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Taste of The High Life

June 25, 2022 Neil

My mum recently went on a week’s holiday in Scotland. She had a great time seeing lots of famous and historic landmarks that she has always wanted to see. She very kindly got me a couple of gifts to give me on her return. Obviously she knows me very well as she bought me a box of gluten free shortbread biscuits and a corkscrew shaped like a wine bottle with my name on it which I absolutely love. It is the simple things and little gestures which will always be the best things in life and that will always mean the most.

A couple of weekend’s ago Lynda and I went to visit our good friends Steve and Louise. They live in a lovely little town right on the English and Welsh border. I always really enjoying going there to see them as it is such a relaxing and picturesque place. We left on the Friday evening straight from work. Not only did Lynda pick me up from the train station and drive but she also supplied me with a snack for the journey which was very much appreciated. Happily the traffic was kind to us and we made it in good time arriving at our destination at around quarter to ten.

Steve and Louise being the perfect hosts had a gluten free pizza in the oven ready for our arrival and the kettle already on. We had a nice relaxing evening drinking tea and chatting as I have said before I have known Steve since we were four after meeting at our first day at school. He has asked that I now refer to him as the longest friend I have rather than the oldest which is both correct and fair. We were a bit tired after the week and the travelling plus Steve had organised an activity for us in the morning so we had a reasonably early night.

He is a member of a local gun club and has his own rifle so he had offered to take Lynda and me clay pigeon shooting which we were both looking forward to. I had done it once before on a stag do about ten years ago and she had also had one go at it through a work thing around fifteen years ago. We got up and had breakfast then set off for the club which was situated on a huge site at the top of a hill. It was owned by a former Olympic Champion so as you can imagine it was all very professionally organised and run.

Steve went and signed us all in and got some bullets for us to use. He then led us to one of the several different areas that you can shoot from. We had to wait our turn for the course we wanted to be free. When it was he very carefully explained to us all the safety aspects and rules and how everything worked. There were six different positions that the clays could be propelled in from all controlled by a box with assigned buttons on. He showed us how to use the box and then went first to show us how it was done. He had an air rifle as a child and has always done a bit of shooting so needless to say he is pretty good so he hit a fair few on his first go.

Then it was my turn to take centre stage. He coached me and made sure I was holding the gun in the correct position and knew what I needed to do. I had about six attempts and did not hit a thing so then it was Lynda’s go. We are both very competitive and wanted to beat the other one. On her third try she hit one and took the lead in our mini competition. Then the three of us all took it in turns. During my next attempt I hit one to level things up and celebrated like I had just won an Olympic Gold Medal. A bit later Lynda just catches the side of a clay and nicks a bit off which apparently counts as a success much to my disgust.

We spent about an hour taking it in turns firing at the clay pigeons. Lynda did win in the end by one, which was the one she barely got anything on, so I tried to suggest it was a hollow victory but the other two told me I was wrong and to gracefully accept defeat which I did in the end. After the shooting was done we went and had a cup of tea in the lodge they have there. It was a good experience and I enjoyed having a go at it. I mean obviously the overall winner was Steve he hit way more clays than we did.

During the afternoon they took us for a lovely walk across the fields to a pub on the canal where we had a couple of drinks in the sun. On the way back to their place we walked along the canal and over the viaduct that they have locally. It was a really nice chilled and relaxed afternoon. It is so beautiful around that area, despite having to be wary of about a ton of sheep pooh on the way to the pub. Lord knows what those animals were eating. When we got back to their house Louise then cooked us a fantastic dinner.

After that we watched the film Sing 2 at the request of their daughter Eleanor after Lynda and I had both played Jenga against her and after I had channelled Paul Zerdin to try to bring to life her bird puppet. If you think that you could see Roger De Courcey’s lips move you should have seen my efforts. The movie by the way was surprising good with a great cast that actually included Bono. We finished the night with a few drinks listening to country music as Steve and Louise like me are big fans of the genre.

The next day we got up and had breakfast in the garden followed by a relaxing morning until we discovered the minion toy game. It is a small replica of one of the characters from the film. It gives you three instructions to bop it, pull it and twist it. When you start it off it calls out one of those things and you have to do it within a certain time. You have a go and at first think it is just a bit of fun, but then all of a sudden you find yourself concentrating so intensely to try to beat it. Steve held the high score at 63 I got up to 54 and was waiting to have my next go, when Lynda got to 100 which is seemingly the end of the game, so we stopped playing after that. She seemed to win everything that weekend.

