. What interests me is that he has the vision which is not dissimilar to that of New Labour in the UK although the starting positions are very different and the composition of the two nations of people was very different although with the growth of those from the West Indies and the Indian Sub Continent and then the dramatic combination of opening up our borders to students from around the world and to the whole of central Europe as the Community was quadrupled from its original 6 to 27 states all with the right to settle and work in the UK, our position has significantly changed, especially in London and the major cities and towns. The main reason for the one way influx is that recent British White generations prefer to remain on state benefits rather than take poorly paid work with unsocial hours and because the older generation of Brits tend to have one language English and therefore is not able to work in the rest of Europe and living outside the UK is problematic

The common feature of both approaches is the move away from polarization politics and to identify centre ground issues which can unite and where political progress is possible, However this can lead to a level of compromising to an extent where fundamental change does not take place and where progress becomes dependent upon sustained economic growth, However just from the first chapter, I also learnt that the President elect is a completer finisher in that having devised a plan he sets out to complete as originally devised. This does not mean rigid implementation regardless of change circumstances or that if experience demonstrates the need for changes, sometimes that substantial changes are necessary, these are not implemented, but it does mean not losing sight of what was intended and ensuring that the focus is kept and only changed with good reason. So I know from my own external assessment and my direct experience, the value of combining leadership and vision with being a completer finisher. However the third component of what can be an unstoppable and powerful mix is creativity. He has certainly been creative in his approach to fund raising, but was this his personal idea or was it an idea provided by a creative/creatives on the team? This I hope to find out because only through creative solutions can the natural impediments to making fundamental change be overcome. It is the role of Peter Mandelson within the Labour Party and of George Osborne and the Conservatives.

It was reading part of the first chapter with my coffee that decided me to go and see the series truth based film the Changeling rather than the science fiction entertainment of the Day the Earth stood still.

The Changeling is an important film and along with The Boy in stripped pyjamas the only two new films of great substance this Oscar year. First the film then the reality. In 1928 on March 10th, the son of single mother Christine Collins disappeared and after considerable national publicity over a period of three years the boy is found and reunited with his mother only for her to say it is not her son. At the time (only at the time?) The Los Angeles Police department was a very corrupt, with gun squads encouraged to kill criminals on sight but where the policy led to the police disposing of anyone who got in their way of own criminal enterprises and finding disappeared boys was not high on their priorities. A Presbyterian Minister Dr Gustav Breigleb led a general campaign against the immorality of Hollywood and the corruption of LAPD and commanded large audience for his Sunday evening sermon lectures which were widely reported in the media of the day. He takes up the case of Christine’s missing son warning that she risks trouble if she takes on the LAPD, but she goes ahead and provides dental records and a teacher who both are prepared to make affidavits saying that the child is not the real son. Christine is then committed to the County Psychiatric Hospital by the police on what is called Code 12, which enables them to imprison anyone who crosses their pathway and keep them treated unless they admitted the error of their ways and absolved police and the Hospital from civil claims.

Through the Minister and his friends she is rescued from hospital coinciding with the discovery of the systematic murder of kidnapped boys from the county. In the film a boy is fund who has run off from Canada and before being returned he confesses to his part in the killing the boys and identifies one of the victims as the missing kidnapped child Walter Collins, thus confirming mother’s story that the returned child was not her son. The man responsible for the killings tries to escape to relatives in Canada but is apprehended brought back, is tried and executed after two years of due process. During this same time Mrs Collins with the help of the Minister leads a campaign which successfully stops the use of police Code 12 and a number of other women are released for the county institution where electric shock therapy and sedation are standard punishments for those who continue to resist the system. The combined efforts with the help a leading pro bono lawyer results in an enquiry which leads to loss of office of the Mayor, and the departures of the City LAPD police chief and the head of the Juvenile Bureau. The fake boy admits the story was made up by the police and that he went along with the deception because he wanted to go to Hollywood and meet Tom Mix , the cowboy film star Several years after the execution one of the boys believed to have died at the farm is recovered having been too frightened to return home and he explains that he only managed to escape because Walter returned to help him and that while he then got away he was not sure if Walter has also escaped or had been recaptured, Mrs Collins continued to search for boy as the films ends

The film is a powerful heart rendering story in which the love and determination of one woman triumphs, with help, over a corrupt police department and brings about major changes. However we know that life is not like that.

