Tag Archives: Neil Quigley

Time After Time

April 30, 2022 Neil

I hope you enjoyed your Easter Weekend. My mum still insists on buying me an egg which although I always tell her that she does not need to, I did as ever enjoy. In other news I did find some gluten free Hot Cross Buns that I had with some mini eggs for breakfast on the Sunday. Chocolate is an acceptable breakfast food for that weekend that is just a fact!

The trains were completely screwed during the Bank Holiday weekend, with lots of cancellations due to engineering works. Therefore I had to for the first time ever drive to a Tottenham game. Parking at the stadium is not that easy, so I decided to be organised and use one of those parking websites to book someone’s driveway. It worked out great to be fair I found a space in a nice little cul-de-sac about a thirty minute walk from the ground. The sun was shining and it was quite warm so it was a pleasant stroll. Even the traffic there and back was not too bad. In fact what was on the whole a decent experience was quite predictably ruined by the team getting beaten by Brighton thanks to a goal in the last minute. That made the walk back to the car in the sun a little bit less fun.

When I got back to Lynda’s after the match she was doing a barbecue. Her brother and his family were there along with her aunty and one of her cousins. It was nice to see everyone and have a laugh. Plus to be fair the burgers and sausages did actually cheer me up after the football. It was still nice enough to sit out in the garden and eat. The food was great as ever and there just happened to be some homemade gluten free chocolate chip doughnuts for pudding to. I think I may have eaten my own body weight in meat but in my defence I did miss out on lunch while I was watching Spurs lose.

I do not have my own Netflix account but Lynda does and the other Sunday night she managed to convince me to watch one of the films on there. I do not mind a good heist movie I normally find them quite entertaining. The one we watched was called Red Notice. It starred The Rock, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot. I actually really enjoyed it, helped by the fact that it was more of a comedy than a thriller. There were some nice set pieces and nods to lots of other well known films plus a rather surprising but obvious cameo at the end. If you fancy some easy to watch light hearted fun, I would recommend it. This film is not going to change your life but it certainly will amuse you for a bit. Maybe I could still be the new Barry Norman with insight like that.

I appreciate I am a little behind the times on this one but last weekend we finally got round to completing series three of After Life. I like Ricky Gervais and always enjoy his shows, as ever there were some very funny and largely unexpected moments. It is I guess in many ways sadly a pretty accurate reflection of real life and the different types of people we come across most good some of course bad. This may just have been me but if I am honest I did not like it quite as much as the first two series. It was still good and I am glad I have seen it but it just felt like something was missing somehow. As far as I am aware he is not doing any more of them and it did tie up a lot of the loose ends nicely in the final episode as you would expect.

I did keep getting a bit distracted as a lot of the outside shots were filmed around the Hemel Hempstead Old Town area so I kept seeing a few locations that I recognised. I have the same problem when I very occasionally see any Midsomer Murders or Morse as a lot of that was made near where I live and always like to work out where they were. The first series of After Life used Beaconsfield quite a bit and I do remember watching an old episode of The Professionals where I was thrilled to see Bodie and Doyle driving through Old Beaconsfield in their Capri’s. Not sure why I like seeing places I have been to in random television programmes but I do!

I have recently celebrated the fourteenth anniversary of the day that John Nettles came on to my radio show in Somerset to film for a documentary that he was doing about the arts. I interviewed him on my show and then he asked me some questions afterwards. Both sections were used in the finished programme. During my bit to camera when he was asking me about the pressures of live radio when things go wrong I out of nowhere uttered a phrase I had never used before saying “you have just got to power on basically” which I still maintain is good life advice. I have a DVD of it which I do watch every now and again. John was great and it was a pleasure to meet him and appear on screen with him.

Late Easter Monday afternoon I met up with a mate of mine who I had not seen for a while. It was a nice day so we decided to go for walk, meaning not only could we have a good chat but we could also get some fresh air and do some light exercise. He suggested we go to Dunstable Downs. Even though I must have driven past it a hundred times I had never actually been there, so I caught up with him there. To be fair it was also pretty much the half way point between us which as I am not a massive fan of driving was another selling point for me.

The car park machine either accepted change which I did not have on me or you had to pay via an app or by calling a phone number. Annoyingly I did not have any 4G signal so I could not get the app which left me with the phone number. I called the automated line thinking that I could just pay for the parking and be done, but oh no! I had to first create an account then assign a credit card to it before trying to enter the registration number of the car, in to some sort of voice recognition system that could not seem to understand a single word I said!