Once we had all had lunch Lynda and I headed off home. We had a fantastic weekend mostly just talking, playing and laughing. I always have a great time in their company and hopefully we will be able to see them again in a couple of months. The other highlight of the trip for me was as a Duke’s of Hazzard fan to see for the first time the Dodge Challenger that they bought and got shipped over from America. They are still repairing it but when it is finished it will be some beast. I got to sit in it and it is some machine.

I have been going to Royal Ascot for the last five years now it is such a good day out. I took Lynda there for the first time last Friday. As we had a London based busy weekend we booked a hotel in Euston for a few nights and arrived there on the Thursday. There was a pub right next door so we had a couple of drinks in there before getting an early night ready for our trip to Berkshire the next day. We got up and got dressed into our outfits. On the way to the tube station we stopped off at a Leon for breakfast. They do a very good selection of gluten free food so since I have been coeliac I have been a regular customer there. I had their Full English Breakfast Pot which was very tasty and surprisingly filling.

We arrived at Waterloo station in plenty of time to catch the train that we had booked tickets for stopping for a bottle of water on the way. We were one of the first people waiting on the platform for it to arrive. This meant we were able to get a seat on what we knew would be a very busy journey. It takes about an hour to get there and about ten minutes so get out of the station as there are just so many people using the service. Once you get out though it is only about a ten minute walk to the world famous racecourse. It always looks so spectacular when it is set up for the royal meeting I think. Once we were inside we had a couple of pictures of us taken in front of the parade ring. It was a very hot day so we then headed inside to get some shade and a drink.

We were meeting a couple of great friends of mine Adam and Nicki to spend the day with it is now a bit of a tradition that we attend this event together. While we were ordering the drinks I got a call from them, saying they had arrived. I went off to find them while Lynda got the drinks which as it happened did get me out of buying the first round. They then got some drinks as well and we had a nice catch up while enjoying the sun and the views. I like to watch the Royal Party arrive into the parade ring, so about five minutes before they were due to appear we made our way down there to get a good spot to see them.

They always arrive at the far end of the course at two o’clock but it takes them around ten minutes to get to where we are. The lead Royals were The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We were in a great position to see them arrive and Prince William waved at us as he went past. Once we had seen them all get out of the carriages and shake hands with the welcoming party it was time to head to the stands and get a place to enjoy the racing from. Then there was just enough time to nip down to the bookmakers to get our bets on for the first race before the action started.

The standard of races is as you would expect exceptionally high for all five days of this huge occasion. We followed the same pattern all afternoon, a combination of betting before and watching each race with more drinks purchased as required through the afternoon. I had a couple of placed horses so got some money back that way and everybody else had at least the same. Nicki had the winner in the last race which she really did enjoy. We kept meaning to go and get some food during the afternoon but we were having such a laugh chatting and watching the races that we never quite got round to it.

Once all the racing has finished for the day and all the horses have been returned to the stables in the Queen Ann Enclosure where we go there is a massive sing-song around the bandstand. It lasts for about forty minutes and is brilliant fun with seemingly the whole of Ascot joining in singing and dancing together. There is a really good atmosphere to the place and the whole thing does feel very British. They run through all of the favourites from war time songs to Oasis and Neil Diamond. Once we had sung our hearts out we went to one of the pubs on the High Street for a couple more drinks stopping off for some emergency gluten free crisps on the way.

We said goodbye to Adam and Nicki and got the train back to London at half past nine, once again it was packed and as a result it was quite a slow journey back. We did not get back to the hotel until nearly eleven o’clock. As we had not really eaten we decided to get a take away pizza delivered. It worked a treat I met the driver outside and after a lot of security questions to make sure it was us who had placed the order I took it back to our room. Start the day hanging out with the future King and end it eating pizza in a hotel room, that my friends is how you keep yourself grounded. It was another great day at Royal Ascot and I am already looking forward to doing it all again next year.

The next day we were going to Taste of London with a group of friends. It is an annual event that takes place at Regents Park. Happily due to our sensible planning skills it was only a twenty minute walk from where we were staying. We met everybody there at half eleven and waited for the gates to open at midday. We had opted for VIP tickets which meant that we got fast track entry, a glass of champagne on arrival and some dishes included with our ticket. There are loads of pop up restaurants who offer a selection of three sample dishes for you to try. On top of that it is a trade fair for food and drinks companies to promote their own products.

