come back to what you know

Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire

2009-12-22T13:30:00.000Z

Christmas has well and truly begun!! Saturday I went on a brief but interesting sortie into Folkestone via the High Speed link.

Now, overall, the outward journey was only a few minutes shorter than going via the main line as I had to take a half hour journey on the DLR to Stratford Regional and allowed myself some extra time because I didn't know what to expect. It was actually really rather easy, getting off the DLR and then heading through the well signposted subway to Platform 11. Walk to the end of that and you find a bus (where tickets can be purchased for the Southeastern High Speed services). This whisks you to Stratford International (there's no pedestrian access at the moment!). There was only two of us on the bus which was also a bonus!

Stratford International puts me in mind of some of the newer TGV stations like Valence. It's big, modern and lacking charm. Not in an awful way, it is just a means to an end after all.

The train arrived, looking all sparkly and new and FAST, and upon boarding I found there was plenty of space and leg room (something I was NOT expecting). The journey was smooth, fast and the conductor was nice.

Kent was covered in snow! After moaning for so long about having no snow I was very happy to see it, even if it was at a high speed blur!

Arriving in Folkestone felt like coming home. Nothing better and I grabbed a taxi outside Folkestone Central and headed to the East Cliff Pavilion for Three Valley Waters Christmas do. Saw loads of old faces, felt more comfortable than last time and Stacey Lady was there which is, as ever, the best thing about TVW dos. Mere hours later I got a taxi back to Folkestone Central and headed back to Greenwich. Now without my added extra time for safety's sack the journey is a good 20-30 minutes shorter on the way back than it would be on the main line. Getting home I settled in at the pub for a cheeky midnight pint with Jim before sleep.

Sunday. Jim went to see his children which left me at a loss as to what to do. Hmm... Christmas. Jae is alone. Time for... Christmas movie day! I watched A Nightmare Before Christmas, Home Alone 2, Gremlins and Miracle on 34th Street. All very Christmassy and it was a very nice lazy day.

Monday... work. Yuck! But things brightened up at 4.40pm when there was an unexpected snow shower. Not just a little one either. By 5pm it was time to go home and I got to trudge (I repeat... TRUDGE, don't you love that word Dear Constant Reader?) through the snow to the tube station. All was going swimmingly until I arrived at Cannon Street. The station was closed and a huge crowd was gathered outside being marshalled around from the road by police. I made an executive decision and returned to the tube and made my way to the DLR at Bank. Here was crowded too (as not everyone is London is a total idiot) but there were two Lewisham trains due, a minute apart. I knew what that meant.

I settled down and watched the ensuring fights and squeezing that occurred when the first train arrived. Then once it had been departed I strolled up to the platform edge (behind the yellow line of course) and lo and behold the second train arrived and I sauntered on in comfort and calm, confident that the train in front would keep on clearing the platforms at every station ahead allowing me a no hassle journey home. Bliss.

Got off the train and headed straight for the local for twas the night of Christmas caroling! Whilst the Christmas Carolers when off around the Triangle (as we call the area here in Greenwich) demanding money with menances and threats of singing, the remaining men of the pub gathered around an open fire, roasting chestnuts and doing those oh so stereotypical "men around a fire" things. the Carolers returned and more songs were sung (not by me for both ideological and concerns for other people's ears reasons) before we had a dinner of jacket potato, beans and sausages from the BBQ round the back. Snow made the scenes even more Christmassy. There was a quiz but as Jim had written it, we didn't take part and then most of the Carolers left... except one. Oh, she was a little worse for wear and after telling Denis how hot and sexy he was she then decided Jim and I didn't look gay, began matching up other men in the pub who weren't gay and then went back to telling Denis how hot and sexy he was. Repeat for two hours. Hilarious!

A very good night indeed ended with a brief early morning snowball fight. Perfect.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Tweets Of The Day

