Londin Visit May 2013 food extravganza

On my visit to Croydon and central London during the past week I eat well but too much and of the wrong foods. The consequence is that I added over a quarter of a stone having already moved closer to 16 and a quarter in the days immediately before the visit. Today I concentrated sorting and commencing the writing with no inclination to commence the exercise programme again after an uncomfortable waking during the night although I have maintained the high average of 8.3 hours with the Sleep Apnoea treatment machine having reached 8.4 with a total hours high over 251 for 30 days. I have not missed one day since September and this includes during two colds.

I commenced last Wednesday with porridge for breakfast followed by a coffee at the station (£1.80) and another on the train (£2.25) and eating small prepared home baked rolls with pâté and olives. I had some packet soup with the remaining roll in the evening and enjoyed an inexpensive bar of chocolate brought with me at 40 pence. I had a flask of cold water with me for the journey and purchased two cans of diet coke from Waitrose paying cash £1.18. £5.23 on the day.

I had a soup rather than coffee at the Travel Lodge for breakfast which sufficed until just after 12 when I sat down at the Water Margin Asian Buffet restaurant at the Millennium Dome 02 on the Thursday and which was offered their midday meal for £6 instead of the usual £8.80 and indeed 80 pence cheaper that the same level of fare at the local all day buffet here in South Shields which I am still to visit And have postponed until I get below that sixteen stone ceiling.

I purchased a large diet coke so that with tip the final account was £9.50 which was very reasonable given the delicious five plates of food I enjoyed over the next 90 minutes, I was the first inside, joined by a couple of mine own age and then two individuals on their own and then two men, one of whom wanted beer and gave up his spoon only after one small plate of food.

From the starters I took a couple of crab claw balls and then various kinds of chicken pieces adding a liberal portion of curry sauce. The was followed by two plates of beef dishes in various spicy concoctions and the sweets first a mixture of fresh and tinned fruits including pineapple, grapes, melon and peaches and then a bowl of ice cream with two scoops of chocolate and one of vanilla. In the evening I enjoyed a coffee £1.50 in the members cafe on the fourth floor and also a diet cola round £2 if not more and then a carton of chips from an outside concession at £3. I purchases a diet Coke 59p at Waitrose on return plus a pack of soft rolls reduce to 59p for the following day a total expenditure on the day £18 18.

I had one of the rolls with a packet soup for breakfast and coffee on arrival at the ground the following morning £1.50, enjoying the rolls for lunch and then purchased a Diet Coke(£.59) from a shop on my lunchtime walkabout, finding a convenience store at the end of a short row of shops and service providers and which included an attractive looking pub which had offered live jazz the previous evening. On the way back I purchased spicy chicken wings for the evening meal £2.99. More bread rolls £.67, some pâté at£1.59. A diet coke £.59 and a packet of two custard tarts(£.79), one eat that evening and the other the following morning. The bill at the Waitrose totalled £6.53 making a day expenditure £8.62.

I then had another soup with a plain roll breakfast on the Saturday and an early coffee followed by another in the President’s tea room in the afternoon when I looked at the match behind glass as it had turned bitter cold again and also read the free newspapers while keeping on Chelsea’s football match on Sky.( £3) Homeward there was a second purchase of Chicken wings. A can of diet coke and two cream scones which I wolfed and cost £5.96 in total. £8.96 in total.

I adopted a different approach on Sunday going to the Wetherspoons the George for a pub lunch after a soup for breakfast. I enjoyed their roast special which in my instance comprised a half chicken with a good plate of vegetables and a pint of Foster Lager for £6.99. For the evening after the pictures having returned early and able to visit Waitrose there was the third helping of chicken wings more custard slices and a can of diet coke total £ 4.97 and £11.86 for the day.

On Monday, the last day of the cricket and my visit as Durham proceeded to a win I celebrated with a coffee on arrival £1.50, a plate of chips for lunch £3 followed by one of the most expensive Feast Ice creams ever at £2.60 in the so called convenience store created from the old shop area in the ground. After depositing the shoulder rucksack at the Travel Lodge I went to Wetherspoons for a sausage and mash and a pint of Fosters, £7.84. From Waitrose there was a packet of Werthers originals having run out of night sweets for a dry mouth £ 1.25 and afters of two custards slices for £1.39 £17.58 on the day.