Once we were let in, we of course headed straight for the VIP area to collect our champagne and plan how we were going to attack the four hour session that we had there. Annoyingly despite the forecast saying it would be warm and sunny it was a little drizzly, however that did not dampen our spirits. A lot of the companies there are handing out samples for you to try, while I was there I tried a tea infused Bellini, some non-alcoholic gin and barely flavoured fizzy water. We each set off in different directions to hunt down the food that we wanted to sample.

The only way I could discover what I could eat was to go from door to door to see the menu in each place so I could discover any dishes that were gluten free. It did seem like there were fewer options for me to try than last year but I still found three things to sample using my vouchers and even got an extra one on top. The stand out two for me, were a peanut satay lamb dish and a barbequed pork belly little number. The food is well presented and there is the odd celebrity chef floating about doing a bit of cooking to. I even managed to find some pudding. I found a stall where there were selling gluten free dough balls with ice-cream inside. They came in lots of different flavours I tried the mint chocolate chip, strawberry Eaton Mess and the cinnamon all of which were great.

The time does fly by and basically you spend the whole time there either eating or drinking so it is a mini festival that I would definitely recommend. It seemed to be quite popular with Radio 2 presenters as I saw Sara Cox there and Lynda spotted Vanessa Feltz. Before we knew it the time was four o’clock and we had to leave as our session was over. I had a brilliant time there once again I always seem to discover something new there that I really like. We said goodbye to everyone and went back to the hotel for a few hours to let the huge amount of food we had consumed digest.

We had somewhere lined up to go that evening. The friends we went to see in Manchester a few weeks ago were at Taste of London with us so we wanted to take them to a great wine bar that Lynda and I accidentally discovered towards the end of last year. We have been a few times since and always enjoyed it so we wanted to introduce them to it. It is called the Cork and Bottle and it is right on the corner of Leicester Square. We had booked a table there for a couple of hours that night.

The staff are excellent in there friendly and very knowledgeable about the food and drink they serve plus they are coeliac aware and can make most of the items they do gluten free. We ordered a lovely bottle of a Rioja Reserva which was right in my sweet spot for the type of wine that I like. As we had all been at Taste of London and eaten quite a lot we all opted for a cheese selection. We had three cheeses each which in my case came with gluten free crackers and bread. The atmosphere in there is very cool and relaxed so it is easy to eat, drink and have a brilliant time. Thankfully our friends seemed to like the place as much as we do; we will be visiting there again soon that is for sure. It wrapped up what was a fantastic couple of days.

Last Sunday was Father’s Day not being a dad myself I am always slightly worried about suddenly receiving a card as that is not the way you want to find out. Joking aside I did obviously get mine a card and without knowing as we did not talk about it my sister and I managed to independently get my dad exactly the same one. We only realised after we had given them to him. I was pleased with my present though he loves his sweets and I got him a huge box of jelly babies that contained fifty different flavours. That should keep him amused for a while I hope.

I am going to see The Rolling Stone in Hyde Park tomorrow which should be great; I will tell you what it 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.

Right Royal Fun

June 11, 2022 Neil

As I said previously this year seems to be going by so fast, it appears that the weather has not caught up yet and realised that it is actually summer. I have massively benefited recently from always carrying an umbrella with me plus I have seen people in the last week still wearing scarfs and hats which feels a bit wrong for June. Mind you as soon as there is a glimpse of the sun you can smell nothing but barbeques so it is good to know that as a country we are all being suitably British about the situation.

A couple of Saturdays ago now Lynda and I went up to Manchester to see some friends. We drove up during the afternoon and arrived to a champagne reception from our hosts, well after I had enjoyed a cup of tea that I always insist on having on arrival anywhere that I have endured a journey of thirty minutes or more. We had a civilised catch up before it was time to get changed and jump in the taxi they had booked to take us all to the restaurant that they had organised. During this trip it was the first time I think that I have ever seen a driver obviously turn up his radio to drown out what we were talking about and I promise you it was not that controversial or boring.

We arrived at the restaurant, which nowadays is always my cue to point out to the staff that I am a Coeliac requiring the gluten free menu and possibly the allergens menu to. They were great and the food and atmosphere in the place was also good. It was a Tapas style venue but due to my dietary requirements I had a straightforward starter and main while the rest of them shared a selection of dishes. For the record I was fine was this and still had a dessert option I could and did enjoy. It was some ice-cream that came with a small glass of sherry. Not a combination I had ever had before but I found it quite agreeable and may even have discovered a new drink option.

