Tag Archives: taste of london
Taste of The High Life
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.
A Matter of Taste
Two weeks ago today I went to the Taste of London winter event with my girlfriend and a few of our mates. We had all been to the summer event in Regents Park together and enjoyed it so much we thought we would give their seasonal offering a go. It was held at Tobacco Dock in East London. It is a part of the capital that I do not venture out to that often but as it was a dry morning I decided to get the tube to Tower Hill and then walk from there. That did of course mean I got to walk past the Tower of London and Tower Bridge both of which I still find breath taking to look at I think just because of the historic moments associated with them.
We all met up outside the dock which is now a warehouse turned office space come conference centre. The event started at eleven o’clock in the morning. On arrival because we had purchased VIP tickets we were given a glass of champagne. Prior to this I had been handed a couple of small cheese samples which accompanied the drink very nicely. Once inside and with the first drink of the day consumed we made our way to the VIP bar where we also got another glass of fizz on the way in. It was a very cool place with a DJ playing a chilled and relaxing set. We were enjoying ourselves so much in there we treated ourselves to a cocktail before we moved on.
Already three drinks to the good we figured it might be an ideal time to try out some of the food. Like the previous one we had been to there were lots of pop up restaurants to sample. Our ticket came with vouchers that meant we could try up to three dishes from any of the places we liked. Due to me being a Coeliac and unable to eat gluten this did mean my options were slightly more limited than the others. However I did find myself some ribs to start my food journey for the day. They were served on a paper plate with a wooden fork and knife. I did try to use these to eat the meat initially but this was not working so I had to go full on caveman and pick them up and eat them off the bone. They were really nice!
As I was walking around looking at some of the produce stalls I was handed a free can of a pre-mixed margarita which would have been rude not to accept and drink. I then managed to find some pieces of fried chicken that were made with a gluten free coating. They were great, just what I needed. We then found the same gluten free fruit beer that was there at the summer event Jubel, so we all had a pint of that. Obviously everybody was making sure they managed to eat and get their own dishes in as the time seemed to go so quickly. The whole thing lasted for five and an half hours but it seemed to go by in a flash.
For my final dish I had a potato and cheese meal, which was very tasty. That is always a simple but effective combination as far as I am concerned. We then stumbled across the Grey Goose bar so felt it would be wrong not to try one of their Vodka based cocktails. That for the record was nice and refreshing. It was then time to leave so we made our way back across London. Lynda and I then went back to my place to get ready for a night out seeing a mate of mine who I had not seen perform for ages. The Taste of London winter version was a huge success and we will more than likely go again next year the only slight disappointment was that I did not manage to find any mulled wine.
My parents had invited us out to see Alvin Printwhistle do his Elvis Tribute Show at Broadmoor Farm in Haddenham. They have their own bar and entertainment facility there, which is actually rather nice I thought. They have had it specially built and I think the stage and the bar are in exactly the right place, which always gives you a good chance of creating a decent atmosphere at a venue. This was in the evening after Taste of London so Lynda and I may have already been a bit merry by the time we got a taxi there to join my mum and dad as well as my Aunty Shelia and Uncle Mick, who were all already there.
I had not been there before and when we walked in it looked like a Wedding venue and for a split second I thought we had gone to the wrong place. Until I spotted a table plan with my dad’s name on and then looked up to see him and mum waving at us. We took our seats and said hello to everyone before heading to the bar to get ourselves some wine. I have known Alvin for over twenty years and I have seen him perform many times. He always puts on a wonderful show. As it happened I bumped into him on the way back from the bar so I did manage to have a quick chat and catch up with him which was nice.
The ticket for the evening did include a buffet style meal. My mum had enquired if there would be gluten free options in advance and they said there would be but I am a bit sceptical about these things until they happen. However I need not have worried as soon as I said I was Coeliac and could not have anything with gluten in it the lady behind the counter took my plate and then went into the kitchen before returning with a plate of uncontaminated gluten free food kept and prepared in a special area. That is some of the best service I have received for my condition since I had been diagnosed. The meat they served was amazing. To say that I was happy with this situation is an understatement.
