On Saturday April 21st I was woken early by loud conversations between individuals whose first language was not English. The noise occurred for sometime around 5am but I quickly determined that this rude awakening would not spoil my day. After what had become my regular breakfast on this visit of a cuppa soup, and looking out over Croydon to the wooded hills and the prominent patches of blue sky above, I uttered the word “Cricket” and decided to dress for a second day at Lords, putting on my suit and tie, and top coat. Fortunately as events transpired I did not take my hat although this was unintentional as I also decided not to take with me the shoulder bag inside of which it would have been placed the hat for the journey to the ground. The umbrella which had been opened to dry was folded again and had been placed on the desk and not back in the bag. I would use the coat and the brolly to protect my seat, although there is a tradition in the main Pavilion at Lords that seats are not pre allocated or numbered so that MCC members move about, engaging in conversation from time to time, except the Middlesex supporters who seem to me congregated on the top deck of the Pavilion although as it transpired some of did gather in the Long Room. However this is all for another day. Today would be for travelling on buses, for walking and for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.
Having determined my day and approach to it, I set about some writing and later checked emails without paying attention to the clouding of the skies. By the time I reached the time set for departure there was an ominous look to the weather as if rain was imminent and I said to myself a quiet no and prepared to change the plan without knowing how. Intending to travel light I only had with me the small Berlitz pocket map guides to the buses of the central London and to the Underground network which also had the theatres, the markets and congestion Zone area on small separate maps plus the geography of the river Thames but only from Chelsea to the Woolwich free ferry, useless as I was subsequently to need.
I made my way up the hill to the station but approaching the Dingwall Road Crossing, glancing across at the theatre and reminding myself that I had not checked what was on and not visited once in all the recent years of staying at the central Travel Lodge, I also saw that the queue for the X 26 bus was a good one suggesting that it was not long before the bus to London Heathrow airport was due.
Arrival was three minutes away so on the spur of that moment I decided to wait and see if I would have a seat when the bus arrived, I did although it was on the aisle at the raised level which meant one has to cling on around corners. Fortunately the person at the window alighted at Sutton and for the rest of journey I was comfortable at the window and able to make notes when inclined. But where was I going to? I decided to leave the decision to the weather, and if raining or looking like raining I would journey on, perhaps all the way to the airport.
I have previously taken this bus twice since discovering its route, once to the Hampton Wick end of Teddington High Street and once to Kingston and to then take a bus directly to Richmond via Ham. I enjoyed the fast route passage via Carshalton High Street passing the entrance to the park and pond the scene of many a Sunday walk after mass and then to the Sutton Post office where my birth and care mothers would alight there from Wallington to take another bus to Kingston for their lunch of fish and chips and look around the shopping centre.
Between Sutton and Kingston I was entertained by the exploits of an interesting young woman who had returned to the UK for the first time six months from her work in some hot clime which I suspect was more in the middle east than the Caribbean and where she was catching up with an older woman who was not her mother but for whom she brought a card and a piece of Jewellery which the woman did not open. The girl was attractive and engaging without being sophisticated or beautiful and which made her adventuring that much more interesting. The problem was that while I could clearly hear everything she said the woman spoke in soft tones so that important features of the conversation remain unknown. In contrast there was also a family located in three parts of the bus-- a young man with a child, which I presumed his mother, I think, sitting across from where he stood with the push chair, his wife and another child adjacent to me and his father and another relative towards the back where it was evident that it was it was a journey they had not made before and were regarding as great an adventure as the travels of the young woman to a land where peppers were a central ingredient to every meal.
I had no inclination to visit Kingston on the day and as the weather appeared to have cleared I decided to continue the journey to Teddington alongside the huge acres of Bushey Park rather than go for a bus which would take me direct to Richmond. It was still mid morning but I was feeling ready for lunch. The vastness of the open spaces of Bushey Park always causes me to think why I did not make more of the opportunity to visit when living for those three years at Munster Road.
Certainly I would like to have been a much wealthier man if my career had been carried out in London although despite it location a short walk to the west to the River Thames or to the East and Bushey Park and a couple of miles down the road from Kingston there are no regrets for experience of living on Wearside and then Tyneside.
For some reason my walk along the High Street at Teddington seemed to take less time than the previous instance as admittedly I paid more attention to everything along the way marvelling at the changes since living close by, but would still take the car and park in a side street when visiting usually over the weekend. I missed the Tesco where a sandwich deal could have been purchased and Mc D if there is one. I did take note of the large Travel Lodge located close to the Railway Station.
My interest focus on this occasion was property prices and I crossed back and forth to view the windows of the estate agents to see if there was anything for sale in Munster Road or similar deceptive l properties with the sunken gardens at the rear, with garden living rooms and converted coal stores onto domestic areas at the front, and coal shoots made into skylights.
There were two printed guides to take away. One concentrated more on properties £1 million with Prestbury House at Hampton Court overlooking Bushey Park one of the main attractions with seven bedrooms and 4 bathrooms at £6 million while a five level narrow front terrace with amazing views of the Thames from Richmond Hill was commanding £5.7 million for units 4665 square feet and off street parking only for one vehicle; a spacious family home at Kew was going for £4.7 with over 5000 sq ft while Rose House at Ham Common with a large lawn garden to the rear and a vast open plan ground floor design and 4900 sq ft was available for £4.5m, A 2 bed garden flat at Richmond available for half a million while you need three to four thousand a month to rent houses of any size. In Teddington houses close to the river or park command prices in the region of £1.5m. My favourite had a part sunken garden patio area was in St Albans Gardens with 4300 square feet at £2.65.
