where art collides

Every year the Davies family converges on the mothership to attend the Annual Morning Star Carol Session, heralding the official start of Christmas. Last night’s singsong was another great success and we look forward to Hannah and George’s arrival tonight to complete the team.

Today is the eve of the Winter Solstice, the most important feast day in the calendar for the pagans amongst us. In recognition of this, a long lunch has been planned at Ole Ole, an excellent purveyor of very fine Spanish fare in uphill Lincoln.

I daresay that the conversation at the table will be about bygone feasts where the slaughter of wild boar preceded a raucous night of eating and drinking. It is unlikely that any of us will stay the pace to be around for the official solstice which will be something like three thirty ey em.

Wannabe pagans are however set to gather in the Strugglers at early doors for the annual Independent Traders Official Christmas Party. Bring your membership card 🙂

No milk today.

The milkman came at four nineteen ey em this morning. Only one more delivery until Christmas which is on Friday. Because we only get milk on Monday,  Wednesday and Friday it seems likely that the next delivery will be a double sized job. That means four pints which will only last us one day over the holiday period as we will have a full house.

Looking out of the kitchen window I see pink clouds. The back garden is largely still and when I rang the meteorological office to ask about the weather for the day ahead I was told not to expect any inclemency. The pinkness in the sky should not therefore represent any sort of shepherd’s warning. A meteorological anomaly perhaps. Didn’t really ring em btw. I have their application on my mobile telephone.

Busy day ahead culminating in the Morning Star carol singsong tonight. Before that I have other seasonal duties to perform and also a two hour conference call at noon. Wot wot wot wossgoinon Tref I hear you say. A conference call in the week before Christmas?!?!?! Well yes I say, a conference call. Be assured, however, that I mostly only do stuff that I like doing and I am looking forward to this call. I shan’t trouble you with its purpose.

There is also work to be done on the morrow. This “work” involves a canal boat journey with @Wayne and @charles followed by a leisurely lunch at a fine local Spanish restaurant by the name of Ole Ole. Later that afternoon there is the annual Independent Traders Christmas party at the Strugglers. I suspect I won’t be staying out as long as some of my fellow Independent Traders having already had the earlier luncheon.

Got to get to grips with meself. Morrow and luncheon are distinctly Victorian words and I am a forward thinking individual. Victoriana does not seem out of place at Christmas though. Many of our favourite Carols date back to this bygone era and we will be singing them tonight at the Morning Star.

If I were you I’d get there as early as you can to secure a seat.

A day out in York in prospect. Pub crawl. Catching the 10.02 out of Lincoln Central. Want to get there early in order to spend an hour or so in the railway museum first. One of life’s joys. Last time I was there I sat in one of the seats on the Japanese bullet train only to notice the sign afterwards “PLEASE DO NOT SIT ON THE SEATS”. Didn’t see it until I was on the way out of the carriage. Oops.

The railway museum is somewhere you can just hang out. Feeling the presence of the engines. Historical greats. Quite in contrast to the pub crawl although in fairness many of the pubs in York are quite historical themselves. This is my only pub “crawl” per se of the year. Apart from last week’s Gamma job in town. I think.

The only thing I need to make sure of is catching the train back. We usually end up a fair distance from the stayshun and it is then a walk or ride decision. The ride buys me more time with the lads but introduces a variable in respect of how quickly I can grab an uber. This in turn adds uncertainty to the time of arrival at the station and therefore whether I catch the train or not.

The journey home used to involve changing in Doncaster or simlar but nowadays there is a connection in Newark where I join the 19.06 out of Kings Cross. There is rarely anyone in 1st class between Newark and Lincoln so quite comfy really. THG has volunteered to pick me up from the sayshun. I could have been a travel agent in another life.

Et voila. A good day out in prospect. In York.

Pretty sure I was the oldest bloke at the darts last night. You struggle to believe that such an event can happen, in real life. Most people were there in fancy dress and we picked up some Paddypower green santa hats in an attempt to blend in. Most people were totally bladdered by the end of the first game. In fact they were mostly bladdered before the start of the first game.

The darts on the stage pretty soon became incidental with the crowd being more preoccupied with goading others around them to down pints in one. I got away without having to do so, largely because I imagine I was old enough to be at least their father.

