Dear Diary... August 2024
Saturday 31st August - Haaland Hat Trick
It was a nice relaxing morning with The Love In My Heart and Brian the cat, and thankfully no sign of a tabby cat who had decided to turn up last night after we had got back from our meal and sit on the patio, sneaking under the fence, and therefore staring in to Brian. I think it does want to be Brian's friend, but it does stress Brian out and he then swipes at the window and hisses. I did manage to go outside and coax the cat away a little bit which meant Brian could be more settled, which would be helpful for us all to get some well earned sleep of course. I know what he is like!
So we did have a nice breakfast to set us off for the day, and The Love's sister came round for coffee and a chatter. It was nice to see her and they were working out a plan for next weekend when they'll be meeting up with a member of their family and indeed having The Cute Little One in tow with them, so that was good to see it all being sorted. I did suggest though that it'd be easier for them to go in one car and any other relations in another, so it would be less hassle, and that would work nicely to save The Love a fair drive during the day too - winning all round.
We did then pop over to see my Mum for a bit - she had one of her friends round whom I've known for a long time, so it was nice to see her and have a good natter over a coffee. In fact, we were both suggesting some useful things to Mum for the next few months, and also having checked her energy bill worked out that it would save a grand total of around 53p a year by changing tarriff, so there was zero point in doing so (which also to be fair her energy provider had also said exactly the same thing, so were probably checking the stats that we were in the bill.)
We then headed out to West Didsbury and over to Wine and Wallop. It was tempting to wait for a table outside but that would be a potentially long wait, so we got a nice corner table inside by the window, and got a really nice tropical ale from the Saltaire brewery and a Camden Hells for The Love - but admittedly as they had the St Austell Korev lager, then I would have to be tempted to have that also! It was a very relaxed vibe as ever so definitely for us a both a good day to wind down the afternoon.
We went back home via Tesco to get some shopping, and had a lovely tea and settled in for the evening with The Hit List always being a good to go for us - especially as it's all music based and had a number of eras and styles to get tunes on. The final round was a rock based round and I got plenty that the contestants didn't get, including the likes of Welcome To Paradise by Green Day (an early classic I like) and also for the final one (which they failed on) the likes of Hong Kong Garden by Siouxsie and the Banshees (make that tune of the day), and One by Metalica as well. Had to be done!
As for The Football, I was keeping my eyes on the score and of course Manchester City, who did the business at West Ham and Erling Haaland got his second hat trick on the bounce. I kept him as captain in Fantasy Football League which was a wise move of course, and that was useful to watch later to see him destroy the West Ham defence with the runs, and lethal shots. He looks hungry for more too which for every single Manchester City fan is a win!
Friday 30th August - Two For One
I had been to the office this morning, primarily to sort out a few bits and also to make sure I spent time with one of our team, as it was their last day with us and as a valued colleague, I was really gutted to see them go to be honest. I had been out yesterday lunchtime with him and a colleague for proper pie and mash on Hoxton Street, and also for a drink after work, so was good to have a good natter and generally be able to sort out whatever was needed. I think for me that it was also useful to get some other useful information which might hold me in good stead going forward, so definitely useful that.
It was also the last Friday early finish for August that we would have (a little perk the employer gives us to get some quality time back) and so I was taking full advantage of that and getting on an earlier train to Manchester - the 1353 no less. That did mean that I would get into Manchester Piccadilly just after 4pm, albeit with a slight delay primarily due to some signalling and points issues both between Stockport and Macclesfield (where our train had passed through) and additionally one between Stockport and Wilmslow, so some congestion into Manchester as a result. I ended up 13 minutes late, just two shy of Delay Repay territory (damn!)
Anyway, I walked up to Track Brewing's tap room as The Love In My Heart had managed to get a parking space there and so sensible not to lose that. A well earned post work drink was ours and in the sunshine it was as lovely as ever, and becoming one of our favourite places to go to be honest. It's always a good relaxed vibe in there too, not lots of loud music but a gentle quieter calm - which instead allows chatter and conversation at a more civilised volume.
We headed back to The Love's place and fed Brian the cat his well earned tea - he was happy of course because he knew he would get some extra Dreamies from me (well of course!) and that did mean that he was able to relax and purr contentedly on the patio, looking outside and enjoying his little self. In the meantime The Love got herself changed and we were heading out for a meal for the evening - more so because there was a good offer on that we wouldn't normally be able to take advantage of, so it was off to Cheadle we went and to The Ashlea for tea.