Ten minutes into this process just as I was losing the will to live and still miles away from completing the task in hand my mate arrived and lent me the change to pay at the machine. Most of them accept cards nowadays but not that one. Anyway to relax after my parking issues we had a nice ninety minute walk with a tea break at the cafe in the middle. It was good to see him to talk radio, football and quote various comedy shows’ dialogue at each other, a great way to round off the Bank Holiday weekend.

Last Saturday Lynda and I went out for a meal at Pizza Express. It is on the Coeliac UK accredited list, which means that it is totally safe for me to eat there. I booked us a table for 8pm and when we arrived the place was packed. We both had a three course meal each with a couple of glasses of wine. By the time our main had arrived we were the only people still left in there. We had the whole restaurant to ourselves.

The girl who was serving us had already told me her mum was also a Coeliac which made me feel relaxed as she was clearly fully aware of the condition. Then as I was paying she spotted the screen saver on my phone which is a picture of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son she told me she was not only a Spurs fan but was also having a trial for our ladies team. We had a lovely meal in there and needless to say our waitress got a nice tip courtesy of the information we learned about her.

I have a new fun challenge at work next week as I am covering for someone who is off on holiday and working on Radio 4 Extra. I just hope I do not break the station while he is away. I am sure it will all be fine!

I am looking forward to going to a Comedy Night at the Boxmoor Social Club in Hemel Hempstead tomorrow night. It is being run by a mate of mine Lee Bryant. He puts on a lot of events in the area. Back when I was doing a tiny bit of stand up comedy I did a few gigs with him. I will let you know what this one was like next time we speak.

A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/

Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.

Grand Weekend Away

April 16, 2022 Neil

I first went to Ladies Day at Aintree in 2010 and had such a good time within three years it had basically become a tradition. I would go up every year on the Thursday afternoon and come back on the Sunday staying with my mate Jeff. A group of us would then go to the races on the Friday, then watch The Grand National in a pub around Liverpool on the Saturday. Then of course Covid happened meaning I had not been able to go on this pilgrimage since 2019.

Fortunately the world has now reopened so the festival was back and welcoming spectators once again. Last weekend Lynda and I got the train from London to Liverpool Lime Street on the Thursday and set off on another fun adventure. Before we left we had a big meal at Leon who are a fast food chain that caters for gluten free people like me, so they have become a bit of a regular option for me.

When we got to Liverpool we then took another train to the station nearest Jeff, where he picked us up and took us back to his place. We had a cup of tea and a chat to him and his fiance plus I got to meet his son for the first time. Then Jeff, Lynda and I went out for a few drinks at a lovely local bar he knew. The plan was to ease ourselves gently in to things but failing slightly, we had a few more drinks back at his place before we took ourselves off to bed. We managed to have a bit of a lie in before it was time to get a late breakfast and get our suits on and head to Aintree. A big breakfast is very important as you can never be totally sure when you will eat again.

We were joined at the house by Jeff’s sister for a pre racing glass of fizz. The girls got a lift with Jeff’s girlfriend’s dad while we jumped on the train. We met up with them at the entrance before all heading in together. We had got tickets in the festival zone which is basically a huge marquee with bars, big screens, bookies and a stage where a band plays in between races. It is great in there as you get to have a drink, place your bets, watch the races and sing along to the band without moving too far. The racing was first class. Lynda had a couple of winners early on but I had no success on that front whatsoever. We always leave before the last race so we can get the train in to the city centre a bit ahead of the rest of the crowd. I did manage to get a quick picture with the Grand National Trophy before we left.

We arrived in the city centre and on the way to the first pub we decided to get some food. They all found a pizza place for a quick snack, while I found a subway where I managed to get a chicken salad box, not the ideal mid drinking session food but often as a coeliac you have to be a little creative in these situations. After a few different random bars including a quick dance in a place called Flares we ended up in a cocktail bar that we seem to every year now. It just so happened to be two for one happy hour so we had a few cocktails, me of course with the sweet rum and pineapple ones.

Next door there was an Only Fools and Horses themed bar. Jeff had told me about it ages ago and I really wanted to see it. Nobody else fancied it so Jeff and I literally popped in there for five minutes just so I could get some pictures of the place. We were straight in and out with the photos. I have no idea what the staff or the other customers thought we were up to. I liked it in there and the pictures are great. We then went to Eric’s on Matthew Street for more drinks and a bit of live music.