A few observations stuck in my mind. One guy was wearing a Christmas jumper with the words Feliz Navi Darts. Then another bloke in a very fetching top and skirt remarked that security had “confiscated my tits” and one of the Germans sat near to me on the back row must have had an upset tummy because he was unwell over the back railings. 

There was a queue for the cubicles in the gents, which surprised me and I assumed it was because they needed to remove their fancy dress in order to use the loo. Then someone who knows these things told me it was for other nefarious reasons and out of sight of the security guard who was permanently stationed inside the gents loos. I have never been anywhere before where there was a security guard in the toilets. I live a very sheltered existence.

On a more mundane sporting level I was quite surprised that it took almost an hour before we saw our first one hundred and eighty and I noted that they replaced the dart board with a new one after every game.

We got through quite a number of jugs of Neck Oil and just before the nine pee em cutoff for selling jugs our John went to the bar and came back with two more. By the time I left, before the end of the second game we still had unconsumed beer which presumably Johnny boy dispatched. There was no way the darts were going to finish before the notional closing time of eleven pee em.

Carnage it might have been but what a great night out. I feel as if I don’t need to go to another darts evening but am glad I went to this one. I shall resign my membership of the Professional Darts Corporation happy in the knowledge that I took full advantage of my year following the ocky.

Today, Sunday, I have some time to kill before meeting my heir apparent, Tom, to watch the Liverpeul v Man u game later this afternoon. I could almost envisage spending the day relaxing in the hotel were it not for the fact that this hotel is not particularly conducive to this. I might pop down to the lounge to check out the vibes.

The hotel is full of tourists, fair play. There are nicer times of the year to come to visit London but I guess people go for winter breaks. Wrap up well 🙂 I suppose I am a tourist this weekend meself.

The day dawns. The big day. Car is picking me up at ten fifty five. Whisking me to Lincoln Central, the railway gateway to the world. From Lincoln Central you can get to any destination. Ok there might be a few changes involved but that’s going to be the case wherever you start. 

If you stand on one platform you can go as far as Grimsby, or Peterborough even. Another gets you to Newark and beyond as far as London, Nottingham, York and the Highlands of Scotland – Aberdeen. Everywhere. There is even a train to Sheffield and Leeds. Exotic ou quoi?

I might drop the train company a line offering the marketing strapline. LINCOLN CENTRAL, GATEWAY TO THE WORLD. Totes free of charge obvs. They can choose the font to fit their corporate style manual.

There we go. Inspiration over for the day. Back to the mundane. What am I going to wear? We are off to the darts this evening. Ally Pally. Quite excited. Been thinking of going to the darts for years and earlier in 2023 I joined the PDC in order to secure early access to tickets. The tickets went very quickly. I doubt there is anyone who bought one that isn’t a member of the PDC.

Watched the darts last night. Raucous atmosphere. Didn’t know any of the players involved but it didn’t matter. Will be the same tonight. Might have a little flutter, to make it interesting. Five quid on the bloke in the red shirt please. It’s as good a way as any to choose.

So I have a relaxing enough start to the day with plenty of time to get ready. Kitchen has been tidied, ish. THG will want to redo it anyway. I also need to clear the shed and then pack for the expedition. Two nights in Islington.

The sporting party is gathering at Tom’s flat in Highbury Corner at four pee em. A (very) late lunch or early dinner, call it what you like, then train to the Pally. I’m sure photos will be posted. 

Back on Monday. That will be it for the year as far as London is concerned. I’m not tired of London, yet, although London can be very tiring. You have to take the right, unhurried, approach. There is a bus from Stope E at the front of Kings Cross Station that drops me off a few yards from the hotel. V convenient. Several numbers to choose from and they are fairly frequent. Absolutely no point taking a taxi especially as I will only have a small bag.

It’s a short bus ride. Three stops. I don’t even bother going upstairs to see if there is a seat available on the front row. It is walkable if it comes to the crunch but the bus is cheap and easy and I like going on the bus.

Sunday am thinking of taking in a Tate and then there’s the Liverpool v Man U game to watch at four thirty. Cousin @Enda will be v excited. He is a big Man U fan 🙂

Milkman doesn’t come on a Saturday but we have plenty in.

Busyish day ahead. Tom the tree man is coming at noon and before then I’ll have to drop THG off at the stayshun for her trip to Liverpeul. It’s time for the annual hedge trim plus we need some logs chopping. Couple of meetings this afternoon then off to the Star early doors with Ajax and anyone else who fancies coming along.

