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Return to Cotesbach
Wednesday, 7 June 2006, Blog 5
Lewes Garret
Last night when I returned to my room in the Lewes Garret at midnight, I felt absolutely fantastic for the first time in weeks.
My visit to Cotesbach was idyllic. My dear friend Tom was so welcoming, as were the others: Jane, Phil, Taciturn Tom, Elise and Dave. We sat outside on a perfect summer's night, drinking ale, talking, laughing, and, later, playing Staghorn (I beat Tom, scooping the pot, after suddenly finding my form).
It is wonderful to feel old friendship, particularly in a place as beautiful as the Cotesbach estate. I took some digital photographs, particularly of Tom tiling the roof the latest house he is building, Tom's eldest daughter Letty, and Elise, a lovely person.
As I happily drove back to the Leamington Garret, I opened the sun roof to allow the balmy summer's air to flood in and turned up Oasis on the stereo to full volume.
Back in Leamington, the streets were full to bursting with chavvy women, pissed out of their tiny minds, falling off their stiletto heels, and generally making asses of themselves. Their blokes were worse. A typical Wednesday night in Leamington.
I really needed tonight. I felt uttered exhausted all day at work, and cycling from the Day-Job to the under-the-arches garage was sheer hell. My back was torture by the time I'd got there, and I was feeling increasing annoyed that John had managed to knacker up the front brakes, making it a most hazardous ride. (My car mechanic kindly fixed this).
He was in when I got home. We had a brief chat. His job interview today went well, he said, and he asked about my job. I told him about the do in London tomorrow, saying, I suspect, too much, as he started to look bored.
I should be able to forgive him. In fact I have forgiven him. What I am unable to do is have the same open, transparent and caring relationship with him as I strived for before. Once bitten, twice shy.
It is now 12.22am today (Wednesday). I am glad 6/6/6 Satan's Sabbath is over. It won't come round again for 100 years.
I am quite looking forward to my day out in London on the morrow, although I need to get some sleep. I have been getting some good reaction to the website from friends. Nick Awde emailed me to say he liked it and I prize his opinion very highly.
9.52am. Coventry London Euston train It was a truly spectacular morning at the Leamington Garret. I opened the windows in the living room to let the fragrant summer's air cascade in. It was glorious.
I had to go into the Day-Job office first to sort out a few urgent matters and then raced to Nightmare City to catch this train, populated largely by the unwashed on London awaydays. The oaf next to me does not understand that 'Quiet Zone' precludes the use of a mobile telephone.
This is an amazing time of year. Even Coventry Station, usually (as Larkin observed in one of his poems) one of the most depressing places on earth, looked attractive with the buttercups in yellow dance over the far side of the station.
I was moved to take a picture, and rather distracted by a young woman showing a remarkable amount of breast, including nipple. This is the time of year when girls can make the most of their assets in the hunt for the perfect mate. Even the unattractive can suddenly bloom and hit the gene-pool jackpot.
I apologised to my Beloved for not calling last night, and she said, 'But you did call.' It turns out that I accidentally knocked on my mobile telephone while playing Staghorn, and the family listened to an entire game, ending in my glorious victory.
How wonderful! It is the first time in the history of Staghorn that a game has been broadcast live!
4.11pm. easyInternetCafe, Tottenham Court Road, London W1. I have found this place to be absolutely useless for blogging. For a start, the computers do not take USBs, and you have to leave your stuff, go downstairs and ask the guy to email the material to you.
Then Blogger.com does not work properly on these terminals, and I could not even FTP it to the simple blog on my site. Nothing is supported. What a total waste of two quid! If I chance upon Stelios in the future, I shall tell him how rubbish I think his internet cafe is.
That off my chest, it has been a good day. I got the better of the slob sitting next to me on the train. He kept putting his stuff on my side, and making loud mobile phone telephone calls to his unfortunate girlfriend. It was a Quiet Zone and everyone was getting pissed off, but, because he was such a brute, no one dared to say anything to the tosser.
Eventually, I cracked and turned to him and said: 'Do you see that sign. It says 'Quiet Zone'. You are not supposed to make mobile phone calls.'
He replied, with heavy sarcasm: 'Really?'
So I immediately added: 'Most people had sussed that one out on their own.'
That shut him up, but the smelly thug was evidently seething. He kept stabbing the table with his biro, clearly thinking about doing the same to me.
I got off the tube in London at Green Park and walked across the park, in intense sunshine, and watched the trooping of the colour before arriving at the Goring Hotel. Very good venue indeed.
The Day-Job event went well, and the lunch was excellent. Scottish salmon, dill and caviar, followed by roast guinea fowl in chestnut fowl. Had a glass of champagne, one of wine and one of red (all good stuff), and a good chat with a celebrity's husband who turned out to be an accomplished sailor.
I regaled him with the story of how I was once in collision with a cross-channel ferry; he told me a racy joke about Custer's Last Stand!
8.35pm. London Euston to Coventry train. Had a great time with my friend Chris Bramble. He is looking very well and was in excellent form. He took me to a superb pub on Kilburn High Street called the Black Lion: spacious with a lovely carved ceiling and gorgeous bar maidens who serve you at your table. Chris seemed to be a particular favourite of the the bar maidens at the Black Lion.
London was truly lovely tonight. Bright, hot sunshine; a cooling breeze; everyone looking their best. I always remember Kilburn for the hard time I had there in the immediate aftermath of the IRA Docklands bombing in 1996, when I was sent there by the Sunday Telegraph (where I was then a reporter) to assess Irish Republic reaction to the atrocity!
However, I have much happier memories of the part where Chris lives and works, and, as the sun went down tonight, it looked like a little bit of heaven on earth. God, I miss London!
Oxford Don
Flashback to Sunday, 28 May 2006
Lewes Garret
6.30pm. Tired out after a day entertaining Don, a very pleasant old college of Francesca, and his Mexican girlfriend. The day went well; Sunday lunch was very enjoyable; then we walked to Glynde, over Mount Caburn, and took the train back to Lewes. Conversation was mainly about technical subjects and Don and the senorita's romance.
It has been a warm, sunny day. One of the few so far this year. Think I shall go back to the Leamington Garret tomorrow afternoon. I am paying a lot of money for it I should try to get value!
9.32pm. Back from salsa. The salsa club I attend in Lewes is called SalsaMagic and I haven't been for four weeks because of my back injury. SalsaMagic had changed little. It is a friendly and lovely club. I was very touched by all the women dancers who asked where I'd been for the past month!
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