After everyone had finished eating Alvin came on and did his first set. He was wearing the famous leather jumpsuit from the comeback TV special that really relaunched “The Kings” music career after the years spent in films. He sang a few early hits and some songs from the movies as well as telling a lot of jokes and interacting with the audience. He takes the music and the show very seriously but not himself plus he enjoys having a laugh and some fun with people. Then there was a brief interval which gave us a chance to go to the bar and refill our drinks. It is a pretty brave thing to move around while he is on stage so I tend not to if I can help it.
The second part of Alvin’s show is always the Las Vegas years’ so he puts on the old seventies style stage jumpsuit and performs a lot of the great man’s biggest hits with a few jokes and some laughter thrown in. Elvis Presley had a great sense of humour and he would often mess around on stage during his performances. I actually ended up having a dance with Lynda and my mum at various points. The first time I had been on a dancefloor inside since long before the first lockdown. We got a taxi home to bring to a close a very long but brilliant day.
Last Saturday night Lynda and I went and saw one of my best friend’s and his wife. We had not seen both of them for well over a year. We booked into a hotel just up the road from them so we could all have a few drinks and we met up at their house. It was marvellous to see my mate and his family I had not seen his children for so long I had a few gifts to give them that I had been holding on to for ages. Among the items was some rock. I made the mistake of giving her stick straight to their daughter and she started eating it right away. You can tell that I do not have kids as I never think of these implications when it is so close to bedtime.
We had a fantastic night just chatting and laughing. Each other’s company was the only entertainment we needed. They laid on some nibbles. We arrived with some drink and Lynda supplied an amazing cheese cake for our pudding. For our main course we ordered some Pizza’s and side dishes from Pizza Express completely at my request as I knew from past experience that they had a decent selection of gluten free food options on their menu. The only slightly awkward moment was when I accidentally mentioned something to my mate’s wife that I had forgotten he had told me as a secret. The problem is they are both such lovely people and I get on with them both so well that I am so relaxed in their company so I talk very freely in fact too freely sometimes it would appear.
I had a brilliant time and we did not leave their place until about 2 am. I felt sorry for them, Lynda and I could have a lie in at our hotel while they had to be up early to take their son to football and their daughter to a party. I often forget how tough it is to be parents when you want to do your own thing yet have to be available to do a whole host of things normally early in the morning. I am now hoping we can start to see them a bit more regularly again now.
I had my annual contact lens check up in the week. Eye health is of course extremely important. It all went fine my prescription has not changed and my eyes are healthy. The only issue is they are very dry. It is not a major problem I just need to start using the eye drops I have a bit more during the day, a minor inconvenience to solve the issue. The optician was saying that dry eyes are becoming a bigger problem in all age groups as we all spend too much time looking as screens. Basically the natural moisture in our eyes is produced when we blink and we do that a lot less when we are staring at computers and phones. Therefore if you want healthier eyes just try to blink more!
The other thing I learnt from the appointment shocked me a little bit. As I am very short sighted I just presumed that my eyes would more than likely remain at the same level for the rest of my life. However apparently as I get older at some point I will also become more long sighted meaning I may end up needing bifocals or some reading glasses to use while I am also wearing my contact lenses so I can read things close up. This all sounds like a bit of a pain and was honestly the first time that I was aware of it. Although the one slight benefit is that as I get more long sighted I may get slightly less short sighted so every cloud does have a silver lining I guess.
I had a phone call from my dietician the other day to check how I am getting on with my gluten free diet. It has caused me to lose a bit of weight as it is actually quite a healthy way of eating. It seems like I am doing mostly the right things but because I exercise so much it was suggested I try to have more carbohydrates and some higher calorie foods, which I actually think is quite a nice position to be in. As we are now in December I am sure gaining a little bit of weight will not be that much of a problem but we will see.
