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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Monday 25th May - Scorchio!
Today was meant to be warm and potentially either today or tomorrow being the hottest day of the year, or so the weather forecast says anyway. It had gradually gone warmer over the weekend and I had not brought a jacket as I knew it was going to be so warm anyway. Little Miss O slept so peacefully all night, so the new inflatable bed is proving to be a hit - it has sides so you don't all out, but also just feels nice and snuggly for her, and she seems to love it. Little Miss E had had a good sleep too and they both got up and said hello to us both, with me doing a little jigsaw with them.
We had some breakfast together and Little Miss E had the Lego Friends cartoon series on, which she appears to like. It's the newer one so it doesn't just have the girls on a mission, but is still based in Heartlake City, and has different characters, one of which appears to have a musical alter ego, and another also seems to be quite the adventurer too. It's all good fun and she loves it, and I kept Little Miss O amused with some books which she was happy to read with me and then say "more!" meaning she wanted me to read it again, which is a pretty nice thing really.
We then got everything prepped and headed out to the local park for a picnic lunch. We were going to head out in The Love's car but it looked like it was going to be way too hot for that to be honest, plus this way we could stay local and keep in the shade of the trees in the park, of which we knew many. It proved to be a good move and we headed to the Peace Garden part of the park, with lots of trees and shade, and also some nice spaces to lay out a picnic rug or two and have the basket full of cheese, crackers, sandwiches and all sorts, which the girls enjoyed and had a good little run around the gardens too - quite secluded and peaceful to be honest.
We walked back towards the pond and fed the ducks, whilst avoiding the pigeons that were around, and then as the weather was getting hotter, the children's play area was just about still in the shade so we indulged Little Miss O on the slide as she loves that, but getting her away was tricky to say the least. Still, we got back and set up the large sun brolly and stand so that they could sit on the patio outside but have some shade at least, which was good. More colouring and looking all adorable and happy. I am so lucky really.
Their parents came over later to collect them and decided it was going to be too hot and too busy to head to the Manchester City parade later, and so the idea was they would get the inflatable paddling pool out and they could play in that - which to me sounded a fab idea for them. They were sad to leave but gave me and The Love big hugs which was lovely, and made the weekend just that bit more complete. Tune of the day is that theme tune from Lego Friends, which I now cannot get out of my head and had it whirring round as I eventually boarded the train back homeward after delays.
Sunday 24th May - The Last Goodbye
It was to be a sad day for me, but one I knew I needed to be there for. It was the final game for Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager following Friday's announcement. Added to that, it was also going to be the last game for John Stones and Bernardo Silva as well, two players whom I've had the pleasure of watching for ten and nine years respectively. And yesterday, The Love In My Heart and I had the pleasure of heading to The Star and Garter as it was being taken over for the weekend as The Stones and Silva pub, and had a drink in there on Saturday afternoon. It was great to see all the wall displays and the framed autographed shirts too.
First of all though, we were heading off to collect Little Miss E and Little Miss O, as their parents were both out later today, one at an outdoor gig, and one at the City game, and so The Love had agreed to have them stay overnight with us, and maybe even go for a picnic tomorrow if the weather wasn't too hot - which it looked like it may be a tad warm. We headed there and they were both happy to see us, with Little Miss O showing me some of her toys and Little Miss E taking a new Lego Friends set back with us that she wanted me to help her build and put together, which was nice.
As it transpired, we stopped off at McDonald's on the way back, primarily for a pit stop but then we thought "we may as well get lunch" so the girls got a happy meal and indeed with a little toy racing car, for Little Miss Brave (it's all Mr Men and Little Miss at the moment) - and they were both pleased with that. In fact I was tempted to ge a flag from the counter as each of them had different characters such as Mr Bump, but thought it best to leave it be for now and let them enjoy their lunch and toy, which they were happy about at least. We got back and they were happy colouring in too.
I had been to Asda to get some cold drinks and once I got back, I helped build the Lego Friends ice cream truck set, which looked fab, and then it was over to the Etihad for the final time this season. As I entered and got myself a drink, I noted that the starting line up was changed a lot, as was Aston Villa's too. With nothing to play for from either side it had that end of season feel about it, and I suspect the players rested were to ensure they did not get injured before the World Cup, so no Erling Haaland, no Nico O'Reilly, no Marc Guéhi and so on. The starting line up was still decent though.
City did press forward well in the first half and a corner came over which Antoine Semenyo, our scorer in the FA Cup Final, did the business with. 1-0 and we could have had more, but that was the score at half time. Villa brought on Matty Cash at right back in place of Garcia, and the whole style of play changed in the second half. Villa went for it and a few minutes into the half scored through Ollie Watkins after VAR had checked for any handball, and a through ball from Ross Barkley saw Watkins finish. It was originally flagged for offside but it was on, and so 2-1 to Villa and City were losing.
City pressed and made changes, which meant both John Stones and Bernardo Silva going off at separate times. The Villa players joined the City ones for a guard of honour as the players went off, which I thought was a class move from Villa and probably something their manager Unai Emery suggested that they do. In any case, City thought that they had a late equaliser as Phil Foden smashed it home. But he was flagged as offside and VAR decided to give it offside, despite the screen showing that in fact, he was clearly on. Boos rang out around the groud and a 2-2 draw would have been decent.