By this point we had been out for ten hours so we decided to call it a night and head back to Jeff’s for another drink and some takeaway pizza. This was my first experience of Domino’s gluten free offering and although it only comes in a small size it was very tasty. It was fantastic to get dressed up again and spend the day at the races. The atmosphere is brilliant and I always have a good time when I am out in Liverpool. My granddad grew up there and for that reason I have always felt an association with the place.

I woke up the next day feeling a lot better that I possibly deserved to, which from previous years’ experience was a bit of a result. Jeff is a huge Everton fan and they had a lunchtime kick off so he went to the game, while Lynda and I went for a nice walk round Crosby near where he lives to find some food. We tried the Moroccan restaurant that Jeff and his girlfriend recommended to us. The food was really good in there and once again we had a big meal to set us up for the day. We then went to a great bar called Inside Number 4 where we found a table near the bar to watch the day’s racing from Aintree including of course the main event The Grand National.

Jeff joined us after the match and we had some drinks while seeing the races. In the second race of the day one of the horses that I have shares in Stage Star was running. He led pretty much from the start but then tired quickly as they came to the home straight and sadly never troubled the winner. That was a bit of a shame as we thought he might run well and with a bit of luck he could win it, but sadly that was not meant to be. The Grand National is such a tough race to find the winner of, there are forty horses and thirty of the hardest fences there are, so a lot can happen over the course of the race.

I did manage to back the horse that finished fifth each way Fiddler on the Roof so I did get a little money back but there was no way I would have picked out the winner. Although with hindsight as it was Sam Waley-Cohen’s last ever race I guess it was one I should have done just in case, as it would make an amazing story as indeed it did in the end. Big congratulations to him that is one way to finish your career off on a high by winning one of the biggest occasions in the world. Fair play if you picked Noble Yeats and had a few pounds on him, you did very well there.

Last Season in the FA Cup my team Tottenham were drawn away to Marine. It was during lockdown so no fans were allowed to go to the game. That meant the club would have missed out on some vital extra ticket money, so they decided to sell virtual tickets to raise some funds. Lots of Spurs fans bought them and with the money they have been able to build a few new things at their ground including a brand new bar. The club’s base is near where Jeff lives so on the way back to his we stopped in there for a few drinks and if I am honest to see the Tottenham game which they had on the TV’s there. It was a nice bar and as Spurs won it was a lovely experience all round.

When we got back to the house we again ordered a Domino’s pizza delivery and I had exactly the same one as the previous night. Jeff is a massive Beatles fan and I had not got round to watching the Peter Jackson documentary Get Back. Therefore we watched the final part of that which culminates with that iconic rooftop concert on top of the Apple Building in London. I really enjoyed it but it is quite long so that meant we all had another late night, but having fun and being a bit rock and roll was the whole point of the weekend.

We had another leisurely start to the day on the Sunday, which did mainly involve drinking tea and chatting. Lynda and I had to get the train home so Jeff and Fiona took us into Liverpool City Centre and we had a walk round the Albert Dock with them before we left them to have a very nice steak meal at Miller and Carter. Afterwards we just about managed to get ourselves to Lime Street Station to get on our train back to London. It was as ever a fantastic weekend, it was great to see all my mates up there and I am already looking forward to Ladies Day at Aintree 2023.

Although it was not meant to be for Stage Star at Aintree another one of my horses Proclaimer just won his eighth race the other night at Kempton. He has been successful there several times this season so it is turning into his favourite place. Obviously he cannot keep winning and eventually the handicappers will catch up with him or he will have an off day, but he has been magnificent this year. He is being entered for his biggest ever race this week, so it will be very interesting to see how he does in more high class company.

My football team Tottenham have been doing a little better again recently they have managed to string a few wins together with good performances while scoring a lot of goals. I was happy when Antonio Conte got the job and he has finally got the team playing in a certain pattern and style of play that seems to suit the players we have and is making us seem a lot more stable and competitive. Admittedly if you have two world class players like Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son up front that also helps quite a bit. It could well be an interesting and entertaining end to the season now, I hope.

I went for my annual dentist check up in the week. I am sure when I was at school we had a special assembly one day demonstrating that we should really scrub our teeth clean, well either I imagined that or they were wrong. Although my teeth are perfectly healthy the gums are receding at a rate that could cause me real problems in the future. I need to adapt the way I clean my teeth. I already have an electric toothbrush but now need to just place it on each tooth and let it go between them for a few seconds. Hopefully I can master this new skill and keep my teeth and gums in good order.

Have a great Easter Weekend whatever you decide to do. I will be hunting down some gluten free chocolate eggs and possibly some Hot Cross Buns to as my way of marking the occasion. I may have a glass or two of red wine across the long weekend but as that was drank at the last supper I think that is perfectly acceptable and dare I say what he would have wanted.