It was brilliant to see my horse Stage Star win his second race of the season at Newbury last Friday. He led from start to finish and was perfectly ridden by Harry Cobden. The trainer Paul Nicholls is now probably going to enter him into a Grade 1 race towards the end of December. It will be very exciting to see how he does as he steps up to compete against the best young horses around at the moment. We have very high hopes for him he seems to improve every time he is on a race course at the moment, which is just fantastic.
What can I say about my team Tottenham Hotspur at the moment? I think after our defeat to Mura (no I had never heard of them either) in the Europa Conference Trophy Antonio Conte now realises the scale of the job he has got at the club. I have felt this for a while but there seems to be something wrong at the core of the club. I still maintain we have some good players but the level of performance from them has just not been good enough for quite some time now. That is massively frustrating. There have been several times in the last three years when I thought we may have turned the corner only to then be proved wrong very quickly.
I like the new boss and given time I think he can turn it around. There were some great videos of him joining in during training throwing himself into tackles and winning the ball. His passion and intensity for the game is clearly there to see. He has so much experience and is a proven winner but being at the helm of my club could prove to be his biggest challenge yet I fear. The big matches keep coming thick and fast and at the moment I think I might be happy with a top eight finish. I feel you either have to be in a Europa League place or not in Europe at all. I am not a fan of this new competition and I have been saying that from the start not just because of the most recent result from it.
A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/
Just in case you were somehow unaware of this it is my birthday this coming Friday 10th December. I will be celebrating it in style and I will tell you how I marked this huge occasion next time we speak. Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.
Taste Of Life
We are now in a position then in the United Kingdom where most of the initial Covid restrictions have been lifted. It does look like some others may be implemented in some areas going forward however. I have been starting to go out a bit more and mix with a larger group of people. Personally I still plan to keep wearing a mask when inside public places and on public transport as that seems to me to be the respectful thing to do currently for people who have immune system issues. I also try to maintain a degree of social distance from people where I am able to.
Obviously things have only been “open” for nearly two weeks so it is a bit early to fully process the impact of more people mixing and the overseas travel increase on the transmission of the virus. The actual infection rates are not as bad as feared, which I hope means that we may be hitting the vaccination tipping point. Rather than people just ignoring the NHS App and may be not getting tested. If we are lucky the vaccine may not only be stopping people dying but also stopping us catching it and passing it on so easily. That will obviously help to keep further infection rates under control and mean we will be able to live with it and control it like with the Spanish Flu ultimately and of course Polio.
Two weeks ago today I went to Taste of London for the first time. My girlfriend who is very much into anything food related has been each time it has taken place for about the last eight years. This is basically her Latitude. She organised the tickets and we went with a couple of her friends. It was held in Regents Park in London. This meant that I had to get on a train for the first time since March 2020. It did feel a bit weird initially when I got on but I had my mask on and we found a seat for two at the back of a carriage so nobody could sit behind us. It was only a forty minute journey and in the end it felt quite normal.
We arrived at Euston and met some of her friends there to walk to Regents Park. It was a lovely hot and sunny day perfect for walking around a park area eating and drinking. As it was so warm and I have no hair I very sensibly remembered to bring a hat to wear. Sadly for me I have to have one all year round to keep my head cool or warm depending on the season, I have still not found one that suits me yet. Hopefully I will one day! We arrived at the event entrance and had to wait for the final two people in our group. It was all nicely spaced out and very well organised.
The final members of our party arrived and we went in. We had got VIP tickets so the first thing we did was head to our special area to enjoy our glass of champagne. It was great. We had our own table and found a map to start planning our food journey. Lynda as she is far too good to me went through the menus and highlighted all the gluten free meals that I could have. Happily there were quite a lot of them. Once we had finished the bubbles we set off in search of our first items. As part of our ticket deal we had three vouchers each to use to exchange for dishes.
My first purchase was a vegetable curry, which was amazing. There are lots of different food stalls run by different restaurants from all over the country. They serve you a portion in a paper plate or bowl along with wooden cutlery. We decided we needed to wash our first food choices down with a Tequila based drink, so my girlfriend and I both had a Margarita. I forgot that it comes served with a bit of salt around the rim and ended up taking a big mouthful of that as I began to drink it. Once I got over that it was actually quite nice.