The offer was for two meals for the price of one for a main course, under the premise to take a friend. We do like the food there anyway so it was a no brainer. The Love had the pork fillet from the specials board which was very nice, and I had the steak and ale pie. And yes, it was a proper pie, complete with pastry all the way round and a gorgeous deep filling of the steak inside, and gravy, mash and vegetables. Spot on, and especially with a Belhaven ale too so that worked well. In fact, I had to just take the time and savour that pie because it was so nice - best one I've had for ages to be honest.
The Love and I had had a nice time and we headed back with some 80s tunes on in The Love's car, including the theme tune to the film The Never Ending Story, composed by Giorgio Moroder and performed by Limahl, so tune of the day there for that one. In fact, it reminded me of seeing the film back in the day and always appears to be something Heart 80s tends to play quite a bit, so it's a regular in The Love's car as we travel around, and that's no bad thing. Although if they could also play Ivory Tower from the same soundtrack in order for me to rekindle the old Formula 1 grids..
Monday 26th August - Let's Do Lunch
It was a nice relaxing morning for me and The Love In My Heart, with me using up plenty to make a nice full breakfast and therefore not waste any food - so all the remaining bacon, sausages, eggs, mushrooms and so on were all used for a proper little full brekkie with toast as well, and that was rather lovely to have. As the weather was a little changeable we thought it best to relax a bit with some telly in the background before we would head out later on.
We had booked one of our old favourite pubs for lunch later - namely the Crown and Anchor on Drummond Street. This has the advantage of being close to Euston, so if the trains do decide to be a bit rubbish, at least The Love can be there for an earlier one as needed and that does help - plus the staff are lovely and the food is always good, which is what you want. I did also have a nice little voucher which got me a free pint of the Brooklyn's Stonewall IPA, so thought that we may as well also use that at the same time to keep some of the costs down!
We took the train to Farringdon ad headed across on the Metropolitan Line for Euston Square, knowing full well that the Hammersmith and City and Circle lines would be rammed with people heading off to Notting Hill Carnival. I've always thought that would be just way too busy for me and I've never fancied it in truth, so always better to be able to do something else over the holiday. As a contrast, the tube we took was super quiet and air conditioned too, so definitely felt fresher as we headed off and out of Euston Square and the short walk from there to the Crown and Anchor.
It was as ever lovely in there - I had the pie, which of course is a proper pie - no dish with lid rubbish here. The Love had the fish and chips which was quality as ever, and later on we then recovened outside and had a nice take in of the sunshine with another drink (and I had one of the Thornbridge beers this time after having the Stonewall IPA first off. Ironically, one of The Love's relations had messaged her to say they were in Budapest having a glass of wine for around 50p - which of course was much much cheaper than the glass which The Love had just ordered for herself!
We walked over to Euston and all was good, and I had a fond farewell hug for The Love before she headed off homewards. I did feel sad as it had been a lovely weekend and I really didn't want it to end - but she was all good getting home and making sure Brian the cat had fusses and cuddles - he can't miss out after all. I did have a few tunes in my head from earlier but as we were talking about the Paul Weller gig in a few months' time, then You Do Something To Me is tune of the day - a song we both like and have both seen live, and really enjoyed it, so definitely well worth a listen once more.
Sunday 25th August - Kew Gardens
The Love In My Heart had a leisurely lie in this morning, so well deserved. Usually of course Brian the cat wakes her at night for food and Dreamies, and that means she can't always get back to sleep, but as her sister was checking in on Brian (and sent her a pic later of Brian doing his fast trot where Dreamies were concerned) that meant some more vital rest for her. I didn't mind as that would mean I could watch the rest of Match of the Day on repeat and start preparing the breakfast too, which was a full brekkie including bacon, eggs, sausage and mushrooms.
We got ourselves changed and ready and were heading out with the nice weather over to Kew Gardens. We had booked the tickets in advance, so didn't need to queue up, and made our way from East Croydon via Clapham Junction and Richmond to Kew Gardens station. There were a lot of people at East Croydon on their way to Notting Hill Carnival, and in fact after we let one rammed train go, the next one was super quiet, so winning there. We did have to wait at Clapham but was a fast to Richmond, and popped straight over to the Underground platforms for one stop to Kew Gardens so that worked out reasonably well for a Sunday!
We walked into the gardens, tickets scanned and all good to go, and went anti-clockwise towards the brasserie by the lake with the Palm House behind - and because near there there are toilets which are way less busy than near the Victoria Gate entrance too. We did fancy a drink outside the Brasserie but they were doing lunch only, so denied there. We did visit the Princess of Wales Conservatory and the tropical zone was super humid and understandably we didn't spend that long inside, with the Temperate parts being much nicer conditions and some lovely plants too.