So in typical City fashion, and as only City can do, we lost the final Guardiola game. The last game we won under him was the FA Cup Final, so was pleased to be there for that one at least. The players came back on later and had tributes paid, and we also got the chance to say farewell to both Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson, who left in the Summer 2025 transfer window late on, so that was really nice. Glad All Over rang out (make that tune of the day) as the City fans sung "We've got Guardiola" to that. He was emotional in his speech to the fans and it felt emotional being there.
Friday 22nd May - End of an Era
So today is a day that Mancunians will always look back on and remind ourselves of the unfortunate events of this day in 2017, when a bomb attack happened at the AO Arena in Manchester that killed twenty two people. These will always be remembered each year with a solemn note. What always amazed me as a Mancunian was the response - not fear, not anger, just love, kindness and compassion. And a real sense of that being a Mancunian means you do things differently, you stand together, proud, defiant and with all of that love. It is never lost on me just how much the city does that, at any time, but that brought it all together.
It was something referenced too in an announcement that I had been thinking may happen at some point this week - in that Pep Guardiola is stepping down as Manchester City manager after ten years at the helm. To be there for the FA Cup final and see his final trophy lift as boss on that day now even feels more special. City are naming the expanded North Stand after him, and one of the things Pep referenced in his leaving speech was that atack in 2017. His wife and daughters were at that concert and the anxiety had been plain to see until he knew they were okay and had managed to get out - and knew not everyone was so fortunate.
It was emotional watching that video and speech - he touched upon the poem by Tony Walsh - and also he said, be happy. Oasis are back again (and of course Noel Gallagher had done the first interview with Pep in 2016 when he became the City manager) and then said well Tony, this is my place now, and he has had so much <bleep> fun. And you know what? I think he has. It just felt class that he wanted to say thank you to the fans and the players and definitely that video had been some time in the making - so maybe after Wembley he had dropped hints to the chairman and preparations were in order, but who knows for sure?
One thing I do know is that it does feel like the end of an era. You don't get a manager who pushes the boundaries for a generation, like what Sir Alex Ferguson did in his twenty seven years at Manchester United (and whom Pep still says is the greatest, and who are we to argue?) and the trophy wins are always appreciated and special for me. I don't know which league title felt the most emotional that I was at personally - possibly the 2022 title with the comeback from 2-0 down against Aston Villa with Ilkay Gundogan scoring two and winning it at the death. That was superb of course.
Naturally being at Wembley to see the FA Cup wins, including the 2019 final and the record equaling 6-0 win was special too - and this year's narrow win against Chelsea now feels special to see that. I know I will feel emotional on the Sunday of course, but at the same time I also know that I've been able to witness so much in the last ten years. Scoring ten goals against Exeter meaning the first time I'd seen us score double figures since 1987, and some eights and nines too along the way, and of course for me the moments I'd spend with my sorely missed friend at the ground watching so much of this unfold. So many memories, but all good ones, and that'll be a big lump in the throat for sure.
Sunday 17th May - Green Linking
As the day was forecast for rain later on, and still basking in the glory of the win at Wembley (well because whyt not?) it was time to take on the third section of the Green Link Walk. This was to be the shortest section, at around two and a half miles, and would take me from the Regent's Canal, close to Angel, and all the way down through Clerkenwell and the City of London to Bankside, close to the Tate Modern, to finish. I must admit that some of it may be a retrace of part of another walk I'd done years ago, but only the very last section, and hopefully the guide did note that the waymarking would be good - mainly on lamp posts.
As the trains were not running their usual Thameslink route today, the plan to go to London Bridge and get the tube to Angel was out. No bother. They were doing their divert to Blackfriars via Herne Hill, so knew later would be easy enough to get back, and then stayed on that to St Pancras. From there, it was a walk across to Kings Cross and out of the front, where I could get the 30 or 73 buses up Pentonville Road and to Angel itself, so a nice easy way to get started. And surprisingly, the traffic was pretty quiet and so I sped to Angel in no time - granted it was around 11am on the Sunday, but still there were people about, and plenty of them.
Once I walked down to the Islington Canal Tunnel which from above looks down to the Regent's Canal, and a way you divert on if following the Jubilee Greenway as I have done before, it was then through a number of small urban gardens and squares, which were very pleasant. The one at Duncan Terrace had bug hotels and wild flowers planted, to try and make that a more peaceful calm oasis, which I liked. Indeed at Myddleton Square Garden, with the St Mark's Clerkenwell church at one end, it felt more calm. I was liking this walk already, and even more so as I walked towards Exmouth Street and although the market wasn't on, the buzz around there with the cafés certainly was.
I then followed the paths and narrow streets around Clerkenwell, with the Design Week being prepared for later next week, and with pink lined strips of sponsored by Swatch paths guiding you around. What it did do is take me past another church and a garden I used to sit and have lunch in when working not far from here, and then on to the arch at the Museum of the Order of St John, and that arch has stood there for centuries as a former gate house. And at the end of St John's Lane, the street there now has pollinators, so that's nice. It definitely felt already nice and once I'd passed under Smithfield Market with its six phone boxes, it was onwards to St Bart's church and the hospital, passing a famous Bridget Jones filming location, and then towards an iconic sight.