For my next sample I had scrambled egg with cottage cheese, some avocado and bacon. It was delicious. I am not sure I have ever seen eggs that golden. As eating is thirsty work we stumbled across a stall that was selling Gluten Free Beer called Jubel. It seemed rude not to try a pint, so we did. They make fruit flavoured beer so I tried their Peach one, which was satisfyingly refreshing. We then decided to go back to the VIP section for a bit. As we got there they were doing a hot sauce tasting so we joined in with that.
We sat down and they gave us four small pots each with a carrot in them so you could use that to taste them. Pot one was Tamarind it was nice with a slight kick. Then we had some Ketchup which was very nice I could easily have that on anything at a barbecue. Next there was a curry sauce which again was tasty but had a delayed warmth to it. Finally it was this company’s Wild Horse Sauce. When you first put it on your tongue it had lots of flavour, then about thirty seconds later you just get this intense heat in your mouth.
If I have anything too hot I sweat from a certain spot on the top of my head and this was now happening. They then told us they had added mayonnaise to the sample they had given us to cool it down a bit. I would not like to try the neat version. It would blow your head off. That said they were tasty and we got to have a chat to the guy who created them all and despite their heat he did not seem like a sociopath! After all that spice we decided to cool down with a pint of cider.
You buy Taste of London tickets in sessions and they only last for four hours. I thought that would give you plenty of time to try all that you want but it soon flies by. We all still had vouchers left so it was time to hunt down more food. Next I tried some Garlic King Prawns which were fantastic accompanied by some Plantain fries that were equally as good. We decided to wash our latest courses down with a Pimms. Well it was a lovely summer’s day and we were in a park, so it just made sense. I like to round off any food session with something sweet so I managed to find a Gluten Free cookie stand and treated myself to a few of them.
Then our session time expired and it was time to leave. We did think about having a few drinks in London but in the end decided just to get the train back. Mind you when we got home as the weather was still so nice we sat in the garden and continued drinking until gone ten o’clock. I really enjoyed the event and look forward to going to it again next year. It is good fun and all the food there is sensational. I will admit I did feel a little jaded the next day but then again I must have tried some food and in particular drink from every imaginable category, great day out though, I would certainly recommend it.
I am slowly getting around to catching up with friends who I have not seen for ages. The other week I went and saw a mate of mine who lives in Milton Keynes, who I had not seen for eighteen months. We met at his place and exchanged the Christmas presents that we had not been able to give each other at the time. Great minds think a-like as we had both bought t-shirts relating to the football teams that we support. We decided to go and get some food. As I am now Coeliac finding somewhere to eat out can be tricky. But we had both been to a Frankie and Benny’s near his place previously and they are on the accredited list for people with my condition.
We ended up walking up and down the place where we thought the restaurant was without being able to find it. My mate then asked a security guard who informed us that we were in the right place but that it had shut about a year ago. This posed a bit of an issue as we needed to find somewhere near by that fulfilled my needs. I went on the Coeliac UK website and managed to find another place that was also on the list a Miller and Carter Steakhouse. It was almost empty so we got a table easily and sat down to eat. They did have a special gluten free menu so while my friend had their dirty burger I enjoyed Salmon with Mash Potato and Broccoli. See I told you it was mostly a healthier way of eating.
It was great to see him face to face and have a proper catch up. We have known each other for seventeen years now. We met when I basically took his job. But that is a story for another day. It was all very amicable. He is doing well both professionally and with his sporting achievements at the moment. The wonderful thing about meeting up with friends even if you have not seen them for ages is it is all just so natural and normal. We concluded our meeting with a walk around his local park, I think mainly so he could show me where his cricketing triumphs had taken place this year.
The thing with starting a relationship in the middle of a global pandemic is that is does take a lot longer for you to be able to introduce your other half to your friends. To try and address this balance my girlfriend and I went to visit a mate and his family last Saturday. Obviously I had not seen him for quite a while either so it was brilliant to see him and his wife along with their two children. They seem so much older than the last time I saw them, the kids not the parents that is, just to be clear.
