Jersey boy

So here’s a tale my wife Caz has become so sick of hearing this last week or so. A  little over 60 years ago when I was a lad of about 6 my parents took me and my younger 2 year old brother Dave away to Jersey on our first ever flight and trip outside the British mainland. I was a boy from PlF near Blackpool in Lancashire and the general scenery was flat and rainy and red brick Victorian/early c20th. We boarded a propeller-powered Dakota at Blackpool’s own airport  – I can’t remember if it was a Jersey or Channel Airways flight or an early BA/BEA one. But what an adventure, my first flight on something like this…

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Coast-to-coast

So you’ll remember a recent posting where I mentioned that our plans to head up to the NW last weekend for my nephew’s wedding, had been scuppered by the covid lockdown restrictions. I’m delighted to say the event went ahead (albeit restricted to fewer than 15 in attendance) and despite shocking weather, they had a blast. I’m so pleased for them. As Carol had taken a day’s leave to allow us to make a long weekend of the event we decided to have a break away to ourselves. Turning our focus away from the Fylde coast we actually found an area of the country not currently under Tier 17 armed guard lockdown – the Jurassic coast – and headed here…

Howdy Gaudi

I’m sure many readers will have been to the beautiful city of Barcelona and if you have, almost certainly you will have visited the incredible Basilica of La Sagrada Familia, designed by the quite brilliant architect Antoni Gaudi. As well as the church his very distinctive design style can be seen all over the city eg at Park Guell, Casas Mila/Battlo and loads of other places.  It’s so easy to label people as a genius these days. Christ I’ve seen the description applied to the  likes of Simon Cowell, Jose Mourinho and even Benny Hill. Smart, confident, funny perhaps but geniuses? Do me a favour. But in Gaudi’s case, it is completely justified.

We two in a bed

We’ve been travelling around a lot these last few weeks, which is very unusual for us these days. We tend to be home birds nowadays. You’ll have seen the posting on the trip to Italy but either side of that we had trips to the Mumbles in South Wales and to Wilmslow in Cheshire to share 60th and 65th birthday do’s with some of our very oldest pals from Uni and Arnside. It still feels bloody odd to be invited to parties like this and know that we’re not going to one of our parents’ events but actually are peer guests.

Trains, planes and automobiles

Well I haven’t posted for a while – I can’t believe I’ve let the departures of Clarkson and Blatter (almost) pass without making comment on the toe-rags. But there you go. Anyway we’re here in Italy staying with our lovely neighbours and friends B&F as we check over our house after nearly 3 years away. It’s not a pretty sight but we hope that my recovery is strong enough now for us to tackle getting the place repaired and straight again.

traffic mis-management

Now I’ve spoken about the town of Twickenham before. There’s a pleasant bit between the river and Church St containing the oldest houses and some dinky shops, restaurants and the famous Eel Pie pub. But the rest of the town and its main thoroughfares is pretty nondescript and dreary. What makes it worse is that the traffic flow system through the town feels like it’s been designed not by an expert in traffic management but by Homer Simpson. It is a lesson in dumb thinking.

oh italy, you teaser

Well we’re back from visiting our place in Italy. Was it uneventful as I was hoping? At Casa Pasta Paulie – what do you think?

Blame it on the boogie? Nah tonie

Well yesterday I was in London catching up with an old mate at Kings Cross. I had to get back for 2pm for a viewing on a new house  (we’ve been toying with a move). Following a very useful chat I got back on the tube to head for Waterloo St to catch my train home to Teddington. It was 12.30ish so plenty of time I figured….