Yes, the walk takes you around the back and side of St Paul's Cathedral, and you can certainly get a different view of the dome from the rear. Naturally plenty of tourists were around, and more so when you crossed the road and headed to the Millennium Bridge, with its views over to Blackfriars, Southwark Bridge, The Shard and so on. It felt more stable than previous times I had walked on here, maybe because the weather felt nicer, and soon enough I was on the other side seeing mass queues at the Tate to get in. I know I'll be back here at Bankside to do the final section to Peckham soon, but still, good to do the walk.
The journey home though, meh. Thameslink were already having issues due to a person being hit by a train between Luton and Bedford (not nice to hear to be honest) and then they had an incident at Streatham Common too, which is where the main line diversions were going. I realised the Sutton train was coming in and so got that to Mitcham Junction and swapped for the tram back, which made sense to be honest. I was just happy to have done the walk and to keep up the fitness regime somewhat. As for tune of the day, the superb album closer We Were Never The Same by Converge gets my vote - it's raw and emotional and hardcore.
Saturday 16th May - Wembley Win
It was an early start for me this morning as I needed to go and pick up a prescription from the local pharmacy, primarily as it's a recurring one I have at present and wanted to make sure I could collect it - as often it would be closed when working in an office, and unless I am working from home that isn't always so doable to collect what I needed. With that done, I also went into Savers to get a few bits and also get these gel insoles for one pair of my trainers that were a little bit flatter in the sole, just to give me some more support. That worked prettty nicely and got them cut to the right size, definitely feeling better after that.
I got myself changed and ready and put on my retro Manchester City 1989 maroon away shirt (the one with the Brother logo on) as that was one of the first City shirts I bought with my own earnings and having the retro replica now seems like a revisit back to those years. Plus as well it shows I am a diehard Manchester City fan, and those who recognise it always appreciate the proper old school feel of it. I knew it was going to potentially rain so light jacket with hood in tow, and me sorted. So it was off on the train to Farringdon and then change there for the Metropolitan line to Wembley Park.
Before I knew it, I had walked up Wembley Park Road and then do the left turn up the hill and to the Green Man pub. Depending on what side of the ground you get at Wembley, there are certain pubs and bars set aside for each set of fans. So for the semi final being in the East side of the ground, it was The Torch (turn left out of Wembley Park for that) and being West this time, the Green Man was the one. It proved very popular, and had an outside bar, a van in the car park also selling pints (less of a queue too) as well as inside. The hazy day was mine and a decent beer all round - £7.50 a pint but sort of expected that being so close to Wembley Stadium to be honest.
I then took the walk downhill from the exit, across the road and then to the entrance L in the yellow zone where I was, which was in block 542 behind the goal. It was a decent view as I was in a lower row seat, but still quite an elevated position to see the action from. I did want to be closer to the action but say the back of the lower tier was around £125, and that was too much - I had paid £80 for this ticket as it was and that was pushing it to be honest. The pre-match build up all took place and the traditional Abide With Me was sung (tune of the day) along with the Bradford Bantam Choir, who smashed that and the singing of the national anthem out of the park, it was great to hear and see them perform.
City kicked off towards the other goal in the first half and although we did have an early chance through Omar Marmoush, it was a fairly dull game. A Marc Guéhi through ball found Erling Haaland later on, but the shot was straight at Robet Sanchez in the Chelsea goal. At the other end Joao Pedro kept falling over, maybe he needed better boots, and was barged off the ball in a 50/50 challenge or two from Abdukodir Khusanov, proper challenges those which Chelsea wanted a penalty from but absolutely nothing doing. On the other hand, and looking at it again now, Enzo Fernandez's two footed challenge on Bernardo Silva could easily have been a red card instead of a yellow.
Rayan Cherki came on for Omar Marmoush at half time, but it looked like initially Chelsea were more likely to score with some decent chances. At the other end, a ball into Antoine Semenyo saw him just head over, but it was positive. Chelsea had two players on Jeremy Doku as he ran down the left but that was freeing up Nico O'Reilly to have a go, or indeed down the right with Semenyo. And after some time, that movement was helpful. Erling Haaland got the ball and played a one two, and received it on the right side. He put a cross in, and then Semenyo did some sublime back heel flick, directing the ball into the bottom corner. Yes! 1-0 City!
That was enjoyable but it was a tense remainder of the game. Chelsea did have a couple of chances and indeed one that was well defended by City, but also a swivel turn a shot just over, and appeals for a penalty when the ball was hit straight at Nico O'Reilly. City did break and Cherki did get in the way of Haaland having a shot, and also in one attack should have passed to Haaland when the striking viking had ages of space. We managed the time well and saw out the five minutes of stoppage time with some relative east, and so that meant.. City had won!
A couple of nice facts from today: Antoine Semenyo wore the same squad number as Yaya Touré when Manchester City won the FA Cup in 2011, and Semenyo's goal was not that far off time wise as Touré's was (Semenyo 72 minutes, Yaya Touré 74 minutes.) Marc Guéhi also became only the fourth player in history to win the FA Cup with two different teams in consecutive years, as he had of course won with Crystal Palace against City last year. The other three in case you wondered were Olivier Giroud (Arsenal and Chelsea), Brian Talbot (Ipswich Town and Arsenal) and Arthur Kinnaird (Wanderers and Old Etonians) - so esteemed company indeed. Guéhi and Knusanov were rocks at the back too. All of this made the trophy lift and then the tube and train home a very happy moment!
