Dear Diary...

This is my diary. How things are. Or something. Please note that the diary is archived month by month, so feel free to click the links for the archives (which now will go back five years maximum):

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Sunday 10th August - Contemplation and Chilled

One thing I knew I needed to do today was to rest up a little after the walk - the legs were not that sore to be honest, primarily because I had at least had a good night's sleep, but definitely needed to get some Compeeds on for the back of the left and right feet with the blister and scrape there. Needless to say it did feel better once they were on and they'll stay on for a good few days to help the skin heal naturally. Even The Love In My Heart who normally can withstand pain well tells me that for the feet, Compeeds are awesome and do the job properly when she has suffered with shoes too.

So at some point I know I will need something new to do long distance walks in. I have some ideas and there are a couple of pairs out there which have caught the eye and at a fair price too - but the proof of course would be to get them and give them a go. Ideally I'd want to do the final section of the Vanguard Way next month before the weather gets too bad (and bear in mind it'll be some walking by the sea as well) so I'd like to really have them in and maybe give them a quick walk out prior to that so I know they will do the job. Either way, it's noticeable that all the Clarks pairs and shoes and trainers I've had in the last few years have all fitted me well, feel really comfortable and do not rub - at all. Maybe there's something in that and a shame they don't do more activewear walking shoes really!

With the feet all attended too, I decided today to some catching up - starting off with last night's The Hit List, which I was on the way home and missed. Needless to say I had a big smile on my face when there was a mod music related hit list and it came up with not only That's Entertainment by The Jam (something that The Love In My Heart would wholeheartedly approve of, of course) and All or Nothing by The Small Faces, but best of all, the under-rated Time For Action by Secret Affair, so make that one tune of the day - and maybe as I think, it is time for action after all.

It was good also to be able to watch some pre-season football, albeit not the Community Shield (as that was not on normal telly, and Crystal Palace won 3-2 on penalties after an entertaining 2-2 draw) but I did see highlights of Manchester City's win at Palermo last night. One thing was for definite - the power from midfield of Tijjani Reijnders may make him a very worthwhile pick and one I may need to debate for the Fantasy League team coming up if I decide to do that. Erling Haaland did also score as well which was a bonus to see him back in the goals too - so we shall see what happens next week.

In any case, it was nice to see that The Love In My Heart had also taken today to be a chilled out day too, and with the weather warm where she was, Brian the cat decided that he would have some play out time in the shade and he also was making sure Mummy kept him well fed and watered too. The Love did also have Little Miss E and Little Miss O yesterday so she sent me over some pictures, and as ever, they were adorable. In fact Little Miss E asked where I was too which was lovely.

Saturday 9th August - Eight and Nine

It was an early start for me today as I was off down to East Sussex to carry on my attempt at completing the Vanguard Way, all ten sections of it. I had got up to the end of section seven at Golden Cross, and had two options open today. I would definitely do section eight (Golden Cross to Berwick Station) as that seemed relatively flat and a shorter distance. If I felt up to it, I could also do section nine (Berwick Station to Exceat Bridge) but that did involve some climbs. However, I had got myself a Southern Daysave ticket (which you have to order 3 days prior) which gave me unlimited off-peak travel on Southern all day. And as all the routes are Southern, it made sense for me to do so.

I worked out that the best place to get a bus to Golden Cross would be from Polegate as I had two different bus options - one close to the station and would arrive nine minutes after my train, and another a further walk but would set off a little later. Well, Southern pulled a Southern and the train was ten minutes late at East Croydon which became eighteen by the time it got to Wivelsfield due to it being behind a Thameslink one. Eventually it tried to make up some time but it was seventeen minutes delayed at Polegate, so I had missed the first bus, but at least had time for the number 28 as second option, heading through Hailsham on the way to Golden Cross.

Once I'd walked down Deanland Road and to the start point, I had to navigate five fields - the first two had sheep, the last cows and a bull, so did my best to go a longer way around as to not disturb the animals, as the last thing you do was to have a bull charging at you. It was then past the gardens of Limekiln Farm and onto Sheepcote Lane for a fair while, passing barns and farms with a gentle ascent before the road ran out and became more of a byway. I saw no horses or motorbikes along the way here, but it was all good heading out on to another road, turning off soon for some farm fields, heading up to Mays Farm and its impressive house.

Descending from the house here, it was then through some more nice fields and passing another barm, this time at Ludlay, but this looked a lot nicer with its red brick, which matched the house that you pass in the distance (and all fenced off to prevent intruders of course). Part of the driveway was also part of the walk here, and veering off to the right to follow a couple of small fields and past some dog walkers, then on to basically the back of houses before turning left and arriving at Berwick Station, as the barriers lowered for the stopping train to Brighton to arrive.

