Tue 1: Went to Norfolk to see my Dad (and to pick up my Christmas presents). I'm pleased to report that the snowdrops were out and the village pub does a stonking pie now it's reopened. Also he made pancakes with sugar and lemon, so it was almost like being eleven again. Wed 2: Popped round to see my brother and thank him for my Christmas presents. I wasn't much help with the 4000 piece jigsaw. Also he made pancakes with sugar and lemon, so it was almost like being yesterday again. Thu 3: Continuing the retro-in-Norfolk theme, today's lunch was defrosted Christmas turkey so it turns out I didn't miss out after all. Fri 4: Awesome Chips in Wood Green was getting a very large pallet of potatoes delivered. All they sell is chips (served frites-like in a cone), their USP being it comes with a choice of 50 sauces and powders because modern palates don't want value-for-money-with-vinegar, they want a tangy kick. Sat 5: I think the bloke who passed me near the Royal Albert Hall was Ian Hislop, semi-disguised by a navy blue baseball cap, but obviously I didn't stop him to check.
Sun 6: A lifesize bronze statue of Leonard Hugh Bentall (1873-1942) used to have in pride of place on the top deck of Kingston's premier shopping mall, but these days he's hidden down a passage on the second floor leading to the multi-storey car park. Mon 7: Running for the bus my phone leapt out of my pocket and skidded down the Uxbridge Road, and I was even more worried when I saw the case had come off, but somehow I couldn't spot any nasty scratches or damage. I never have this problem in the summer when my phone's in my trouser pocket instead. Tue 8: Previously when I bought my Annual Travelcard a Gold Card would arrive in the post a couple of days later. This time it hadn't arrived after 10 days so they said they'd send another. It arrived the next day... or rather the original did, and the replacement took another 10 days. Wed 9: While back in Croxley I was shocked to see the house I grew up in with boarded up windows, rubble in the front garden, a breezeblock extension and a big hole in our dining room wall. Never go back mid-renovations. I also checked out our second house and all they'd done is repaint the garage. Thu 10: Greenwich Observatory was closed and alongside were a lot a heck of a lot of horseboxes and men in tricorn hats hanging around, likely in gaps between filming something... aha, Ridley Scott's new biopic about Napoleon.
Fri 11: The pub by Roding Valley station had a poster outside promoting an unlikely special Mother's Day breakfast ("sausage, bacon and fried eggs in a brioche bun ring, and crispy hash browns and beans on the side"), and first I thought God no, but on reflection I suspect many Essex Mums would prefer a fatty brunch with drippy egg to a petrol station bouquet. Sat 12: I had hoped New Addington would still have a proper old school bakery with buns and stuff but no, just a Greggs, which didn't quite hit the spot. Sun 13: Got thoroughly drenched by an unscheduled downpour (and I'm still trying to get the Saharan dust off my jacket two weeks later). Mon 14: Since I started travelling all over London again I've also regained the habit of devouring library books, and Richard Osman's latest only lasted two journeys. Again, witty and satisfyingly plotted. Tue 15: The surface of Hammersmith Bridge still looks a patchy wreck, three years after they closed it to traffic. It may also be the first place in London where they painted Keep 2M Apart. Wed 16: Nextdoor are ripping out their floorboards and replacing their carpet with wood-effect laminate, so good for them but I'm glad I don't live directly underneath. Thu 17: I only had five minutes to wait at Clapham Junction, but when they announced "the next train at this platform does not stop here" I wasn't expecting it to be the actual Flying Scotsman.
Fri 18: I managed to walk around Waterloo station taking several photos unobstructed by officialdom until the minute I went outside and grabbed one of the exterior and then immediately... "Are you taking photos?" That got the reply it deserved. Sat 19: Exactly two years ago I was queueing in Tesco stocking up on rations in case lockdown went badly, and threw an extra pack of chocolate digestives into my basket just in case. Today I finally opened my emergency biscuits and OK they'd gone a little soft but I'm glad I didn't need them earlier. Sun 20: I walked through Morden Cemetery for the first time today, which was impressive, and I nearly showed you a photo of that for yesterday's "Where am I?" but I thought you'd guess it too quickly. As it turned out neighbouring Mayflower Park only lasted 18 minutes. Mon 21: National Rail has launched a 'livestream' YouTube channel showing driver's eye views of scenic rail journeys, so this afternoon I sat back and enjoyed a showery autumnal ride from Norwich to Cromer, and then that cracking bit through Dawlish. Tue 22: Supermarket update: Last week I got the last cucumber, this week there weren't any. So that saved me 45p. Wed 23: I happened to be walking past the Olympic pool at the same time as its nasty chlorine incident, but on the opposite side of the river so all I saw was a lot of people walking slowly wearing silver foil cloaks, which I assumed was a queue in fancy dress. I never deduced that a minor disaster was unfolding until I checked the news later. Thu 24: I rode the recently extended 324 bus to Centennial Park in Elstree, just to say I had, and you'll be glad to hear I won't be blogging about it. Fri 25: The bluebells by the river in St Mary Cray were prematurely impressive. Sat 26: That was the most crowded tube train I've crammed inside in two years, almost as if TfL no longer run enough trains at the weekend.
Sun 27: I went back to check on Outernet, the imminent brand theatre by Tottenham Court Road station, and spotted that the 'Now Arcade' was open so took a photo. A man emerged from the shadows and told me firmly I couldn't take photos "for copyright reasons" because they were just testing the display, and I told him that was ridiculous but he was quite persistent. This building exists solely in the hope that visitors will share images for years to come, but it seems not yet and only on their terms, so it's easy to despise them more. Mon 28: Left my first comment on Reddit. Only one person noticed. Tue 29: When I was at school we never nipped out at break to buy a can of drink, or headed to Sainsbury's at lunchtime for a meal deal, or stopped by the chicken shop on the way home to gorge on a box of saucy chips, although now I think back properly I was allowed to buy sweet cigarettes after a long day in top infants so maybe nothing much has changed. Wed 30: The heritage Next Train lightboxes at Earls Court have been covered over by signs that say "Please Use Alternative Platform Information Screens" (which now include bogstandard dot matrix displays). It's all part of the 4LM signalling upgrade, which as of this week covers the entire Circle line... but don't worry, the lightboxes will be plugged back into the new system later.
Thu 31: Made the mistake of submitting an electricty meter reading in advance of tomorrow's outrageous price hike, because in their last estimated bill they assumed I'd used more than I actually had, so now I'm going to have to pay the proper difference.