2009-12-20T06:03:00.001Z

08:07 Nobody has even heard of the Blitz spirit in this day and age. They expect everyone to do everything for them now. bit.ly/7imvBR #
08:08 Nobody brought us any food or water. Maybe you should have had some with you, just in case??? bit.ly/7imvBR #
08:08 "fobbed us off with excuses" What, like the train has broken down? bit.ly/7imvBR Grow some balls people! #
08:24 Dear Closeted Homosexual, If you are going to come out please don't do it via the Daily Mail like Gareth Thomas. Thanks bit.ly/4ndvS2 #
08:32 Eating chocolate orange at half 8 in the morning... it's Christmas!!!! #
08:34 @SteveShd Yes, but still... The Daily Mail??? He is a rugby player after all, I'd expect him to have more class than that! :p #
08:35 @SteveShd I said "class" not "classless" :p The Guardian or even, at the very least, the Times. #
08:38 @SteveShd Now that is true... why come out publicly at all? I suspect he was being blackmailed by one of the papers... Grr.... #
08:50 I think it's time Britain stopped being so bloody depres sed about history The Empire wasn't all bad. We weren't monsters. Chin up, old chap! #
08:55 @SteveShd Yeah, I was listening to her thanks mainly to @PatrickCavill pretty early on too. #
09:14 People are proud of someone coming out at 35? I'd be proud of someone coming out at 16. Or 80. But not 35! That's just soooo 90s and normal #
09:21 @SteveShd Of course it's not!! :p #
09:22 And don't straight people who say they are "proud" of someone coming out make you want to twat them one? Look at ME I'm ACCEPTING! LOVE ME! #
09:36 @SkylarJordan Yeap. I've got straight mates, so I'm really progressive. I've even heard them talk about sex. And didn't throw up. :p #
09:44 @SkylarJordan Thank you, thank you. I have white friends too, did I mention that? ;) #
09:52 @neilmatthews1 Where is the report of passengers evacuating themselves? #
09:54 I'm going on the HS1 train for the first time today!! Am I excited? Oh yes... then I get to see Stacey Lady! In Folkestone! #
10:01 My route from the train station to the club I'm going to tonight t akes me past my old stalkee's house *resists stalking impulses* #
10:41 Stalkee's everywhere can relax. Not enough time to walk from station so Folkestone Taxi's it is... but late night walk back... beware!! #
10:49 @Spoooky_L Looks like you've travelled into the future to get your hair cut! :p #
10:56 @Spoooky_L Not the colours, it was the shapes that gave away your time time travelling abilities :P #
10:59 Right... off to Somerfields.... *somebody save me.... * #
11:05 @s ad19 No snow. :( I am very, very disappointed. #
11:05 Folkestone Tweets... is there any snow down there??? *hopes beyond hope* #
11:06 @brumplum You have my sympathy. Godspeed and may the Force be with you! #
11:07 @sad19 If I came to Medway, I#d have to go see my relatives, there would be no time for snow. Catch 22. #
11:10 @brumplum *sigh* I tried following it but then he used to word "Thatchell" in a recent tweet and couldn't go on. #
11:10 @sad19 I LOVE Medway. The hoodies. The earrings! The fact I'm from Snodland. It's all good. :p #
11:12 @sad19 The pride I feel is beyond words. The sights... the clock tower... the working men's club, the other working men's club... :p #
11:13 @brumplum Careful! You might get an ABSO! #
11:14 @tomlowth Yeah, it had good AND bad parts. And, unlike most other countries, we acknowledge the bad parts. Just a bit too much sometimes. #
11:15 @sad19 Oh that's called The Red Lion :p #
11:16 Anyway... stop distracting me tweeps! I've got an emergency mission to get food for my two guys... @nivenj and Mr Gibbs!! Somerfield ho! #
11:59 Portugal is considering gay marriage. Maybe if our oldest ally is contemplating it, our leaders might get round to thinking about it. #
12:02 @Alan_Wilks Be careful! #
12:04 @funktakula Greece? Yuck! They're getting themselves a toy boy: Brazil. Bit incestuous but you know what these continentals are like! :p #
12:05 @funktak ula Don't give them ideas, the thought of a bit of Angola might get them all over excited and ruin a wonderful future marriage! :P #
12:08 @funktakula Never a truer saying made! :D #
12:12 Charles Kennedy on HIGNFY??? YAY! :D I think they could put Charles on just about anything and I'd love it. #libdems #
12:16 I must just be cynical in my "Couldn't give a damn" attitude towards Gareth Thomas' coming out. #
12:19 Surely someone coming out should just be greeted with a collective "Yeah, and???" #
12:26 @NickCheltenham On a personal level, sure. But why should it matter to anyone else? #
12:30 @brumplum I agree. We can do that better by just being gay. I find that approaches works best on the individual level. #
12:36 @brumplum @NickCheltenham I do, indeed, LOVE ruggers. #
13:22 All I Want For Christmas Is... this... www.dogsblog.com/toffee-5/ #
13:30 I thought it was the done thing to do the Review Of The Year after Christmas. Tut to all these early self promoters. #
13:42 Al Megrahi and Ronnie Biggs... still both alive. There truly is no justice in this world. #
14:01 Don't you just hate those left handed bastards! www.joshwoodward.com/mod/song/view_song.php?song_id=63 #
14:09 I feel really strange today, very much like something bad is about to happen. Cannot relax. :( #
14:29 Hmm... @nivenj has glitter on his face. Suspicious. ;) #
15:00 @Spoooky_L I hate it when people follow me and then unfollow me the very next day. Grr... #
15:05 @Spoooky_L I get warning emails from twunfollow.com/ #
15:58 Starting on a rather epic review of my life over the last decade. Quite uplifting/depressing really! #
15:59 @gillian73 Yeap... off for a Christmas party tonight.. :D You? #
16:03 @gillian73 I know... I'm shocking myself as well! No last minute shopping for me. Happy times :D Oh except for... lol #
16:04 Javert's gets the best songs in Les Miserables. You just have to sympathise with him really... just doing his job and all that :p #
16:06 Is it really, really sad that I'm not looking forward to my trip to Folkestone for the simple reason Jim's not going to be with me? :s #
16:46 @brumplum Looking backwards is my way to get my mind into the mood to look forwards. Anyway looking forwards is for January :p #
16:53 @brumplum Hmm.. I think you underestimate the importance I place on dates and doing certain things at certain times! :p #
16:54 @markys_tweet As I've said to @brumplum I will be doing that for one of my January posts... big changes ahead just n ext year! #
16:54 Time for toilet, brush teeth, and other such pre-journey things... #
17:26 on my way... Brrr... It's cold... #
17:43 @Psychocowboi can you bring onto dlr.... I is cold! #
17:44 stratford bound twice in a week. Yuck. #
18:13 stratford international reminds me of france. #
18:33 @Spoooky_L @stigblog no! Clean, efficient and good at fast trains! #

18:33 shozu.com/t/63n - 19122009028 - Nice leg room. Very nice. Jae loves southeastern high speed! #

18:34 they have snow in kent... Hurrah! #

18:34 whoosh! #

18:35 @Psychocowboi whooshing through it as i type! #

18:43 over the medway.... And onwards.... At speed. I can see this commuting business being ok #

19:02 nearly in folkestone. Astonishing. #

19:12 just saw a eurostar go by with people on it... Expect they are not v ery happy people... #

19:13 @Spoooky_L i know... Right next door to my old school! #

19:50 @Spoooky_L i'm not living in folkestone again until february. #

19:53 nobody ever leaves tvw.. Comforting... #

20:46 hot musculatr guy still working at tvw... Score.. #

20:48 @Cyman because they've been stuck in the tunnel! #

21:27 shozu.com/t/64n - 19122009029 - Th e infamous stacey lady with glow stick necklace #

21:35 shozu.com/t/64t - 19122009030 #

21:38 @Lee_Beck an old friend from work... #

22:10 i love folkestone. #

22:21 drunken chats with taxi drivers. Missed them *hugs folkestone* #

22:23 so... 40 mins until my train... Folkestone taxis were too damn quick for omce! #

22:25 @Lee_Beck not famous yet.. Only matter of time.... #

22:38 shozu.com/t/657 - 19122009031 - Those are my old managers.. I now earn more than them.. Ha ha.. #

22:39 shozu.com/t/658 - 19122009032 #

22:40 shozu.com/t/659 - 19122009033 - Hello snow! #

22:59 whooshing back across kent to london #

23:05 shozu.com/t/65d - 19122009035 #

23:32 the trapped eurostar has been cleared. How do i know? I'm looking at it now! #

23:58 @squawkbox what i found worked best was to lie across 4 seats and relax ;) #

00:04 nearly home... Folkestone seems much closer now #

00:06 canary wharf... Nearly there.. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Another Week!

2009-12-18T19:10:00.000Z

Tuesday: Was quiz night! And, continuing a rather impressive winning streak broken only by the monthly music quiz and our one night off, we won again! Becoming a bit of a habit, and despite belief the contrary we do not cheat!