A nice walk around past the monkey puzzle trees and also to where the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had planted trees, and it was to the Orangery. We got an outside table and just had a light sandwich with a drink to keep us going - and as with all outlets in Kew, not very cheap. They really need to do something about that to make it more affordable, especially considering the admission price. We then walked further along and noted Kew Palace, and wondered if we were able to go in, as we'd never been in there before during previous visits and thought it worth a go.
And sure enough, we queued up, and were able to explore the three floors, ground first and second. It was fascinating more for The Love as she had seen a lot of documentaries on George III and his supposed "madness" which was more of a mental and physical illness, and how he had to be restrained a lot of the time at Kew Palace when undergoing "treatment." A lot of the rooms were for other members of the Royal Family at the time so they could be close by, and it had a headdress which had been worn during one of the Bridgerton series spin offs about Queen Charlotte, so that made The Love happy.
The gardens at the back of the palace were lovely, and they offered an elevated view from a position to overlook the River Thames and over the wall. In fact with the car park too, I recognised it as a place I'd walked on the South Bank of the Thames Path (Section 1B - Richmond to Mortlake) so that brought back some memories of doing that walk well. We did then walk around the North part of the gardens and eventually made our way to the Temperate House. This was lovely inside and you could at least head up the spiral stairs to get some views from the top of the house (The Love stayed on terra firma and I did the walk up there.)
That was all good and we did also spot the King William Cottage which was resplendent in the afternoon sunshine before then heading along to the Palm House. That was pretty humid in there and when you take the spiral stairs they do warn you that it is 35 degrees centigrade potentialy, so be prepared. It was thankfully less warm than that but it did feel humid, so did the walk along the top and back down, meeting The Love outside and admiring the exhibition on with all the sculptures by Marc Quinn, the Light to Life exhibition.
Once all done there and having visited the shop it was close to 5pm so we headed back to Kew Gardens and had a drink at Tap on the Line, the nice pub where you can actually look out on to the platforms at the station. We went for a drink first there and then asked about a table, and they had one for us, so all was good and we had tea there. The Sunday Roasts were still on so The Love had the really nice chicken supreme and I had the fish and chips, which was delightful and the fish and chips were crispy and gorgeous. We admired the view and really relaxed a lot in there which was all lovely.
Later on we got the tube and train back and all the changes worked out so well - we got to Richmond and on a fast train out to Clapham Junction in 3 minutes, and had to wait even less there for a train to East Croydon, so we got back quickly. In fact that meant I could watch the Dutch Grand Prix highlights with Lando Norris absolutely smashing it once he got past Max Verstappen and therefore his second race win, and closing the gap nicely. It was joyous to see, and more so with the fact that I had The Chain by Fleetwood Mac in my head after seeing some archive footage and Murray Walker commentary, so tune of the day there for me.
Saturday 24th August - Costa del Croydon
It had been raining overnight and as the rain hammered it down during the morning, I was hoping that it would all clear up for later in the day when The Love In My Heart would be over for the weekend. It is always nice when there is a Bank Holiday and that means some extra time together, and for The Love, not having to face a Sunday night train home from London is at least a positive thing. I had pretty much got the flat all tidied and ready last night, and just needed to use the speed mop in the bathroom and kitchen areas, and with that done, a chance to relax a little.
I did head out to the local shop in order to drop off a parcel - since The Love very kindly got me a Nespresso Vertuo Pop machine for my birthday, I've had the pods from Nespresso direct (due to offers etc) and they send you a bag for recycling. Thankfully you can print the label off and drop it off at any place that Yodel has a drop off point, and so did that too. It made sense as the weather slightly relented to get that done, and I definitely felt positive being able to get the right thing done, and rewarded myself with a intenso coffee later on.
As the rain started again The Love had reached London Victoria and so went to meet her at East Croydon station. All was well apart from the rain but we got back to mine and sorted things out before we then headed off to the centre of Croydon to do some shopping. I did also have tickets for the free Costa del Croydon event at the top of the Centrale shopping centre, so if it held off that would be doable. The Love did venture into Primark for a bit but we also went into Next Outlet, where she actually got some good bargains for Autumn and Halloween (mainly for work) but also a nice pair of leather boots for £22, so she was super happy.