A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/

Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.

A Quick Scan

March 19, 2022 Neil

This year seems to be going very quickly maybe that is because we can actually go out and do things again unlike this time last year. Next week the clocks go forward meaning the evenings get lighter and we can pack even more in to our days. It will be summer before we know it at least I hope it will as my Jamaican sun tan is now just starting to fade a little.

I am massively clumsy and always catching my arm on things or quite often knocking my knee somewhere. I also seem to hit my head more often than you would think. Personally I feel that may be due to my lack of hair as I have no early warning system when I am getting a bit too close to something. Anyway I managed to hit my head on holiday on the door frame of a minibus as I was getting out of it. The reason I did it was because I was too busy thanking the driver and not paying attention to where I was going.

At the time it hurt a little on impact but I just about managed to style it out and carry on as normal. A month or so later I was still getting a headache from time to time, so just to be on the safe side my doctor sent me for a MRI Scan. If you have never had one before they feel like the kind of thing that a “Bond Villain” would use to torture 007. They are very small and compact, your head gets fed into it on some kind of moving board. Then for the next ten minutes it makes some of the weirdest noises you have ever heard. They do give you ear plugs and play music to try to mask it but it is still very strange.

The medical Staff were great and made it very simple and straight forward explaining exactly what was going to happen. It takes about a week for the results to come through. I am just hoping that they do find at least a trace of a brain in there somewhere. Joking aside it will be nice to know that everything is fine in that department and the headaches are not being caused by anything sinister or concerning.

My girlfriend Lynda is a great cook who enjoys experimenting with meals that she has not made before, which I benefit from hugely. She has recently got a new cook book and it has loads of recipes in it that she is very keen to try. At the moment she is basically working her way through it. In the week doing fully gluten containing dishes, but at the weekend trying anything that is or can be made gluten free for me to enjoy, due to my special dietary requirements with me being Coeliac.

The other weekend she made us some Malaysian Sticky Spicy Ribs which I must say were amazing. The meat just fell off the bone they were really sweet and came with a nice hot kick from the spices and the chilli. That was just the starter. For the main she produced these chicken satay burgers which she had made from scratch again from this new book. These were spectacular and so tasty she has already promised me that she will do them again for us.

The division of labour when it comes to meals is such that we both play to our strengths. She prepared and cooked all of the food. While I supplied the shop bought gluten free desert and on this occasion at least did the washing up. By which I mean I loaded the dish washer and turned it on. She does enjoy creating new meals and I very much enjoy eating them so as an arrangement it works perfectly as far as I am concerned. I do cook occasionally but the menu I tend to offer is a little simpler to say the least.

After we had eaten we decided to settle down and watch a film. This is rarely my suggestion and anything we do end up seeing is usually as a result of a Dragon’s Den style pitch by Lynda pointing out why we should spend the time doing this. To be fair to her nearly all but one of the films we have watched together have at the very least kept my attention. She suggested we watch the latest Ghostbusters film called Afterlife. I had seen and enjoyed both of the original films as a child so agreed to give it a go.

I really liked it as it kept very true to the originals in fact it even had the same style and character to it. There are some very clever links to the first and second instalments from the eighties. Yet at the same time they have made it more modern and up to date. I do not want to say much more about it in case I give anything away. But if you did like the originals and want to hear a bit of the Ray Parker Jnr theme song then I would recommend you see it. The cast are great and it is just an easy to watch fun film.

I went to the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday. I like to go every year but I ended up having a couple of years off for obvious reasons. It is a brilliant day out for the horse racing enthusiast where you get to see the best horses from the UK and Ireland go head to head at one of the most challenging courses. The atmosphere is always great at the event and the standard of the racing is unbelievably high.

It was even more special this year as one of the horses I have a few shares in Stage Star was running in a big hurdles race on the day that I was there. It was fantastic to be there and watch him run in person for the first time. I had previously been to visit him before he started his career at the Equiprep Facility that the Owners Group have. I got to see him in the parade ring and then chilling out in his stable. I have of course followed his journey very closely ever since and this was the biggest moment for him so far.

I managed to pick the one day this week when it rained all day at the Cheltenham Festival. But it did not matter we still had a great time there. The racing was exceptional despite the challenging conditions. The occasion and weather got to Stage Star a little bit I think and he set off a bit too quickly and was not really enjoying the conditions so very sensible the jockey Harry Cobden pulled him up before the end. The important thing is that he is fine and will learn from it. I do think that if it was a drier day he could have fared a bit better but that is horse racing for you. The well being of the horse is of course the most important thing.

