Festive dirty chips
Proper holiday today! Up to London early on a morning when flights were stopped at Gatwick due to a rogue drone menacing the runways. A bit before we reached Gatwick, I saw a Police helicopter hovering over woods, searching for the criminal masterminds at work. A bit eery and peaceful to go through Gatwick on the train and see no planes arriving or taking off.
I arrived early in Covent Garden, and found myself looking for a present for Lorraine, and finding one, which was an unexpected bonus. Then I met Mum for a cheeky two hours outside The Salisbury on St Martin's Lane. The pub's website says it opens at 11 am, but this was a filthy lie. Instead we went for a walk around Covent Garden, and then were first into The Bear and Staff and as Mum zoomed into the loos, I spoke to the loquacious woman behind the bar. She said at Christmas her family has secret Santa as there are too many of them, and she had not 'got the dollar' for nine presents. Mum horrified by glancing at the menu, where it was offering 'dirty chips'.
We sauntered back to the Salisbury and looked at the menu there, and I managed to talk mum into having 'festive dirty chips' which we ordered for £3.99 a pop. These turned out to be small bowls of chips with a bit of stuffing and a scattering of thinly sliced pig in a blanket over it.
It was fun to see mum, and we went off in our respective directions at 1 pm. Lorraine and I will zoom up to Edgware on her birthday. Home uneventfully, although Gatwick still paralysed by the rogue drone. Walked home from Brighton. Lorraine had a meeting with Catherine, and then we lurked at home happily together.
Lorraine got twenty presents from children (and their parents) at school. We had to write all of them down, as she writes individual thank you notes to the children. Also a large pre-Christmas Sainsbury's delivery.
I then sloped off to The Evening Star to have a pre-Christmas drink with Steve, Richard and Nick. A fair bit of tasty real ale, and lots of chat. Steve now nimble and gyrating at the bar as we waited to be served, as his new hip has rid him of loads of pain. Richard somewhat pensive, and bass playing Nick who I am only just getting to know, is a nice chap. He brews mead and is generally knowledgeable on brewing. I mentioned that Carl and I used to drink Ben Truman when we were young, and he said that at great expense the distinctive yeast used in Ben Truman have been revived (there were only half a dozen dried yeast samples from the early eighties and it was touch and go apparently) and that there is now a Ben Truman brewery again. I will have to persuade Carl to come with me to taste some of it.
Steve and Nick left, and I had an absolute bloody final with Richard.
Home. Raining heavily again.
Below The Salisbury. A very handy pub for meeting folks in London. Mum near Covent Garden with a large silver friend, the mistletoe and baubles decorations inside Covent Garden, end of the night in the Evening Star, and Richard buys and absolute bloody final.
I arrived early in Covent Garden, and found myself looking for a present for Lorraine, and finding one, which was an unexpected bonus. Then I met Mum for a cheeky two hours outside The Salisbury on St Martin's Lane. The pub's website says it opens at 11 am, but this was a filthy lie. Instead we went for a walk around Covent Garden, and then were first into The Bear and Staff and as Mum zoomed into the loos, I spoke to the loquacious woman behind the bar. She said at Christmas her family has secret Santa as there are too many of them, and she had not 'got the dollar' for nine presents. Mum horrified by glancing at the menu, where it was offering 'dirty chips'.
We sauntered back to the Salisbury and looked at the menu there, and I managed to talk mum into having 'festive dirty chips' which we ordered for £3.99 a pop. These turned out to be small bowls of chips with a bit of stuffing and a scattering of thinly sliced pig in a blanket over it.
It was fun to see mum, and we went off in our respective directions at 1 pm. Lorraine and I will zoom up to Edgware on her birthday. Home uneventfully, although Gatwick still paralysed by the rogue drone. Walked home from Brighton. Lorraine had a meeting with Catherine, and then we lurked at home happily together.
Lorraine got twenty presents from children (and their parents) at school. We had to write all of them down, as she writes individual thank you notes to the children. Also a large pre-Christmas Sainsbury's delivery.
I then sloped off to The Evening Star to have a pre-Christmas drink with Steve, Richard and Nick. A fair bit of tasty real ale, and lots of chat. Steve now nimble and gyrating at the bar as we waited to be served, as his new hip has rid him of loads of pain. Richard somewhat pensive, and bass playing Nick who I am only just getting to know, is a nice chap. He brews mead and is generally knowledgeable on brewing. I mentioned that Carl and I used to drink Ben Truman when we were young, and he said that at great expense the distinctive yeast used in Ben Truman have been revived (there were only half a dozen dried yeast samples from the early eighties and it was touch and go apparently) and that there is now a Ben Truman brewery again. I will have to persuade Carl to come with me to taste some of it.
Steve and Nick left, and I had an absolute bloody final with Richard.
Home. Raining heavily again.
Below The Salisbury. A very handy pub for meeting folks in London. Mum near Covent Garden with a large silver friend, the mistletoe and baubles decorations inside Covent Garden, end of the night in the Evening Star, and Richard buys and absolute bloody final.
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