After we had eaten we had a table booked in a really nice bar called Ivy Asia. In there we had some very nice wine and spent the evening talking and laughing. There was a really cool and classy vibe to the place. I would definitely go there again. The next morning our friends did us a totally gluten free fried breakfast which I really appreciated. They even just did gluten free bread for everybody which removes quite a big cross contamination risk so I was very happy about that. We had a fantastic weekend just relaxing and hanging out with mates. I always like going out in Manchester but just never seem to do it very often.

It was my Dad’s 70th Birthday on the Thursday right at the start of the Jubilee Back Holiday weekend. He was not really sure what he wanted to do and I only just managed to get out of him what he would like for a present the week before. In the end I just decided I would go and see him for the day and cook a family roast dinner for the evening. It worked out well as his brothers and sister popped in to see him for a cup of tea and a quick chat during the day. Then he and mum went to church while I prepared the roast beef feast. I do quite a decent roast if I do say so myself although I am not great at judging portion sizes so we all had a massive plateful of food.

We opened some lovely red wine to accompany our meal and then he had two cakes to enjoy for his pudding. When we had finished eating we had a rest to let our digestive systems get to work. Then I started playing some music I thought he would like but had not had the chance to listen to for a while. We ended up doing this for about two hours with both of us taking turns to choose the songs. It was I guess by my standards at least, a low key celebration but he seemed to really enjoy it and we all had a fun time. I think we went to bed around midnight which is sensible for a man of his age of course.

I love a night out at the theatre and in particularly a good musical. Lynda managed to get a couple of tickets from Sky VIP to see the latest Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical version of Cinderella. It has of course hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently with the way that the cast were informed about the show closing in London a lot sooner than was originally planned. They all found out on social media instead of being personally informed in advance which is totally unprofessional and unforgiveable really. It closes tomorrow but we went and saw it last Friday.

I was not totally sure what to expect I had seen the odd number from it performed on various television shows before it opened and I did know that it starred Carrie Hope Fletcher. However I had no idea how the storyline differed from the original version that we all know so well. It was on at the Gillian Lynne Theatre which looks very non descript and concrete from the outside but is actually quite spacious and nicely organised inside. We had good seats in the middle of the stalls.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, the songs are excellent and catchy as you would expect from a Lloyd-Webber musical. The whole cast were brilliant and Carrie was sensational in the lead role. It is a modern slight reworking of the original tale with some characters and parts of the story very similar and some others very much not. It is easy to follow, staged perfectly and does I feel reflect the world we live in very well at times but ultimately it is a story and show based on a fairy tale where happy endings are the order of the day. I am glad that I managed to catch it, there was quite a bit of humour in it which of course appealed to me.

Before we went to the theatre we had a nice meal in Wahaca. It is on the list of places where I can eat as they do provide a decent choice of gluten free dishes. The other reason we went there is that Lynda had found that they do a great Margarita cocktail. I can now confirm this to be true as after she ordered hers I decided to try one to and they are very good. We had quite an impressive selection of Mexican food between us started off with some vegetable nachos and for me at least finished off by ice-cream with chocolate sauce. It certainly gave me the energy to enjoy our planned entertainment.

While we were at the theatre we got a message from some friends who happened to be in London to but seeing a different West End show. As we had not seen them since New Year’s Eve we decided to meet them for drinks afterwards. Much to our surprise we found a pub that had plenty of seats and no queue at the bar to have a few drinks and a catch up in before we had to get the last train home. It was a brilliant night out, food, theatre and friends is I feel always a winning combination.

It was a weekend for seeing mates which is never a bad thing. I am not sure how but it does seem hard to find the time at the minute to see people. Last Saturday afternoon we went to see our friends Adam and Katy at their house. Embarrassingly while we were there we worked out that we had not seen each other for nearly a year. It was great to see them and they even got some specially gluten free treats that I could enjoy with the copious cups of tea I consumed during the three hours we were there. I was in my element with friends chatting, laughing and drinking tea, that is basically what I was born to do!

I did enjoy seeing all the celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee during the special Bank Holiday Weekend. Trooping of the Colour was as ever a fantastic spectacle and I always enjoy a good flight past seeing all of those iconic aircraft fly over The Mall and Buckingham Palace is always brilliant. It was enhanced even more this year by the reaction of Prince Louie. He was the star of the whole weekend for me! The concert on Saturday was as you would expect slick and sensational.