It is true that in Wineville, Riverside county a man and his grandmother was convicted of what was known as the Chicken Coop Murders and he was executed with his Grandmother sentenced to 12 years. The man believed that the grandmother was his mother but in fact he was the product of an incestuous relationship between the grandfather and his daughter. They had escaped to Canada where they were apprehended and returned to the USA and after the trial the town changed its name. While some remains were found of the boys and identified, the number of victims and the location of their remains was not. The film hints at but does not elaborate that there was a sexual aspect of the abductions and it emerged that the murderer had been sexually abused by every member of his family during his childhood,

It is also true that there was a campaigning Presbyterian Minister and that one of his targets was the LAP and that he did speak of the missing Collins boy, the claims that the returned child was different and about the Chicken Coop murders. However I can find no information that he contacted Mrs Collins and that they campaigned together.

It is also true that someone other than her son was returned to Mrs Collins and that she was confined in the County Psychiatric hospital because she insisted the boy was not on her own and that she survived and her stay was limited because the murders were then uncovered, It is also true that the child in question did actively pretend he was her son because he wanted a better life and hoped to meet Tom Mix and that he had come forward after meeting up with a drifter and deciding on the deception. He grew up to live as he had started, marrying with a daughter and is one of the characters where we know something more about.

Like others I was not sure about the character of Mrs Collins played by Angelina Jolie. She is just too one sided heroic for my liking. It is true that she did successfully sue the LAPD juvenile Bureau chief although he never paid her and Mrs Collins disappeared into obscurity. Until then it is known that she did not give up, especially when one of the boys who had escaped did turn up and confirm that Walter had escaped with him but was likely to have been recaptured.

There is therefore sufficient truth not to discredit the main film story and it is likely that the film will be among the Oscar nominations and winners, John Malkovich gives a convincing restrained performance as the Minister and I though the performance of the murderer Gordon Northcott was also exceptional.

Leaving the film theatre although I reached the right car floor I could not find my vehicle so tried the first level without success and around the right level several times before I realised I had parked the car in the one place I had not looked, that is close to the stairway.

From leaving the M1 I had been on the lookout for a garage as I was getting low on petrol, There was no one garage on my side of the road, although I did pass two on the other side. I made my way from Tooting through to Mitcham and on to Wallington my former home town, although it was six miles longer from Croydon only to find the garage by the railway station closed and the other garage close two of my former homes, site demolished, There used to be at least four petrol stations around the town and now there are none. On the way into Croydon I did find a garage at Purley Way but this involved crossing to the other side and upon exiting I had to make my way across three busy lanes to ensure I was able to take the right turn along Duppas Hill and onto South Croydon,

I am staying at an Innkeepers Lodge which has the advantage of being a few yards from a railway station. The rooms are of a better standard than Travel Lodge reflected in the price although it is possible to reduce the cost at weekends and special times such as Christmas and New year with a three for two night offer. However it has introduced a key card system for added security but this leads to problems even when the cards have been charged up. In order to get into the room from the car park there is an entrance door, then a door into the accommodation corridor and then into the room. Flat screen TV’s have also been added since my last visit but the quality of the picture for terrestrial stations is appalling although there is a brilliant picture for Sky on and BBC sport channel 2. I divided the unpacking into three journeys with the final one after a meal in the Toby Carvery restaurant.. Here I made my mistake of the day. Before seven every day except Sunday there is a two course meal for £7 but I thought this included a choice of a starter or pudding so I ordered a starter of two fish cakes and salad, then had a reading break and then a large plate of beef topped with a variety of vegetables- broccoli, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes, sage stuffing, parsnip slices and Yorkshire batter pudding. Having paid full price for the starter I was entitled to an ice cream or coffee but was too full for either! After the meal and unpacking I enjoyed extended highlights of the second day’s test in India where England took there overnight score to over 300 and then took five India wickets for half the score. I started to white but was too tired and went to bed and sleep.