The last of the bacon was consumed for breakfast. The last in the fridge, not the last ever, obvs. Imagine the furore if there was no more bacon. Ever. Vegetarians the whole world over would simply shrug their shoulders and raise their palms to the ceiling. I however would write to the Times to complain. “How could we have let it get to this?” Disgruntled of Tunbridge Wells.

For a kick off I haven’t used up all my brown sauce. I typically only have brown sauce with bacon. And sausages but bacon is ranked higher than sausage in the food hierarchy. Maslow’s food hierarchy of needs places bacon at its pinnacle. If you are at the top then bacon is all you need. And crispy duck pancakes with hoisin sauce.

Maslow’s food pyramid does not apply to everyone. There are specific exclusions if you are on a diet, or a member of a religion that prohibits the consumption of certain foodstuffs. Also no fast food is mentioned by Maslow. This may simply be because the concept of fast food in Maslow’s time did not exist or was applied to a quick cheese sandwich. 

For sure there is no KFC or McDonalds. In the world of Maslow when you eat a meal you do not get hungry again half an hour later or feel really crap because it tasted great when it was going down but immediately afterwards feels greasy and ‘orrible.

Maslow would have approved of my breakfast. I can picture him now looking on at me with a knowing nod of the head, hand holding his chin. With it I had a large glass of milk. Milk is one of the top five drinks together with water, tea and a decent pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord Pale Ale. No idea what the fifth is. 

One day I’ll put some time into trying different liquids out to see if I can find the fifth. I’d probably need a research grant to cover the costs especially as it is likely to involve the tasting of some high end wines but I’m sure there will be a business case for it.

The milkman came at four twenty three ey em.

…

Came back from Waitrose with a white loaf and a packet of cheese and onion crisps. Lunch today is going to be a crisp sandwich. This is just below the bacon sarnie in Maslow’s book. Slightly annoyed that I had to be rescanned. Presumably the system was surprised that there was no gin or beer in the basket. It’s a good job I only had five items in the trolley.

A rescan is quite rare at Waitrose fair play. I stopped using the scan as you go thing in Tesco when I had to do rescans in two out of the first four shops I did. Noravin that. I don’t like going to Tesco anyway.

…

We are very lucky to be able to discuss food in this way. If your difficult decision of the day is whether to have fish or steak for tea then life can’t be that bad. A clergyman friend of mine once said he visited a family in Africa and was offered a meal. His hosts did not eat because they only had enough food for him. He felt very bad about it but their pride was at stake.

We are off on Safari in February and my hardest decision is going to be how much to leave as a tip. That and meal choice on the rest of the trip. When you stay in hotels you find that menus are very much the same wherever you go.

Tom and his lads are trimming away. Amazing how much stuff grows in a year. The garden is a cacophony of leaf blower, chainsaw and hedge trimmer. At least the shed is reasonably sound insulated.

Taxi driver from the hotel this morning was v complimentary about my jacket. Very nice of him. He used to be a travel agent until around twenty years ago but the internet killed that off so he did the knowledge instead. Our Belgian office uses a travel agent but it is a lot easier to sort things yourself using apps et al. 

Part of the fun of travel is the time spent planning. I spend ages planning a trip. I like to think that by the time we go I have it all down to a tee. Wonder where that saying comes from? I found out about “x marks the spot” on a tour of the Tower of London and “on tenterhooks” when visiting the kipper smokery in Peel in the Isle of Man. No longer in business unfortunately, the kipper smokehouse.

All things come to pass. A fair few pubs I used to frequent as a lad are no longer there. I grew up near Crosby in the Isle of Man. There were three pubs in Crosby: The Crosby Hotel, Halfway House and The Highlander. The Highlander closed, the halfway rebranded as Waggon and Horses and then closed but the Crosby is still there.

The Crosby is where we would repair on a Tuesday night after a cricket match. Crosby Cricket Club. I was only sixteen but the team would buy me pints of bitter and I would either walk home in the dark up the back lane or mam would come and pick me up. That lane could get very dark. Sometimes the only way of doing it would be to walk in the middle of the road so that you could feel the camber on either side. Happy days.

