The Exciting World of Loughborough?

We Got Engaged in New York City

2007-03-30T13:04:00.000+01:00

On the afternoon of Sunday 18th March 2007, whilst sat next to the lake & Bow Bridge in a very snowy and romantic Central Park in Manhattan, I asked Rowena to marry me. She replied, without hesitation I might add, "Yes!"

Our holiday to New York was already absolutely fantastic and this was very much the icing on the cake. We are naturally both very happy and very much in love with each other.

In terms of the wedding itself, we have no immediate plans to marry but it will almost certainly be sometime within the next few years.

Our Christmas Tree

2005-12-28T23:35:00.000Z

Bought late on Xmas Eve at the Open Market for £5. Lights were £2 from the dodgy Stationer's on London Road and the Baubles were £1 from Co-op.

The remaining bows and other decorations were made by Row.

The tree itself was a bit scraggy and lop-sided but it was our tree and we thought it looked rather good.

My Christmas Stocking

2005-12-28T23:29:00.000Z

Beautifully hand-made by Row and stuffed full of goodies!

Christmas Lunch - Row's Plate

2005-12-28T23:03:00.000Z

We'd been planning our Christmas Lunch for a while and this was the result. Mostly cooked by myself, it was really delicious and we were both well and truly stuffed by the time we'd finished.

The full line-up: Roasted Turkey, Roasted Potatoes, Pigs-in-Blankets, Two Types of Stuffing (Orange, Port and Cranberry & Sage and Onion), Cabbage, Carrots, Green Beans, Sprout & Leek mix, Cranberry Sauce, Bread Sauce and lots of gravy.

And, although no more tasty looking than Phil's, maybe just a little bit more healthy.

Christmas Lunch - Len's Plate

2005-12-28T22:48:00.000Z

Equal distribution of Roasties, turkey, stuffing and pigs-in-blankets as Row's. Lighter on the excellent sprouty leek mix (thanks to Row's Mum for the recipe) but heavier on the cabbage, carrots and green beans. In fact, Row left the few green beans that she did have on her plate to make way for her remaining Roasties.

Row and her new GHDs

2005-12-28T22:29:00.000Z

I bought Row some GHDs for Christmas. She jumped and skipped around like a proper girl when she unwrapped them.

Our Weekend in London

2005-12-13T23:35:00.000Z

It was a few weeks ago now that Row and I decided to spend a weekend in London to celebrate our one year anniversary (albeit six weeks early.)

We travelled to London early on the Saturday morning and immediately went to the London Eye. It was a beautiful and clear morning and the views really were spectacular. We were very pleased to share our capsule with Mr Vic Reeves (amongst others).

Afterwards, we strolled along the South Bank as far as Tower Bridge and then south along Tower Bridge Road to Bermondsey for Pie and Mash at Manze's. The food was good, hearty and cheap and we walked back towards Tower Bridge feeling nicely full. We were so full that even the many delicious delicacies on offer at Borough Market failed to tempt us.

St. Stephen's Tower, London

2005-12-13T23:32:00.000Z

Row @ London Eye

2005-12-13T23:27:00.000Z

Len @ London Eye

2005-12-13T23:24:00.000Z

London Eye

2005-12-13T23:21:00.000Z

London Assembly Building, South Bank

2005-12-13T23:18:00.000Z

Pie and Mash at M.Manze, Tower Bridge Road

2005-12-13T23:15:00.000Z

Is it "Segueway" or "Segway"? No, it's "Neither".

2005-12-13T23:09:00.000Z

After our lunch and brief visit to Borough Market, we made our way to Bayswater where we checked into our lovely hotel. In the evening we intended to go to the Tate Modern, but could not cross the Millenium Bridge from St Pauls because of the stoopid fireworks so we decided to get some food instead. But only after a lively discussion as to whether "segway" or "segueway" is a real word. Row said "yes" it was a real word whilst I said "no". Fortunately for me, the OED also say "no" so that would appear to be an end to the matter. ;-)

And so, hungry after our exhanges, we headed to Chinatown for "nosh" and after staring at many menus in many windows we settled on Furama, Macclesfield Street. And we were not dissappointed. After a huge set menu for two (including a lovely Roast Duck maniacally shredded by our waiter) washed down by lots of Tsing Tao, we headed back to the hotel.