Wednesday: Another trip to Needoo's began with a visit to Whitechapel, and I believe the half hour I spent waiting outside Whitechapel tube station deserves a blog entry for itself. Jim, Mark and Jo eventually turned up (on time, i.e. late in Jae time ;) ) and we had a pint in the Grave Maurice. Despite it's rather "Backwater town club" feel, the staff and punters were friendly, the Stella cool and refreshing and the sofas comfy. Loaded with some beer and wine from the local shop we finally wandered up to Needoos to discover there was a power outage! We returned to the Grave Maurice for another pint in the hopes half an hour might solve the problem but when we returned we found it hadn't. We sat in the dark with a few other brave customers but eventually, after a few rounds of poppadoms and reading menus by mobile phone light, we decided to give it a miss. A shame as I did enjoy it the other week. Instead we caught a taxi back to Greenwich, and made my first ever trip through the Rotherhithe tunnel. Excitement.

In Greenwich we settled in for a good old Folkestonian meal... at the Gurkha's Inn! Mmm.. we normally get take out but I have to say it's nothing compared to a sit down meal. Tasty. It was a shame, for the owners, that we were the only customers. After Mark and Jo headed home, Jim and I partook of a cheeky one in the local before falling to sleep.

Thursday: Snow Day. Ish. I spent the whole day having my snow hopes raised and dashed repeatedly. Every flurry was a source of hope of snow and perhaps an extra day off work. I went to sleep reluctantly, desperate for a white start to the morning.

Alas...

Friday: Whilst most parts of the south east were able to engage in that most British of sports, moaning about snow, we Londoners had to make do with a little light covering in some places and nothing in others. The trains were working far too well for this lazy man's liking.

But the day was spent at work dreaming of snow and the occasional flurry again created an emotional rollercoaster of despair and hope but still... nothing. Great sadness indeed!

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

New Greenwich Train Times!

2009-12-14T18:46:00.002Z

Southeastern Highspeed | Ramsgate
Originally uploaded by kpmarek

So today was the first day of Southeastern's radical new timetable. I had two very different experiences.

On the way to Cannon Street things were not going smoothly. Firstly it was pretty clear that everyone from the old 07:03 Charing Cross train and everyone from the old 07:13 Cannon Street train had decided to get the new 07:03 Cannon Street train together. Add on top of this that the train arrived 5 minutes later and you have one very uncomfortable journey in. :( Hoping that with train being on time and the "Oh my, there's a new timetable today?" crowd gone things might be a little better tomorrow.

The trip home... was absolute bliss. Cannon Street trains home were not only on time... but absoltely empty and not only did all the normal sized people get a seat but giant folk like me got one too on the 18:00!! Lovely.

Let's see if the kinks on the morning journey get ironed out, else it might be an even early morning for me from now on...

The train above is not the train from Greenwich but hopefully within the next couple of months will be. It's the South Eastern Highspeed and she's gorgeous.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Big Dad: 4 Years Later

2009-12-13T15:58:00.000Z

Many years ago, when I was doing my GCSE's, I was going through some nasty personal issues as my newly found religion went up against my newly discovered sexuality. I think my Mum must have realised this, because she organised for me to go somewhere over the spring half time. Somewhere where I found myself. That place was Big Dad's.

My Granddad was the real black sheep of the family. His family history is murky (and that is being kind... I'm still trying to find out about his relatives) and he was not around by the time I was born.

About 5 years before my birth he eloped, leaving my Nan and her five children in the lurch. He moved to Suffolk to live with a lady named Sandy and her daughter Tanya. So when I was born Granddad was not spoken of kindly. Nan had had to take up several jobs, working every hour God sent, in order to keep a roof over the heads of her children and food on their plate (and then on mine too when I came along!). Four of her children, my Mum included, blamed my Granddad for destroying her life and theirs. I don't think Nan ever engaged in poisoning her children against my Granddad but my eldest auntie certainly did to her siblings.

And let's be honest, it was a bit nasty to leave his children without keep. Run away but don't try to escape your financial responsibilities. But anyway... his new life did not last long. Shortly after she gave birth to my youngest uncle, Derek, Sandy passed away leaving Granddad with a step-daughter and son to care for.

I only ever met him once before my visit as a teenager when I was about 4 and Derek was 8. I remember only that 1) house was cold and 2) I caught nits there. Hardly inspiring memories.

So it was with some trepidation that I arrived at his cottage in Suffolk. The driveway was covered in the wrecks, literal wrecks, of MGs with grass growing through them. These wrecks, I would later discover, harboured Cat and Fluff the two sentries of the cottage who attack the unwary.

Once through the door, it was hard to find ANYTHING that wasn't falling to bits. Old magazines lay shrewn across the floor, half finished bottles of Coke sat in every room, and there was the occasional smashed window. I.e. it was my idea of heaven having come from the house of an obsessive compulsive. My Mum made a quick escape lest she find the hoover and be unable to resist tidying. And that was me for the week...

Granddad was always a person of obsessions, and passing one's at that. In that we are very much the same, although he was both more practical and more thorough than I. I remember Mum telling me of his obsession with a new form of scaffolding connector which, once invented, he sold for a mere £10,000 down the local pub. That new form of scaffolding connector is now found on pretty much every scaffolding kit out there. Damn his passing obsessions! At the time I arrived in the house his obsession was computing. Amiga's, Commodore's and Atari's littered, literally, the house and this was in age when they were already obsolete. I think it was then that I knew we'd get on just great...

The week passed with playing ancient computer games (Chucky Egg anyone), watching Derek's VHS collections (and discovering my love of Terminator, Alien, etc. etc.) and pottering around with Big Dad (oh yes, he was called Big Dad by everyone up there), Derek and the family of Ludovic Von Kennedy (Big Dad was obviously in love with his daughter and Derek was actually going out with his granddaughter. Kind of disgusting when one points that out... :s). There was fried breakfasts which tasted good but had little black bits all over it as the word "cleaning" was unknown even in the kitchen. There were baths in a bath that actually had a colony of spiders living around it. There was time spent keeping cricket greens and other times wondering why Big Dad had a garden full of portacabins (note it was to do with his last invention which is now in the hands of my Mum... God save us all).

During that time I learnt from watching the 18 year old Derek exactly what lay ahead in my late teens (good times) which was something I'd never seen, which really helped me move on from my problems at the time into a new frame of mind. And I realised Granddad was not a monster just a very silly man with a genius level of intelligence and a distinct lack of common sense.