I had acquired a Metro voucher for a sausage and egg (with a slice of Cheese McMuffin for 99p which I enjoyed as breakfast the following morning on my way to East Croydon and then used the free coffee from having purchased six and attaching the stickers to the free coffee card. I called in at Waitrose for £3 smoked salmon sandwich for the journey and enjoyed a coffee on the train £2.25 total of £ 6.24 during the journey and back home there was a late visit to Morrisons for a pint of milk and some fresh veg £1.68. For the evening meal I enjoyed a large fish cake with a mixture of tinned beans, tomatoes and carrots, the second portion I used with a pork chop for lunch yesterday, followed by three small home baked rolls with cheese and pickle after a porridge for breakfast. I also purchased two Feast Ice Creams during the stay from the Travel Lodge £2 and a bottle of Pepsi £1.50. I had taken a total of three of inexpensive chocolate bars with me on the trip so the food crime list includes ice creams, chocolate, chips and cream cakes.

The cost of what was for me a food extravaganza comes to £81.85 what some pay an individual meal or the cost of a ticket to one of Ashes test at Durham this year excluding car parking. The total expenditure so far including travel (£82)and accommodation (£146) is therefore £209. 85, To this must be added £52 for my four visits to the Oval (£261.85 for the whole trip which works out at £50 or so per whole day there and only £37 for the seven days with the travelling days included.

Arriving around 4pm on the first day and the sun shining I went for a good walk into Croydon along the High Street to West Croydon station working out the quickest way to get there, especially if there was rain, as at that point I had in mind taking the Victoria station train calling at Balham for the Northern Line to thee Oval, the route I have taken many times when staying at the Clyde Road flat in Wallington. As previously explained it was only on the Friday I worked out that the best route and quickest was to take the non stop train from East Croydon to London Bridge and then take the Underground train to the Oval and back the same way. On the Wednesday evening I continued past the station along to where there is a row of international stores, restaurants and services as far as the Volunteer and public information and services new HQ building. I had intended a longer walk than was taken but coming tired I briefly sat in the shopping mall on the way back and then returned to the Travel Lodge after calling at Waitrose. I had noted that the all day Asian buffet restaurant opposite the George had closed down.

The underpass between platforms at East Croydon station are not only closed but it looks as if work has progressed on sealing the exits. The udnerpass has been replaced by an impressive above platform construction with the stairway between platforms open but the lifts yet to be completed. At present the construction ends with the far platforms but looks as if it could be continued in both directions to create new entrances/exits to the station. Apart from this development and some clearance I did not gain the impression that other work on the development site which is to comprise residential and shopping facilities plus a new theatre has commenced although notices on the hoardings suggested other wise.

Some of the regular street people were noted on my journeys to and from the station. There is an Asian lady I suspect from the Indian sub continent who sells the Big issue outside Waitrose. There is also a man with a shopping trolley overloaded with his possession which includes a broom and which suggests that he is living on the streets. I saw him twice on this visit, once outside Waitrose and at the junction between George Street and Wellesley Road. There was one man who looked in a poor condition and was approached by someone who I cannot work out is a social worker or street life organiser and who I have previously seen talking to the street people. Not seen was the man or the woman who sometimes beg here, usually with a skinny dog to hand. There is also a group of alcoholics who have encountered in doorways close to Surrey street and this time they were noted close to the entrance of the Travel Lodge.

Another regular feature of my visit to the capital is the check on property prices where a reasonably sized family home nothings special was priced at three quarters of million in Croydon and closer to one million advertised by an agency viewed on the Oval walkabout. Next the Oval and the cricket.

London visit May 2013 travels and accommodation

I am home after a very enjoyable and successful visit to London primarily to watch Durham play Surrey at the Kennington Oval although I have put on half a stone, the lap top went on the blink so I was not able to use on the homeward journey and I am now having difficulties getting on screen what I managed to wrote during the outward journey and during the visit. I have therefore decided to redo using the hand written notes made on the journey home and adopt a different approach to that originally planned.

I will devote his first piece to an over view of the trip and its background as well as covering the others writings and activities which will command my attention over the rest of the month.