Flying Tiger had closed (why so early I wonder?) for the day by the time we got there, but we headed up the escalators in Centrale and to Costa del Croydon. They had a big sanded beach area for the kids, and some food and drink stalls, some of which were shut due to the weather. The bar was open though so we got a drink and located a beach hut we could sit in, so if it did rain, we were covered and sorted. One family appeared to have lots of food with them and celebrating a child's birthday, so made sense with the sandpit and also some dodgem cars elsewhere to make the most of it, and they were under a covered area as you went in.
Shortly afterwards one of the staff came along and asked if we fancied doing the music bingo, and I knew that was on, so why not? We moved back to the covered area and the sun was at least attempting to make an appearance, and were given the sheets. Effectively you needed a line of five in any direction, and you had to correctly guess the 90s tunes that were playing and match the song title to that on the sheet. Nice. In fact there were plenty of songs I was getting right, as was The Love In My Heart too.
In fact once Chumbawumba's seminal Tubthumping came on, The Love needed one left to complete a line, and sure enough, the next track was Breakfast At Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something. As that was a song she loves anyway, it is tune of the day and the staff came over, checked the sheet and yes, she had won! Fab. We effectively got a £20 bar tab for the bar, so The Love went over with the staff member, and that was enough for a pint of beer for me and a double Aperol Spritz (effectively a pint!) for her, so that was all good, and you can't really complain for freebie, and was worth it.
We then after a short break played the second game, this time with tunes from the early 2000s and we both got close with the songs we had identified, but one mother and daughter nailed it and earned themselves a £25 Marks and Spencer gift card, which was not be sniffed at. It was all good fun and after being back in the beach hut just as the rain came (so we stayed dry) we headed back home after it got dry again, and I made us some tea and we settled in for the evening's telly, and later on Match of the Day for me to see Erling Haaland get a hat trick in Manchester City's 4-1 win over Ipswich Town.
Monday 19th August - Reservoir Dogs
It was nice to wake up in our apartment by Holmfirth Vineyard and we had had a good sleep - the bed was really comfortable and we both were able to get some restful time which was lovely. In fact after seeing how so much of the food in the restaurant at the vineyard was really good, we decided that booking breakfast there was a sensible option - you can include this when you book, and definitely if we were going to book that ourselves, we'd add that, based on this morning. Breakfast was stunning - lots of fresh produce, very well presented, and spot on cooked too - a massive sausage, rashers of bacon, button mushrooms, hash brown, black pudding and an egg of choice (we did poached) and toast too, with choice of coffee or tea. Lovely!
That certainly got us all sorted for the day and we didn't want to leave really, and we had a table on their terrace overlooking the vineyard - it's a covered terrace which can get bit warm, and does have doors that open for more air too which is nice. We had already put the key back in its place and so were all ready to head off after that, and so off to Holmfirth first of all. It was a little quiet for a late Monday morning, but lots of nice little shop, the old market having some renovation done, and also cafés a plenty as you need - including the famous one from the telly, and the Picturedrome being a superb gig venue still.
It was a nice little walk around, and later on we headed back over the moorlands and stopped off, having to do the roundabout u-turn to go back to the entrance to the road for the car park, and off to Dovestones Reservoir. We'd not been before and we knew some friends and relations had said we should, so why not as we were passing. We got a parking space and then initiially was going for a little walk, but ended up being more sensible to head around the circular path, folllowing it all around and seeing some lovely sights and hills along the way. Definitely a positive.
In fact, what was good to see was that plenty of dog walkers were taking their four legged friends out with them for a stroll and enjoying the fresh air. It did feel a little cloudy today but definitely not that cold, even though with some drizzle it was sensible to have a jacket on. We did also note that there were other walks up hills if you wanted to be more adventurous (not us today) and that the scenery was lovely. In fact I worked out a couple of buses stop close to the roundabout we had to turn at, so could potentially go from there and walk the rest of the way if I wanted a longer challenge.
We headed back homewards and stopped off at the Sheldon Arms close to Ashton Moss for an afternoon drink and their Boilderhouse craft pale was very nice indeed. All the trams came past which we knew The Cute Little One would love to bits, and it was just good to have a very chilled out afternoon overall before I'd be heading on the train back down South, with more delays again, albeit not as long and with the rather excellent 3 Daft Monkeys' Agnes the Giant Killer playing on the iPod (make that tune of the day) to keep me company after a lovely weekend.