Stage Star set the tone for my day as I did not have any winners while at the track which is quite unusual. We did however see the racing journalist legend that is Brough Scott and the maverick that is Matt Chapman. I did also manage to wear a coat that was more like a sponge than a shower curtain so had that nice damp feeling for a bit. It was as ever a fantastic day out we met lots of nice and interesting people. I am already looking forward to going back next year and hopefully seeing Stage Star or another one of my horses run there.

I did apply for the London Marathon Ballot for this year’s race. I am not totally sure why if I am honest. I entered it when I turned forty as I thought it might be a nice thing to do while I could still run a bit. I did not get in then and as a result stopped trying. But I guess after the lockdowns of the last couple of years I thought it might be good to give myself a new challenge and see if I could test myself and my glass ankles and knees to the maximum. However I was sadly not successful this time either, so I have now decided to accept that I will never do it and I am totally at ease with that decision.

I have been enjoying the current series of Saturday Night Takeaway. Ant and Dec are still brilliant at what they do. That show is shaped around them perfectly. You can tell that they are heavily involved with every aspect of it. They have been doing live television for so long now I honestly believe there is nothing that can trip them up. I think they have had some very strong end of the show, shows’ once again this year. They just seem to highlight how annoyingly talented they are, whatever they are doing in that segment they seem to pull it off perfectly even if that means they are being Drag Queens!

I have lots of good friends who support Everton and I have been to Goodison Park on many occasions. I always enjoy it when Spurs play them normally they are close and often exciting games. I seem to remember us winning more times than not but I always have a good time up there with my mates. I went to the match at the Tottenham Stadium the other week. It does of course give me bragging rights when we win, which we did by five goals to nil.

I did not think it was a good game and I personally did not think that we were that brilliant. However it was a very easy victory and it was possibly the worse Everton team I have seen for a very long time. I have a soft spot for them and would not like to see them relegated. The best bit about the night was giving Frank Lampard some stick. When he was at Chelsea they beat us I think two-nil at our place and he celebrated with their fans after like they had won the Champions League so we gave him both barrels while we were thrashing his new team!

Not that Tottenham’s current form is much better. We seem to have fallen into a routine where we win one game and then lose the next one, so they give a little hope that a corner has been turned and then remove it straight away. Something Spurs have been doing on a fairly regular basis since I started supporting them as a four year old, who at that time it is fair to say did not know any better. That said they are my team and I support them no matter what. The thing with football is you cannot win every game so celebrate the victories and accept the defeats it is all part of the charm. Enjoy the journey and the end destination for one season at least may hopefully make it all worthwhile.

A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/

I have not been to see live comedy for quite a while but I am happily going to put that right tonight as I am off to see a gig in Covent Garden. I will of course let you know what it was like next time we speak. Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.

Magic Time in York

March 5, 2022 Neil

During lockdown one for my birthday in 2021 Lynda bought us an online Cheese and Red Wine tasting experience from a place in York called Love Cheese. It was very nicely done they sent you the cheese and wine in advance, it was all clearly numbered. Then on the actual set night the owners of the company did a Facebook Live where they took you through all the pairings. They were very good at explaining the origins and flavours of the food and drinks and saying why they had put them together. It lasted about an hour and a quarter. We enjoyed the first one so much we actually did another one about a month or so later, this time with a mixture of different wines and cheeses. Once again it was good fun. The couple who run it seemed extremely passionate about the subject and were also a good laugh.

It was nice to see a small business use the fact they had to close their shop to improve their customer base across the whole of the country. We decided that we wanted to go to their shop in York and experience what we had enjoyed online in person. It was Lynda’s Birthday on Tuesday so last weekend we went to York to do a bit of sightseeing and to visit Love Cheese.

We got the train there from London on the Friday evening. That did mean that we did not arrive until gone half nine. I had booked us into a nice little guest house called The Judges Court right in the centre of York. The rooms were styled like Judge’s lodgings so they were a little bit quirky and different.

Once we had checked in and dropped our bags off we headed out and found a bar around the corner for a few drinks. We decided not to stay out to late as we wanted to make the most of the one full day we had there. That said we still did not make it out of our hotel until after eleven o’clock on the Saturday.

After a quick look round to get our bearings we decided to get some food. We were planning on doing quite a bit of walking so decided that we better take on some fuel first. We found a Bill’s that actually had a table. It turns out that York is very popular at weekends in half term so it was extremely busy and booking in advance was advised.