Once the barriers were up I stopped off at the Berwick Inn opposite for a cold soft drink and thought about my plans. Do I do the remaining six and a half miles, then get a bus to say Eastbourne at the end to take trains back later, or do I hop on a train or bus from Berwick Station and maybe go to the sea? All thoughts ran through the head but ultimately I decided to press on. I left there and headed out and up through fields of corn (cue the Green Giant advert theme, ho ho ho - definitely tune of the day there) and then off along close to a farm, down the hill to a nice tree-lined road, and crossing over to another field, and more corn growing - this time much taller and much more to wade through even though the path was clearly marked. Someting you'll see less of in winter, but with of course the risk of the ground being muddy.

I soon left the fields behind and headed to the actual Berwick village, with its Cricketers Arms pub being tempting. I carried on and passed the local church and could see walkers in the distance, as you headed up, down and up another hill before reaching the top of a hill and a road which headed down to the village of Alfriston. The market cross square was nice as was the village itself - and even Alex Polizzi runs a hotel here which looks posh and expensive (a check online later proved it - £280 per night for a Sunday night!) and with all the views over the Cuckmere River, the green called The Tye with the church in front, all very nice. And knowing you can get a bus here on Saturdays and Sundays during the Summer, that might make it doable (albeit you need to get off at Berwick first.)

Anyway, leaving alfriston behind, it was along the Cuckmere River for a while before turning off and passing the Plough and Harrow pub in Litlington - and what I didn't realise was how close the Long Man Brewery is down the road. Their beers are nice and it would have been sorely tempting! Anyway, I carried on up the first large climb and was rewarded with some stunning views and over to the Litlington White Horse, which is a chalk horse on the hills to the right (called Hindover Hill). So that was nice to see. The path descended down and then it was a mammoth 87 steps up (steep too) and onwards to Friston Forest, which looked very nice, as well as being lovely and shaded too.

The descent from Litlington Forest into the very small hamlet of Westdean was nice, but then the big one - 152 stairs heading up the hill, and this took me some time to head up it slowly. I got to the top, and the view of the Cuckmere Meanders and the river and sea beyond was just majestic. I definitely took some time to take it all in before descending past the Seven Sisters visitor centre and finally alongside the A259 and past Exceat Bridge on to the Cuckmere Inn, where a well earned pint and a lovely lunch of sea bass with king prawns, potatoes, tenderstem broccoli, peas and broad beans in a nice cream sauce awaited me. And it was utterly delightful.

I did feel a little sore on the feet so decided the best plan of action was to head back on the 12X bus to Eastbourne, take the train out to Bexhill to check out a retro collectables shop there (all very nice but no 8-bit games for me sadly) and then from there get the train back to East Croydon via Eastbourne. I was glad to kick off the walking shoes when home, but in reality, I may need to bin them. Last time I got a scrape up the heel and that took time to heal - this time as well as that, I had a blister at the back of the left foot too. Something isn't right here, and I think before my next walk I'll get a different pair that suit the feet better - I still would prefer rugged and waterproof for any Winter walks, but they need to be comfier really. In fact one of my older pairs I binned when I did other walks years ago I seem to remember being far better in the sole especially, so I've got some ideas at least.

Sunday 3rd August – Diecast Dinner

It was nice to have had a good night’s sleep overnight, and The Love In My Heart would have had more sleep had it not been for a miaow or two from Brian the cat, wanting to hint at his Mummy to get up. It was raining though, so although he wanted to play out on the patio, the rain meant he stood by the door and just got the fresh air before then chancing it, realising his paws and fur was getting wet, and rushed back inside. Needless to say he still wanted to do his usual shower after his Mummy mind you, where he catches the water with his tongue and has a good little preen at the same time. Creature of habit, really.

We got ourselves showered, changed and ready for later, and The Love had got herself a new dress from Oliver Bonas that she had wanted to get before the holiday – very inspired by the blue tiles on the walls in the likes of Lisbon and Porto. She looked beautiful, and I had my French Connection shirt from holiday that is blue with some nice white leaf type patterns on, which certainly felt comfortable too. The rain had stopped and was just about holding off as we headed off to the tram stop to get the tram into the city centre. As we were heading to Diecast, then Piccadilly is about the nearest and we had ideas to keep the rain off as needed.

So we got to the tram stop in the station and headed out down the ramp towards Piccadily Gardens, stopping off at the Piccadilly Tap for a well earned drink. They did have the Thornbridge Lukas Helles, so got The Love that (she has had it before and it is really nice) and I had one of the local cask ales which was blonde and also had a nice citrus tang to it, really lovely. Definitely for me, a place that does have some good beers in and the pool table upstairs is also free to play. We did sit on the balcony and watched the world go by as well as the numerous rail replacement buses ferrying people to Stockport (as the station is closed for three weeks due to bridge works just South of the station itself.)

