9 August 2009
Off by train today to spend a couple of days with my sister and brother-in-law in Cornwall.
As it is my brother-in-law’s birthday today, mine on the 18th and my sister-in-law on the 19th, my dear wife offered to take us all to Rick Stein’s restaurant for a celebration lunch. Sadly we were unable to get a booking so we went to the St. Moritz restaurant instead when we had a very pleasant meal.
The train journey went like clockwork. So much more relaxing than that long drive.
28 August 2009
Last Tuesday we drove up to Shropshire to spend the night with my parents. We took them out supper and left early the following morning for Bwlch Uchaf where we stayed until returning to Nan and Richard on Friday and home on Saturday.
9 September 2009
Arbitration Club lunches, yesterday it was the Mother Club and today the Oil and Gas branch, both mercifully within walking distance of Liverpool Street Station. I was also able to pick up my visa from the Chinese Embassy before the Tuesday lunch.
The third of the one day matches against Australia today, which again, resulted in an ignominious defeat for England. We have the agony of yet a further four matches -too many to my mind.
20 September 2009
To East Dulwich for lunch with Chloe, Karl and the grandchildren. Managed to walk the mile or so from London Bridge to Liverpool Street station without too much effort.
England managed to scrape an unconvincing win in the seventh of the one-day series against Australia, mainly due to Swann’s 5 for 28 – one win out of seven does not auger well for the World Series in South Africa next year.
9 October 2009
A good day. Lunch with one of my oldest friends, 92 year old Geoffrey Hanscomb, at my favourite fish restaurant in London, Skeekey’s. When I say oldest I mean the one I have known longest. GAH gave me my first holiday job, 60 years ago and we have been good friends ever since.
I started with my favourite scallops and crispy bacon on a thin bed of mashed potato. Then, on dear Geoffrey’s insistence, I had lobster thermidor. The chef kindly extracted all the meat and served it as a sort of risotto, which was easy for me to eat with a spoon. I then finished with a crème brûlée, the whole lot washed down with a couple of bottles of decent champagne between the pair of us. Spread over three hours there was no obvious signs of intoxication and I’m pleased to say, no ill effects from yesterday tooth extraction – could it perhaps have been the liquid anaesthetic!?
I must say the staff at the restaurant were very helpful. When I arrived I went to the disabled loo, leaving a senior member standing on guard outside waiting to assist me to adjust my dress when I finished. (I no longer bolt lavatory doors since I found myself unable to get out recently). When it came to eating, the waiters were happy to fix my wrist supports and provides straws so that I could drink without lifting the glass. Is it really true that drinking champagne through straws, or indeed any wine, makes it more alcoholic?
I say a good day because before walking the length of Charing Cross Road to the other side of Leicester Square Underground Station, both before and after lunch, I went to PC World, near Liverpool Street Station, to look at their scanners – my old HP Scanjet has given up the ghost after around 20 years – changed an electric toothbrush, which I bought recently from Boots and visited the Carphone Warehouse to get my mobile phone topped up in readiness for China. I really felt that I had achieved quite a lot. I even managed to stay awake, on the homeward train journey and get out at the right station where I was picked up by my lovely.
3 November 2009
This was our penultimate day and the first which was not wall-to-wall sunshine. There had been a terrific storm last night and there was vegetation debris everywhere. We had been so lucky last evening with the Loy Festival dinner which had been held outside and would have been completely ruined had there been a storm. Speaking of weather we were amazed to learn that the temperature in Beijing was now -8° and snowing, for the first time in living memory, whereas when we were there the temperature was 23° with clear blue skies and, unusually, no pollution. What an amazing change and how lucky we were to have such lovely weather in Beijing.
Here in Hua Hin it was cloudy all day and started to rain continuously, in fact, it was a little chilly, so much so that I even wore a small sleeveless pullover for breakfast. This change of weather mattered not to me as I had had a surfeit of sun over the previous week and we spent our time catching up with e-mails, reading and doing things that we should have done, such as having a formal tea in the newly refurbished restaurant, adjacent to the reception.
Later that evening we went into town as usual and splashed our way through the puddles to the supermarket when Mick bought a new suitcase full all on his new acquisitions including a very thick down filled jacket with a fur trimmed hood (for Sweden) which looked slightly incongruous in the heat of Thailand. Then onto the tailor to pick up my trousers and shirts for my son-in-law. Unfortunately the trousers were not quite right as I have instructed the tailor to make the front opening right down to the underside of the crotch, with a Velcro fastening, instead of a zip, in order for me to gain easy and quick access. The trousers were not as instructed and therefore were returned to the outside tailor who promised to deliver them to the hotel shortly before we left the following day.