Len in Hyde Park

2005-12-13T23:06:00.000Z

Birds in Hyde Park

2005-12-13T23:01:00.000Z

Row in Hyde Park

2005-12-13T22:56:00.000Z

Turbine Hall, Tate Modern

2005-12-13T22:44:00.000Z

Row's Birthday - Berlin

2005-11-23T17:18:00.000Z

Row @ Reichstag

2005-11-23T17:16:00.000Z

Len @ Brandenberg Gate

2005-11-23T17:12:00.000Z

Brandenberg Gate

2005-11-23T17:09:00.000Z

Street 'Performer' - Brandenberg Gate

2005-11-23T17:05:00.000Z

Row @ Brandenberg Gate

2005-11-23T17:01:00.000Z

Row @ BebelPlatz

2005-11-23T16:59:00.000Z

World Clock, AlexanderPlatz

2005-11-23T16:56:00.000Z

Karl Marx Allee, Berlin

2005-11-23T16:53:00.000Z

East German-era Housing, Karl Marx Allee, Berlin

2005-11-23T16:50:00.000Z

Fernsehturm, East Berlin

2005-11-23T16:48:00.000Z

Rost Bratwurst

2005-11-23T16:46:00.000Z

Rote Rathaus, Berlin

2005-11-23T16:44:00.000Z

Marx & Engels

2005-11-23T16:40:00.000Z

Berlin Weisse Bier mit Schuss (Grun)

2005-11-23T16:38:00.000Z

Berlin Weisse Bier mit Schuss (Rot)

2005-11-23T16:35:00.000Z

Fountain, East Berlin

2005-11-23T16:32:00.000Z

HamburgerBahnhof - Nice Building, Shame About The Art

2005-11-23T16:19:00.000Z

Checkpoint Charlie - Looking from old American to Russian Sector

2005-11-23T16:04:00.000Z

Len @ Berlin Wall

2005-11-23T15:59:00.000Z

Cold and wet, a feeling very much reflected in my face.

Row @ Berlin Wall

2005-11-23T15:56:00.000Z

Potsdamer Platz, Berlin

2005-11-23T15:45:00.000Z

Sony Centre, Berlin - A Faceless Monument to Capitalism

2005-11-23T15:36:00.000Z

Jewish Museum

2005-11-23T15:34:00.000Z

Inside the Jewish Museum

2005-11-23T15:29:00.000Z

Row @ The Reichstag by Night

2005-11-23T15:26:00.000Z

The Reichstag By Night

2005-11-23T15:23:00.000Z

Zweibelfisch Bar, SavignyPlatz

2005-11-22T00:49:00.000Z

Last Morning in Berlin

2005-11-22T00:17:00.000Z

2005-11-22T00:14:00.000Z

2005-11-22T00:11:00.000Z

Row @ East Side Gallery, Berlin

2005-11-22T00:04:00.000Z

East Side Gallery, Berlin

2005-11-21T23:25:00.000Z

East Side Gallery, Berlin

2005-11-21T23:16:00.000Z

Berlin Beach

2005-11-21T23:13:00.000Z

Looking Through The Wall

2005-11-21T23:11:00.000Z

Hooray - I can upload pictures again ...

2005-11-21T14:07:00.000Z

And about freakin' time.

Stand by for pictures of my last three months...

My 35th Birthday

2005-08-20T13:30:00.000+01:00

I turned 35 on Tuesday 2nd August 2005.

I had the most wonderful day with Row and she was so sweet and thoughtful. She even decorated her house with bunting and banners for me when we arrived home later in the day. And as you can see above, Row even baked a lovely birthday cake for me. It was a marmalade cake and it was absolutely delicious.

