Firstly, let me apologise for the long delay between this post and the last one. I’ve been hella busy over the past week or so; completing my ICE Professional Review submission and preparing for mock reviews with senior colleagues. I would usually make time in between work commitments to let my creative juices flow, but on this occasion; the deadline was an immoveable object (think Brian Blessed in diving boots) and the hoops through which I had to jump on the way to said deadline were set at World Record height.
I posted the reports last Friday, enjoyed a pretty relaxed weekend and then headed to London Monday to Wednesday. On my return last night, I had confirmation of receipt from each of my reviewers – the self addressed postcards I provided for this purpose are scribed with the messages: “Good luck!” and “Received. I look forward to meeting you.” This already bodes greater than my last attempt where both postcards merely read: “Received.” So it looks like I’ll be interviewed by two human beings this time.
You didn’t think I’d mention a trip to London and not provide details? Gav and I headed down to see our friend, Leah, who we met just over two years ago while on holiday in Southern California. We stayed in the Comfort Inn on Edgware Road, about a 5 minute walk from the tube station – you’d be forgiven for thinking there aren’t any major chain hotels on that stretch of road as the entrance is a single width door between a Halal grocery store and a shady-looking Bureau de Change. But no problem: it was cheap and Edgware Road is on the Bakerloo, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines which means we were well equipped for travelling to Camden to meet Leah.
On Monday evening we ate at a lovely little Caribbean and Latin restaurant in Camden. I would recommend Guanabana in a heartbeat: chilled out atmosphere, fantastic food and reasonable prices. We headed to Piccadilly Circus afterwards so we could have a few more drinks and cut some SERIOUS rug. I must be some kind of freak because the next morning I was absolutely fine when I woke at 8:30am whereas Gav was broken from the Sambuca (and looked terrible to be fair) and Leah tells us she was still drunk at 10am.
Tuesday eventually got underway and we headed to the Imperial War Museum and the London Eye, but not before sampling the best of Camden’s markets. Such a diverse day: one minute I was browsing through Cyberdog in Camden and the next I was walking morosely through the hard-hitting Holocaust Exhibition at the museum.
That evening, we headed to another great Camden restaurant. At Market they “provide quality, wholesome food in informal, relaxed surroundings, using the freshest, seasonal produce.” I don’t mind quoting here because those words are bang on; it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. Pig cheeks and black pudding to start followed by Seabream, chorizo and broccoli – washed down with two bottles of Brooklyn Lager and iced with a large Cognac and cheese and biscuits. Also on the table were Oysters, mussels and a very wholesome looking chicken and mushroom pie. I love food, me!
Yesterday, Gav and I took the Central line to Stratford to take a look at the Olympic site and hopefully find the old Big Breakfast house. The Olympic site is massive and I’m afraid the cynic in me still doubts whether everything will be in place in time for the opening ceremony. I hope my cynicism is unfounded, but history tells us that the least “successful” Olympic games have been the ones where the host nation has attempted to create something truly groundbreaking in terms of stadia and new infrastructure. The Los Angeles games of 1986 are the only ones in modern history to have being truly successful in not leaving the country/state with massive debt and unserviceable new development. The secret to the success? Existing stadia and infrastructure were used.
It should have been “England 2012”: Wembley, Manchester Velodrome, Old Trafford, The Emirates, Villa Park, M1, A1, East Coast, West Coast, Birmingham NEC, Sheffield Arena… all proven infrastructure and event venues. But I suppose “London 2012” sees Stratford undergo a much needed facelift.
We’d kind of given up hope of finding the Big Breakfast house and Old Ford Lock, but then we stumbled upon it. Someone lives in the house now as far as we could tell and the canal here isn’t anything special – murky water, a disused anglers hut and a dilapidated British Waterways maintenance vessel with “RENTBOYS” crudely spray-painted on the hull.
Mission accomplished.
We spent the afternoon moseying around Oxford Circus, Baker Street and Camden markets (again) before catching the 1933 East Coast train back to Wakefield and reality.
Thanks for reading…
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