I am still debating whether to write about aspects of my experience in the three weeks before the trip delivering leaflet for the successful Labour Candidate in the Parliamentary election caused by the resignation of the former candidate for the leadership of the Labour party and where his brother Ed was successful and has more than a good chance of becoming the next British Prime Minister. UKIP who did worrying well in the by election are planning to fight most if not all local Council seats in may as well as the two by-election one in Cleadon a former Tory stronghold and in Jarrow follow the success of Emma Lewell Buck. The rise of this political party is having a major impact on the Tory party will about a hundred back bench and government members fearing for their parliamentary futures and planning some form of arrangement/ appeasement which Nigel Farage is too smart an operator to buy when he can have the whole game by letting the public have their say in 2015.

I am also debating whether to follow up and what way my recent experience as an Assessor or the new Patient Led Assessments of Health facilities providing more than the residential beds.

Outstanding from before Christmas is the writing up of the rest of the James Bond Films where I watched all the films in sequence as I also did the Harry Potter films. I also will read the last of Harry Potter books having also read and written about the first and its subsequent film. I have watched three films in Theatre over the past three weeks, The sad portrayal of Paul Raymond, his daughter and other members of his family, the successful British pornographer and entrepreneur who became one the richest individuals in the UK, primarily through his purchasing of property in Soho.

The film, the Look of Love confused one elderly couple who quickly exited to the screen showing Love is all you Need, an excellent romantic film set in Denmark and Italy starring Pierce Brosnan. During my London trip I also experienced the latest Pedro Almodovar. I am so excited which I found disappointing. I have recorded Prometheus on HD to view and tomorrow I go to a Cineworld relay of the story of the Coalition government of the 1970’s in a live HD theatre relay This House. I still have to write up my experience of the operas Rigoletto and Eugene Onegin. I must check out the programme Live events showing this summer in Cineworld and Odeon Theatres.

I have finished reading the first volume of A Storm of Swords which is part of the epic Fire and Ice series of novels by George R R Martin and which is the basis of the third series of A Game of Thrones, the title of the first volume but which has been retained by Sky Atlantic channel and which is now being made in Northern Ireland. I have so much to read especially the life of George Orwell, although I am also inclined to read another of the novels in the Montalbano detective series now that in theory summer is here and I long for warm sun.

There is so much television to report with the final two episodes of Endeavour, the new series about young Morse, together with the last episodes of the Political series about a coalition in Denmark Borgen although I may well use a voucher to order the first two series later to day. The short BBC series The Politicians Wife was disappointing. I have also enjoyed some of the episodes the 10^th series of NCIS, as I have of series three of Blue Bloods coming to an end after 20 episodes as I suspect is the first series of Vegas. The third series of Treme, life in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina feels stretched although continues to be a must see because of the Jazz content while the surprise is the Arts channel drama Da Vinci’s Demons, with the Borgias third season on its way with something of an overlap between the two. While as with Game of Thrones there is full frontal nudity and graphic violence this is nothing compared to the comic book porn nudity and violence of the third and final series of Sparticus,

The main purpose of my second London visit of the year was cricket and against all expectations Durham is having a successful year in the Championship where all the commentators are said to have predicted the side to struggle because of the financial difficulties have prevented strengthening the squad which has seen the retirements of Di Venuto and Blackwell, the semi retirement of Steve Harmison, in his benefit year, and the departure of to Yorkshire. More on the club and recent events as part of this series of writings.

Alongside the fortunes of Durham Cricket and my return to the Oval cricket ground which I visited to watch the last innings of Sir Donald Bradman in England in the fifth test in 1948 when I was nine years of age, Newcastle and Sunderland have come close to relegation from the Premiership. I watched Newcastle on screen in the city before departing on the trip and listened to the second half of their vital 2.1 win at Queens Park rangers while away. I watched Sunderland on Screen on Monday gain their 1.1 draw and on Sunday kept up with the teleprinter and second half match reports after returning from the film. On Friday I had been tempted to try and get a ticket for the 0.0 home play off tie between Crystal Palace and Brighton on while on Monday I listened to the 5 live broadcast of the successful 2.0 away win having decided not to stay and watch on the big screen after my sausage and mash evening meal after returning from the cricket. The main football event has been the retirement of Alex Ferguson after 21 years in charge of Manchester United and his replacement by the also long swerving manager of Everton, David Moyes. It was good to see Harry Rednap relegated with the much spending QPR and Mancini at Man City was sacked after his club failed to win a trophy this season after all their spending, losing to Wigan in the Cup Final some of which I watched at the cricket on Saturday although I left for the Travel Lodge before their last minutes winning goal. Chelsea is also to have a new manager but Arsene Wenger looks as if he will survive despite not winning anything again and again and again. Liverpool also failed to prove they are likely to challenge for Europe let alone the Premiership.