The Pageant was both totally British and bonkers in equal measure. I would also love to know who booked the celebrities for the various buses and what their selection method was. It looked great fun and I wish I had been there to see it in person. I know a few people who were involved with the float on behalf of the Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival Club. They worked on the sound for the floats, when I was in Somerset I did loads of gigs with them, which were always good fun!

Seventy years in one job is a huge achievement and personally I think she has been and continues to be amazing. She was so good in that skit with Paddington that I think they should have given her a role in both of the films. Stuff like that really appeals to her sense of humour that we all need to have whatever industry we work in I think. Congratulations Your Majesty it was brilliant to see your appearances on the balcony and the interactions with your great grandchildren. Now please rest up a little so we can wave at each other at Royal Ascot this coming week. I am going on the Friday and I am already very excited about it.

Last Saturday night Lynda and I returned to the scene of our second date. It was a restaurant in Berkhamsted called Tabure. Since our first visit my dietary requirements have changed so I had to drop them an email to check they could accommodate me. They sent me a very quick and detailed reply that instantly put my mind at rest so I booked us a table. We went for a quick pre-dinner drink in The Kings Arms, which is where we ended up until closing time after the initial date in that town.

Tabure is a Turkish style restaurant where a bit like Tapas the dishes are sharing options in a particular section of the menu, although you can have individual meals if you like. To make the sharing easier and it better for them to manage my issues Lynda agreed to keep to only gluten free dishes. It was over two years since we had eaten there so we had kind of forgotten how good the food is. Let me tell you it is amazing, I have been lucky enough to eat in some very nice places but this one is right up there. We will definitely not be leaving it so long before we eat there again. The Staff are also brilliant and they do serve an exquisite Malbec there.

I am now starting to get quite excited about Baz Luhrmann’s new film about Elvis Presley. Despite previously playing it cool and saying I would see it at the cinema but I was in no rush to, after seeing the trailer and the hype from the Cannes Premier I went and booked tickets to see it in London on its UK release date. Tom Hanks plays the manager Colonel Parker and Austin Butler plays Elvis. As you would expect from a Luhrmann movie visually it looks amazing and I cannot wait to see it.

This weekend we are off to the Welsh/English border to spend a few days with my oldest friend and his family. We met on our first day in Primary School aged four and we have been mates ever since. I am really looking forward to seeing them. I will tell you what we 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.

And Relax

May 28, 2022 Neil

I have been quite busy recently juggling a few different things and my girlfriend felt I deserved a bit of a treat as a reward for my hard work and as opportunity to have some down time and unwind. She surprised me a couple of weeks ago by booking a massage for me to enjoy at Champneys in St Albans. Lynda picked me up from my house and drove me to the spar. At this point I knew I had a surprise coming my way but I had no idea what it was. We arrived a little bit early for the appointment so we were walking around the high street while I was still trying to work out what she had organised for me.

Eventually we turned a corner and were right outside Champneys. At this point I guessed what it might be that I was doing. We went in and walked up to the reception area Lynda confirmed the booking. I must have looked a bit shocked as the girl behind the counter said something along the lines of he did not know about this then? I was also a bit taken aback as I presumed she had booked us both in but they only had one slot free that afternoon and she got it for me. It was a fifty minute personal full body massage. While I went in for my session Lynda went for a look around the shops. A gentleman may have given her his credit card and told her to buy herself something as a thank you, for my gift, however I did not do that!

The massage was amazing, I could choose the muscles that were the main focus but I decided to go for the standard timings they offer to have the whole body unknotted the best they could in the allocated time. As you would rightly expect for such a quality establishment it was all perfect from the temperature of the room, to the background music to the scent of the oils used. It is so relaxing having any stress just rubbed out of your body. I spend a lot of time sat at computers typing so my back, neck and shoulders are always very tight. I always ask for quite a lot of pressure as unless I can feel all the knots being worked on I do not think that I am getting my money’s worth or in this case Lynda’s.

When I walked out and met back up with my very generous other half I felt so much more chilled and relaxed than I had when I had entered the place. I am pretty laid back and easy going at the best of times but there is zero chance of me making any decisions at all after a massage. It was a nice day so we did have a walk down to the local pub when we got home to have a drink in the sun, I had a bottle of water, well I needed to rehydrate after my workout. We only stayed for one then went back for some food. All I could manage that night was to watch a bit of television as a good massage can make me feel quite sleepy.

The other great thing about having a massage is that it always gives me a brilliant night’s sleep afterwards. I felt great when I woke up the next morning. I really should try to have them more often I think they are good for the body and the mind. Although next time I will be organising one for the both of us as she was way more awake that me after I had mine so I think it is only fair and best if we are both in the same zen like state. I have had two massages this year which is a new record for me already, but I think one every four months or three times a year could be the way forward.