We headed over to Diecast and our friends were there and had already got the booked table – a nice booth of four that we could comfortably sit around, so that was all very nice indeed. We got ourselves some drinks – and The Love went for one of the daiquiris whilst she was in there – and decided on the roasts to have. The Love and one of our friends went for the porchetta of pork, which looked really nice – and our other friend the vegetarian option of porcini mushroom wellington. I had the chicken breast, which was really nicely cooked and not any bone at all, whereas the half chicken would have been messier. All the roasts came with Yorkshire pudding, carrots, roasties, stuffing, greens and some gorgeous gravy. I can highly recommend it.

After a drink or two inside we decided to head outside as the weather was holding off and being nice, and this did mean we could try some of the other drinks too. I did try their own Diecast Helles which wasn’t too bad to be fair (and better than the Hofmeister one by all accounts) and did also have one of the Deya beers as well – the excellent and lighter version of their Sunshine ale which was a cracking session drink to have, perfect for those lazy Sunday afternoons. We caught up on lots too, so the holiday was mentioned, and whether we had booked the next one, as well as all sorts of chatter, which was all lovely.

Time went by far far too quickly and before we knew it, it was around 6.30pm and time to head off back to Piccadilly Station so I could get the train home and The Love could get the tram – which by all accounts she got on one straight away – so an epic win there. It was a lovely afternoon and always good to catch up with friends, so it felt like a journey home wasn’t too bad, even though the train had taken longer overall. With the iPod on blasting out some excellent tunes such as Penfriend’s Seventeen (make that tune of the day) then it made the weekend and the journey all the more worthwhile, which is what it should be about really.

Saturday 2nd August – Catch Up Time

It was another Saturday morning early ish rise and a train trip to Manchester to see The Love In My Heart for the weekend. She had suggested some time ago that rather than head up on the Friday night and maybe suffer some of the hassle of Avanti Worst Coast on those evenings, where things seem to go wrong, maybe take that stress out a little bit? I thought that at least for the Summer where there is no football to consider (12.30pm kick offs for example) then that would be at least worth doing. I managed to get to Euston fine and treated myself to a coffee on board as I headed on the 0753 departure to Manchester Piccadilly and then from there the tram to The Love In My Heart’s place, picking up some Azera coffee on the way.

Literally around five minutes later Little Miss E and Little Miss O arrived with their Mum and The Love went out to see them – and Little Miss E ran towards The Love in a scene reminiscent of the end of The Railway Children, saying “Nana! Nana!” and coming up to give The Love lots of hugs and saying how much she had missed her. Awww, it was so sweet. It was lovely to see Little Miss E too and she was telling me about the next holiday she is going on with the family as well as enjoying the pictures of our holiday with The Love. In fact she wants to come down to London with Nana, so we’ll have to arrange that so it can happen and they can stay at my place of course.

The Love’s sister arrived too (it is her birthday tomorrow, as well as The Love’s nephew and the sister’s son as well) so it was nice that The Love had made a cake, which of course Little Miss E had eyes on and had a piece with the rest of us. Little Miss O was happy to seek out Brian the cat and stand her distance whilst waving to him. Brian was unmoved but a little contented miaow said all you needed to know really – nice nonetheless. We had a good chatter for a while before the Little Misses headed off with their Mum, as one of them had a friend’s party to go to, so popular as ever I see, and had a good chatter with everyone, so that was nice.

Later on we went to see my Mum for a while too and had a good chat about the holiday we had had, and Mum said she really liked the pictures. I think for Mum she would like to go abroad again at some point, but probably maybe as part of a more organised trip rather than say going with friends as they may want to have different experiences. Mum is like me in that staying on the beach or by the pool every single day would just bore her, and she would want some nice places to visit and experiences when there. The Love and I have always managed a good compromise and this time around it worked well as she could be on the beach whilst I went exploring a little bit too, so that was pretty good really.

We then were going to go to Wallop (formerly Wine and Wallop) in West Didsbury but sadly that was closed for refurbishment, so we headed along the same parade of shops to Neighbourhood instead. That did mean an Augustiner Helles for The Love and a nice local Cloudwater ale for me, and was nice to sit outside whilst the sun attempted to make an appearance too. One thing I did note was that the bar prices were getting a little bit more expensive, maybe because of Didsbury, and maybe because of the lack of cask ales generally, but worthy of note anyway. We headed back later and Brian the cat was all happy once he got some of his salmon dry food off Mummy (The Love had tried something different but Brian was as fussy as ever!)

We settled in for the evening with The Love making some lovely steak later, and as per usual, The Hit List had to be watched. We both adore this primarily because it’s a case of getting the song and artist, but also that does mean (as co-host Rochelle Humes says) “lots of shouting the answers at your telly” – and she isn’t wrong. In fact one part of the third round (where the two couples left get 45 seconds counting down til they got the tune) and what they called a goth round, well sort of. The intro got played and you got the song. The contestants to be fair did get Friday I’m In Love by The Cure, but Rain by The Cult and the superb This Corrosion from The Sisters of Mercy (make that tune of the day) they skipped, and the last one took time for them to get Happy House by Siouxsie and the Banshees, a song I absolutely love and had played on the iPod on the train up too!