Newark on Trent

I received the Lakeland Christmas Catalogue last week and this year I have decided to restrict purchases for me to six items as I commence a serious effort to lose fat in the run up to a time of excessive good eating and drinking. Some choices were easy. I have always adored Nougat from childhood but had to wait until adulthood to savour the cubes filled with candid fruit, cherry juice, honey and pieces of nuts, Almonds and Pistachio in one selection and Hazelnuts, Macadamia and Almond in the other. Then there is hard Turron, a Spanish sweet made up of crushed almonds and egg whites baked hard and covered in rice paper. Last year a local store had a supply at half the price and I bought what proved to be six month's supply. I also like the soft Turron a form of almond paste with a similar appearance and texture to soft fudge.

More difficult is the choice of a chocolate small cups filled with praline. Champagne, mocha and such like, the various truffles, and some boxes with unusual fillings such as lemon meringue pie, rhubarb or Gooseberries fruits. I choose a box of 45 coins size chocolates with superior cocoa from Venezuela to Ghana but later changed myind. Then there are the liquor chocolates with spirit cups or perhaps 20 bottle shaped chocolates in a crate. This meant leaving the fudge and the Turkish delight, the biscuits, the puddings and the cakes. I left the liquor chocolates this year for chocolate covered Brazils. My final choice is a box of mini Florentines. I only discovered the Florentine when attending performances of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at the Newcastle Playhouse Theatre and going for a meal beforehand and unable to resists their large Florentines with a cup of coffee after the main course. Writing this is my first great test, rather like an alcoholic confronted by a selection of single malts.

This talk of food also reminds of the excellent meal eaten in a public house restaurant in Newark on Tuesday, a chicken and bacon salad with a mustard and something dressing. You can have a two course meal for £10 and if there are two of you get a free bottle of wine in addition. I had hoped to explore Newark on the day in the so called summer when watching Durham cricket at Nottingham had to be called off because of constant torrential rain. I had spent part of the day waiting for the rain to stop in three car parks. One by the river under the imposing remains of the Castle, said to have been founded by Egbert, the King of West Saxons, and then rebuilt by Bishop Alexander in the twelfth century. It is a long tall building designed for siege and prolonged battle and was once known as being the Key to the North, and the infamous King John died at the castle which was also a stronghold for Charles 1st in the civil war enduring three sieges and then dismantled in 1646 with the surrender of the King. I stopped by the Morrison's' Car park and then a giant, on the way out of town superstore, amazingly a Woolworths, amazing because so many of the town centre stores have closed.

Newark on Trent, to give is full name, is a small town of some 25000 people, smaller than Beverley although larger when combined with the continuous built up area of the next parish. While Newark does not have a Minister dominating skyline for miles around the city or a vast open space to walk, or the race course, it has the Castle, the striking parish church of St Mary and the River Trent. It is also one of the few towns these days with two railway stations with the East Coast Main Line and a route across England from Nottingham to Lincoln. The town used to be on the main road between London, Newcastle and Edinburgh but in 1964 the then Minister arranged for the by pass and therefore over thirty fives years of using the A1 as an alternative to M1, often stopping overnight around Grantham, I never took the short journey into the town centre.
On Tuesday I left my vehicle in the large long stay car park near the river and walked to the bridges which divided the two locks which are feature overlooked by places to sit and to take tea in warmer weather. It was sunny today but not warm. Walking about the street full of good architecture I was struck by the similarity with Beverley in that the planners have successfully ensured that new developments fit into the atmosphere of the ancient town. Its history as a market town is maintained with a large market square which became a centre of the wool and cloth trade before Victorian times when industrialization brought ironworks, engineering, brewing and sugar refining to its outskirts,

It is thought that the town first developed as part of the Roman Fosse Way and at one point it is believed that in time of King Edward the Confessor the town was owned by Godiva whose claim to fame where her horseback ride in the central Midland town of Coventry. Around 1400 records showed that the adult population aged over 14 years was 1178 excluding clergy and the beggars which made it one of the largest towns in the UK. After the town recovered from its role as a Royalist centre in the civil war it became the property of the Duke of Newcastle as Lord of the Manor and he was responsible for the raised bridge over the river and for the Town Hall which remains as a listed I building. The town doubled in size as a consequence of the developments during the industrial revolution and buildings from this period such as the Free Library, the hospital and the School of Science and Art remain to this day. Sugar beet refining has continued along with some engineering, especially of Farm Machinery. There is now one of the major manufacturers of cakes to a supermarket chain and the distribution centre for the Dixon/Curry's electrical goods and camera store chain. Later while researching for this piece I came across a site for the Newark jazz Festival which commenced in 2006 and is held over a weekend in May.