Last Saturday Lynda threw a birthday barbeque for her mum. It was the second one she has done this year. She really enjoys doing them and always prepares extra culinary treats. This time we had chicken marinated in tikka masala which was amazing, not to mention an array of salads and other sides. There were about eight of us there in the end. It was a lovely afternoon just enjoying a few drinks and lots of great food. I always end up eating loads at these things as you just have to try everything and I have no will power. I like how when you are in good company the time just flies by without you realising. It was nearly ten o’clock before we finally came inside to continue the party for a little bit longer. Once again I went to bed full of food and happy.

The Premier League football season has now ended then. For the first time this season I watched Soccer Sunday as it was with Jeff Stelling. I think it is a good programme but I rarely watch it as I am normally at the game. I needed to keep across the Spurs score and all the other games and they were showing all the goals from all of the matches being played. Tottenham needed to draw at Norwich at the very least to guarantee that they would be in the Champions League next season. In January that looked unlikely but by this final game we had managed to get in a position where our fate was in our own hands.

We hit form at about the right time after a bit of a worrying blip. Luckily for us Arsenal and Manchester United who were our two main rivals for fourth place both slipped up! We beat Norwich fairly easily in the end by five goals to nil and from very early on in the game the result never looked in doubt. That victory means after missing out last year we will be back in the Champions League next season. They are great nights under the flood lights in the week. I am looking forward to the biggest teams in Europe coming to our place once again. It is also the sixth season in a row that Tottenham have finished above Arsenal, which is a pleasing statistic.

Well done to Heung Min Son who shared the Golden Boot for being the Premier League’s top scorer with Mo Salah. I have witnessed him score so many sensational goals since he joined us. He really is a top player and bloke always happy and smiling and ready to get the fans going. He is one of those players who creates’ an air of excitement every time he gets the ball. Antonio Conte has been brilliant for us and exactly the type of manager we needed. I have so much respect for what he has achieved in his short time here. I really hope he is with us next season and it does look like he will be as I think he could achieve something historic, the guy is a winner!

After starting to watch it a little late I have now caught up with the current series of Taskmaster. How Alex Horne is still coming up with these weird and wonderful challenges is very impressive. It is such an odd and off the wall show the way him and Greg Davies host it but somehow it all just works. Once again they have attracted a great selection of comedians to play the games. I have been a big Chris Ramsey fan since I saw him play a small gig in Aylesbury and got to chat to him after briefly. He was very funny that night and always makes me laugh now. I probably want him to win, although I had kind of forgotten how funny Ardal O’Hanlon is, I like the way he counter argues the reviews of the tasks, it is hilarious. The other thing I like about it is the general silliness and the fact it is easy to watch even if you are a bit tired say after a massage.

Next weekend then it is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend. She has been on the throne for seventy years, which is an amazing achievement. Personally I am a big supporter of the Royal Family well most of them there are a couple of exceptions. The Queen is my hero though, what she have lived through and steered the country through should be celebrated. Although she cannot be political when she speaks, she makes much more sense and seems wiser than many of the people who are actually running the place at the moment. I like the idea of a figurehead. The money generated through tourism related to the Royal Family is worth a lot of money to the countries’ economy. Plus I think the Queen adds a sense of identity to the United Kingdom that we would not have without her.

I remember when we were at Primary School the whole class wrote a letter to the Queen. I was so delighted when her lady in waiting replied to us all, in fact I still have a copy of that letter. As I had a bit of time on my hands during lockdown I decided to write a follow up letter, well she had not heard from me for nearly forty years so I presumed she was interested in an update to see how I was getting on. Everybody in her inner circle suggest she has a great sense of humour so I will admit I put things in there that I hoped would make her giggle if she did actually read it. I did again get a reply for her lady in waiting. As a result of my two correspondents I fully hope to get an invite to a garden party or at the very least an OBE.

I will be watching some of the events being held in her honour and will raise a glass to her over the weekend. She has always carried herself with such dignity. I always enjoy seeing her arrive at Royal Ascot every year and she always waves at me. I hope she can carry on for at least another five years it does feel like she might just be indestructible. It will be a bit of a watershed moment when there is a change at the top. She was very young when she was thrust in to the position she has now occupied for so long, the nation has watched her through every stage of her life. And while certain other very high profile people were seemingly bending the rules she sat alone at her own husband’s funeral. Happy Anniversary Ma’am!