When we woke up on the day of my birthday, I opened my presents, which were all ace. I particularly liked my book of New York photography that Row gave me. Its truly fantastic! It has really made me want to go back to NYC as soon as possible. I really can't wait to share my favourite city on the planet with my favourite person on the planet (sorry AJ!).

My Birthday - Devil's Dyke

2005-08-20T13:17:00.000+01:00

As it was such a beautiful sunny day, we decided to get the open-top bus from Brighton to Devil's Dyke.

Our plan was to walk from the Dyke to Poynings and then back. This was a walk that featured in a book of Sussex Walks that I had been given for my birthday.

Its really odd, but these days there is nothing I enjoy more than walking in the countryside with Row and that is the way I wanted to spend my birthday. If someone had suggested to me 10 years ago that I would enjoy a country walk on my 35th birthday I would have laughed in their face ...

and then called them a wanker.

Or possibly a cunt.

My Birthday - Devil's Dyke - Poynings - Devil's Dyke

2005-08-20T13:15:00.000+01:00

The route that we took from Devil's Dyke was kinda circular.

We started at the pub and walked back briefly along the road past the Dyke itself before turning left and walking east for a mile or so towards Saddlescombe.

As we reached the main road at Saddlescombe we turned left again and walked along the road for a few yards before going back into the fields and walking in a broadly southerly direction. This took us through through some woods and across a small bridge before we finally reached Poynings village and our stop for refreshment at The Royal Oak.

On this section of our walk:

we saw a very sweet and tender deer that bounced away and hid in the long grass when he/she saw us
we saw a Vole (or similar rodent) going about his/her business along a wooded pathway
Row almost got stuck in some mud which I found quite funny
I trod in Sheep Poo which Row found very funny

My Birthday - The Royal Oak at Poynings

2005-08-20T13:13:00.000+01:00

We decided to get a drink at The Royal Oak at Poynings. We sat outside in the sunshine where I enjoyed a pint of Harveys and Row a pint of shandy.

If you look closely, you can see a ketchup sachet on the very bottom left of the picture. When we left, it was safely stowed away in Row's bag, along with 279 others.

Shocking behaviour.

My Birthday - The Royal Oak at Poynings

2005-08-20T13:10:00.000+01:00

My Birthday - Killer Climb Back to Devil's Dyke

2005-08-20T13:09:00.000+01:00

We decided not to follow the book route back to the Dyke (i.e. we went the wrong way) and ended up walking out of Poynings towards Fulking instead.

The only apparent way back to the Dyke was up this absolutely killer climb. It didn't start off too badly but by the time we were half way up it was clear that this would be tough.

But there is no way to get back to the Dyke that avoids a steep climb (well, not since 1909 when the Cable Car from Poynings to Devil's Dyke was closed) so we battled onwards and upwards valiantly.

The view from the top was certainly worth it.

My Birthday - Our Ice Cream Reward

2005-08-20T13:06:00.000+01:00

Our reward for climbing the hill.

My Birthday

2005-08-20T13:05:00.000+01:00

We had such a lovely time at Devil's Dyke and it was a really special day, thanks in the main to my sweet Row.

I really am a lucky fellow.

And I strongly urge anyone who lives in Brighton or surrounding areas to pay Devil's Dyke a visit. The bus service is very regular during the summer and a standard Saver ticket (£2.60) gets you there and back with room to spare. And in high summer, the buses are usually open-top too which is great fun and a really cool (if a little blowy) way to travel.

New Forest Day Two - Nice Ass!

2005-08-16T11:08:00.000+01:00

After a truly wonderful cooked breakfast at our B&B we headed off to spend our second day in the New Forest.

We decided to drive to Beaulieu first where Row stroked this rather lovely creature. I think its either a Mule or Hinny or an Ass. Or maybe just an odd looking Donkey. Not sure which.