Yesterday was the day of recovery with an enjoyable evening as England for the first time ever won the fourth successive game in competition to reach the finals of the World Football Cup. As with the previous three games it was not always pretty to watch and there were times when the performance was ordinary, yet the final score could have been more than the three goals to a good goal scored by the other side, Belarus. The notable aspect is the approach of the Italian born manager who takes nothing for granted, is building up a sense of team rather than individual super stars, has established good discipline and is prepared to change tactics if the first plan does not work

I then enjoyed a film which was generally criticised when it was first shown, and which much justification. Eragon asserts that it is the same rank same rank as Lord of the Rings and with Brideshead revisited Jeremy Irons, Robert Carlisle and John Malkovitch in the cast expectations were high. In fairness there was similarity in breathtaking scenes of countryside beauty, filmed in Hungry and the High Tatras of Slovakia and there is one scene where the army of the baddies prepared to attack the goodies which has something of the scale of Lord Of the Rings but overall it fails badly sticking too closely to the first episode of Star Wars although a film about the last Dragon and its Rider. As with Lord of the Rings there are three books and two further films were promised. In order for such a film to work the audience has to quickly believe the fantasy and I cannot see too many adolescents agreeing that it passes their test. However it passed the time while I waited for the third Presidential debate to begin.

Day's Oriental Buffet Brighton

My summer trip to London has got off to a bad start despite rising around 6am, I relaxed too much until 10am and then everything became a rush as i changed mind and left too much to do with too little time to do it.

The weather was kind with pleasant sunshine but it was touch and go whether I will arrive at Kings Cross before the torrential rain forecast. If so then a taxi will be essential for the short journey to the Royal Scot and additional expense. Already I have spent an unnecessary £3 having forgotten to take the metro pass from the suit after changing into the casual summer wear with the jacket fearing that the suit could be drenched on the trip from the station to the hotel.

These were my only notes made before commencing to write again while killing time in the temporary travellers lounge just outside the main concourse at Kings Cross station three days later. It is 3.20on Saturday afternoon. The reason for the gap is that I was able to connect online on the train an engage in an important conversation on Yahoo Instant messenger. Well it seemed important at the time Earlier today I had a potentially more significant conversation and the next few hours will reveal if this has been yet another false dawn among so many false dawns over the last two months. Now reviewing this on the following Tuesday I have report it was the false dawn of false dawns.

Because of this the highlight of the trip has been one of the great meal experiences of my lifetime. Many buffet meal restaurants have opened in the UK over the past decades offering a variety of foods within a range of prices. I have not previously heard of such an extraordinary eating extravaganza as that provided by Day’s of 75-79 East Street Brighton.

It scores the maximum number of stars for such eateries because of design, ambience, choices available, quality of foods, approach of staff and costs with the food for six coming to 83.94 for a priority weekend evening and a further 16.60 for drinks. I will later see if there is an internet site for the restaurant if it is part of a chain, so I can try and recreate the range of food available as well as more detail of the six plates I was able to experience concluding with a simple chocolate ice cream before which there had been a small of a mango tasting custard with a little , a small chocolate finger and a large blackberry, a charlotte ruse and a few large grapes. It is interesting that I remember the deserts I selected and those available. A range of fresh fruits including melons, a choice of ice creams, profiteroles with sauce and cream which I rejected on this occasion, plates of sweets for the children, various cakes and creams,

There where two areas of starters and main dishes. There were three central with prepared dishes but these were constantly replaced with fresh trays as the contents were consumed

From the starters I enjoyed two separate portions of spiced prawns with some crisp seaweed on the first plate, some olives, small sushi portions wrapped with rice. With the second there was crispy fried duck, some spiced beef, and chicken portions. For the main course I had some Thai Beef Curry, a large Papadum, small piece of Naan and rice. I then had a mixture of tasty meats, some green string beans, cooked warm celery. All in sufficient quantity to savour individually and the combination of flavours, but limiting the quantity to ensure I enjoyed the puddings. I drank the greater part of a large bottle of fizzy water. I was full by the end of a good two hour sitting. There is no web site but Trip adviser reviews which I joined some time ago and had to get a new email before it was published.