Made the ten oh six train this morning. I had toyed with the idea of catching a later train and visiting the Tate Modern as the Hilton Bankside is very close. Figured I’d go at the weekend instead as I am back down for the darts at Ally Pally. Staying at Angel. If anyone wants to come along on Sunday let me know. I am a member and can take three guests into the paid for exhibits without having to book. What’s not to like? Mind you none of you wanted to go to the darts 🙂

I find that somewhat bemusing, that I had no takers for the darts. Not even any of my mates from Lincoln. It’s supposed to be a great day out. Going with the Davies men. They know a good night out when they see one. 

The train is at Peterborough. Woman getting off accidentally pressed the button to open the toilet door instead of the door to the platform. Easily done and done it myself on more than one occasion. Peterborough is halfway home. I don’t get off at Peterborough although it is a popular destination for commuters. Not much going for it in my mind. The passport office. Mind you that’s the only bit of Peterborough I’ve been to and that was a quickish in and out.

We pass a field where a tractor ploughs a lonely furrow. Keeping the nation fed. 

The milkman doesn’t come on a Thursday.

Milkman came at around four oh six this morning. Two pints as usual. Drank some milk at breakfast with my bacon sarnie. Bread was over-toasted. I sliced one too thin! Nivver mind.

THG dropped me off at the stayshun at around quarter to nine. The nine eleven to Newark was already in and at platform 3A. Right by the entrance and no need to mess about with the footbridge. Result! Looks like a newish train an all. A good start to the day.

Am on the way to the bright lights and on this occasion would appear to have some work to do relating to number portability. Iawn. Don’t even know why I mentioned it. Such things are important although not in the great scheme of things.

The news this morning was full of bad stuff:

The government winning a vote on Rwanda. They are so up their own arses on this. There are far more important things to worry about than immigration and boats. Like number portability.

Then there is COP28. V important but our government considered the Rwanda deal to be more important so flew our top guy home for the vote. We are all doomed. At least this government will go before we do.

And then there is the UN call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Elsewhere on the page there is Ukraine v Russia war, sad deaths of teenagers in a car crash and the shrinking UK economy.

The first “good “ bit of news came from Gloucester where a silver 1,700 year old ring was declared treasure. I assume that is good news. At least compared with the other s45t going on it is.

Enough of that. That kind of stuff should be reserved for other media such as X, such an instantly recognisable brand that it is bound to succeed. I doubt it. There was something called twitter which did exactly the same kind of thing but that came and went. The whale must have sunk. Or was the whale on Facebook? Not seen it for yonks. Maybe the bird flew away. Peter was its name. You might have been thinking of Paul. 

The carriage is gradually filling up, from the other end which is near the entrance to the platform. I moved to the front to be nearer where I want to be when I change at Newark Northgate. A cheery train manager is making an announcement. We are about to depart.

Sgonna be a long day in town. Lots of “networking” if ya know what I mean. You have to send your top guys on this sort of jaunt. People with lots of experience and therefore the stamina to stay the pace. 

The train trundles slowly in the direction of Newark. Just passed the scrapyard on one side and scrubby birch woodland on the other. We pass a lot of land that seems to be permanently fallow and unused. Must be on the wrong side of the tracks.

I quite like the romance of coming from the wrong side of the tracks. In reality it is far better to have been brought up in a nice comfortable family environment where you had great parents and all the head starts in life. If this is you, be grateful. I know I am. Don’t waste it.

The line between Lincoln and Newark is quite slow. This means if you look out of the window you see a lot of things. Over the years it has prompted me to write the occasional poem such as “The rusting tractor (at Collingham Station)”. We are just passing Collingham now. Then there was “The church” which stood outside Newark and would appear to have seen better days.

The fields today are waterlogged as was the station car park at Swinderby. Only three cars parked up and one of them belongs to Network Rail. It is a truly miserable December day. Even the blanket clad horse in the field looks miserable. Not much fun fenced off on your own in an anaemic looking plot of grass.

Just noticed that I have a thirty eight minute layover at Newark Northgate. Schoolboy error. I initially booked this train so as to get to town in time for lunch with a customer but that customer cancelled and now I’m meeting @Charles before heading to the annual Gamma shindig. Could have caught a later, direct train. Ah well. We life and often don’t learn. I won’t be doing any number portability stuff in the station caff. It isn’t the right environment for it.

