Day off

Some of my friend meet every month in London for a few beers, to chat, gossip and catch up with each other and to have a curry. It starts at lunchtime and is usually finished by 7pm-I sh. Some of them travel in from outside of London (like me) and take advantage of the cheap travel tickets which have limitations on inward and return journey times - they have to be outside of rush hours.

There is a hard core of members: usually John N, Paddy & Mave, Mike H, Brian W and a couple of others. Mel will sometimes turn up as will Ranil, Les M, and Paul Piggott. I usually try to get to at least one in each year and have made myself a promise for this year that not only will I do something special every month but I will also try and catch up with people I haven't seen for some time so I've decided to go to this one.

I send an email to check that it is still on as the weather is very cold and could affect train services therefore putting people off attending. I'm reassured that it's on and that John, Paddy, Mave, Brian and Mike will be there. In the event, Paddy and Mave don't make it as they're concerned that snowy weather could affect their return journey but Ranil and Mel turn up.

I'm still blocked up with this bothersome cough/cold that I've picked up and feeling a bit miserable but set off for the meeting. My second journey to London since my birthday celebration and the scenery is dramatically different as we've since had the heavy snowfall. The fence alonside the field looks as if its trying to race us!

The train runs well, I'm luckwiththetube and get there well on time - so early that the pub isn!t even open. I used to work in this area so have a wander round the streets to see what its like now. It's not very different. Same small shops, theatres, pubs, restaurants. However, there are a lot more fast food places, sandwich shops and coffee shops. It is very cold -much colder than in the countryside which is very unusual for London but that's because the cold weather front is concentrated in this part of the country and lower.

To my relief the pub eventually opens and we get in and grab a table. There are eight of us in the end. This is a good number as you can have a chat and include everybody and if you want to have some side conversations its also easy to do. Nice, comfortable feeling to be with people I've know for the best part of 35 years. In some cases we grew together, in others we worked together and some I developed as I was their manager. Whatever the relationships in the past we are all friends now.

The pub we meet in is the Freemason Arms. It is near to the Fremasons HQ and is famed as the pub in which the Football Association was founded. Lovely old pub with lots of character.
We go to the restaurant in Covent Garden - apparently its part of an Indian restaurant chain I've never heard of. Its a bit strange and has an unusual menu. Its laid out like a big canteen with big pine tables. We end up ordering the same style of dish each. This consists of a metal tray with some sauces on the tray along with a poppadum, several small bowls of various curries (vegetable, dahl, chicken, beans), roti, rice and a beer on the side. Its not bad just a bit pretentious. The foods fine. Nothing to write home about but tasty enough.

Afterwards we go to another Covent Garden pub and continue out chat. The group thins out until is just me and Mike. He has not worked for about 8 years now and owns properties in London (lives in one and lets the other), Spain (where he also lives), a flat in Krakow and a holiday home in the woods outside of Krakow! Don't know how he has managed to afford all this and don't ask. He was always one for deals.

I get the bus back to Liverpool Street. London at night when its clear, cold, sharp and lovely. Takes me back years as it winds through the streets.

Grab a croissant and mocha at the station before jumping on the train back home.

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S just me and Mike