We are off to Manchester this weekend to catch up with some friends. I have not been out there for several years, so I am looking forward to it. I will let you know what we 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.

All of the Arts

May 14, 2022 Neil

The year seems to be flying by to me. The weeks are passing by so quickly, it does not feel like fourteen days since we last spoke. I think part of the reason for that might be when the world reopened again after the lockdowns, due to the fact we felt aggrieved at not being able to do anything, we just said yes to everything we could and our diary rapidly filled up. You know you must be pretty busy when you actually have to book a quiet weekend of not doing much into your schedule. I have always liked keeping active and experiencing as many different things as I can but I seem to have upped the ante a bit so far this year. I am not complaining, just reflecting.

Two Saturdays ago Lynda and I went to The Rex in Berkhamsted. She had been there before but this was my first visit. Obviously we went for a nice meal in the area first. As ever our restaurant choice was fuelled by my gluten free requirements. We ate at a Lussmanns which was just a five minute walk from the art deco cinema where we were going. The food and service were both great. I always like to ideally round off any meal with a dessert. They had a few coeliac friendly options on the menu and I went for the panna cotta with chocolate. I will be honest I just expected a little dribble of melted chocolate on the top, however the whole plate was swimming in the stuff and it was amazing!

The Rex is tucked away just off the High Street. The entrance looks quite low key really but when you walk into the auditorium it is very impressive. The top level is just set up like a standard cinema but the two levels below that have big red comfy chairs in groups of four set around tables. This is the area where we sat and one of the reasons I wanted to go, as even I liked the idea of watching a film sat at a table in nice surroundings while having some wine. That is the other great thing about the place it has a bar in the auditorium where you can get drinks as you enjoy the action on the big screen.

The film we were seeing was Kenneth Branagh’s new version of the Agatha Christie classic Death On The Nile. As well as directing it Kenneth also played the lead Hercule Poirot. The cast included Gal Gadot, Tom Bateman, Russell Brand plus French and Saunders. I am not sure if this was just the surroundings or the nice glass of Rioja I had during it, but I really enjoyed it. There was quite a lot of humour for a film that in the end had a fairly impressive body count. I must admit I have not seen the original so have nothing to compare it to but it kept my attention. I did like the atmosphere and feel of the place, seeing a movie there felt like an occasion. I would happily go back and watch something else.

The following night a mate of mine who runs quite a lot of comedy events around the Hemel Hempstead area had one on at Boxmoor Social Club. I had been meaning to catch up with him for ages so Lynda and I went along. We got there quite late so ended up at the front to the side of the stage, which can sometimes be dangerous unless you know the organiser, compere and some of the acts. Then it is totally safe to be that close to the action. It was a bit like an old fashioned working man’s club everyone there was nice and friendly.

The host for the night was Matt Hake who I have gigged with a few times in the past and like me is a former attendee of a Logan Murray Comedy Course and a Tringfest Roving comedian. Both of which were amazing fun for the record. He was great as always. The two opening acts were both good and set the tone for the night perfectly. Having tried it myself there is nothing harder than making a room full of people laugh and they achieved that. The closing act for part one was someone I have seen a few times before called Stu Turner. He combines comedy with magic. That is a winning combination in my book. I always enjoy his act and like most comedy magicians he actually does a few very impressive tricks.

The headline act was somebody I had admired from a far for many years and who I remember watching as a child on television. He even appeared in an episode of one of my favourite programmes Only Fools and Horses, playing a comedian at The Nags Head. I was not disappointed I thought he was excellent. It is always a good sign when you are watching a comic and your face is aching from laughing so much. His name is Jeff Stevenson, he has been in show business a long time and even appeared in the 1976 version of Bugsy Malone as a fourteen year old. He does a lot of work on Cruise Ships so if they are your thing keep an eye out for him while on board. It was great to see him in action. The whole night was good fun, well done to Lee Bryant for putting it all together.

I have been working in the Radio Industry in some form or another since I was twenty which it is fair to say is a long time now. In all of that time I had never been to what were the Sony Awards and now are the Arias. My old boss and I Steve Carpenter did go to an event in London where they announced the nominee’s in 2007 as we had entered and we felt we might have a chance of being shortlisted. We were not in the end but we had a nice afternoon out and got to meet a few people. A last minute opportunity arose this year to go to the ceremony at the Adelphi Theatre in London. It was a bit of a rush to get there from work but I arrived about ten minutes before The Radio Academy Audio and Radio Industry Awards began.