The wetness of the fields around Newark makes you wonder whether this area was all marsh and bog before the Romans drained it. I assume they drained it. Newark must be on the endangered list when it comes to sea levels rising.

Now sat in the waiting room on platform 2. Made the mistake of chatting to some woman. Now she won’t stop. Gawd help us. I’ve had to deliberately ignore her. She is the station waiting room equivalent of the nutter on the bus. I think she is lonely. Someone else is occupying her. Someone with weaker ignoring skills than me. I hope she is not sat next to me on the train. Gonna be a headphones job.

Milkman came at four thirty four this morning. We also had a visiting fox at around twenty one minutes past two. Both are regulars. The milk is now in the fridge. No idea where the fox is. In its den probs.

I woke up this morning having solved the meaning of life. Well at least the what shall Tref have for Christmas/birthday aspect of it. I’ve been after a model sailing ship for the shed for a while. It is the last accessory I ‘need’ to finish off the decor and will sit on the spare/project desk. Now I’m going to redouble my efforts.

The other idea is to get a decent log splitter. @Steve Jones has one and I have a lot of logs that need doing. Steve lives a long way from me though so I’m going to look into getting my own. Industrial job. Would only use it every once in a blue moon but I don’t know how people manage without one. Not sure THG totes approves of the idea 🙂

Popped to the docs surgery to get jabbed for my January trip. There was a sign on the door saying ‘please use the back door’. Walked all the way around the building but no back door open. Back at the main entrance lo and behold the front door opens as normal!! Didn’t do me any harm I guess. Mentioned it to the receptionist.  “Oh that was from Saturday, I’ll take it down”. Oh.

Next up a member of staff calls out the next patient’s name “Olly Adenbayie”. The only bloke it could possibly be is sat there oblivious to it all. Then realisation dawned. He mentioned his name at the desk but it didn’t really sound very similar to the one called out 😀. Understandable mix up I’d say.

The things you observe eh? Everyday goings on. It’s like yesterday. Enroute back from dropping Joe off at the station, I noticed that the multi storey car park downtown was full. Barriers across the entrance preventing any more cars getting in. Christmas shopping in full flow. 

I really can’t understand this. At all. In the nineteen seventies when I was a kid ok you had to go into town for this sort of activity. I have been into town when it is busy. You can’t walk in a straight line because someone continuously gets in your way. Wossthatallabout! Not my bag man.

Apparently people go to cafes with their partner/spouse when they are downtown. All part of the shopping experience. This is where you queue for twenty minutes to buy two lattes, a toasted teacake and a millionaire’s shortbread because there is only one person on the till. Then if you are lucky you find a table and then wave at a member of staff to come and clear the previous customer’s crap away. Even ordering through the QR code doesn’t particularly speed things up as it is the same person trying to serve the queue.

So I can’t understand the going to town to do a bit of shopping thing. THG likes it! It is not something we do as a couple. In fact we are totally incompatible when it comes to shopping.

My goodness it was windy last night. Had to hang onto my hat walking back from the Brittain’s party. This morning the overhead cables are down between Grantham and the Borough of Pete and therefore all trains into Kings Cross are cancelled. The wind has now dropped. Greatest party as usual.

Nipped out to the Coop on the Carlton Centre first thing as I’d forgotten to get some bacon in. Schoolboy error. THG had used the last of it in a venison casserole. Yup. It was on the menu for tonight but now that Jose can’t make it back to London we may opt for plan B as it’s only a small casserole. The exciting thing is I have no idea what plan B might be at this moment in time. Gonna wait until all occupants of the house are up and in a position to discuss.

At least the Coop is open. I had toyed with the idea of Deliveroo from Waitrose but the shop doesn’t open until ten and I was suspicious when I was being given a 25 minute delivery time at eight ey em. Checked the Waitrose website where it said the earliest Deliveroo would be around ten thirty. Why that is nearly the afternoon!

So, got a few jobs to do today. There is a list that I have not yet surveyed. I know it is there as THG specifically mentioned it, lest we forget. Can’t imagine it is anything too onerous although now I do recall that a piece of laminate needs sticking down on the unit in the TV room (snug). The work of seconds. In due course.