Friday 15th May - Bromley Buying
It was off to the main office today after spending three days over in the base in Hoxton, which meant I had been working on lots of prep work for the busy times ahead in the next month or so. Indeed, I had to do some prep work for the team meeting later today. We had the list of attendees for one of the events, and so we wanted to make sure that they were in line to have deployed (or made available) both the printing client we use and indeed the wi-fi network settings too. I was able to see a fair number had attended last year and so were already fully good to go, and keeping track this way does make it easier for all concerned too.
It was also good to speak to my manager face to face about a couple of things and have some good discussions - I much prefer that where possible as it feels more human and that is more me. I did also note that the new security certificates for one piece of software were now being issued to Macs, and so we were able to test with his Mac and check that all was well - and it was. It is good when plans get put in place and things start working correctly as you want them to, and paying due diligence to that was of course the correct course of action. If that helps things going forward then that is a positive for me at least.
After work I decided to make a detour to Bromley, primarily because that unlike where I am based as a branch of HMV. I very kindly had some gift cards as presents for my recent birthday, and because they can only be used in store instead of online - and I knew that next weekend's schedule in Manchester was going to be pretty busy, then I thought it a good idea to head there. The branch closed at 7, and as there are fast trains from London Victoria and near the office, it all made sense - and not least before seeing a rather nice Pullman train at Platform 2 also!
The train was as quick as I'd expected and was soon at Bromley South, and so walked uphill along the main high street and to The Glades shopping centre, which used to be an Intu back in the day. That does seem to keep hold of the bigger named stores: indeed since I was last here, Oliver Bonas has expanded into a new premises on site, and Sostrene Grenes has opened here also. It does make me wonder why retailers aren't getting as much joy in other parts of suburbia but doing okay here it seems. In any case, I remembered where HMV was and so had a good look in.
I got to the till and had four CDs in my hand, and the two gift cards just about covered it, with 4p to spare. The staff were having some till issues but were super nice and friendly - stuff happens, just be nice in return and have some empathy. In any case, it all got sorted and it did not take me long to head over to the bus stop and to take the express SL5 bus back homewards, so that made a lot of sense. I felt pretty pleased as also one of the packages had arrived with some games that I had ordered too, and so that was a good bit of fun later having a road test of those.
So what CDs did I get? Well I decided to go with albums released this year, and some of which were very new releases, and others which I had put on a potential set of purchases for my birthday anyway. So this included the Converge album Love Is Not Enough, Jesca Hoop's new album Long Wave Home, the new Rob Zombie album The Great Satan, and Skindred with their album You Got This - which of course means Benji Webbe (also of Dub War) doing his thing. The title track of that album is tune of the day - it was the first single last November, and as catchy as anything they've done. Top stuff!
Monday 11th May - Skipping to Skipton
We had both had a lovely sleep in our Tricki Woo room at the Devonshire Arms in Grassington, and once we got ourselvs up with the telly showing the breakfast news, we got ourselves showered and ready (and believe me the temptation to take a soak in the bath was there!) we headed down to breakfast, in the same room where we had the Sunday Roast yesterday. One of the rooms in the pub, the snug, actually has all sorts of All Creatures Great and Small things in it, such as quotes from the characters, on set pictures with the cast, and even some nice mementos from filming. We definitely took that in before settling in for a nice full cooked breakfast including sausage, bacon, eggs, hash brown, mushrooms and black pudding, as well as beans for The Love. It was a very lovely breakfast.
The time had gone way too quickly and we checked out, and then after dropping the case in the car, we then had another look around the village and some of the shops - and we noted a few places that doubled up for locations. So the Stripey Badger bookshop actually has its frontage altered to be a greengrocers, and one of the houses facing the square is the vet's surgery and house in the series. In fact you can see where the front facade and porch is bolted on. Some of the walls of buildings have 1940s posters on - also handy as the village has a 1940s weekend each year, so worth keeping up for that authenticity, and even little signs like one of the shops having a gate with a business and a Darrowby phone number. Needless to say, some of the shops rightfully have all sorts you can buy based on the series too - and I know The Love was tempted by a lot!
After a very nice walk around, it was back to the car via the Visitors Centre, where we noted all sorts for walkers if you needed it, even some Compeed plasters - they're not daft! It was then in the car and back down the B6265 and then at the roundabout with the A59, straight on and following the road downhill into Skipton. We followed the signs for the long stay car park and this took us around to the side of the castle, and the bailey car park. It was not that expensive there for the whole day until 6pm, and that did at least mean we'd avoid any short stay time. It was then a walk back alongside the castle walls and towards the town centre.