The morning had become pleasant in the sun and I regretted the coat and abandoned my tie and rather than catch a bus I crossed the road to Teddington Lock and over the bridges into Ham and its common. The impressive church at the road junction before the lock has become an Art centre with occasionally concerts.
I followed the walkway signs into the Ham residential area where a local bus followed a circuitous route around the village before taking the main road to Petersham and Richmond where at the American University the bus branched of around the residential part of the town until the small bus station where I alighted. Unless there was something of interest showing at the matinee performance of the Richmond Theatre on the Green I proposed to journey on to Clapham Junction and Wands worth. I had no idea how to get there by bus and was therefore pleasantly amazed to see a sign across from the bus station which read Clapham Junction,
In need of food and determined to check out the Theatre I made my way into the centre of town and considered a burger and chips with drink offer at a Weathspoons’ type pub. Before reaching the Theatre at the far end of the Green I was accosted by a gentleman of similar years to me who had with a trolley and leaflets and enquired about a location. I had a vague idea of a similar occurrence on a previous visit but if it some play to engage I was mistaken because having explained I was a visitor he approached another passer-by.
There were some productions which appealed coming up at the theatre but alas the matinee for the day was Absolutely Fabulous with Pauline Quirke and not my cup of tea. It was back to plan B. I decided on a local Tesco and purchased a sandwich, a can of Pepsi and four fingers of Kit Kat, meal deal for £2.50. I missed a bus but the next came within 10 mins although there was a five minute turn around time. This was sufficient to have the lunch although at one point when it looked we would be immediately allowed onto the bus the drink spilled and soaked the property journals.
The journey towards Clapham was very slow because of traffic but the route was quickly recognised as familiar although or why was not remembered. The next discovery was that the bus was going to Wandsworth before Clapham so I was able to get off at the Town Hall where as previously recorded I once played Chess for Croydon Nalgo Social Club. It was a minute or two before 1 and I remembered that there was a showing of the film of interest at 10 past. I made the journey as quickly as I could. At the ticket counter a new system was being introduced which would enable an addition to be paid on top of the voucher to enable 3D to be viewed. The female assistant had difficulty in mastering the new system and I feared I would miss the start of a film about taking Salmon Fishing to the Yemen; I made it by about two trailers for forthcoming features. The film review will follow at the end of the piece.
Afterwards I was hungry once more and entered the adjacent McD which was very busy and after getting a Big Mac and fries for £1.99 I had to sit on a high stool to eat. Staff gave out colourful balloons to the children. I was then ready to return to Croydon and decided to do so via Clapham Junction and made my way to where I knew buses departed. I missed one but only had to wait a few minutes before the next.
Everything appeared straightforward until the Oyster Card was refused. The young assistant could nto read and the young man at the nearby store shop confirmed it was still showing a debt of £1.16 and suggested I went to an underground station which would be able to print out the recent history. As the bus for Croydon could be caught at Brixton I made my way across the road to the department store where the bus stop was located. The assistant at the station tried to help. I paid £5 and he cleared the debt, but when I checked the following day for departure to St Pancras it was showing £5.40 in credit which was something of a puzzle.
The journey from Brixton to Croydon was most enjoyable because of a delightful one year old that smiled at me from the seat in front and opts out her hand to touch. This led to an interesting conversation with her mother who gave the impression of struggling with motherhood and being a single parent, the conversation moved from the demands of caring for a one year old to my experiences of Croydon since the War. The mother had assumed that because I was wearing a suit and tie I had been to work and showed amazement when I said I was 73 and which got the subsequent conversation going.
On arrival at the Travel Lodge my first action after booting up the lap was to find that Newcastle had won against Stoke by 3 goals to nil and with Chelsea managing only to draw this created a two point advantage and things got even better when in the 5.15 kick off QPR beat Spurs 1.0 and Newcastle were firmly in the 4th championship league position and only a couple of points behind Arsenal in third. I was able to watch the full 90 minutes on Sky Go after the QPR game. The first goal had come early on in the first half with a header from Cabaye, who during the second and an excellent second goal hitting the ball from the side angle across the goal keeper into the far corner of the net. The second goal came in the first part of the first half and was scored by Cisse. Ba had a couple of near misses but the aspect of the performance which impressed me was the quality of the organisation and passing which was on a par with Barcelona and Real Madrid.
It was time to check out tickets for the last home game of season against Manchester City. Newcastle has a touch end of season with three away games against Wigan still fighting to avoid relegation Chelsea, who if they lose tonight against Barcelona will need the European Place. I therefore have two reasons for Chelsea to go through and win the competition with a £20 free bet at £10 with Paddy Power. The Newcastle win has netted me a profit of £2 plus stake money.
Tickets were still on sale for Season tickets holders and Club member. This costs £25 for £12 month. There were only single tickets available in the area behind the goal and the concession price was increased from £22 to £32 making the visit cost £57 more than a single ticket in the special lounge areas but membership will enable advance purchase next season and £1 a time reduction on future purchases so is a longer term better investment.
I missed most of Britain’s Got Talent as earlier the USA Idol which has reached the last seven and down to public response after the shock of the previous week where the most talented singer had to be saved by the judgers from premature exit. Her problem is personality projection which is understandable given that she is only sixteen years of age. I was ready for an early night but stayed up to watch Alan Shearer pour out his delight at the Newcastle performance before switch off and into bed.
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