After that, something strange happened. I don't know if it was to do with my glowing report but Granddad and Derek were allowed back into the family. There was a joint birthday party that year in Snodland Community Centre for Nan and Granddad. Melly's death brought Granddad even more closely, mentally if not physically, back into the fold. And he was even allowed on the head table at David's abortive wedding, although in typical style (and much to my taste) he wore a messy shirt. Gotta love him.

So what is the reason for all this Granddad related nostalgia? Well four years ago today he passed away... and I very much doubt anyone other than Derek will be remembering that. His death caused my family to descend into chaos as Derek and Tanya were, basically, robbed of their inheritance by "my side" of the family who wanted to compensate Nan for all her trouble's. In so doing his cottage was sold (and possibly demolished although Google Maps, as shown below, leaves me hopeful it's still standing...) and ties to Derek were forever severed....

So here's to Big Dad and all he stood for... the intelligence and the stupidity of humanity, both in himself and in our family as a whole after his death. May he rest in peace.

And here's to Derek... our missing relative and good luck in whatever he's doing now. Severed from his family, living his own life... he's a living tribute to Big Dad.

View Grandad's Old Cottage in a larger map

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

The Week In Briefs

2009-12-12T13:13:00.000Z

Tuesday: hectic day at work as there was an inspection on. I was selected to represent my team and have an inspector listen in to my calls and ask me questions. This was followed by a trip to the 7th Floor (never been quite that high before!) for a debriefing where I was asked how many breathes I took during the visit and whether the inspector looked me in the eye. After work headed down the pub to see Jim. Won the quiz (YET AGAIN... We Are The Champions!). This was followed by many more hours of drinking and Jim and I stumbled home around 2am... slightly worse for wear.

Wednesday... another night in the pub although we finished it off before 11pm. Hair of the dog and all that. I had not felt particularly jolly at work! Ouchy head.

Thursday... more work. Fucking boring work.

Friday. Workity, workity, work. Then went out for a couple of drinks in the Hammersmith Ram before heading back to Greenwich. Horrible trip home caused by Christmas partying, stupid suits. Got to local to find Jim, Mark and Jo drinking surrounded by Mark and Jo's French friends. Cheek kissing ensued. Awkward. Then a puppeteer joined us and let us in on the next big thing... on CBeebies anyway. I stalked "new" cute bar man

It was a good night and I came home with 36 Mini Mince Pies courtesy of Denis. Score!

Now for our last lazy weekend before the move...

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Aspirations

2009-12-07T20:26:00.000Z

When one "aims high", usually it is to aim for something grand, to better one's social position or career prospects.

Maybe it is my humble background, coming from a line of down to Earth farm and paper mill workers. Maybe it's just a crippling lack of ambition. But when I ask myself what I truly want it's not a million pounds, nor a position of power. It's peace, quiet and freedom (all with Jim of course!).

Oh I dream of a life free of work, free to travel around, free to flee from commuters and suits. I know, an impossible dream. But it's something to aim for isn't it? I don't often aspire, so maybe I should set myself a goal for once. Aim for the stars, and I might reach the moon.

Now... I've been slacking in my Brent Corrigan love this year... time to make up for that with a particularly good "Brent With The Oh So Sexy Floppy Hair Look" picture.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

There's More To Life Than Work

2009-12-06T16:15:00.001Z

That's what I say anyway. And, as you Dear Constant Reader well know, I'm always looking for way out of the rat race. I never actually get off my fat arse to do anything about it, I've been more content to sit around and moan about how unfair the world of work is.

Well I must, must, must change this. Despite what I, and probably you, might think I'm NOT stupid. Disregarding the fact I hate saying nice things about myself due to deep seated emotional issues for a moment, I know I am somewhat intelligent. But do I have any "skills"? Hmm... that is the question. I can see patterns in things, work out the underlying cause of problems pretty damn quick and retain AND share information as and when necessary. I've been referred to as "The Oracle" and "a walking Wikipedia" as I tend to know the right information that people need. That's why I quickly become to go to person in any company I work in. But is that a "skill"? Could I market that? I think not. Could I put it to use? Of course. But doing what?

I don't mind the concept of work, but I want work more on my terms. I know that I'll always need customers, so "my terms" is a negotiable concept but I must, simply must, get out of the rat race asap.

Must DO SOMETHING! I'm a human being, get me out of here!

Right time for a bit of Tom from Coach Trip...

And yes, the blog's name has changed... back once again *with the Renegade Master* to "come back to what you know". I can't help it. I always come back to what I know!! So old title and the old quote... together once again.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Disappointments

2009-12-04T10:49:00.000Z

Work. Currently we are in the first stages of redeployment (for which read redundancy) across many different departments in the company I work for. That includes my department. I applied for a new job a couple of weeks ago and was very disappointed to not even be shortlisted for the role. The real disappointing thing was that I know the people who were shortlisted... if they are better than me then I'm in REAL trouble. Shudder.

Anyhew, I'm not a careerist and so it's a disappointment but hardly as important as the next downer this week: Jim has got H1N1!! He wasn't feeling too well on Wednesday and took a turn for the worse yesterday... hopefully he'll be feeling a little better when he wakes up today. I've taken carers leave so he doesn't need to do anything today.

So let us look beyond disappointments and worrying things to something moe pleasant...

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Jae and Jim Take The Family To Scotland!

2009-12-01T13:19:00.002Z

Pictures of the holiday can be found here

So, my holiday began on Wednesday with a lunch trip to Needoo Grill in Whitechapel. It's shame Whitechapel is such a ghetto, as Needoo Grill is absolutely awesome. The south Asian cuisine was so very, very tasty. I recommend the peshwari naan and the pakoras. Yum, yum, yum! We spent some time in the local and lazed the day away.

Thursday, and Jim and I headed up to Luton as part of "Jae's Mission Never To Be Late For A Plane". On the way up, along the M1, spotted some sort of falcon (no, it wasn't a kestrel!) sitting on a fence. Very beautiful.

Luton, unfortunately, not so beautiful. We stayed overnight at the Leaside Gastrotel, which was nice. The room was big (we stayed in Room 101 which, as well as giving us a good laugh, suffered severely from road noise), the bar was comfy (with lovely Stella Triple Filtered on tap), and the food divine. I've been to Italy, but I had the tastiest pizza ever on Thursday night. Luton itself was a bit... dire. Another ghetto, where the only sign of a bit of class was the Polish organic food shop.

Friday, we woke up early and had a pleasant breakfast at the Gastrotel. It was pretty quiet, but the one other guy there was a God. He was MT... with a little bit of bulk. I.e. he was my perfect man. I informed Jim, and Twitter, that my life was now complete and we made our way to the airport.