Classic FM Christmas playlist is on in the kitchen and living room. Was gonna play Lark Ascending but this is fine. Very acceptable. The right vibe. I like Christmas music just as I like Christmas. I especially like playing Handel’s Messiah. Dad always played it on Christmas Day. For Unto Us A Child is Born is currently on. A classic.

My shoulders would now be relaxing were it not for the fact that I slipped on some ice on the path in our back garden the other day and landed on my right shoulder which is now giving me gyp 🙂 The trials of Tref.

Outside, dullness prevails. Rain is forecast this morning. I may light the fire. Feels appropriate. I can sit in front of it whilst writing my Christmas cards. I have been allocated five to do, out of well into three figures. Every year we talk about cutting down on the number of cards we send. “We haven’t seen so and so for twenty years” etc. Then so and so goes and sends us a bloody card don’t they. A vicious circle. 

Nay, how can I say that at Christmas time. A virtuous circle. We are after all propping up the institution that is the Post Office. At this time of year we do get all nostalgic. The PO has always been with us as has Santa, Christmas and the BBC. There are I’m sure others worthy of mention. We should guard them jealously. 

Mind you I am being somewhat irrational. Most of this sentiment is there because these institutions/traditions have always been part of our lives. I certainly wouldn’t advocate ditching Christmas but the reality is I probs wouldn’t notice if the PO and the Beeb went. Unless The Today Programme was no longer in the morning, now I think about it. Hey…

…

Plan B turned out to be a train to Nottingham and then Bedford so Joe will be on his way.

It is once more the anniversary of my arrival on this planet. The sixty second such event. I mention this not because I seek attention. The two cards that were presented with the cup of tea this morning are more than enough recognition of the milestone. It is just that it has arrived without me even thinking about it.

I’ve not spent ages agonising over what present I might like or how I should spend my day. The day itself has already to some extent been arranged for me and independent of any birthday related activity. I am okay with the programme and I will give a moment or two’s thought as to whether there is anything I might like to retrospectively choose to be a birthday gift. My new trefbash jacket probably serves that purpose.

At least it wasn’t my turn to make the tea this morning 🙂 I will cook my own breakfast though. When the time is right.

Il pleut this morning. Heavily enough to put THG off going park running. Don’t blame her. Reminds me of the old rugby playing days when you would look at the weather and think “urgh, have I got to go out onto the pitch in this!”. Was ok once we got going.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the rugby weather dilemma no longer applies. I played my last game fourteen years ago. Grunts in the scrum have been replaced by sound effects getting up out of a chair. It would be quite funny if you could buy sofas that groaned every time someone got up from them. They could be marketed as furniture that disguises the ageing process.

I could treat the new power adapter for my Macbook Pro I ordered last night as my birthday present. Got home and found that I’d left the flipping charger somewhere. Called the Waldorf but nothing had been found although I’m pretty sure I charged the laptop in the room there. Tried the Tuesday night hotel but they couldn’t be bothered to answer the phone. Doesn’t really feel right and is in anycase a business expense.

What I might do is pop down to B&Q and see if there are any tools I fancy. Tools are a blokey thing innit. A friend of THG asked recently whether I had few tools she might borrow. Sorry love. You don’t lend out tools. Get your own. Even THG knew that. 

Joe is with us today. He can accompany me. It is good to be able to discuss the relative merits of different tools with someone who knows. Might be nothing in store that takes my fancy. Let’s see.

This morning Joe and I are heading to Fillingham to get the tree. It is a little damp for this but I’m told it is the only window of opportunity that works from a decorating perspective. I am given to understand that THG has a very busy schedule in the upcoming couple of weeks. Sfine. I am the tree erector not the decorator, a division of labour that has established itself over thirty five years of marriage.

In the meantime I need to crack an egg and sizzle a sausage. Ciao bebes.

…

A Postscript to the above is that I mentioned to THG about the B&Q trip and got the response “but you buy tools and never use them”. She does not understand. I bought a Land Rover Defender because it could wade through rivers and traverse glaciers and deserts. Get my drift?

…

Christmas carols being bashed out on the piano in the conservatory. This is good. Joe is home. We are fortunate to have musical offspring. John sat in on sax with Jeff Brown’s band at trefbash and was bloody awesome even if I say so myself. I’ve passed the welling up with pride stage to just smiling every time I hear them and thinking to myself how lucky I am.

