It’s spoil Jim but not as we know it

Well you know yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the greatest day in international football when England only went and won the World Cup 4-2 against the mighty West Germany. Of course the bloody Germans have had their revenge many times over since then but nothing can take away the memory of that day. I was 14, about the same age as my eldest grandson is now, and he might have to wait until he’s my current age before he sees England win it again. Sigh. Anyway to celebrate the memory C and I went to quite a special place yesterday. It’s along the A40 just before the Target roundabout. Oooh sounds nice.

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All change

Hello dear readers. Big gap in my blogging recently but we’ve been incredibly busy for one thing and without internet access for several weeks too. I doubt you’ll be that concerned but it might make sense for some of the subsequent postings for me to fill in a few details on what we’ve been up to.

summertime stuff

So we’re having some lovely time back in SW London enjoying the incredible summertime in the beautiful open spaces around here with our very lovable youngest grandson. Today it was Marble Hill gardens, home to one of George III’s many mistresses, though she’s long gone of course. There’s the House Festival happening there tomorrow , which is incredibly trendy, headlined by The Pet Shop Boys and Chaka Khan (we know how to get down with the kids in the borough of Richmond you know) and we watched all the trucks and stuff moving in – the little fellah’s big into lorries and diggers – from the comfort of the fenced children’s garden. We had 3 hours of blissful grandparents/kids stuff. Our little lad was as good as gold.

Politics eh

Ah remember when life was full of hope and expectation? Apparently smiley Ed was writing his thank-you-for-the-keys-to-No-10 speech when those amazing BBC exit poll figures came out on election night forecasting a strong win for the Conservatives. It seems incredible now but all the smart money was on Miliband being invited by HRH to head up a coalition Government with the SNP. I’d love to know what happened to that draft.

BMW 320d em

 

Now what a lovely sight eh. This shot of the beautiful flowering cherry tree right outside the front door to our building was taken about two weeks ago. Imagine walking outside your front door in the morning and seeing this magnificent blossom.  Ah who doesn’t love the spring eh?

Bottom Marks

Now what’s this headline all about? The results of some naughty spanking session? Grimy lines on your undies? Well as tempting as it is to write about both those things, it’s something entirely different and, I have to admit, a lot less thrilling. But it’s something that regular readers will know drives me mad, the tendency for Marks & Spencer’s to completely make a hash of presenting themselves engagingly in-store.

Not so grand designs

Now regular readers will know I’m a bit of a frustrated architect. I love building design especially huge-scale projects like skyscrapers and massive bridges as anyone who’s checked out my tiny book collection will attest. But I also like smaller home and office stuff too because great design examples stand out like elegant fingers. Sadly the reverse is also true and our towns are full of really badly-designed or incongruously-sited buildings. I’ve done more than a few postings on these over the years. But I’ve been studying an office building they’ve been renovating across the road from us here in Twickenham and I have to tell you I’m baffled by its design.

Forgetfulness

Well, I had ideas for 3 postings spring into my head over the last day or so – pretty good ideas too I think – but as I sit here at my laptop I can’t remember any of them. This happens a lot. I tell my grandsons that I can remember my first day of school quite clearly but can’t remember what I had for lunch yesterday. They indulge me with their poor old daft grandad smiles as they think I’m kidding, But it’s true. And that line has just reminded me of what I was going to write about. Yesterday’s lunch. Ha, how’s that for irony Alanis?