Luton Airport... was actually not that bad. The security staff were less rude than Heathrow and the queue moved far more quickly despite being about ten times bigger. I still had to remove my boots but we can't have everything. Jim and I relaxed in the executive lounge until Mum, Stuart and the twins arrived, whereupon we had to rough it with the plebs at the bar.

Despite going straight to the gate when the flight was called, I was still near the back of the queue and, this being Easyjet (*shudder*), I was thus forced to take a normal seat. Proof, if needed, that I am unable to fit into a normal seat (my legs literally could not even be forced to go either side of the seat in front, instead I was squashed to one side). The pain is indescribable but thankfully the flight to Glasgow is a short one. I was soooooo pleased to pull myself out of that plane with my legs still in working order.

The trip to Lochgoilhead was easy as usual. It's nice I now recognise the journey, around Loch Lomond, up to Loch Long, then a left at the Rest and Be Thankful and down through the Argyll Forest Park to Lochgoilhead. We were staying at Drimsynie again but things would be a little different this time.

Firstly, instead of staying in one of the Toblerone chalets, we were in a much larger house (virtual tour here). It was lovely, clean and modern. We, of course, bagsied the en-suite room.

Secondly, curling was off. A week or so ago they had phoned to say the curling rink had a problem with it's ice. We decided to go anyway but even though the ice actually was fixed by the Saturday, we were no longer in the mood. The worst part of this was that most of the other people who would normally be there had cancelled their curling trips and thus the entire place seemed deserted and ghost like.

Thirdly, nothing went right. Nothing went "wrong" as such. But the usually efficient organisation and communication just wasn't there. Our breakfasts weren't booked in. Our lunches were booked in but no one told us. Our leisure passes were forgotten. They were minor niggles that were easily sorted but they have put Jim off ever going back again.

And finally... on Saturday and Sunday we decided to mix things up a little.

But firstly, Friday night. We had meals from the bar and settled in for an evening of kareoke. There were no cuties and it was almost a no go at all but two absolutely rat-arsed Scottish guys and a few out of key locals soon had us tapping our feet and trying to hold back laughter. It was great until three local teenage girls got up and forced us to leave the building as their singing was worse than bad... it was truly awful.

Saturday saw us have our first proper breakfast (think potato scones and black pudding...) and then we undertook our first adventure... a boat and fishing trip out on Loch Goil. We set out in our little boat and headed down to Carrick Castle, via the seal colony, and occasional stopped to fish (no success there, but still very fun). We had a very inquisitive seal visit the boat a couple of times but I was most taken with seeing a black-throated diver "flying" under water in an attempt to catch our spinners. Absolutely gorgeous.

The clouds had been low when we set off, but whilst we were fishing off Carrick Castle we failed to notice it had lowered even further and a very thick fog now lay between us and our dock at the north of the loch. We were on the far side of the loch and wanted to get to the other side in order to follow the shore northwards... but the fog moved over us as we reached the middle... and we were lost.

I don't want you to think I'm overplaying this, but the fog gave visibility was only 15m and the still waters only added to the sense we were in some grey bubble. We pottered along for a while in search of the shore but soon wiser heads run over and we stopped the engine. We had no way of knowing we weren't going around in circles. About to call for help, Jim managed to get a GPS signal on his phone and with him at the helm, Stuart navigating by GPS and the rest of us shivering, counting our supplies (2 Jaffa Cakes!!!! AH!!!) and keeping look out we were able to find shore and move north.

When we arrived at the dock, 5 minutes early!, we discovered a rather relieved looking boat owner. He was obviously pretty concerned at having a group of tourists out in one of his boats in the fog, but thankfully old seadog Jim had seen us through to safety... if with a little added adventure.

Saturday night's Dinner/Dance had been cancelled due to the fact there was no one about so instead we had dinner in the Green Room restaurant in Drimsynie House Hotel and then went down to the bar for the band "So Driven", who were quite good but we didn't stay long as my sister was "feeling ill" (for which read attempting to get between Mum and Stuart. Aww... to be a teenager and have a step dad... those were the days!).

The next day we decided to be even more adventurous and, for the first time in my four visits to Lochgoilhead, we left the confines of the village and headed out to explore Scotland!

Our first destination was Glen Coe. The scenery on route was glorious, reminding me that there really is more to this country than London and the big towns. The bitter cold was relieved at a rest stop over looking Lake Tulla with a lovely square sausage sandwich and a cup of tea. At Glen Coe I headed for the gift shop first where I spent so much money on books (one about my family's Clan Davidson history... everyone can have a Scottish Clan history, get yours soon!) and Christmas presents that the guy behind the till gave me some Scottish tablet free and informed me that my family would always be welcome at Glen Coe. Given that this was the scene of the Glencoe massacre, I have to say I've done my bit for inter-British relations!

The visitors centre was informative but wildly expensive for what it was. Thankfully the beauty of Glen Coe more than made up for it.

Then it was onwards to Fort William and Ben Nevis. Sadly... the weather didn't hold. By the time we had made it around Loch Linnhe, the clouds had come down and Ben Nevis was no where to be seen. So I've been near this country's tallest mountain but still failed to see it. Damn it.

After a quick trip to Morrison's it was back to Lochgoilhead, dinner in the Green Room and a night in watching DVDs.

And then it was Monday... breakfast, Glasgow airport and home again (50 minutes from Luton to the Sun in the Sands roundabout [i.e. about a mile and a half from home] and 1 hour from there to the house thanks to a Blackwall Tunnel disaster of some description. Grr.)

Shout out to Luton Airport Car Parkz who made the start and end of the trip so bloody relaxing and trouble free. Excellent service at a good rate.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

The Calm Before The Storm

2009-11-22T10:56:00.000Z

Yoinked from Stunning Sexy Guys

Jim and I are currently in a No Man's Land of uncertainty. Our time in Greenwich is almost certainly coming to an end, and our new lives in Folkestone are almost certainly soon to begin. But nothing is sure, and we really haven't properly begun to prepare (more through procrastination than anything else).

So we will need to get to it. So, Dear Constant Reader, if I am somewhat absent through the next couple of months... please forgive me! I am off to Lochgoilhead on Friday for a long weekend with Jim, Mum, her new man and the siblings. Then I need to get my Christmas shopping out the way (for those stuck for ideas I have my Amazon Wishlist and my Firebox Wishlist). At the same time sorting and packing our possessions is well overdue. Intersperse with Christmas parties and unexpected other things and you have one hell of a busy month ahead!! Ouch.