Sunday 18th August - Home in Holmfirth
The Love In My Heart and I had a leisurely morning with Brian the cat being all cute and soft and wanting plenty of fussing and Dreamies as is his wont. The Love had got her green weekend and overnight bag out and of course Brian found that a perfect opportunity to go in and hide - as he of course is always inclined to do given the chance. It was funny when he got in and peeked his head out on one side, and being adorable. Sorry Brian, no pets allowed where we're going, or else we'd have considered you coming with us. Nonetheless as I'd already brought all I needed and was ready, once we'd got all we needed packed we set off.
A while ago for The Love's birthday, her son and partner (parents of The Cute Little One and The Cute Tiny One) got a lovely present which was effectively a vineyard stay and overnight tour of Holmfirth Vineyard, and they had asked me what time I could get off work to make sure when they booked it, it was all good. It made sense for now with hopefully good weather and of course a chance to potentially relax a lot and enjoy the surroundings, and not with the theme tune of Last of the Summer Wine in my head (for obvious related reasons naturally)
Thankfully it wasn't that far a journey from The Love's place, although you do have to go over the tops somewhat, taking the A635 through Ashton under Lyne and Mossley, before skirting around Greenfield to Dovestones Reservoir, and climbing up over the moorland and down again, turning right and taking a shortcut via Compo's Fish and Chips, and following the brown sign for a narrow lane to take you to the Holmfirth Vineyard. We passed where the accommodation was and then went to the top, around a hairpin bend, to the car park and to check in.
Once checked in, we had the key code and made our way down to the apartments. They were in a block built into the hillside and were visible only by its roof from the vineyard, and was pretty nice,with a lounge and diner kitchen in one side, and a compact but comfortable bedroom and bed plus bathroom in the other. It was fine for one night and possibly two or three, but longer might be a squeeze and you might fancy a larger one - they did have ones for up to three bedrooms in, and as we found out later, as they do host weddings, ideal accommodation for some of you guests if you want to stagger down the hill from the bar and restaurant later on!
We walked up the hill and was in good time for the 3pm vineyard tour. Sensibly you can check in from around 2ish, so you have time to get settled in befoehand. The tour was very good, first of all sat in a circle in the centre of the vineyard with lots explained about its history, the grapes they grow, and what the plans were - and in fact mentions of the second one in Robin Hood's Bay which would be on telly the night after. We went back to the winery and had some explanations about the process before we'd all then try out some of the wines they make. For me, their white was the best one by far (The Love being the wine person agreed) and the red didn't feel full bodied enough at all, but that might change if they allow it to mature more in future.
As it was a nice day we got a drink (a beer for me this time) and we had a nice bench overlooking the lovely hills and the vineyard, and just enjoyed the scenery. Even more so as I was keeping an eye on the Manchester City score to find Erling Haaland doing his usual and scoring, with City going on to beat Chelsea 2-0 at their place, so definitely a good three points earned. Naturally Match of the Day 2 was watched later on and with full enjoyment of watching Marc Cucarella who claimed he'd make Haaland tremble instead be given a lesson and a half. Have to say I enjoyed that one!
Back at the apartment later it was nice to relax and snuggle on the sofa, and just take it all relatively easy and after having some lovely food, The Love had the wine (she got a bottle from the vineyard to treat herself) and I had brought some beer along to enjoy with the nice courtyard just to our outside and the sun setting over the hills, rather lovely actually. We did see some of the Olympics homecoming from the AO Arena and noted some good musical acts along the way including of course one of Manchester's finest, James, doing a great version of She's a Star which just seemed app for so many of the women who had done superbly - so tune of the day for me that one.
Friday 16th August - Train of More Pain
A Friday afternoon would normally at this time of year mean a leisurely trip up to Manchester and to have a lovely time with The Love In My Heart. That of course would be unless you happen to be travelling on Avanti Worst Coast and via the West Coast Main Line. All had seemed well in the morning but as I left for East Croydon to head up to Euston, it did seem things were falling apart a tad, and not even under the hottest weather either which was a concern to be honest.
I got to Euston and all potentially had seemed okay, but there were late arrivals and cancellations and delays leaving. Not good for me and my 1433 departure. I did at least get to the right platform and on and my seat, but due to the delays earlier we could have set off on time - but if only we had a member of train crew - namely the train manager. One was found to do a stand in job but by this time it was already 20 minutes late out of Euston, not ideal, and I considered there would be more delays as remnants of some points failures would also be happening.