…

Back from the tree sourcing expedition at Fillingham. The setup there is very slick. Plenty of people on hand to help and a “kid” to carry the tree to the car for you, as one of the members of staff put it. William Rose is always there to greet visitors and I had a nice little chat with him.

Following the arboreal part of the trip Jose and I repaired to the tool department of B&Q to check out their offerings. We came to the conclusion that either I already had all the tools or couldn’t think of a time when I would need it. The powered impact driver for example. Nice to have but would just take up space on the shelf.

I did acknowledge that new metal shelving had been on my mind for some time but this is a project that needs careful planning and not an impulse buy. The planning phase might take a couple of years but at the end of it  I will be totally sure that I was buying the right shelving.

At this stage I would like to acknowledge the tool leads provided in the comments below. (only on Facebook post) @Dave’s handtoolrescue.com and @Steve’s vintagetoolshop.com will be given the appropriate level of attention.

I am in the meantime watching Crystal Palace v Liverpool on the telly and need to finish this ritin.

Trefbash over for another year. Another great night. These nights are successful because of the people that come to them. Ok adding an abundance of champagne, good food, great music and order what you like from the bar into the mix does help but these are all secondary to the vibe created by the partygoers themselves. You are all fabulous 🙂and a special thanks to those of you who traned and planed in from out of town.

I got back to my hotel room at 01.50. London still buzzing at that time of night but not really that many places open. I saw a few groups of people wandering purposefully around looking for a watering hole but unless you specifically know somewhere you aren’t going to get much shrift after 11pm in the borough of Westminster. Even the hotel bar shuts at midnight wtf!!!

Fortunately I know a place…

A late breakfast this morning. Nine ey em. Mark and Sue were even later. There is no rush, other than they finish the service at ten 🙂. Taxi to the Cross of Kings, a quick catch up with Manuel then joined THG and Joe in the First Class lounge.

When I left the club last night I was halfway to the hotel when I realised I’d forgotten to pay the bar bill. Oops. Norraproblem. I’ll do it over the phone. Has to be paid with my Amex. Avios. Last December I got forty thousand avios on the strength of the trefbash bar bill. 

The build up for a trefbash lasts most of the year. I book the venue a year in advance. It’s one of the most sought after dates in the Christmas party calendar. Then I spend a few months deliberating over the theme for the following year’s bash. We have had themes from quite early on. I think trefbash five was “beach party”. In December. Pics from trefbash 4 seem to be missing ditto trefbash 2. If you have any please let me know.

Nowadays I get the services of an official photographer. Paul Clarke is brilliant. Captures the mood and pics of people when they don’t know they are being photographed. The photos are often the only way I remember who was there 🙂 Punters own pics are all well and good but they are often blurred in line with the nature of the evening.

I know I started by saying the success of trefbash is down to the people but there is another group without who it just couldn’t happen These are the sponsors:

Lonap

Fuse2

Magrathea

Netaxis

Gamma

Fractional Teams

I am proud that these very fine organisations want to be associated with the bash. I will obviously contact each of them individually but want to publicly express my heartfelt gratitude for their support. The individual contributions from purchasers of tickets also made a big difference. With their help the tab lasted most of the night.

Everyone’s generosity with tips for the bar staff was also very well received. Each of them went home with a very healthy amount in their pocket. Of this I am also very proud especially at this time of year. These guys work hard and take a lot of crap but it isn’t the world’s best paid profession. Trefbash not only benefited them but not having to deal with crappy customers, I’ve already said that you guys are lovely folk 🙂, but they also got a wodge at a time of year when it will come in very handy.

Christmas is not yet here but I guess I won’t see most of you between now and the big day so I’ll finish for today by wishing every one of you a happy holiday and may it bring everything you desire 🙂 I’ll post the pics when they arrive.

Ciao

Tref

…

Dark out, it is. The sun has vamoosed over the horizon in search of eternal happiness and the meaning of life.

It needn’t bother. That said it would not only be unfair on other regions of the planet if the sun shone continuously on our fair land but also a totes pain in the proverbial if it never got dark.

For one the sun might never go over the yardarm. The tonic with a splash of gin might never be a thing. The land of the midnight sun is not this land.

The rising and setting of the sun somehow provide closure, on the day at least.