Although some market stalls were on, it did not feel like a full market day, with most of the shops being alongside the high streets, and smaller units in the small Craven Shopping Centre, and some nice little gift and craft shops, with some cafés too. We did follow one road which took us to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. On one side there were boats moored up for pleasure trips, and the 12 noon departure looked like it was an afternoon tea one, and fully booked. We did also note that most of the clientele seemed to be either coach trips or groups of people, and there felt like it was a base for those to go exploring a bit further. The boat looked full unless you booked, and some of the shops were nice, but I did think unless you did the canal boat trip and visited the castle (I would have been more tempted had I had the DSLR camera with me) you may not find that much to do there.
It was a leisurely couple of hours and we thought about stopping for lunch, but may have been too early. So we came up with an idea to stop for lunch on the way back - and maybe somewhere in Ramsbottom might have been an idea. So we followed the A56 back to Colne, then along the M65 and A56, this time coming off at the junction before it becomes the M66, then through Stubbins to Ramsbottom. Unfortunately the place looked like everywhere was closed on a Monday, but had a backup plan on the go. We followed the road out and along Whalley Road towards Shuttleworth. The Eagle and Child had nowhere to park, but further down, the Duckworth Arms had plenty of spaces, and a majestic view over the hills to Peel Mount.
In fact, we did lunch in there, and we were glad we did. Being a JW Lees pub, it meant I could have their bitter knowing it was a solid choice, and the Manchester Craft Lager is a favourite of The Love, so all good there. What they did do was a two course menu (prix fixe) for £17.95 each, which cannot be grumbled at, at all. I had the breaded mushrooms with a garlic dip to start, with The Love having her favourite chicken liver paté with some gorgeous bread - both were excellent. For the main, The Love had the Wexford chicken where the chicken was moist, the sauce was spot on, and potatoes and greens with it were fab. I had the rump steak with peppercorn sauce and fries, and oh my, that was stunning. The steak was done how i liked it, the sauce was perfect to dip the fries in (and yes I did) and just gorgeous all round.
After that lovely lunch we headed back to The Love's place where Brian the cat got plenty of fussing and cuddles (as he well should) and we had a relaxing rest of the afternoon with some telly and coffee before I then headed off to Manchester Piccadilly to get the train home for the evening. I was gutted really that the time had gone so quick but at the same time it was such a lovely weekend and to spend quality time with The Love was always a special moment for me. As the iPod played some tunes for me on the way home, Seasons by Penfriend (tune of the day) sums up the times we have in more ways than I could imagine.
Sunday 10th May - All Birthdays Great and Small
It was my birthday today, and well, I'm getting old aren't I? It was nice that Brian the cat had been particularly soft this weekend and had offered me plenty of opportunities for strokes and cuddles, awww. It was as if he knew to let me off a bit for the weekend. In any case, The Love In My Heart and I got up and had a coffee as Brian played out on the patio, and so opened some,lovely cards and some lovely presents. I had some nice beers from some of The Love's relations, as well as a couple of gift cards including one for dining out, so that'll be handy at some point for a future Sunday roast. My Mum had got me a HMV gift card (it was what I wanted) and so that'll be really useful to get some new albums with.
The Love had been so kind - she had managed to get me the Swing Out Sister album Filth and Dreams on CD, and the limited card sleeve version from the band's shop, signed by both Andy and Corinne! That was lovely, an she had also got me two Joules shirts, one short sleeved and one long sleeved, both of which I'll plan to wear soon and will also be nice to take on holiday with me too. They're both lovely and I was so pleased that The Love had decided to treat me so well. After some breakfast and more fussing over Brian the cat, it was time to get packed and ready for our little overnight soujourn later.
So we were off to the Yorkshire Dales today and to the village of Grassington, staying at the Devonshire Arms. We had seen a lovely deal they do called Roast and Rest, where you have the Sunday Roast, and then stay over in one of their lovely rooms and have a nice full breakfast in the morning. It cost £69 per person for the night, and bear in mind that the roasts alone are around £25 each if you dined there, that made it all the more worthwhile. We were looking forward to staying there, and there was actually another good reason for that place in particular.
The Love is a fan of the new version of the TV series All Creatures Great and Small, and certainly when I've watched it with her it's pretty enjoyable comforting cosy telly. Grassington itself is actually used for the fictional village of Darrowby, and the pub we're staying in just happens to be The Drovers Arms in the series, so we'll be treading on the same boards as the cast. There are other parts of the village used for exterior shots, especially the main square, and that of course will mean The Love will be thrilled to see all of that - as will I to be fair. And what a nice way to spend time! The theme tune to said series is tune of the day.
We headed on to the M66 and A56 before then on to the M65 all the way to Colne and Boundary Mill Outlet, which stands on the end of the roundabout. After getitng through Colne it was along the A56 through some nice villages joining the A59 towards Skipton, bypassing the town and then turning left on to the B6265 through some more lovely villages and soon saw the turn off to stay on that road, over the local river and then to Grassington. We did what was recommended and got the car parked in the Yorkshire Dales Visitor Centre car park, which did have a 24 hour rate of £7, and that's reasonable. It's around a five minute walk from there to the centre of the village.
We arrived at the Devonshire Arms, and the staff were all super lovely. We got shown a nice table by the window so we could see the square too, and they explained that as part of the deal, you could have any roast including the duo of meats. I decided on that as I'd get the chicken supreme and the roast beef. It had all the trimmings too, so that meant a massive Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, mash, parsnips, greens, and some gorgeous gravy. The Love went for the chicken surpreme and also some cauliflower cheese, and that was great too by all accounts. We could get used to this!