We then went to the Onn Onn Corner Restaurant, which, for the record and for the benefit of any of my readers who should find themselves in Hua Hin, is located in Poolsak St – which runs parallel to the main Petchkase Road – near the Hua Hin Buddhist temple. We have decided that the Onn Onn is currently the best restaurant we have eaten in, in Hua Hin, taking over from the Bam Bam, a little further along the same street, which for some inexplicable reason seems to have suddenly gone downhill and for the first time ever, in the 10 years or so that I have been visiting, was almost empty. Clearly the word must have got out amongst the locals.
This evening Mick had scallops in green Thai curry and a large plate of steamed rice. I had a plate of steamed scallops, squid and tiger prawns with mixed peppers in a sort of oysters sauce and we shared a plate of special Onn Onn seafood fried rice and a bottle of Singha beer, the cost 460 baht (£8.60). Then back to the hotel where we watched The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, a quite amusing Western.
4 November 2009
Our last day. Fortunately the sun came out and I was able to have a final morning on the sun bed listening to exquisite music. I packed up and returned to my room around 1 p.m, for my fruit lunch and, with considerable help from Mick, completed my packing before spending a last hour au naterelle spread eagle on my balcony couch.
Our car had been booked for 4 p.m. but turned up 20 minute late. However, we had a good driver who got us to the airport in under three hours. We then had time for a glass or two of champagne (or in Mick’s case whiskey) and a light supper before boarding the aircraft around 9.30. It turned out to be one of the new 380 Airbuses. The seats went flat and were quite comfortable and therefore able to sleep for a good part of the 6 ½. hour flight to Dubai.
We arrived at around 3 a.m. local time and had a couple of hours to spare. I stocked up with Villiger cigars and Johnny Walker Black Label Whiskey.
The Villigers amazingly cost only 42 Dhs, for 25, approx £6.50 – at the current rate of exchange, which is not particularly favourable – yet this compares with a cost in the U.K for the same quantity of £42.50. Somebody somewhere must be making a huge profit as well as the government raking off a substantial amount of tax.
Into what must be the largest business airport lounge in the world, the Emirates business lounge in Dubai, we re-fuelled with more champagne and some delicious eats before boarding a Boeing 777, which again was fitted with very comfortable seats in which, after watching a very disappointing Pink Panther 2 film, I was able to sleep for most of the 7 hour journey to London. As business class passengers we were very fortunate in having a chauffeur driven limousine waiting to deliver us back to Clavering, which he did by 10.30 local time, in time for a welcome cup of coffee with ’my lovely’. All in all it had been a great trip.
Mick and I spent a normal day catching up with e-mails etc., had our usual bottle of champagne in the evening and after falling asleep in front of the television turned in for an early night.
5 February 2010
Went to London by train today to see my stockbroker, Jenks and after miserably plodding our way through the schedule of heavy losses (not his fault but a general reflection of the market) was compensated with an excellent lunch at the Pescatori in Dover Street. Good old Mark then insisted on taking me back to Liverpool Street Station by taxi and ensuring that I caught my train. The only problem was I had great difficulty getting into the taxi having got down below my normal level of gravity, a long struggle ensued to get me on to the seat. During this period the taxi driver sat impassively, distaining interest. He had seen it all before it seems. Once securely seated I explained to him that I was not a legless drunk but was suffering from MND, which I think he may have believed. I have determined that any future taxi rides I shall ask the driver to come and assist me in and out of the cab, to avoid further embarrassment of this nature.
England made a good start in the six Nations Rugby Championship with a 30 – 17 points win against the Welsh.
2 March 2010
I went to London today to the Law Courts Branch Meeting of the Arbitration Club. One of our members, Keith Kirkwood, very kindly met me at Bishop’s Stortford Railway Station and taxied me from Liverpool Street station to the venue and back. It was very kind of him. I discovered something entirely new today. I was aware that taxies have been fitted with hydraulic platforms that can be lowered for wheelchairs and I did not know that the dickie seat by the door actually swings out over the pavement making it very easy to mount the cab. It then swings back and clicks into place during the journey. I shall certainly be happier taking cabs in the future as a result.
It was a good meeting and I was particularly pleased to see our long serving chairman Dominic Helps looking robust after a period of ill health.
Mark Cato