So again... forgive me if I am somewhat absent for parts of the time ahead... it's all for a good reason, not bad!!

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Stupid Is As Stupid London Does

2009-11-16T20:27:00.002Z

I'm no genius. I make mistakes. I'm a flawed and imperfect individual. I recognise this, and whilst I seek to improve I understand that perfection is an impossibility. Yet this cannot stop me believing I live in a city of slobbering idiots.

The people walk up and down stairs without any thought for those behind them. They meander. They stop in weird, but truly inconvenient, places. They can't change the batteries in a smoke detector. They never have their Oyster card/ticket ready. They appear unable to queue. They think putting a bag on a seat in some way implies that seat is now theirs. They push. They shove. They look at you aghast if you point out any of their multitude of failings. They can't work self service machines at supermarkets but insist on using them even when there is a checkout free. They think you're really clever because you know some history pre-1990.

That seems to be humanity. These people can vote. You have been warned.

*Note grumpiness caused by idiotic Londoners may have coloured by views somewhat in this post, normal service will resume... at some point*

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Sandor Earl: So Good He Gets Another Post!

2009-11-13T22:26:00.000Z

Well he was hot last time but these pictures make me go a little woozy. Hot. Hot. Hot!!

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

For My Fallen

2009-11-11T19:13:00.002Z

Like most British people, hell like most Europeans, I've got many relatives who served in the First World War. The sad thing is that I didn't know about any of them until this year when I spent some time trying to flesh out my family tree. So here is my small memorial to my three (known) relatives who didn't come home from the Western Front. Whilst Leonard and William were previously known by those on the paternal side of my tree, John Barrow had been quite forgotten by my Mum's family. I hope this goes some way towards making up for that dreadful oversight.

S/8933 Private Leonard Bristow 1st Battalion The "Queens Own" Royal West Kent Regiment: My g-g-g uncle was born in Dartford, Kent but at the age of 18 found himself fighting in Ypres, Belgium. He died there on December 17th 1914. He has no known grave.

Dive Copse British Cemetery

G/9137 Private John Barrow 8th Battalion East Kent Regiment, aka The Buffs. My g-g-g uncle was born in the tiny hamlet of Kilndown, Kent. On the 22nd January 1916 he entered the army. He fell at the Battle of the Somme on the 20th August 1916. He was only 22. He is buried in the Dive Copse British Cemetery, Sailly-Le-Sec, France.

100383 William Schooling 2nd Squadron Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) My g-g-g-g uncle was born in Plaistow, Essex. On the 22nd March 1918 he fell during the German Spring Offensive of 1918. He has no known grave.

Sadly, given the incomplete nature of my tree, there are probably more relatives who fell during that horrible war. May they rest in peace.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Charles Dera Returns And A Day In The Local

2009-11-08T18:36:00.000Z

It's been a long time, but for your viewing pleasure here is a new picture of Charles Dera! Enjoy.

So... yesterday I arrived in the local at 1pm and did not leave until after midnight. Yes. That's right. My name is Jason and I'm an alcoholic (at the weekend). It was fun, and Sally regalled us with her tale of running off to Berlin on a whim this time 20 years ago to be part of the action. Very exciting stuff.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Lest We Forget

2009-11-08T09:47:00.001Z

As is the tradition on this blog on Remembrance Sunday, here is Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est".

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs

And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,

And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime...

Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace

Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est

Pro patria mori

Since the last Remembrance Sunday post I've discovered many of my relatives fought, and many died, in the First World War. They were young lads, mostly volunteers who signed up in 1914, who sacrificed their lives for our country. We must never forget them nor all those who continue to fight, and die, in our name.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

GLBT Action Committee

2009-11-05T19:22:00.000Z

So today was the second meeting of work's new GLBT action committee, and the first I've been able to attend (not counting Friday's vigil). Ten of us showed up to try and work out what we were actually meant to be doing. It was an interesting group and our decisions (based mainly on the reason for our creation: dissatisfaction among GLBT staff) were pretty damn great. Best part was it was the least PC meeting I've ever been to.

After the meeting we headed down to Hammersmith's gay bar, theHope and Anchor. This is a totally ungentrified, two room pub with plenty of... character. But as I said to some of the others who turned their noses up at first, it's nice to have these sort of pubs still around. Poppy, the overly excited pub dog, was the icing on the cake (although I think you should leave any food items outside as she has no qualms about bringing you down in search of your food items as one member of our group discovered). Not a bad place and a nice evening was had.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

A Busy Weekend

2009-11-03T19:17:00.002Z

Friday night was taken up with the first outing of work's GLBT Action group to the vigil against homophobic violence, which meant I wasn't home until well after 10pm. The next day Jim and I headed down to Mum's new house down in Hythe and whilst we waited for her to get home headed to the nearby pub, the Duke's Head, with George. Trust me, you don't want to go there.

Mum, Debbie-Debs and Beth turned up and we spent the evening watching telly and eating copious amounts of take away in the new house. Shame Angel Cat and Noodles weren't there, with just the solitary Bella being the only pet to make the move. :(

Made it home, via Debbie-Debs in Maidstone, ridiculously late but still made last orders at the local.

Sunday was started with a quick shop around Tesco's before we settled in at the local for the duration. Alcoholic? Me? Never!

Monday was an "Il Bordello" night. Straight after work, as is the custom on such a night, I met Jim in the Thomas More in Wapping, but found it was now called "Cape". The lager and their mojito's were disgusting and the place was pretty uninspiring. Shame, the Thomas More was an alright pub. Denis, H (birthday boy hence the "Il Bordello" evening) and Nail and headed down to the Captain Kidd, which was still as good as ever. Which is good but shame about the Sam Smith's drinks!

Karen arrived and our group was now complete, so we made our way to Il Bordello. For those who aren't Dear Constant Readers, this restaurant is probably my favourite in London and was the scene of my first date with Jim. As always the food did not disappoint, with the portions defeating even the hungriest (that was me). Alright I was only defeated on the second dessert but still... ;) Gorgeous place, followed by a DLR trip home and a night cap at the local.

I'm so tired today.... which means time for a random rugby picture (of James Haskell who is pretty damn hunky!)