I have got my tickets for the European Athletics on June 22^nd and 23^rd and yesterday the information arrived about tickets for the Commonwealth games, I have booked up to go to Lords in August and have a cheap train ticket for the outward journey. Books for cheap tickets for the return home have not opened, I am going for an overnight to Scarborough when Durham play Yorkshire and there are the men’s and women’s 20 20 games against Australia but so far I have resisted one of the £80 tickets for the Ashes test at the Emirates. I am going to the Midlands in July for two 20 20 Durham games depending on the progress they have made and to Brighton for part of the game against Surrey. The Tests begin to TV also tomorrow.

However I will set aside writing about all these matters until I have completed reporting my experience of a second visit to the Capital centring on the Oval I will begin with all the travelling undertaken. I set off an hour earlier than necessary last Wednesday as the forecast suggest rain during the day, noting the part installation of ticket barriers at one end of the station in South Shields. I was able to use by Metro annual ticket which I will need to renew shortly after returning home.

At Newcastle I purchased a coffee and then moved to the passenger waiting area as the ordinary chairs and tables have been replaced by high stool type chairs. Noting that was reading the first volume of A Storm of swords and middle aged woman enquired about the similarity to the book and the TV series and I was able to advised the productions were broadly faithful apart from sequences changing and some embroidering of the text for visual and dramatic effects. The woman had been walking in the Lake District and was return to York, or at least York station for continuation to her home.

I entered the train from Aberdeen at the wrong end of the coach depositing my case in a doorway and then had to wait to get to my seat as a woman without a seat reservation was occupying the place of man who bordered and claiming his rightful booking. She took her time before moving while someone behind me pressed to move so I explained the position which was embarrassing as the woman took another unoccupied seat opposite mine. She moved to another seat when the opportunity arose while another large man with a huge lap top took the seat vacated by the lady sitting at the window next to me. Fortunately he moved on later to another compartment where in fact there was much more room as I discovered when I moved to claim my case as we arrived at Kings Cross.

Although the journey was not ideal it was enlivened by a young Asian woman part of a couple who got on the train also at Newcastle and departed at York. She wore a plunging cleavage with no bra. Even without this entertainment I cannot complain as the journey had cost only £15 plus postage. It was still dry as I cross between stations to St Pancras and seeing that the train south to East Croydon and Brighton was due in a couple of minutes I gambled that I and sufficient on my Oyster card to get me there. Before leaving Kings Cross I had noted that the former entrance to the station has been demolished but I am yet to find what is planned for the now vacant area.

I had telephone the previous day for a digital TV and was pleased to have one allocated in my room on the 9^th floor overlooking the Surrey hills. One bonus in addition to be able to attach the lap top is all the digital l station not requiring a subscription were available. From the outset I had problems logging on to my email which I discovered on returning home was due to having not only left the computer on but was logged on to my email so the system reacted at someone trying to log on from another part of the country. I had to change my email password to resolve a problem with last a couple of days

The following day the cricket was not scheduled to commence until 3.45 for an afternoon evening game under floodlights so I left early morning, loading the Oyster card with £20 travel and taking a Victoria Station train after the 9.30 operation. The off peak charge is £8.90 for all 6 zones. From Victoria I took the line of the same name to Green Park and then the underground walk to the Piccadilly line alighting at Leicester Square. My objective was view the changes made to the Square Gardens which were boarded up when I visited approximately a year before for the Lords Cricket match.

My first reaction was one of disappointment for at a glance the gardens looked the same and indeed the statue at the centre was boarded up. In fact the work was completed in May last year before the Olympic Games and the renovation work on Shakespeare’s statue may have become even more urgent since the installation of fountains around it. Close examination did reveal that the marble looking granite has created seating around the entire perimeter with compact low level hedging (at present before the new railings which enable trio grassland area to be locked at night to prevent its use by the homeless and thee drug addicts. There is new upward lighting into the trees to add to the security at night. Given an expenditure of £6.5 million I question the value for money,

My next objective was to new the progress for the new Underground station at Tottenham Court Road where I sometimes arranged to meet friends during my first years of working in the capital. I walked the distance passing Cambridge Circus and noting that not one but both Asian buffet restaurants were changed, one to Spanish Tapas and the other to a price per dish restaurant. At the junction between Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road the huge cleared space is still boarded with no indication of work above ground commencing and the scheduled completion 2016 for the new station and 2018 when Cross rail opens.