I was allocated a double bed room at the Royal Scot, small but with a chair at the desk and plenty of power points although I did not need more than one forgetting to bring battery charger and deciding against the camera. The windows were not double so I heard plenty of street noise which was moderate on the Wednesday but bad on the Thursday.

I was determined to control food intake during the trip. For the Wednesday I started with cereal and before leaving the house had a piece of steak with a good portion salad and a banana, finishing the salad at the hotel which included the remaining pieces of ham and pork followed by grapes and coffee. For Thursday there was pan au chocolat for breakfast with coffee. Lunch was a box of French fries, a piece of chicken breast and three spicy wings together with an icy can of diet coke for £2.99 from the Halal no alcohol here, cooked fresh, filling and exceptional value for money. I returned for another helping on the Saturday before travelling home. Earlier I had purchased a BLT sandwich which I enjoyed back in the room with coffee.

The journey homeward had its moments of interest. There was a couple of hours to kill between leaving the room at 2pm and selecting a good spot on the station to get to the train to find a table seat. At one point I spotted what appeared to be a scarf and a book abandoned on a chair and asked a couple nearby if they knew who had been sitting at the seat and they did not so I gathered the items and placed them on top of the unit close where I was sitting to hand them in next time the assistant who checked the toilets from time to arrived. The toilets had been used by all and sundry until the assistant had locked them. The two items were immediately claimed by a young woman who had gone into the far corner close to the toilets to recharge her mobile on a power point. When she left and then a man sitting on an adjacent seat, I moved over to use my laptop. While this was excellent I then found myself advising people that the toilets were locked and where the facilities were located in the main station with new temporary facilities for ladies on the far right hand side with men’s remaining were there had always been on the far end of the far platform, unless one was first class who have their own. Those were the days.

The plan worked and I was able to have a choice of seats electing for one of two by the disability toilets and designed for those with wheel chairs or mobility problems. It was a gamble of course so I stood to see what happened. During the wait I assisted a young Black mother with a child in a buggy, looking after the child while she sorted out seats with a friend and then looked after the buggy and luggage in the other area from where I hoped to sit. Alas shortly before train was to leave there arrived two very large Black women plus electric wheel chair. My presence was fortunate for them because I was able to assist in ensuring they were comfortable and as the other seat was vacant, using a case for the computer I was able to manage where I was although the system was temperamental as it tends to be, especially when the train is packed, as it was. I was able to return to the other seat at Peterborough when the two women alighted. The station staff were well prepared for the arrival. I needed more food having a Ploughman‘s sandwich and coffee before the final lap of the journey by Metro from Newcastle to South Shields with the early Saturday nighters going in both directions. I will do a sport and film catch up as the concentration on project work of one kind or another continues.

1469 Travel Lodge English Breakfast and home

It was time to get ready to go home but first I would treat myself to an unlimited English Breakfast at the Travel Lodge. The Travel Lodge has an oblong dining room and lounge area facing a large screen television with a small bar in the opposite corner alongside the main reception desk where I purchased the breakfast £7.50 (261.62)

Before proceeding one is given a large and small plate, a bowl, a knife, fork and spoon and serviette. Two members of the kitchen staff ensure that all the food and drink is available and were appropriate refreshed so that although the orange and milk were only half empty they were refreshed by refrigerator cold supply. There were several families before my arrival and subsequently and this was great treat for them as they were able to indulge as they wished, trying several of the cereals, having endless drinks or just a little of everything and everything there was.

There was orange juice, grapefruit juice and apple juice as well as cold milk. There was unlimited toast which some were taking away eight pieces from a large toaster. There were croissants where I had one with a butter substitute and second cup of coffee at the end of the meal while watching the News. I commenced with a bowl of grapefruit. I cannot remember what other choice there was, except that there was. I also noticed some chocolates cakes which appealed to some of the children.

I was not tempted by these or the wrack of cereal but on the side table of hot containers with bacon, sausages, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and scrambled egg. It was to enjoy two helpings. In the first I had two sausages four or five pieces of bacon a large portion of mushrooms and of scrambled egg. I then had a cup of coffee which was hot but required three sugars. I debated saying enough is enough but then again thought a little more of what you fancy so I selected two more sausages and several slices of bacon, after which was the croissant with another cup of coffee.