Heather Small kicked things off with a live performance of Proud. The event was hosted by Rylan with Fleur East as the live voiceover who did make a few appearances on stage to. It is just like every other single industry awards in that they encourage people not to make the acceptance speeches too long and it seems to go on for way longer than it should. It was nice to see so many broadcasters both presenting and receiving prizes. Tony Blackburn as you would expect was on top form, as was Scott Mills and Shaun Keaveny. The first person to swear was Vanessa Feltz and it was lovely to see the wonderful Adele Roberts win the special moment award for her honest and emotional return to Radio 1 after her Bowel Cancer treatment.

We also got music performances from Tom Odell and Callum Scott plus a surprise live link up with Lyse Doucet in Ukraine. I have had the pleasure of working with her at the World Service in the past and she is an exceptional person and journalist. Rylan did a great job hosting the event being funny and entertaining while moving things along when he had to, which was not always easy at times. There was of course an after show party. They had hired out an entire pub just around the corner. I did get a very quick word with Rylan as I was arriving at that. There were a few live DJ sets and the chance to catch up with some radio people who I had not seen for a while including my former Ivel fm colleague Scott Temple. He was there with his current station Pirate fm as they had been nominated for an award. It was great to see him and I look forward to hopefully being there again next year.

Lynda managed to get us a couple of tickets to see Blondie in Birmingham last weekend. The gig was on the Saturday night so we thought that we would make the most of it and book a hotel nearby so we could have dinner and a few drinks before the concert. We found a place to stay that was near several decent bars and just a five minute walk from the music venue. On the way to dinner we found a nice bar by the canal to have a cocktail each to kick start proceedings. Then we ate at one of my new favourite places Miller and Carter. They are Coeliac accredited so I am safe to eat there plus they do have a fantastic range of aged steaks and a pretty decent wine selection.

We arrived at the Utilita Arena just as the support act was starting. It was Johnny Marr and he was brilliant. He played a lot of the old Smith’s stuff which went down very well with the crowd. Not only is he a great guitarist he can really sing, do not say this too loud but I think I might prefer his voice to Morrisey’s. The queues for the bars were massive but we noticed the food places did a limited selection of drinks so got ours from there to save time. We had great seats in the second block back and right on the end of the row which meant it was easy to pop out for drinks or comfort breaks.

Blondie were on at nine and made a great entrance they almost just materialised on stage. They played for an hour and forty minutes and did all of the big hits as you would expect. I really like their late seventies and early eighties stuff and of course Maria from the big comeback in nineties. They are not all the original members of the band they have got in a little bit of youth in a few areas. Their former bass player grew up near my parents until he moved to America and then joined the group. They had Glen Matlock from The Sex Pistols on bass guitar for this gig.

They sounded great. Clem Burke is clearly the musical driving force behind their sound. That is the first time I have seen him close up. He is sensational, must be up there with the greatest drummers of all time, so much energy. Talking of which Debbie Harry of course still fronts the band and let us face it she is basically Blondie. Now seventy-six years old she puts in a high octane performance still dancing around the stage while belting out all those well known hits. Although she did have to remove her heels three songs in but I am more than happy to accept that as being perfectly reasonable. It was an enjoyable night listening to some iconic music. Needless to say we may have gone out for a few more cocktails after the gig, well if a seventy plus year old can still be rock and roll so can we!

When we had arrived in Birmingham my oldest friend and his wife noticed from our social media that we were there and messaged me as they were coming to the city for a different concert the next day. As luck would have it their train got in an hour before ours left so we arranged to meet up for a tea at the station for a bit. It was great to see them both and catch up on what has been going on in our lives. In the end we got to spend a bit more time with them as our train was cancelled and the next one that we could get was an hour later, so that actually worked out brilliantly, a very happy coincidence that we both happened to be randomly there at the same time. We are going to see them for the weekend in a month’s time and I am really looking forward to it.

We are now getting to the business end of the football season with just two games to go. I have renewed my season ticket so I will be there at the matches during the next campaign cheering them on through the highs and lows. Oh the joys of being a football fan. I hope that Antonio Conte stays and the club back his plans as I think he could really make an impact at Tottenham given the time and support. I was of course at the North London Derby in the week the atmosphere in the ground was sensational and as ever it was great to beat Arsenal and pretty comfortably on this occasion. We just need to win our last two games and see what they do. We still have an outside chance of Champions League football next season.

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.

Neil Quigley

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Grand Weekend Away

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