We settled for the drinks (as the staff knew the roast was as part of the deal and we'd check in to our room shortly) so we got a drink and sat in the back beer garden, which was a lovely little spot. I'd had the Drovers Best ale from Timothy Taylor, well it had to be done, and then they had the Landlord Dark too - so all the nice drinks for me as well. No complaints there whatsoever! We got the case from the car and did the check in, and were shown by the staff to our room, which was named Tricki Woo after one of the dogs from the series. All the rooms were named after characters from the show too, and some are also dog friendly with no carpets - as this one was. The room was lovely though with nice big bathroom, massive bed, good telly, tea and coffee, all you could need really.
We had a nice little wander around the village of Grassington and then stopped off at Grassington House for a drink outside there - and they had local ales, so felt somewhat spoiled too. It was good enjoying the evening sunshine even if it wasn't that warm, and we got some nibbles from the local village store (open til 9pm, handy for the locals that) and then settled in for the evening, watching the Bafta Television awards, sharing a bottle of sparkling wine and all chilled out. It was a lovely end to a great day and we had really taken the time to relax and enjoy our time together - and felt so special being with The Love too. I am so lucky!
Saturday 9th May - City, Tearing Cockneys Apart, Eventually
I had had a nightmare train journey up from London to Manchester last night due to overhead line damage and also trains not being in the right place, meaning when train drivers did arrive in Euston they needed to have their breaks for Health and Safety reasons before they could then drive again, thus meaning that the delay was over an hour in total from when I was supposed to arrive. The claim is with Avanti West Coast at the moment despite the fact it should be automatic delay repay, but we shall see what happens with that. Ideally it would be sensible that the delay means a full refund of the outward fare, which would be nice. We shall see.
Anyway, I headed out early this morning as I wanted to go and visit Rewind Collectables and Games in Ashton under Lyne before the football later on. I noted that they had expanded now, meaning a new layout and no more upstairs apart from when they have table top events on. Indeed, the first half is now dedicated to collector cards and all sorts of table top card gaming instead, whilst the original part is still the games. The 8-bit tapes section got moved due to that and plenty of games were at least there - I did have most of what they had there but a good selection still which was good to see.
I got back to The Love In My Heart's place in good time, as we had visitors. No less than Little Miss E and Little Miss O with their parents, The Love's sister, nephew and his wife too, and earlier The Love's eldest sister had also been round too - so that was all nice. Little Miss O had been well lately but was on the road to recovery, and was cheered up when I asked if she wanted to see Brian the cat, and had her usual giggly face going "Cat cat!" - which is what she does. In fact, later on, she wanted me to read her the Gingebread Man book and then the one with Three Little Pigs, which both have things to touch on each page as I tell the story, so she likes that.
The relations had been over primarily to wish me a happy birthday for tomorrow, which was lovely, and then also hand over some nice presents for me too. I did not expect anything and it's always nice that they make the effort for me - it's hugely appreciated to be honest. The Love had even got me a nice little cake with meringues and a sponge and so on, and enlisted the help of Little Miss E and Little Miss O to light the candles and start the singing of Happy Birthday, as well as blow out the candles with me. Awww. The cake was lovely too and that kept me filled nicely until the game later. It was so nice to see everyone and the two little ones were offering plenty of happy faces and hugs. Awww.
Later on it was over to the Etihad for the Manchester City game against Brentford. After the draw at Everton, the title is out of our hands - we can win our remaining games and still be short, so it would be at least that we would need to win and put some pressure on before Arsenal go to West Ham United tomorrow - whom are battling to stay up. I got into the ground and was ready but I did note that it felt a bit nervous around the ground, maybe because one eye is already on the FA Cup Final next Saturday but also because Brentford are themselves chasing a European slot - they have had a good season to be fair.
The first half was a case of City doing what they could to break Brentford down but not quite an end product. Jeremy Doku was by far the best player, heading down the left and attempting to get some chances put in, or even having a go himself. Erling Haaland had a header towards the keeper, and at the other end the centre backs were keeping Igor Thiago quiet, which was at least something. However, it did feel like we may regret any chances not taken if they scored, so we would need to keep going in the second half.
In fact, the second half saw City more determined, but Brentford were also having some chances of their own, which was concerning. Changes came just before the hour with Rayan Cherki coming off for Phil Foden, and Tijjani Reijnders off for Omar Marmoush. Almost straight away, City scored, as the ball came to Jeremy Doku on the edge of the box, and he lashed one into the top corner, an absolute beauty. The relief was palpable around the ground and we had got in front, and also survived a potential penalty appeal later which when played back was actually a nothing challenge - and if that was the case, should Kevin Schade of Brentford have been booked for any diving?
Anyway, City carried on and after a ball into the box from Antoine Semenyo, the ball was pinging in the six yard box only for Erling Haaland to backheel it in somehow for 2-0. That was a positive, and of course anyone Fantasy League wise would have been happy with that. More so in stoppage time as his pass found Omar Marmoush and he buried it into the bottom corner. Although it needs an Arsenal slip up somewhere, keeping up with the goal difference is key and a late goal like that does at least mean something. The Joy Division classic Love Will Tear Us Apart played (tune of the day of course) and the City fans did their usual City, tearing Cockneys apart again chant. Well, we got there eventually.