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Trafalgar Square Vigil For Ian Baynham

2009-10-31T10:10:00.001Z

Whilst I was on holiday in Berlin, the GLBT Network at work was formed. Having put my name down for it, I was invited to our first "event" which was to go as a group to the vigil in Trafalgar Square in honour of the life of the recently murdered Ian Baynham and all other recent victims of hate crime. There was only 4 of us (Stephanie, Paul, Cosimo and I) plus Stephanie's partner, so after gathering ourselves at First Out Cafe, we headed down to Trafalgar Square where a very large crowded had gathered.

Sandi Toksvig led the events with various friends of Ian Baynham, Sue Perkins and many different representatives of organisations including the only politicians, Labour ministers, Chris Bryant and Maria Eagle.

It was deeply moving and the musical tributes by both the Gay Men's Chorus' of various cities and the London Gay Symphony Orchestra were touching. We did our part by distributing candle's (and card to protect one's hands!) around the little part of the crowd we'd found ourselves in.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Wo ist mein Werwolf? Part Three

2009-10-28T19:08:00.000Z

Our last full day in Berlin was Sunday. I hate last days. Anyway, we started the day as we meant to go on.. with a currywurst from Curry 36!! Despite the rain, today was the day to be a proper tourist, so we made our way to the Brandenburg Gate.

As soon as we got out of the U-Bahn station we found ourselves in the middle of a tourist bedlam (and weirdly a group session of people meditating for peace). The tacky side of the tourist industry was very much on display here with Turkish men dressed as Commissars and Red Army troops, ready to have their picture taken or stamp your passport with a DDR stamp (for a price of course). It was extremely depressing, given that this place was the setting for a great deal of deeply moving history, to see the area abused in this way.

After this underwealming experience we went to the Reichstag, which several people had recommended to me. Don't get me wrong, the architecture of the new dome is astounding and the history of the building is fascinating. But was it worth an hour and half long queue? No. It wasn't. I learnt more reading the free pamphlet they give it in the queue about the current workings of the Bundestag, than I learnt in the brief time I was on the roof. Next time I would love to book to see inner workings of the Bundestag, but if you've got a limited time in Berlin I suggest you enjoy this building from outside. It'll be far more satisfying.

After finally getting away from the Reichstag, we headed to Potsdamer Platz. Very modern and nice, but our meal at Corroboree (an Australian restaurant) of crocodile, kangaroo and blackened chicken was a major disappointment.

After what felt like a rather deflating morning we headed back to the apartment for a brief rest before we headed back out again with one mission in mind... go to Prenzlauer Berg and get drunk. We headed to our newest favourite watering hole, Thüringer Stuben, and settled in for a meal. The English language menu was... amusing. But despite the unintentionally hilarious English, the real shock was the food. It looked like hearty Thuringian fare and I didn't know whether to be excited or worried.

I ordered home made tomato soup, with home made bread, a venison gulash and for dessert apfel krapfen. For an out of the way pub what followed was truly amazing. The food was absolutely divine. Helped down with ever more Thuringian beer, and eaten in the pleasant company of a rather cute barman, it was a really lovely evening and even when Jim didn't have money to pay the bill (they don't accept cards, meaning I love them even more being an old fashioned cold hard cash sort of a man myself) it was all good.

Back to Mehringdamm and another drink in the Vogt's Bier Express and yet another currywurst at Curry 36.

And then it was Monday and once more the dream of a different life in another country was brutally extinguished by something called reality. Berlin. I loved you!

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Wo ist mein Werwolf? Part Two

2009-10-27T16:49:00.001Z

Saturday morning was grey and dreary but that hardly matters when you're on holiday! Jim and I woke up studiously early and headed across the road from our apartment to "Curry 36", a veritible palace of dreams. We had zwei Curry-wurst mit brotchen which was absolutely the most delicious currywurst I've ever had in my life. Gorgeous.

After this we caught the U-Bahn to Zoo Berlin, which is in keeping with what is rapidly becoming a holiday tradition of visiting zoos and aquariums, and I was absolutely astounded at the quality of the exhibits there. There is no doubt it is the best zoo I've had been to. The ape house might not have been quite as good as the gorilla house at Port Lympne but it had gorillas, orangutans, chimps and bonobos. Most exhibits were open and the barriers very unobtrusive which gave the impression you were walking among the animals rather than just viewing them through cage bars. Particularly effective was the heron and pelican pond where dozens of herons flew through the sky above you and covered every tree nearby. Amazing. And of course there were the polar bears! Totally awesome.

We then headed into the Aquarium was was sadly less exciting than most aquariums I've been to. The aquatic exhibits were dull, the reptiles exhibits were far too small (for the reptiles that is) and I was astounded at the awful state of their bearded dragons.

The Amphibian exhibits were, characteristically, rubbish (mainly as amphibians are marvellous at hiding) and the insect house had displays of ants from which ants were actually escaping! It was a big let down after the zoo, but thankfully we'd got a combi ticket at a discount so only paid about 2 euros for the experience. Phew!

We took a stroll around the nearby area, seeing the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche which was destroyed during the Second World War and left as a memorial (there's a similar if much smaller clock tower memorial in my own home town).

We returned to Alexanderplatz so Jim could buy a belt as thanks to his weight loss he was having a hellish time with his trousers. We headed up to Eberswalder Straße, and had our second currywurst of the day (for scientific reasons of course!) at Konnopke Imbiss. Jim had been telling me this was the best currywurst in town, and the queue certainly was long. It was lovely, but I think Curry 36 just pips them at the post on quality. We headed down towards the cafes off Danziger Straße, getting a "Thai burger" on the way. Definition: heaven in a bun. We then settled in at a cafe we'd like the look of the day before; the Cafe Anna Blume for some hot chocolate and some cake (in my case carrot cake!). Very nice, and the atmosphere in there was brilliant. A great place to go for an intimate chat (in busy surroundings).

A quick beer in Thüringer Stuben, and then we were headed down to Alexanderplatz again to try to catch the 350 protest but we seem to have missed it. So instead we bought some Stollen and then went to the DDR Museum. Despite my fascination with Communist history, this was a bit of a let down focussing mainly on the social and cultural aspects of the DDR. The set up of a "typical" East German house seemed a lot like the houses I lived in in the 80s. If anything this exhibits just made the DDR seem like a normal place to live. I don't think that was the intention.