In order to reach the existing northern Line I had to go around the infamous Centre Point Tower. Services on the Central line continue. The new multifunction station in a addition to catering for the £1 billion central Cross Rail 1 line it is the only interchange between the Cross rail and that now proposed second cross rail line from the South west London and Surrey through to the North East of the capital with consultation about the routes now open to the public and a new station centring on either St Pancras/ Kings Cross or Euston or perhaps even a combined platform to all three stations.

I had decided that the best way to get to North Greenwich for the 02 arena was to take the central line to its end at Stratford and from there take the commencing Jubilee line to North Greenwich. I arrived an hour earlier than originally planned and went to look at the Emirates Cable car across the river to the Excel Stadium site. A round trip using the Oyster card is £6.60 and I was tempted except that the stiff wind with promise of gale force wings suggested that I leave for another day. This was wise as I later learned the service had been halted because of the high wind force level. After my lunch, separately reported, I took the Jubilee line to London Bridge and from there the Northern line south to the Oval.

After the game I made a mistake in terms of the selected route and took the northern line to Balham and from there a train to Clapham junction and then a train to east Croydon. For the first day of the Championship game on the Friday I took the Train from East Croydon to London Bridge (a Brighton to Bedford Train) and then the Northern Line underground back South to the Oval and although I allowed an hour for the door to door journey on the Saturday a morning it was achieved in just 45 minutes and I had to wait for the Gates to the Cricket ground to be opened. On both days I returned by the same route although on the Saturday I did the journey twice return to the Travel Lodge when it looked that rain was ending play for the day with a view to going to the cinema but then finding that play had recommenced I returned to watch the last hour of play.

On Sunday I decided to have a quieter day travelling via Victoria Station and Green Park to Piccadilly after an early lunch for the Cineworld Haymarket and returning immediately afterwards by the same route. On Sunday I added another £20 to the Oyster card. On Monday I used a separate direct train to London Bridge and when the game had ended I could not see a Brighton train on platform 5 and sued the main station for a different South Coast line without a stop before East Croydon. Waiting for the Brighton line train on previous evening I noted the number of trains to Charing Cross which arrive at both platforms. As at East Croydon I noted with some concern that the platform is used for trains going in both direction Platform 2 at East Croydon being used by the cross Thames line going to Bedford as well as Brighton.

On Tuesday morning the threat of rain meant that I elected to leave early adding £10 to the Oyster card after first called in McDonalds for breakfast and Waitrose for a sandwich for lunch. I therefore arrived at Kings cross shortly after nine paying the full early morning fare which knocked a great hole in the balance on the card. I purchased some pens ten for £3.99 at Smiths and found a good seat overlooking the departures board on the first floor balcony. Just before 10.30 I made my way to the front of platforms and before I had worked out the most likely train as the 10.30 to Newcastle pulled out the announcer said we were free to board the 11am to Glasgow. I entered the first compartment where it looked I might find an unreserved table, leaving my luggage in the empty rack and hoped that I would be left in peace at the window seat of a table for four. Alas I was joined by the business director of a company and by a young woman who I strongly suspected was his mistress. They did not look in my direction once and he paraded his business while she showed one side of one of his documents marked confidential as if to impress. I ignored them writing and listening to the radio,

In the adjacent table a young women was also busy with lap top and papers on her way to Darlington announcing when questioned by the older man who joined her that she was in HR (human resources all aspects). The older man spent most of the time boasting of his travels around the world having filled three passports and was allegedly some kind of management consultant who has been attempting advise Newcastle Council on management and its priorities. I was not impressed by him either and turned up the volume feeling sorry for the young woman but who appeared able to hold her own. The journey on the Metro was uneventful with a seat close to my luggage and I was back home just before 16,00. My travel costs for the seven days (6 nights) was £82 with the journey to London from South Shields only £32.

The accommodation booked in one go was £146 £24 a night plus £2 credit card charge. The days of the cheaper accommodation appear to be over with £21 the latest advertised concessions!!!!

Next I turn to sleep, food, weight and exercise, then the Oval experiences and then the cinema and other sports. First however more TV catch up and some shopping.