I had a lovely three course meal including a tasty parsnip soup, steak and a very nice apple crumble. They were brilliant with me being a coeliac and made sure all my food was gluten free and served with an allergen flag in it, which I always like as I feel safe that I can relax and enjoy my food.

After we had eaten we visited the remains of York Castle before a walk along the city walls. There is something special about walking on that many years of history. We followed them all the way around to York Minster. When I was at Primary School we had a week away in Yorkshire staying in Scarborough. And did one day in York so I had been inside the Minster before but this time we just decided to have a walk round the outside and then grab a hot drink at a Cafe’ with it right in front of us.

Then we had a quick look at The Shambles. It seemed to be full of Harry Potter fans queuing to get into the magic and potion shops. After a bit of research it turns out that many fans think part of one of the movies was filmed there, although it was not. However they did shoot some scenes at York Railway Station. From here we went back to our hotel room to get ready for the main point of the whole trip.

Love Cheese has a little restaurant area where you can eat and drink called the Speak Cheesy. I had booked us a table there for 5pm. We got there bang on time and the very friendly staff showed us to our seats and gave us the menus. They offer various cheese related options and a nice and varied wine list.

We opted for a glass of wine each and got the five cheeses tasting option to try. Here you tell the waiter what sort of cheeses you like or do not like and they supply a selection of five of them to try with chutney and crackers. They are fully on board with serving gluten free people like me and made sure I had gluten free crackers and safe cheese options.

The servings of each piece of cheese were generous. When they were delivered each of them were described to us so we knew what texture and flavours to expect. You can then enjoy the cheese and wine at your own pace. We sampled each piece together in order while comparing notes. They serve it beautifully on a slate with of course proper cheese knives.

We were enjoying ourselves so much we ordered another glass of a different wine each to try and then got another three cheeses to taste. All of the cheeses were lovely although we of course did have our favourites. Having spent a great couple of hours in there we left feeling nice and full of cheese and having thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. We were pleased we had discovered them online and actually managed to get there in person and see it for ourselves.

We then went and had a few more wines in one of York’s many pubs. I mentioned earlier that is was so busy that you needed to book to eat. We were not sure if we would still be hungry after our cheese fest but just in case we booked a table at The Ivy for 9.30pm. We decided to keep the booking and have some food as it is a chain that we both like but had not been to for a while. Happily once again the Staff were fully aware of the issues of a Coeliac and gave me several gluten free options to choose from.

The original plan was just to have a main each so I had the Aromatic Duck Curry, which was nice. When I had finished it I did end up ordering a dessert as in my world a meal should always end with something sweet. Just in case you are interested I had the Creme’ Brulee’. It was another enjoyable dining experience.

We then called it a night and retired to the Judges Court. The next morning, we had to check out by eleven but the train was not until three. We left our bags at the hotel and then returned to Bills for an epic Pancake and syrup breakfast.

Then we decided to take in some history so we went to the York Castle Museum. It was really good. There are the remains of an old prison there to look at, it is where the highwayman Dick Turpin was held before his execution. They have also reconstructed a whole Victorian Street inside. They were the two main highlights for me.

It was then time to collect our bags and make our way to the station to catch the train home. We had a great weekend. York is a really nice, historic and friendly place with lots of things to do. We could easily have spent a few more days there. I think we may have to have a repeat visit at some point if for no other reason than to go to Love Cheese again.

I first discovered The Mischief Theatre Company when a mate and I went to see a midweek matinee of a new show called The Play That Goes Wrong. It was the most I think that I have ever laughed at the theatre. I really enjoyed it. Their idea started off as a play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and then via the West End made it to Broadway.

A couple of years later I went to see their next show that was called The Comedy About a Bank Robbery. Once again I thought it was brilliant. From there the group have ended up making regular television series and one off specials, all of which I have enjoyed.

They put on a production a couple of years ago called Groan Ups, which again was very clever and very funny. I have seen all of their productions in London and with the original cast many of who were the founding members of the group. They are all extremely talented and good at what they do. I only just managed to catch their most recent show before it closed in London.

While they were in America with The Play That Goes Wrong they met the American magicians Penn & Teller. I am not totally sure how the next bit happened but they ended up working on a new show together called Magic Goes Wrong. This was the final one of their productions so far that I had not seen.