Buckler's Hard

2005-08-16T11:04:00.000+01:00

It costs a rather extortionate £5 to get into Buckler's Hard. We walked across the countryside and along the river from Beaulieu and got in for free! Hurrah!

Len at Milford-on-Sea

2005-08-16T11:00:00.000+01:00

After we had walked there and back from Buckler's Hard, we decided to go for a drive, ending up at Milford-on-Sea on the very outer edge of the Forest.

It had started to rain a little but we still enjoyed a walk along the low cliffs. Sadly, the rain was accompanied by sea mist which rather ruined the view of the Isle of Wight and the Needles.

Still, I think the Needles have got nothing on our very own Seven Sisters.

Row at Milford-on-Sea

2005-08-16T10:58:00.000+01:00

After our walk at Milford we decided to start heading back towards home. On our way we stopped off at Lyndhurst for a couple of hours where the sun was shining again and where we shared a delicious cream tea.

Closer to home, we stopped off at Chichester where we tried in vain to find somewhere nice to eat and in the process nearly ran out of petrol. We also had a drive down to the Witterings where we wanted to go on the beach but were thwarted by a criminally high entrance fee. To a beach? An entrance fee to a beach? I ask you? *rolls eyes*

In the end, we decided to stop off at The Black Rabbit at Arundel, which, as it transpired, was an inspired choice by Row.

All in all, a wonderful weekend away.

Berlin beckons in September. Can't wait.

Trip to the New Forest (Day One)

2005-08-13T11:49:00.000+01:00

We enjoyed our trip to Cambridge in our hire car so much that we decided to do something similar the following weekend (thanks to my Mum & Dad for paying for the car hire).

We got up really early on the Saturday and drove to the New Forest where we spent a fantastic morning morning at the street market at Lymington. The highlight for us both I think was the fabulous local ice-cream that we had from a shop on Quay Street. I had a double scoop -with maple & walnut on the top and rum & raisin underneath. I don't recall what Row had but I do remember her waxing lyrical about it.

The main disappointment was perhaps the world's worst cafe. We can't speak for the food as we didn't get round to serving us. We wanted to eat there as it looked very nice. But it appeared that they only opened after noon and even then had very little or no food with which to serve us. A sure-fire recipe for bankruptcy me thinks. Anyway, we went and had a pasty instead. You really can't go wrong with one of those.

After lunch we drove back north to Brockenhurst where we checked in at our B&B. The B&B seemed quite nice although the room was rather small and the bed 'noisy'. But we were rather glad to have found somewhere nice at such short notice.

It was a lovely afternoon so we went for a fantastic walk in the Forest where we saw some deer and some oh so cute ponies.

New Forest Ponies

2005-08-13T11:47:00.000+01:00

So so cute.

Len in the New Forest

2005-08-13T11:44:00.000+01:00

New Forest Dragonfly

2005-08-13T11:41:00.000+01:00

Mel Got Dumped By Tom - Or Did She?

2005-08-13T11:27:00.000+01:00

Found on a bench in the middle of the New Forest.

And the truth - perhaps we'll never know.

Row in the New Forest

2005-08-13T11:25:00.000+01:00

New Zealand First World War Memorial @ Brockenhurst

2005-08-13T11:10:00.000+01:00

During the First World War, Brockenhurst was the site of No1 New Zealand General Hospital. This hospital housed the New Zealanders that had been wounded on the Western Front.

Those that died there are buried in the CWGC cemetary at The Parish Church of St. Nicholas, Brockenhurst.

2005-08-13T11:08:00.000+01:00

The war graves of New Zealander's at Brockenhurst.

A New Sauce Eating Record

2005-08-13T10:54:00.000+01:00

We walked out to The Filly pub just outside Brockenhurst for our dinner. The pub was highly rated on the Internet but we thought that it was actually pretty average and didn't warrant the rather long and frankly dangerous walk along the main road to get there.

Hot, loud and oppressive inside, we decided to sit outside where it was cool and calm and devoid of Hen Parties. The food was pretty much ok but we went a bit overboard with the condiments, as you can no doubt see.