I returned well fed to my room and commenced the task of packing up, I continued until 10am when I went to Somerfield, the supermarket, and bought four rectangular breads for £1.20, two pecan Danish for £1, some Duck pate £ 1.58 and cold water £.61, a total £4.39 £266.01. I made two pate rolls and transferred the water to the flask. I had two reasons for putting the lap top in he haversack. One does not have control over bags given to the coach for packing in the luggage compartments, where heavy cases can be put over lighter ones. I was also interest to see if I could connect on line at the service station stop. This added weight to wearing the suit jacket and the sleeveless jacket, and I knew the journey with the luggage was going to be uncomfortable.

The single standard ticket to Victoria cost £4.10 and a cheap day return only £5.10. (271.11), Although a twelve carriage train from Brighton I had to struggle to find a seat and needed several sups of water.

Making my way to the coach station I was relieved that it was not raining and had difficulty in finding sweat as the whole area was crowded with more than an hour before expected to board the coach. Although it was a year since making the trip I knew what to do waiting until half an hour before departure time to make my way beyond the glass doors to just outside when the it was cooler and one could ensure a good seat towards the rear of the vehicle where there was more chance of getting and keeping two seats. Fortunately the crowd dispersed with the majority of the coaches, in two row at this part of the station were on their way at noon and 12.30. Until just after 12.30 there was just the coach to Beverley on one side of the two coaches for South Shields and a coach to Nottingham on the other. The coach driver was most insistent that only those going to Thirsk, Middlesbrough and Stockton should board first, the coach at the rear. The journey would be long arriving in South Shields at 8.30 so if the intention was to divide the stopping points between the two coaches this would mean an earlier arrival. It also meant that the majority of passengers were able to have two seats to themselves except where there were two travelling together including a pair of young women, one appeared to have a bad cold and who I was delighted to find took seats at the coach front, near me was a grandmother mother and one of her seven grandsons, and one grand daughter who was bringing him back after a three week holiday visit in time for a dental appointment, She was then staying with her son and his family until the first week of September. We had a good chat towards the end of the trip.

The journey was not as short as it could have been because of road works on the MI which involved a detour off the motorway. We stopped at Sheffield where I bought the last available newspaper, the Guardian which contained the latest Olympic news 80p and enjoyed a mug of tea £1.80. (273.71) I tried the lap top where the wireless connection was provided by Little Chef. I needed to register and I was not sure if the service was free so I decided not to investigate further given the time it had taken for the lap top to load and that the stop was only for 30 minutes. I will investigate furthering due course. Until entering conversation much of the time was used to catch up on sleep although I enjoyed the journey out of London, where we went passed Lords, the Cricket ground, which was to have been the original focus of the visit.

After Hartlepool we made an unscheduled stop at Bellingham, onto Sunderland, after which as has been previous experience there were only three or four others left on the coach to South Shields, where we arrived just before eight o'clock. The cost of the cost was £15.50 for the return journey making a total expenditure for the trip £289.21 or there abouts. There was a police vehicle and four officers at the junction but no indication what was the cause of the trouble. I was not looking forward to the climb up the hill with the luggage but it was not raining and it had been as was the evidence in the patio when I arrived.
I checked the post and there was one good surprise. I watered the plants that had not been in the open when I was away and did a partial unpack. I had some soup and the second prepared bread with the pate. I had eaten the Danish on the coach. I had drank cold water on arrival, then some orange and then some tea, and fell asleep in front of the telly so made my way up to bed and to sleep. And the surprise I won £50 on the premium bonds, first win in six months and where I had intended it write and enquire if the remaining bonds had been taken out of the draw when I had cashed some earlier in the year.

1468, Peroni Beer, Sunday lunch at Browns Canary Wharf and Newcastle at Man U

I awoke on Sunday August 17th around six am and before I set off for London around eleven am. It was to become a day not only different from my intention before commencing trip, but also different from that which I proposed for myself as I watched Britain's successes at the Olympic games.