I found an Ampelmannchen shop and bought myself a wonderfully kitsch mug before we moved on (yet again, this was a busy day!) to our next destination: north, via S-Bahn, to AugustStraße. Here, Jim assured me, we were to find a restaurant he had booked for us, called Rodeo Berlin. It was at number 5, number 4 was there and so was number 6. All that seemed to be between them, where number 5 should be, was a graffiti and poster covered industrial fence with a small gate in it. On the other side was a just a dark courtyard surrounded by old warehouses. Jim suspected this was the place, so we bravely entered the large courtyard and walked across to the light from a door. Through the door was a stairwell, again graffiti covered as is everything in Berlin, which looked a lot like the sort of stairwell you get in run down student halls. We decided this was obviously the wrong place, and turned around to go when we encountered a middle age couple making there way over to us "Wo ist Rodeo Berlin?" they asked. We made it plain we were wondering the same thing and we continued off back towards the gate but stood and watched where they went in case they could enlighten us further.

View Larger Map

They disappeared up the stairwell and didn't come back... which got us wondering so we returned and headed upwards. There was a large locked door with some credit card stickers on the glass, and a doorbell next to it on the second floor. Jim bravely pressed the buzzer and after some interrogation from the cute guy who opened it (what is your name? Do you have a reservation??) he revealed this was indeed Rodeo Berlin but they weren't open yet (we were booked for the first sitting and were there half an hour before that)

To ponder our next step we withdrew to a nearby bar Keyser Soze, where Jim discovered his love of Berliner Pilsner. After a brief discussion we decided that despite Rodeo's very weird set up we would be adventurous and give it a go. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Well weren't we glad we went through with it? Despite it's location, the inside is more than just sumptuous. It was pushing towards worrying levels of luxury. The large dome of the dining hall almost made it impossible to drag your gaze down to room level. But I was glad I did as the eye candy among the waiter's was high. And finally, the food. It was expensive but not horrendously so, and it was one of the nicest meals I've ever had. I know, I say this after my previous day's decision that I'd already had the nicest meal ever but the fact it was surpassed so soon just show's how good Berlin's restaurants are. I had:

Starter: Feines von Étoufée – Täubchen: Praline, Terrine, Räucherbrust

Main: Wirsingcrépinette vom Frischlingsrücken, Ragout von Wildschweinbacken mit Backpflaumen an Pastinakenpürree und Rosenkohlblättern

Dessert: Orientalischer Quittenstrudel an Kaffeeparfait

Afterwards we headed back to Mehringdamm and had a late night session in Vogt's Bier-Express and an early morning currywurst before we fell back into the apartment absolutely exhausted.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Wo ist mein Werwolf? Part One

2009-10-27T12:06:00.003Z

Or, more appropriately, Berlin: The City Of Graffiti. So we are back from our Berlin trip, and I personally am totally depressed by this return to reality. It's a shame fantasies can't go on forever.

Setting out on Friday we arrived at Heathrow Terminal 5 terrifyingly late (i.e. on time in normal persons "speak") and after checking in had a rushed breakfast at Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food. It was lovely, but not exactly stunning.

The plane journey was as pleasant as can be expected given my love/hate relationship with flying. Thankfully the journey to Berlin is only an hour and a half, so my nails were not bitten into nothingness.

We landed at Berlin Tegel Airport at about 11.30, and I was immediately struck by two things: 1) Berlin appeared to be stuck in the 1980s (not a bad thing) and 2) the German efficiency was in full swing here with passport control, customs and baggage collection all being down within 10 metres of the gate. We were out of the airport in mere minutes.

We got ourselves a 72 hour Berlin Welcome card which gives discounts on places to visit whilst doubling as a travelcard for the local transport. The place we were staying at was down in West Kreuzberg so we took the X9 bus and U-7 straight there. Berlin underground trains are so bloody fast! Gotta love it, none of that slowing down when coming to a stop either which makes for an exciting journey.

We arrived at Mehringdamm station, and it was just a short hop, skip and a jump to our place of slumber for the weekend. Which turned out to be an apartment belonging to two cats and their two gay pets. Andreas and Gall, Andreas being taller than me and Gall being a stereotypical bitchy queen. Our room, Hong Kong was nice but sadly was not en-suite. Good point in it's favour was that it was next door to a comic shop. We headed out after dropping our bags off and took a walk around the block before catching the U-6 and U-2 to Alexanderplatz. On the way there was a couple of goths on the train (I haven't seen a goth for years!), Jim tells me the guy had a collar and lead on and was lead off the train by his girlfriend. Berlin = mega cool.

After walking around Alexanderplatz, staring boggle-eyed at the ginormous TV Tower and searching for a donkey postcard (don't ask, don't tell) we decided to take a walk to Prenzlauer Berg, which was where Jim hung out on his previous trip to Berlin. It was also where Nettie, Greenwich's resident German, had given us some tips on some lovely little cafes to hang out in.

On the way I spotted my first Ampelmännchen, and got very excited. Following Nettie's marks on our map, we headed down Kollwitzstraße, where we discovered a Philately shop (that was two comic book shops and a Philately shop in one day, Berlin is like the land of Jae's dreams!) and several cafes. After criss-crossing the intersection at Sredzkistraße several times we decided to have a look in Zum dritten Mann, which turned out to be an Austrian restaurant.

It was, and I kid you not here, one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. My main was Wiener Schnitzel (absolutely divine with a gorgeous potato salad side) and dessert was Kaiserschmarrn, washed down with Radeberger, Absolutely amazing.

From there we headed even further east in search of a bar Jim had been to. We found it had been closed and replaced so went exploring. At the intersection of Dunckerstraße and Stargarder Straße, we found a little pub and decided to go in for a quick beer. As we entered I spotted the rainbow flag on the door and knew we'd made the right choice.

Thüringer Stuben is a very surreal place. A large cactus in one corner, a long line of bunny rabbits on one windowsill, toy vans on one wall, maps and pictures of the Free State of Thuringia on another. In the back there are animal skins and a large stags head hanging on the wall. In other places wooden flowers, mushroom ornaments and strange baby statues with apples for hats adorn the surfaces. All in all, it's an absolute delight place.

After a quick drink (a Thuringian lager "Wernesgruner") we returned to the apartment, pretty tired given that we'd been down our local until the early hours of the morning before heading for our flight, and a quick snooze quickly turned into an early night.

This blogger works for nothing but the joy of writing but always appreciates things bought from his wishlist

Schonhauser allee

2009-10-25T22:07:00.001Z

Home tomorrow. Don't make me come back! I heart berlin. P.s. I'm drunk.

Corroborre

2009-10-25T13:16:00.001Z

At an aussie restaurant in potsdamerplatz. About to indulge in kangaroo and crocodile.

At the reichstag

2009-10-25T11:09:00.001Z

I survived a most wonderful dinner last night and am now standing in a queue with a rather bored jim.