And they did too - basically crawling between Bletchley and Milton Keynes Central so the delay had already gone up to 45 minutes and by the time that then hit Crewe, that was 50 minutes which became 55 by the time it had arrived in Manchester Piccadilly. I was a bit gutted as a full hour would have been a full refund, but the three blokes opposite me who were really nice and friendly and chatty were on their way to Old Trafford for tonight's game, so they had to peg it to their hotel and game - and I told them to make sure they claimed Delay Repay for the inconvenience, which they didn't know about. Glad I passed it on.
I did at least have the iPod to kick back with some tunes during the much longer journey and I definitely wanted some longer tracks to fill the delay somewhat, with Roy Harper taking centre stage for some of that. The epic close to fourteen minutes that is The Game (Parts I-V) from his HQ album is tune of the day for me - the way the song flows and develops, some excellent guitar parts including the end electric solo section and some thought provoking words made it for me.
The Love In My Heart had come to meet me at Piccadilly and as I'd informed her of delays she didn't set off too early, so it was nice that we headed over to Seven Bro7ers Beerhouse for a drink together and a good catch up before heading back to The Love's place, giving Brian the cat lots of fuss and cuddles before then settling in for something nice to eat for tea together, so that was all good. I just was happy that we had at least been able to get some quality time together tonight and make the most of it before a pretty busy weekend all round, not least with a nice little stay over planned on the Sunday.
Sunday 11th August - Summertime Stroll and Tom
The weather was really nice in Manchester today, so after seeing the women's Olympic marathon this morning and seeing Sifan Hassan show who was boss, and get a third medal of the Games (bronze in the 5,000 metres, bronze in the 10,000 metres 36 hours ago,and gold today) that definitely made me admire a lot of those athletes as the heat was on in the morning rising sun, and some punishing hills on the way back from Versailles into central Paris making the course even tougher than it could have been for them. I definitely thought that the course organisers wanted a proper test.
We got ourselves all ready to head out and thought that with the weather being good a lot of the open spaces and parks would be rammed, and especially Snugburys out there near Nantwich as the new straw sculpture has been announced (and we definitely need to go there sometime that is for sure) - so instead we headed along the local canal on a nice walk, seeing the development of the hotel by Manchester City's ground, and then all the Canadian Geese flowing along the canal having a good swim.
Rather than turn right into New Islington basin, we went straight on and on to Great Ancoats Street, then walked across over to Track and their lovely tap room. We sat outside and I tried their Sonoma AF, a 0.5% version of their really lovely Sonoma pale ale. And actually, it was very good indeed - still pretty hazy like the original and tasted decent too. I was half tempted by the Cowboy Town brown ale, but wanted something a bit lighter with maybe some beer later as we were going to watch the Olympics closing ceremony.
We then walked under the bridge past Manchester Piccadilly station and had a nice walk around Mayfield Park, stopping off by the Dark and Light sculpture and chattering there. We then went into Freight Island and got ourselves a nice table seat a bit higher up but outside, and I had shade too and The Love had sun so we were both happy. I got some drinks and noted now when you order food you don't have to do a separate order for each stall inside, you can do it all in one. So The Love had the pork gyros from Mega Gyros, and I went for the baconed burger from Burgerism, both with chips. All was well there and all rather lovely with reggae cover versions of 90s songs playing.
We had another drink there, this time with me having the Jubel Peach beer which was rather nice, and that wound down the afternoon well - and headed back home to feed Brian the cat and also see the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games from Paris. As was tradition, the athletes came into the stadium with the flag bearers first, and for Great Britain two gold medallists at that - Alex Yee from triathlon and Bryony Page from trampolining, both were excellent. We did also note the slight oddities of some of the way that the rings came together with one acrobatic display getting a bit too long in the tooth.
As it seemed a bit dull The Love was going to call it a night, but as the handover to Los Angeles started with H.E.R. blasting out the Star Spangled Banner, then breaking into the Mission Impossible theme on guitar, the cameras went to the stadium roof and there was Tom Cruise, who abseiled down, picked up the flag from the Mayor of Los Angeles and Simone Biles, then got on a bike, Top Gun style, and headed off. The Love was very happy about this and it showed a pre-filmed section showing the trip to Los Angeles with Red Hot Chilli Peppers' excellent By The Way playing (tune of the day) and indeed on a beach they, Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg did their thing.
Saturday 10th August - The Wigan Is Calling
As The Love In My Heart was heading out into central Manchester to meet her friend and have a good catch up as well as lunch, I decided I had my own plan and was going to visit a couple of shops that stocked the old 8-bit computer games - well hopefully at least. I headed off and to the tram stop, where the one day bus and tram ticket for £9.90 around Greater Manchester works well - it's for all zones on the tram and indeed all trains within that area. The only annoying thing is that if you get the ticket at a tram stop, it doesn't work for train barriers and you have to get the staff to let you through - something TFGM aka Bee Network really need to sort out.