I did have a lovely surprise when I got back - The Love had got all the ingredients earlier and had managed to make her rather superb chicken casserole dish, which I adore to bits - it's one of my favourite things she cooks, and it was heavenly. She does the fresh chicken with a creamy sauce, sliced potatoes and carrots and mushrooms, and it is just delightful. On a colder evening such as tonight it was appreciated hugely, and settling down with that and drink just felt like a nice wind down before I would of course be watching Match of the Day later to relive the action!
Monday 4th May - Rasperry Beer-et
It was a nice leisurely morning for me and The Love In My Heart. She had a good sleep which was much welcome and needed, and I got up and sorted a few bits around the flat. Later on I made us some bacon toasted sandwiches for breakfast, and we did note that the repeat of the highlights from yesterday's Miami Grand Prix was on. As we had both not stayed up to watch that as they were on at a really late time last night, we thought that it was well worth a watch now - I had an idea of the result but not sure how it managed to get there either.
We did watch that over breakfast, and found that it had been a close call all race, with some tactics changing after an early safety car when Isaak Hadjar went off and Liam Lawson had collided into Pierre Gasly. Some went for an early tyre change to try and use that and see if they could get to the end of the race on them, others waited in case any rain fell and that might force the change anyway. In any case, the rain did not surface til late on, and Kimi Antonelli won ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. It had been a good weekend for Lando as he had won the sprint race too, so all good. Charles Leclerc got demoted to eighth after a time penalty.
We got ourselves ready to head out, and set off earlier than planned. This way we could stop off on the way to where we were having lunch and take advantage of the reasonably good weather. So we got the train to London Victoria, and that was busy but we got a seat, and then after a quick mooch in Oliver Bonas, we headed off to Victoria Market Hall where the lovely roof top bar was waiting for us, and I had a Camden Stout with The Love having the Camden Hells. The sun was partially out and we had a nice view from our seats, so no complaints there really.
After a drink there it was back to Victoria, and on the tube to Warren Street, with a short walk from there over to Euston Square, and off to the Crown and Anchor pub on Drummond Street. We had not been there for a while but we did note that when we had booked a table, we had our usual table with my name on, and one of the staff there recognised us, so that was all lovely. I had the Harveys Best Bitter, a staple of the Sussex brewery's ales and always lovely, and The Love had a Camden Hells. I ordered some food, and all was good there - the cheeseburger The Love had was really good, as was the fish and chips I had too.
We did stay in there for another drink too, and I did note that they had a new beer from the Kirkstall Brewery, which was a little pink in colour (which we know Little Miss E would have liked the colour of) and it was a raspberry blonde called Ripple Effect. Apparently, it's part of their small batch series so it was nice to get that and enjoy it, and I had Prince's classic Raspberry Beret in my head due to that (make that tune of the day) and so all was well there. It was nice to relax and it was a sad moment seeing The Love off on her train back home, but happy we'd had such a good weekend.
Sunday 3rd May - Elizabeth, My Dear
The Love In My Heart had a well deserved lie in this morning. As much as I know she adores Brian the cat, when he does do his soft proddding with his paws to wake her up early in the morning, it means she cannot always go back to sleep, and so having a good night's rest for me was important for her too. Of course, some of The Love's family were checking in on Brian over the weekend, so he would be fed, watered and fussed over, but I can imagine not having any interruptions is good. I know when we go on holiday and if there are blackout curtains she really does enjoy a peaceful night's sleep.
Once we were both up, I made us some breakfast and we thought about what to do for the day. She had mentioned she wanted to see the new Queen Elizabeth II Garden in Regent's Park, and that made sense to look at. I did note also the Canal Cavalcade weekend at Little Venice, and also the Sicily themed event at the Islington Design Centre near Angel, so we had options if the weather turned a bit rubbish. With that in mind, we thought it best to start at Regent's Park whilst the weather was good, and so took the train to Farringdon and the tube to Great Portland Street, as it was a short walk from there to the park.
We entered the park, got to the Broad Walk and walked along there, and soon spotted the little coffee shop by Chester Road and also a section which had some temprary fencing. This was in fact for any possible queue to get in the Queen Elizabeth II Garden, but there was not that much of a queue at least for us. Sensibly, you enter at one end and exit at another, and this also included some lovely plantations, wild flowers, and a nice balcony which doubles as a place for birds to come to, with the night time having some gentle bird noises in and this will then attract them. That was the busiest part, but good to see.
We exited there and agreed it was lovely, then headed to the Queen Mary's Garden, with its many different types of roses, the water features and waterfall, which you can walk to the top of, and its greenery, making it all a very calm and idyllic place too. We did then note the large café close to the open air theatre, and stopped off here for a drink. It was not the cheapest at £8 a pint (meh!) but it was good to sit and people watch. In fact I noted that Manchester City Women had scored a last gasp winner at home to Liverpool, thus keeping the WSL title race in their own hands. Plus if Arsenal draw any of their games in hand (due to their Women's Champions League involvement) then it is now ours.