I caught it in the last week of its run. It did what the title said with lots of magic tricks going wrong but as we know from the great Tommy Cooper getting a trick wrong with perfect timing is almost as tough as getting it right. It was quite an interactive show with lots of audience participation. Penn & Teller devised and designed all the magic included in the show and some of them do really work and it is amazing when they do.

The show is fast paced, funny and very well performed. Extremely entertaining and it does keep you guessing a bit about what will happen next. It gives the illusion at least of a fair amount of danger. As ever with The Mischief Theatre company stuff I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I am already looking forward to seeing whatever they come up with next.

Before we went to see Magic Goes Wrong we had a meal at Browns. One of the main reasons we went there is because they are Coeliac accredited which means it is a safe place for me to eat as regards to gluten free food with no risk of contamination. It also means that there is a good selection of dishes on the menu that I can have.

In the end I opted for their prawn and lobster pasta dish followed by some Eaton Mess for my pudding. This set me up nicely for our trip to the theatre. The Staff were good in there and I would certainly eat there again.

This was the weekend of Storm Franklin and we managed to get the timing of the walk from the restaurant to the theatre totally wrong. It was tipping down with rain and because of the very strong winds it was coming horizontally at us rendering the tiny umbrella I had as useless and meaning we were completely soaked by the time that we arrived.

It did not spoil the night despite being a bit damp during the entire performance, as it was actually to celebrate the second anniversary of mine and Lynda’s first date. We had a fun and lovely evening despite the challenging weather.

I was delighted that after a couple of months rest one of my horses Proclaimer won on his comeback at Kempton. He had won four out of his last five previous races before the trainer Julie Camacho had decided that he needed some time out of the action.

He looked very good on his return and I hope to see him possibly run a few more times over the next two months, ideally with similar results. One of my other horses is currently being lined up to run in one of the big hurdle races at Cheltenham later this month which is very exciting.

I have mentioned this before but I have some sort of problem with my ears in that they build up with all kinds stuff and need to be in effect hoovered out about every six months ideally. I should stress this is by a medical professional using equipment designed for this task. Due to the current situation it had been longer than usual since I last had the procedure.

It was so overdue I was having trouble hearing, getting headaches and struggling a bit with my balance. I had it done this week and it was like suddenly getting surround sound back in my life. I feel so much better for it, really is quite weird as it creeps up on you as time goes by and then when you have them looked at it is only then you realise how bad they really were! I am all good now for another six months!

A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/

Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.

Right Royal Treat

February 19, 2022 Neil

I hope you had a nice Valentine’s Day however you spent it. I have spent many of them as a single man over the years making me quite an inexperienced boyfriend when it comes to this event. However I did manage to get a card and flowers delivered, so maybe I am a tiny bit smoother than I give myself credit for. Sadly I did not manage to see Lynda on the day itself but I did have something up my sleeve to mark the occasion the night after that I will tell you about a bit later.

Personally I have always really viewed Valentines’ just as a chance to appreciate the people around you and in your life. Mind you that like telling your other half that they are special should of course happen all the time really not just on one day a year, although in many ways that would be a lot easier. I think my point is while it is marketed as a couple’s thing everyone can still share in the love and appreciate the feel good factor of it.

That said I was looking at some of the things that I have done on previous Valentine Day’s they include going to watch Spurs, taking the Neighbours tour in Melbourne, doing a final radio show at a station that I was at for five years and going to see The Only Fools and Horses musical alone. Therefore looking back it seems like I have always spent the day with someone incredibly special to me, myself. Which I think if you recall the song is exactly what George Benson and Whitney Houston suggested is the greatest love of all!

Since I was diagnosed as Coeliac and then put on a Gluten Free diet around a year ago now, Lynda has been brilliant at not only cooking me amazing meals that fit my dietary requirements but finding some restaurants that are totally Gluten Free. When we go to these places it means that I do not have to ask a million questions and I can order everything on the menu. Plus I do not have to be concerned about cross contamination. She found a new one called Niche just down the road from Angel Tube Station that we visited a couple of weeks ago.

One of the reasons we went to eat there was that we were already in London for something else, which I will explain shortly. Anyway we had booked at table for five when it opened. The Staff were nice and friendly, they happily sat us at our table when we arrived a tiny bit early. The set-up of the place is great, it has a lovely feel to it and they have these plastic dividers between the tables that give the illusion of a bit more privacy when you are eating.

The menu was excellent with lots of different options many of which were things rarely available to me in a lot of restaurants. They were very quick to sort out some drinks and take our order. For starters I had the mushroom rarebit dish with cheese, garlic and caramelised onions while Lynda had their version of southern fried chicken. Both were excellent but for an opener they were generous portions so we were pretty full before we even had our mains.