Anyway, I got the tram to Manchester Piccadilly and walked down Whitworth Street towards Oxford Road station, being in good time for the 1030 train to Southport via Wigan Wallgate. As it transpired, one family had got on the train wrong thinking it was the Liverpool one and so had to double back at Salford Crescent, d'oh. I carried on happily through Bolton and on to Wigan Wallgate, where the local pride festival was going on. I got to see some of the parade too which was rather nice - all colourful and definitely lots of positvity around too.
I went into Games n More, and all was good there. They have some boxes with the 8-bit games in, one box full of single cassette games, mainly budget but also some full pricers, such as Uridium for the Commodore 64, and also The Never Ending Story in a single cassette case too. The big box games were also plentiful and good, but nothing I didn't have. Still, a good selection and well worth a visit if you get the chance to do so, not least with some excellent console games, LPs, CDs and all sorts.
Back at Wigan Wallgate I didn't have to wait long for the train and it was off to Walkden, where I'd pop into The Buy and Sell Store. It was a cross between CEX and Cash Converters but independently run, and that was pretty decent. It only went as far back as Sega Megadrive, but still was decent enough. I did note a box full of untested controllers for £2 and was tempted by a black Powerplay Cruiser stick, but wasn't sure if it was going to work or not, so left it. As the rain was heading inward, I took refuge in the pub opposite and stopped off for some well earned lunch.
After that I headed back to Walkden station and onwards to Manchester Victoria, where I'd walk from there to the Printworks and the entrance to the crazy golf at Treetop Golf. It made more sense to do both courses in terms of cost, so set about the Tropical Trail one first. There were some larger groups to follow round but I could in a way see what they were doing and not do some of the shots that went wrong. In the end I got two holes in one late in the round and a total score of 39 which was good enough for equal second place on the weekly leaderboard. Go me! I got 41 on the Ancient Explorer one and again with two holes in one, so definitely felt positive there.
I got back later in good time to see most of the Community Shield match between Manchester City and Manchester United. City didn't play well but did what United did under Sir Alex Ferguson: manage to get a late equaliser despite not playing well, with Bernardo Silva's header from an Oscar Bobb cross saving the day late on. Penalties came and went, and Ederson took the last one to equalise at 4-4, and as the penalties went on, Jonny Evans missed, Manuel Akanji scored for City and it was a 7-6 win for the Blues, with Supra's Blue Moon (make that tune of the day) blasting out well.
Sunday 4th August - We're Going on a (Reduced) Game Hunt
So as I had a free day today, I had planned to head to Birmingham and to some of their retro game shops, more so after being inspired by seeing the video from Mat (Witchfinder1976 on Youtube, well worth a follow) and with that in mind, when I had booked the Superfare trains to Birmingham for a mere £9 each way, two of the shops were definitely open on a Sunday. However... a couple of days before, one the shops, Vintage Gamer in Halesowen, said it wasn't going to be open. At least I knew beforehand and that did save me the effort of going all the way there and finding it closed.
I hatched an alternative plan. I knew that if all was on time the Avanti train would get into Birmingham New Street around 12.30, and from there I could walk across to Moor Street station and get the number 17 bus to Entertainment World, which is in the suburbs close to Sheldon. That did work out well and I just used the National Express West Midlands bus app to have the day ticket on there, and then get the bus. It passed through passed Birmingham City's ground, then Small Heath before down Hob Moor Road towards Yardley (where the MP Jess Phillips represents) and then on to the Radleys, where Entertainment World is.
I must admit it was pretty hot and sweaty in there, not least as all the 8-bit games are in boxes of a similar size that fit inside the IKEA Kallax units, so you really do have to get yourself organised to dig deep down. Plenty of games for the all the 8-bit systems with even the Atari XL/XE and Commodore 16 and Plus/4 well represented overall. I did also spot a couple of boxes of games with the double cassette boxes in and had a good mooch in those and thought about what I might get. There are generally no price tags on the games themselves, so you go up to the counter and they give you a price there and then - similar to what Old Skool Gaming in Brierley Hill does. I get it to a degree to keep current and all.