He very kindly offered to do a barbecue and supplied all the food and drink although Lynda did arrive with some Flapjacks and home made Chilli Jam to give them as a present. She never likes to turn up empty handed plus she is a great cook, so both of those things just work. It was a lovely afternoon. We just sat chatting in their back garden. It was dry and sunny which was lucky as that was not what was forecast. My mate got up to get the barbecue sorted for us. When he got the food out even though he had checked with me in advance and said he had got all gluten free stuff I could not stop myself leaping up to go and have a look at the packaging.
I would like to apologise to him for that, it is something I must learn to control. It is all a bit new still and I promise I do it to everybody. Just ask Lynda! After being fantastically well looked after and having had a lovely time we then decided to head off home. We had only got about five minutes down the road when it started hammering down with rain. You cannot teach timing like that! I must have sensed it and known exactly the right time to leave, so we did not get soaked. Knowing the perfect time to leave must be a new skill I have found as I am sure I have got that wrong a lot in the past.
I had an appointment with the Hygienist recently. I always feel like a naughty school boy when I visit one normally and that is when I tend to go every six months. However due to the situation it was nearly two years since I last saw one. Fair play to her she did not faint when I arrived so it cannot have been that bad. It is quite a weird feeling as they are scrapping and chipping away at your teeth. I am lucky that I still have all my teeth. But I do have a tendency to over brush. I drink lots of tea and do not like my teeth to look stained so push harder than I should, which means my gums are receding. That does at least mean they match my hair.
It is nice when they have finished as your teeth do feel all sparkly and clean. I have been using an electric toothbrush for years and still manage to scrub them too hard. I have been advised to use softer brushes and try to clean every tooth individually and carefully. I feel like the Hippo in a Disney film who gets his teeth cleaned by the bird. She did a marvellous job. They are a lot cleaner but I need to go back in four months as there had been such a gap since my last visit I think she needed a bit more time. I am fine with that oral health does help with general health. And although I do not always like the look of my teeth I am happy they can still do the job they were designed for.
I had to go for a scan to check my Bone Density. It is to do with my Coeliac Disease. The waiting list at my local hospital is so long that they offered me the chance to have it done at a diagnostic clinic in Milton Keynes. It was a brilliant facility. I went straight in, there was nobody else waiting so I was in and out within twenty minutes. That is my kind of medical appointment.
While I was having the scan the person doing it took a phone call and I heard them say I do not know what I am doing with it. Realising I may have noticed without being prompted she clarified that the phone call had come from payroll about her time sheets and that she definitely did know what she was doing as regards to the scanner, which certainly put my mind at ease.
Tottenham Hotspur have returned to pre-season training and have already played a few friendly matches. Despite the fact that many of the players involved in the summer international competitions have not returned to the club yet. We have made a couple of signings this week. One of which involved Eric Lamela leaving I liked him, he was skilful, aggressive and a good team player, sadly I never felt he quite reached his full potential with us possibly due to his injury problems. I wish him all the best for the future. Thanks for the Rabona against “The Gunners” Coco!
There is still a lot unresolved at the moment will Harry Kane stay or go? What further changes will be made to the squad before it all gets underway in two weeks? I agree that has come round quickly! I am looking forward to taking my season ticket seat once again after not being able to go to a match for the whole of last season. It is brilliant news that Son has signed a new long term contract. He is top quality. I have no idea how we will do this season. I hope the fans and team unite and we all give it our best shot. Lastly I can confirm I will not be buying our new away shirt. It is possibly the worst thing I have ever seen and I fear I may get a headache when watching us play in it. That said Come On Your Spurs!
I am looking forward to seeing live comedy tomorrow afternoon. It has been too long since I have been to a gig. Lynda and I are off to see the brilliant Dara O’Briain headline an outside show in St Albans. The last time I saw him in Tring I was sat in the front row and we had a bit of a chat, which was fantastic. I wonder if he will remember me.
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.