And this time, it was me rather than Ketchup Girl that did the damage.

Glenn McGrath at Arundel

2005-08-13T10:22:00.000+01:00

This was a few weeks ago but the cricket is now in full flow and I thought it would be good to add this picture now.

More than few weeks back now, I went to Arundel with my pals (Ben, Ian and Coley) to see Australia's first match of their Ashes tour of England.

A super evening of cricket, beer and curry was had by all and here is a picture of cricket legend Glenn McGrath. A brilliant cricketer and after his team-mate Shane Warne, perhaps the most Australian man in the world.

Rosie RIP

2005-07-05T23:25:00.000+01:00

Its my sad duty to report the recent death of Rosie, my mum's last remaining Jack Russell Terrier, aged 13 years. She was a real battler and enjoyed her life despite ill health. She had the bone in her right rear hip removed in her early years and one of her eyes removed in later life after it became infected.

At the time of her death, she was almost blind in her remaining eye but was still very happy and able to enjoy chasing a ball by using her hearing to locate it as it landed. Sadly, she had a tumble down the steps into Mum's garden a few weeks ago and received a muscle injury to her front shoulder which the Vet said was unlikely to improve with time. It was only then that she began to go downhill fast as she found it very painful to move about at all, and in truth, was not the happy-go-lucky and hardy little Jack Russell that she always was.

She really was a lovely dog and she enjoyed nothing more that playing tug-of-war with an old sock, the frantic excitement generated by a new squeaky toy and her regular evening biscuits. She hated houseflys, hunting them eagerly and also my mother's clothes horse, which fell on her once unexpectedly, which she would never forget.

We loved her dearly and she will be missed by us all.

Lydd, Dungeness, Rye, Winchelsea and finally, Kingston

2005-07-04T16:31:00.000+01:00

As our Ford Ka was on hire for the whole weekend we decided to make the most of it by taking a trip down the coast on the Sunday.

We got up fairly early (for us) and drove to Asda to buy some picnic food and then made our way east towards the Kent coast. Our first stop was at Lydd where we sat on a very windswept beach to eat our picnic and watch the many para-surfers taking advantage of the favourable weather conditions.

We then drove the mile or so back along the coast to Dungeness where we enjoyed a glimpse of Derek Jarman's delightful former cottage and garden, some Ice Cream and another sit on the (still windswept) beach. Dungeness is fantastic and well worth a visit, particularly if you are trying to escape the crowds at other more traditional south coast resorts. It truly does offer something different and one shouldn't be put off by the prospect of sitting on a beach with only two nuclear power stations next to you for company.

Row then suggested that we stop of at Camber Sands so that we could fly my kite. We did indeed stop at Camber but we didn't stay for long as to be frank, it was a dog-hole (not withstanding what probably was a rather nice beach). The presence of a rather dilapidated-looking Pontins Holiday Camp and some of its dodgy looking punters lacked appeal, as did its £2 per hour parking charge. An early example of what Row says would make a great inscription on my headstone:

'He came, He Saw that They Charged Two Quid and He Fucked Off'.

This actually proved to be a blessing in disguise as instead we decided to check out Winchelsea Beach. A lovely, quiet stretch of shingle, Winchelsea Beach proved to be a fantastic contrast to Camber just to the East. It was almost deserted and we enjoyed the warm sunshine and still strong sea breeze - perfect for kite-flying and perfect for Row & I.

Next we stopped off at Rye, a rather quaint old Sussex town with cobbled streets and a little waterside area. Row was convinced that there was an interesting town clock
somewhere around the town although I'll be buggered if we could find it? But it was another nice place to stop and it really fitted in nicely with our day.

It was getting a little late by this point so we started to head homewards. But we'd had such a nice day that Row suggested we extend it just a little longer by stopping off at The Juggs pub at Kingston near Lewes for a beer. So we did and it was lovely.