I always find trefbash a mix of the surreal and the best night out you could imagine. If you’ve never been, it is a truly fantastic party. Even the staff at The Phoenix Arts Club compete to work on the night as all the customers are nice and out to have a good time. And they get a big tip thanks to the generosity of the partygoers.

Everyone has a wonderful time. The recipe is simple. Plenty of champagne and cocktails and some great food. Oh and there is the dancing to the trefbash house band of twelve years The Jeff Brown Quartet. 

An out and out good time night out that you will never forget. Well you might forget considering the amount of drink consumed. Last year we not only drank fifty bottles of Pol Roger champagne but an innumerable number of cocktails including 145 espresso martinis. What’s not to like? No pressure though. Just come for a good time. You don’t have to consume alcohol.

The surreal bit is the fact that the party can happen at all. It costs an arm and a leg to put on but it is supported year after year by some very good friends in the industry. And this is the fourteenth trefbash!! Clearly the supporters feel it is a worthwhile proposition. A big thanks to you all. This isn’t the platform to name brands. Maybe I’ll do that on LinkedIn. Thanks also to the twenty folk who paid for a ticket. All their cash goes on the bar tab. The more the merrier, so to speak.

Trefbash is tonight. Everyone works hard during the year and now is the time to let your hair down. See you at The Phoenix Arts Club from 5.30pm onwards.

This post is being brought to you from the butcher’s block in the kitchen. Whilst my sausage cooks. I will add other breakfast items into the mix but I’m sure you will agree that you have to start with the sausage.

…

The process of cooking over took the process of writing and so the remainder of this post has been written from a settee in the snug after consuming my breakfast. Time is of the essence this morning as I have a car picking me up just before eleven to whisk me to Lincoln Central Station. Any further reports will have to come from the train. 

tara

…

On da trane. Snuggled into seat E2 – aisle at the back of the carriage. V private. I was booked into my usual seat E5 but someone has booked the one next to me between Newark and Grantham and the one opposite between Newark and Kings Cross.. They could be real weirdos. I’ve moved.  Another benefit of seat E2 is that you are the first to be served from the trolley. 

Happily listening to a/the traditional Christmas Carols Spotify playlist. The Angel Gabriel. Official lyrics which should really have been modified years ago. Everyone knows they should read “most highly flavoured gravy”. Who do you write to to sort it out?

A couple of years ago I purchased the New Oxford Book of Carols for Christmas. This will contain the “official” text and I have no argument with that. One of the reasons I bought the volume is to ensure that we get the words right at our annual carol singing party. Many carols have multiple versions and the NOBC tries to cover the most well known.

I feel now is the time to introduce the popular versions of Christmas carols into the book. The problem is it is only revised about once every seventy five years. In fact it has only ever been revised once. It will take all of you to write in to request one further edition. That should do it. It will not need doing again after that. Probs.

This brings me to another issue. This year we are not having the Davies family carol singing party. We normally coincide it with the Lincoln Christmas Market which of course has been removed from the calendar of events for the city. V short sighted and lacking in ambition i say but we will not dwell on that here.

Fortunately we still have the Morning Star carols night on Wednesday 20th December to which you are very welcome to come. However this does mean only one carol session this year and I love singing Christmas carols. 

The religious and learned amongst you will point out that it is possible to attend a church service where Christmas carols are the order of the day. However they will typically sing only four or five carols and there is a risk that some of them will be the modern happy clappy rubbish you get nowadays. Not ma thang. Plus they add religious content which also ain’t ma thang.

So there we go. Morning Star it is.

…

The lights are coming on in Islington. London is descending into darkness. Well London isn’t because there are so many lights. We are at that time of the day when thoughts start to turn from the office treadmill to home, or the pub even, this being London.

I am sat in the window of the Hilton Angel Islington with a pint of Goose Island something or other watching the change to the day. I’ve dropped off a load of stuff at the Phoenix Arts Club and now have a bit of a wait before offspring appear.

Just fine tuning the playlist for Thursday night. I never considered that I had  a particularly sophisticated vinyl collection but with the help of Spotify I can turn out a great set. In my opinion. My Bose headset has the foam sticking out of one side which doesn’t look particularly cool I’m sure but hey, who cares. Now playing Mustang Sally. Sitting in the very brightly lit bar of the hotel. 

Long couple of days ahead starting with breakfast at Dishoom tomorrow. Never been there for breakfast so figured I would try it out.