We walked towards the lake with the pedalos heading around, and on the other side of the bridge, lots of ducks and geese all with their little babies looking cute and adorable as they walked along the grass, close to their parents, and headed towards the water. We exited the park via the Hanover Gate and past the signs for Lord's Cricket Ground close by, then on to the towpath for the Regent's Canal. We followed the canal westbound, then along the paths above Maida Hill tunnel and then would divert a little around a closed path, and then to Maida Hill itself, and thought "ah, why not stop here?"
We had landed at Laville, an Italian restaurant with a seating area that overhangs the Regent's Canal. We were pleased to get a table for two, and a view over to the canal. The ones next to the edge of the restaurant have th the best views, but still lovely wherever you're sat. We had a drink and some lunch - The Love had the spaghetti bolognaise and I had the special of the papardelle with veal ragu. Both were stunning with fresh pasta, lovely sauce and well presented. We both enjoyed the vibe and the atmosphere in there, and really had a lovely meal so that felt relaxing.
We walked then along the Regent's Canal to Little Venice, and the Canal Cavalcade was in full swing, with boats going round the little triangular island here and plenty moored up alongside the canal too. There were also stalls with all sorts of crafts and gifts and some were lovely. We also did note that on the other side of canal, once you crossed the bridge, you had food and drink stalls and beer stalls too, so that was something. It was very busy and we did enjoy the vibe, but wanted to be somewhere quieter a little so after an unsuccessful attempt in Vagabond (because the staff were non-existent and people were having all sorts of issues with the self-service beer taps) it was a move next door.
And this was a good move all told - we went to Union, by the canal, and it was much better. For a start, a pint of Landlord on cask and a pint of Camden Hells for a mere £11.95, which is a bargain for central London. The atmosphere inside with a window view to the canal was good, and the music was at a sensible volume but not too loud either, so we definitely enjoyed that. It was a good vibe and that was a nice way to wind down on the Sunday afternoon too, so all good. We walked to Paddington for the tube to Farringdon and the train home, and had had a lovely day. Tune of the day is the excellent Disco Inferno by The Trammps, which Shaun Murphy walks out to and he did tonight in the World Snooker Championship final.
Saturday 2nd May - A Stroll Around Beckenham
It was going to be a nice weekend for me as The Love In My Heart would be coming down to see me, and it's always nice when she comes down to be honest. It does mean that we can do different things together and also saves me taking the train, and instead she would be doing so. Because of the May Bank Holiday it means she can stay til Monday, and we get the whole of the Sunday to do as we feel like, so that's good. I was up and having everything all ship shape and sorted for her arrival, having already had a Sainsburys delivery and so on, it was good to be able to get on with a few things.
Her train left on time so that was good, and I knew I could then just meet her at East Croydon later, as she knows her way here. It was getting nice and warm outside too so that definitely was good, and once I knew the train had arrived at London Euston, I was ready to go whenever she told me the train was leaving Victoria. I was able to see the semi-final snooker walk ons with Shaun Murphy and John Higgins - the latter having I Am The Resurrection by The Stone Roses, so tune of the day of course. As it transpired, engineering works meant less trains but she was good to go on the East Grinstead one, and made my way to the station to meet her - and she was looking as lovely as ever.
I had given her some ideas for this afternoon as to what she would like to do and suggested heading to Beckenham might be nice. She agreed and so once we had dropped the case off, we headed to East Croydon once again and headed on the tram to Beckenham Junction. She did remark that the curve in between Harrington Road and Birkbeck reminded her more of being on a model railway (due to the slower speed needed for the turn) and also spotted the junction where the tram crash had happened, and noted how much slower that corner was being taken now.
We soon arrived at Beckenham Junction and not before long we were on the high street in the centre of Beckenham, with the lovely independent bookshop, plenty of independent restaurants and coffee shops, and a real sense of being a village vibe. Although there were a fair number of charity shops, one having this delightful Emma Bridgewater melamine tea set in a mini picnic basket, perfect for dollies' tea time (thinking of Little Miss E and Little Miss O as ever) and was good to see the place being busy. We did stop off in a couple of the independents or ("little shops") as The Love calls it, and they had some excellent gift ideas and homewares, plus some Miffy items which looked super cute.
We stopped off at the Br3wery bar too, which had their beers. The BR3 part is also a clever play on words, as the Beckenham postcode (part of Bromley) is BR3, so you can see what they did there. I did like the chocolate stout but The Love was less impressed with the pilsner, in her view it tasted a bit flat. It was nice to chatter anyway and the vibe was very relaxed, which we both liked. We headed back to the tram station and literally just in time before the rain decided to come down a fair bit, which showed on the windscreen and the windows of the tram as we headed back to Croydon, stopping off at The Green Dragon for a drink and some lovely chilled atmosphere, even with screens showing the football.
Later on I made us both some tea, and we settled in for some royal stuff on Channel 5 (as is The Love's preference) and then over for the World Championship Snooker semi-final. And what a match that turned out to be, with Mark Allen up against Wu Yize. No quarter asked or given, and at 16-15 up Mark Allen had a simple black to win the match, but he twitched and missed, Wu potted it and forced a decider, then put up a superb break in the final frame to win. Mark was gracious in defeat, stating if you miss that sort of ball you don't deserve to be in the final, but that miss is going to haunt him for some time..