The revised plan was to take the train to Victoria and then if as expected the Jubilee line was closed going Eastwards, take the river boat to North Greenwich from the Embankment travelling by way of the circle or district line. The plan was executed and arriving at the pier I was advised to pay when on board joining was a comparatively small queue for the Thames Clipper. There was a bigger boat than the clippers moored at the top end of the pier so that other vessels had to truck in behind adding to the time taken to moor and then to cast off. A bus travelling passed the houses of Parliament towards Richmond and Kingston arrived although I did not note the direction it took as it left. A Thames clipper was noted going directly on its way towards Waterloo without stopping and the notice board stated that the service had been cancelled as the boar was going out of service reminding of what happened on my trip from North Greenwich to Waterloo when fortunately two cruisers had arrived at the same time and I had taken the second had been able to get a seat at the open end at the rear from where I was able to take photos.

As the queue was developing behind my position and without any guarantee that there would be two boats as before I decided to show flexibility and adaptability by returning to the underground and taking the district circle line onward to the joint Bank/Monument station in the City of London for the Dockland's. At Monument I had to go through a series of underground passages from one line station to another only to find the entrance to the Dockland Light Railway was closed and an adjacent notice explained that the line was closed for engineering works over the weekend. I therefore had to make my way back through the passages to exit the station where across a road there was a replacement bus services. This took me through the city to the ring road at Tower Bridge, which I suspect Americans in times past thought they were buying when the previous London Bridge was sold to them.
From the Bridge the road to the former docklands goes through a depressing mixture of local authority/former local authority estates full of uniform dwellings devoid of character intermingled with new "apartment" development and commercial enterprises. It has the appearance of an unplanned sprawl. The road is the only main road between the Blackwall tunnel under the Thames and the first bridge crossing to south east London at Tower Bridge. I noted that there was considerable traffic build up in the opposite direction.

The revised plan of the morning been to enjoy a lunch at the Dome and then go to Cineworld at East India Dock to see with Mama Mia again or the spoof spy thriller Get Smart. However by the time to buss reach the East India Dock station I had decided to find somewhere for lunch on the inner dock between Canada Wharf and East India where there was a row of restaurant bars at ground level in the wharf side building converted into apartment lofts. Although the bus pulled up by the East India station I decided to continue on to Canary Wharf where the transport was likely to fill up on the return journey. On a previous visit I forgotten that the Cinema is on the stop before Canary on the Docklands Light Railway and had continued on to a stop within sight of the Dome. Today the bus passed through the police check point for all transport into the docklands area established after the IRA bombing of the area in 1996 which marked the end of a 17 month cease fire. Only twelve years ago security surveillance remains high because of the potentially new threat to what has become a symbol of the financial wealth of new Britain and where from the Thames the skyline reminded one visiting American of New York.

I knew where to head for but before crossing the bridge stopped at the Cat and Canary pub where two of the key football matches of the day were being televised live. The first was Chelsea versus Portsmouth at one thirty. The train from East Croydon to Victoria had been the local train starting at Sutton and there had been no seats as it was full of Chelsea fans going to the game. Such were the conditions that I got off the train at Clapham and waited the three or four minutes for the train from Brighton which had twelve coaches instead of four and a choice of seats where I had the good fortune to chose one where someone had left copies of the News of the World and the Sunday People which I added to the Mail on Sunday which I had bought at the station, having also bought two Pecan Danish and a bottle of cold water at the Supermarket £1.61, £7 the train ticket and £1.50 the newspaper (222.47, 229.47, 230.97).

Although it was just before 1.30pm when I looked in at the Cat and Canary I did not see anyone eating lunch and although the weather was accelerating quickly between warm sunshine and ominous looking rain cloud, I decided to eat outside at the first restaurant Bridge, Browns part of chain, and I chose a table close to the entrance so that if it did rain I could quickly take cover. There was a scattering of other people, some just enjoying a lunchtime drink while others were tucking in to the advertise Sunday brunch of roast beef or roast chicken.

I had walked straight passed the desk near the front entrance to the open air tables and was unsure if meals were ordered inside at the bar or when a waiter had time to attend. I soon learnt that if I had waited at the desk someone would have quickly escorted to a table of choice and provide a copy of the full menu and list of available drinks £1.90 (232.87)

Only on return home did I learn that Browns first entered the good tradition British Food restaurant Industry in 1973 with its first premises in central London. There are now a over a dozen restaurants located in the capital and at major towns and cities including Bath and Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge, Brighton and Windsor.