So I spoke with the staff there and they priced up the games, and then did me a bulk deal on the four I ended up choosing. So it was three double cassette games, namely Delta by Thalamus (their second release and with superb Rob Hubbard music), Buggy Boy by Elite, an excellent arcade conversion and deserved Zzap! 64 Gold Medal at the time, and The Never Ending Story by Ocean, based on the film and has an excllent Martin Galway SID rendition of the main theme by Giorgio Moroder and sung by Limahl, so that original has to be tune of the day for me. I did also get Zeppelin's excellent second budget game release Draconus, which is excellent. All that for £17 in total - big boxes were £5 and the latter £2 - and I couldn't really argue at that to be fair.
I headed back on the 17 bus earlier and got off in Yardley as there's a decent pub in there for a late lunch and wirth Olympic coverage on so saw the end of the skeet shooting, in which the British competitor Amber Rutter was robbed when she clearly did hit one of the targets and the slow motion proved that too. After that it was back again on the 17 to the centre of Birmingham, and walked towards the Bull Ring with the nice outside area having a bar and seating to watch the Olympics too, this time the cycling road race around Paris, so that was pretty nice all told.
I went into Tilt for some craft beer and pinball (a must for me if in Brum these days) and definitely smashed it on the Metallica pinball machine, getting an extra credit for my hard work and good play. I did also try out the Foo Fighters one but sadly the Addams Family one was out of order or else I'd have had a good go of that to try and get it all working. Still though lots of good ones to play and had some enjoyable time in there, and then noted close by the bears that popped up around the city centre, sort of like the other figures that I've been on trails before such as the giraffes in Croydon, the bees in Manchester and so on.
It was off to New Street later and all was good for the 1921 train back to London Euston - and took advantage of the price reductions in WH Smith to get myself a pasta salad, sushi and a soft drink all for £2 and ate like a king on the train - and why not? It had been a good day and playing the games later proved that it was all positive and a good thing to be able to head out. I'll definitely need to go again but on a Saturday when more shops are open and definitely want to get to Vintage Gamer, so there's always a return trip in the offing I think.
Saturday 3rd August - Abel Birthday
I was on a relatively short weekend trip up to Manchester, having arrived late yesterday evening courtesy of Avanti Superfare. My train later in the day was quite late (in fact the 2015 is the last train back on the Saturday, as mad as it sounds) and The Love In My Heart and I were off into the city centre later on. Brian the cat of course wanted lots of fuss and attention, and as the athletics had started in earnest at the Olympics, naturally some of the morning session was being kept an eye on as there was qualifying for some events and the decathlon also continiuing (no British interest - where is the next Daley Thompson I wonder to myself?)
Anyway, with that all good we got ourselves showered and ready and off on the tram. As I only had my small overnight bag, it was easier to carry that with me and be ready in town for the train later (and in case of any cancellations as the one before that is the 1915, so better to be around.) We got off at Piccadilly due to the tram engineering works and made our way through the likes of Dale Street and on to Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter, then heading left to the Abel Heywood, a pub we both like and where The Love's niece had booked us a table upstairs for the Love's sister's birthday.
We got a spot downstairs and a drink and gradually people came including The Cute Little One and The Cute Tiny One who was giving me lots of smiles and giggles (she is utterly adorable) and their parents, and then The Love's sister turned up and was genuinely surprised we were all there. We headed up and had a nice table by the windows that surrounded one corner, so it was light and airy. The Love's niece's boyfriend is someone I get on well with so we caught up and chatted some football as well as holidays (they were due to go on theirs and we'd come back from ours) so that was all good.
For the main, I had their fish basket which had the likes of cod goujons, breaded prawns, squid and scampi with some nice chips and tartare sauce, plus mushy peas. That went down nicely, and The Love's chicken in panko breadcrumbs was also pretty good too. I did have the Hopster ale from the Hydes brewery which was light and enjoyable, and I took a couple of nice pictures with The Love, her two sisters, The Cute Little One and The Cute Tiny One and her mum all in shot, which was hilarious as The Cute Little One decided to do her rock star pose which had everyone giggling. That was rather lovely.
Time went by too quickly and we were saying our goodbyes as some were heading back on the train (as their new house is close to the local train station, so epic win there) and after we'd walked The Love's sister back to her car, we headed off for some drinks, first of all at Seven Bro7ers Beerhouse which is always good, then after a divert via the M&S Outlet and passing Diecast and seeing it rammed, we went to Track's tap room and all was lovely as we could sit outside in their nice beer garden and enjoy a drink together, before I then waited at Manchester Piccadilly to get the train home. It had been a lovely day (cue Bill Withers classic being tune of the day for obvious reasons) and my train did thankfully arrive on time at Euston, followed by the trip home and two more Superfare trains tomorrow.