It sounds quite surprising but very few food places offer gluten free burgers therefore I had not had one for ages so as soon as I saw it on this menu I knew I just had to have it. It was amazing and came with some good fries with all the trimmings and a side of onion rings. The other thing I really liked about the place was the soundtrack, it was mostly eighties music and it was making my already lovely food even more enjoyable. We will definitely being going back there again at some point I need to work my way through the rest of the menu.

The reason that we were in London that evening, was because we were both going to see Tottenham play Brighton in the F.A. Cup. Due to the fact the game was on television the kick off was at the unusual time of 8pm on a Saturday night, as that really ate into the middle of the weekend. A couple of weeks before I said to Lynda that if I could get the seat next to my normal season ticket seat, would she like to come to the game with me? She said yes, I am not totally sure if that was because she thought I probably would not be able to get the ticket I needed to or not but I did so she accepted the offer.

Just before we set off for the game my contact at the club who I got the second seat from emailed me to offer us a free upgrade to the Premium Seating area. As that included two of my favourite words free and upgrade I accepted. After our meal at Niche we headed for the underground and made our way to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It is a journey I have done countless times but it was nice to have someone new to do it with as we approached the ground from the High Road.

We got inside, found the bar area and roughly where our seats were then had a glass of wine each before kick off. The seats were on level three and padded which is a slight step up from where I normally sit. Lynda is not a football fan at all and would never really watch it on the TV but she did thankfully and happily enjoy watching the game live. We actually played the best we had played for a while before or since as we went on to win the game quite convincingly progressing through to the next round.

Since that game we have lost our last two home games. I am now starting to think that she might be a lucky mascot and I might need to take her with me to every game. That might take quite a bit of negotiating though. After the match we went back into the bar and had another drink before getting the train home. It was a fun night and I always enjoy showing new people the stadium plus any trip there is always better when we win and play well.

I mentioned Lynda and I did not see each other on Valentine’s Day part of the reason for that was that I had organised a surprise for her the night after. Before Lockdown one I had tickets to go and see the as it was then fairly new musical Hamilton. That performance was of course lost to Covid so I got my money back and hoped that I would get the chance to see it one day. The other thing I did not say about that booking was it was to see it from a box. I have always wanted to see a show from there.

Anyway at the end of last year the opportunity this time to get hold of two tickets for the royal box at Hamilton came up and I managed to secure them for the 15th February. I did not tell Lynda where we were going or what we were doing. I knew it was a musical that she also wanted to watch. I made her meet me somewhere in London and then took her to the theatre. Obviously when we got to the theatre she realised what we were seeing but I still had one more surprise up my sleeve, our seats!

We went in and collected our pre ordered drinks. I then led her to our seats after having to ask how to get there, her face was a picture she was surprised but delighted. I think if you are going to be in any box at a theatre you have to make it the Royal Box. The show itself was brilliant. I can see why it has won so many awards and why when it opened in London it was so hard to get tickets for it. We had a brilliant night and I was really pleased that I actually managed to keep it a secret for the three months since I had booked it. I will be honest I had nearly given it away accidentally several times.

Last weekend we stayed in and Lynda managed to convince me to watch a film mainly due to the fact it was sport related and had Will Smith in it. We saw King Richard which is the story of how Venus and Serena Williams became tennis superstars. Before they were even born their Dad who the film is really about had written a 78 page plan to create the two greatest female tennis players of all time. He of course somehow managed to achieve his goal.

It is a decent film and kept my attention throughout which is not as easy as it sounds. It has a bit of everything humour, drama and a few slight twists. It focuses on their early years and finishes at the point where Venus the oldest sister makes her big debut on the circuit. It features some great performances and some great retro clothing. Would you believe to tie it in with the start of this update Richard Williams’ birthday is on the 14th February, it was a good film and I am actually glad I watched it!

I did as I always try to watch the Brits the other week. It was not as rock and roll as it used to be, part of that I think is due to the size of the arena it is now held in. The O2 is so big and so difficult to get to and from it makes getting too drunk and out of hand too difficult. I thought Mo Gilligan did a great job hosting what is a very tough gig. The two best live performances in my opinion were Adele and Ed Sheeran. They both rightly got awards. The only other thing really of note was the lovely Ann-Marie doing a Madonna and falling over on the stairs.

I am off to York next weekend, I have been twice before and I always enjoy it there, I will tell you what it was like and what I got up to next time we speak.

A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/

Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.

Neil Quigley Presenter