Having asked one waitress what to do and other quickly brought me the menu although I already knew I wanted the Road Beef. To drink I settled for half of Peroni Nastro Azzurro, an increasingly popular Italian premium beer, recommended by the waiter an which I enjoyed immensely. This beer enjoyed by Italian was rebranded and marketed by Miller in 2005 and has since enjoyed an increasing share of the market. I no longer drink beer escape for an occasional bottle of the inexpensive Fosters but as they day progressed was converted.

Without prior knowledge there was no expectation about the meal £10.95 (243.82) which comprised four slices of beef and a large chunk of Yorkshire pudding and good portion of vegetables well cooked and served in gravy. Up early and with a light breakfast I was ready for the meal served around 2pm which I greatly enjoyed, especially as the rain clouds passed over and the sun was warm. I alternated between reading the papers and observing fellow diners which included a party of USA speaking Asians enjoying a long midday drink. I ended the meal with a coffee not as warm and stronger than I like £1.90 (245.72) with tip £2 (247.72). I continue to relax. Read and observe until 3pm when I decided it was time to adjourn to the Cat and canary to find a place for a match between Manchester United and Newcastle at 4 pm with the preliminaries at 3.30.

The first thing that struck me was that a number of people were eating meals outside on the wide veranda overlooking the East India basin. The second was that almost every table and chair was occupied but I did find one in the far corner under a large screen TV which involved a stretch of the neck. Before settling down to watch the end of the match which Chelsea were winning 3.0 against Portsmouth, I visited the Gentleman's and bought by second half of Peroni which was around £1.90 (249.62) Shortly after I returned a terrific goal completed the route 4.0 scored by someone who I believe is a new player called Decco. England's team member Peter Crouch played his first Premiership game for Portsmouth after transfer from Liverpool.

The end of this match resulted in some of the audience leaving and I was able to move to a leather arm chair in an ideal location to view the next game without it be a strain on the neck. I had cautiously bought half a pint because if Manchester scored earlier and it looked a if Newcastle was not at the races I would return to Croydon to watch television and write. I was not yet switched on the football season with the Olympics and the County Cricket Championships my principal interests.

Oh ye of little faith. It was a very good game to watch where Newcastle were the better team overall but where both sides could have won had all the chances been taken and where the 1.1 final score was about right. Both teams were without key players, For Newcastle Own and Viduka were absentees, and where there is continued speculation that Owen unhappy at being asked to take a pay cut is looking to move. Manchester had Ronaldo injured on the bench but where he wants to move to Real Madrid. I was most impressed by Jonas Gutierrez the Argentinean midfield winger who had moved from Real Madrid. In the twenty second minute Martens who led the line on his own hit a bullet header which Var de sar had no hope of stopping. Unfortunately with Taylor off the field receiving treatment Manchester equalised within a minute and despite various opportunities both sides failed to score again. Given that last season Newcastle lost 6.0 the result is a good omen. Enjoying the start of the game I was confident that the rest would be worth watching so I bought my second pint with some plain crisps £4.60 (254.12). The result was so encouraging that I decided that I would try and attend a live game as soon as it was possible to do so. It had been a very enjoyable afternoon, which was just as well given the difficulty I then getting back to central London, At first it looked as if he the dockland railway had recommenced but this was to further on rather than going into London. As soon as the bus turned into the main road towards Tower bridge I was relieved to have found a seat as for over an hour we inched our way a few yards and then stopping. It was hot and boring and tempers in the bus were frayed as the journey progressed.

On arrival at Bank, eventually it was cold but not raining and I quickly made by way to London bridge, the Bridge, crossed over the Thames where visitors was stopping to have their photos against the Tower Bridge and with HMS Belfast to one side. At London Bridge, the station, I was able to get onboard the train to Brighton which was in station but where there was another twenty minutes before departure time. During the football I had eaten the Danish and I was looking forward to having something more, forgetting that on Sunday the supermarket would have closed early. I and to make do with a soup but this proved adequate. I lay on the bed to watch the Andrew Marr programmes at 9 and then at ten, started the nine o'clock but woke again around 10. This was a signal to get into bed for the night which I did and was soon asleep.

On one hand all I had done was have a roast Sunday lunch and watched a football match on television, something I could easily have done at home without much of the expense and without the time and hassle of the travelling. Yet I still consider that I had a very good day which fitted into the rest of mini break and where the unique aspects was enjoying a meal in the open air, reading newspapers and observing life around for some two hours. I made no effort to pack until the following day.