We had so enjoyed the whole weekend and the freedom of having a car so much. As it transpired, we enjoyed it so much that we'd we would do it all again the very next weekend.

Well, why not?

Para-Surfing at Lydd

2005-07-01T10:27:00.000+01:00

Lenny surfs ...

Derek Jarman's Cottage @ Dungeness

2005-07-01T10:23:00.000+01:00

Derek Jarman's Cottage @ Dungeness

2005-07-01T05:06:00.000+01:00

Derek Jarman's Garden @ Dungeness

2005-07-01T05:04:00.000+01:00

Dungeness

2005-07-01T05:03:00.000+01:00

Nuclear Power Stations @ Dungeness

2005-07-01T05:02:00.001+01:00

'What do they use Nuclear Power for?' asked Rowena quizzically.

Row @ Dungeness

2005-07-01T05:02:00.000+01:00

Dungeness Beach

2005-07-01T05:01:00.000+01:00

Rye

2005-07-01T05:00:00.002+01:00

Winchelsea Beach

2005-07-01T05:00:00.001+01:00

Rye

2005-07-01T05:00:00.000+01:00

Winchelsea Beach

2005-07-01T04:59:00.000+01:00

Taken by Row.

Winchelsea Beach

2005-07-01T04:58:00.001+01:00

Taken by Len.

Row and Lenny @ WInchelsea

2005-07-01T04:58:00.000+01:00

Row on the beach at Winchelsea

2005-07-01T04:57:00.000+01:00

Cambridge Weekend

2005-06-29T12:53:00.000+01:00

Row and I had the most fantastic time in Cambridge on the weekend.

We went up on Friday morning in our lovely hire car to attend the wedding of Claire, Row's old friend from college. The wedding was in the village of Burwell (near Huntingdon, apparently) that afternoon and the reception afterwards was in a beautiful barn at Great Wilbraham Farm. It was a fantastic day all round and we pretty much managed to avoid the rain showers that arrived periodically throughout the day.

Row particularly enjoyed the free champagne on offer and ended up on the dance floor doing an odd kind of goose-step dance. She then had to go outside and sit in the car for half an hour to regain her composure (i.e. try not to be sick). But it was a lovely wedding and reception and we were both very happy for Claire and her new husband, Damian.

The next day, after an entirely adequate breakfast at the not-very-exciting Cambridge Central Travelodge, we headed off to spend the day in Cambridge itself. We had a fabulous time wandering around the colleges and watching the punts on the river, particularly the hilarious Japanese lady that caused mayhem at the Bridge of Sighs for about 20 minutes. How she managed to avoid falling in the river we shall never know. She punted in circles, into walls amd into other punts, all of which made for super viewing and even better videos.

We did however really resent paying the charges levied to visit the individual colleges - £7 to walk around King's College is more than a little steep we thought. We saved ourselves a few quid by going round the back of the colleges and entering through the back gates. Often these gates were locked shut but the one at St John's College certainly wasn't, so we snuck in.

Overall, we really enjoyed our trip to Cambridge but I found that, rather unsuprisingly, the city was overpopulated with posh, chinless cunts. They seem to live in another world in so many ways and I think that I had my old Class War sensibilities tweaked more than a little.

Regardless of the spin that emanates from them, Cambridge University and its divers colleges remain regressive in that they continue to construct, maintain and reinforce class, socio-economic and 'race' inequalities.

And, clearly, that is not a good thing.

Our lovely Ka

2005-06-29T07:26:00.000+01:00

As supplied by the good people at Enterprise Rent-a-Car.

Row Prepares for the Wedding

2005-06-29T07:24:00.000+01:00

My oh my, isn't she just stunning?

The Man in the White Suit

2005-06-29T07:22:00.000+01:00

Leonard @ Claire's Wedding Reception.

Who says that you can't shop at Primark AND look stylish? Pah!

Posh Punts

2005-06-29T07:21:00.000+01:00

Shoddy Punting

2005-06-29T07:19:00.000+01:00