Having abandoned this blog in January 2008 at the end of Mary's visit it seems appropriate to begin this attempt to restart with her visit two years later. This time we did something special while Mary was here: we all took a trip on the Eurostar for a three-day, two-night trip to Paris!
Now, Paris is my all-time favourite city but I haven't been able to visit since our trip in July 2002. This has entirely been down to lack of funds but Mary very generously swept this aside by paying for our train tickets and hotel rooms. Given that our hotel, the Normandy, is a four-star establishment located just two blocks north of the rue de Rivoli you can appreciate just what a magnanimous gesture this was!
So, it was with great excitement that we set out, pre-dawn on Monday morning, on the first leg of the journey: the Cambridge Cruiser non-stop service to King's Cross. From King's Cross, it's just a step across the road to St. Pancras International from where the Eurostar services run. Back in 2002, we'd had to cross London to Waterloo to pick up the Eurostar; so already we were having a better experience!
We were travelling on the first "normal" day of Eurostar services after several days of cancellations and service suspensions caused by "the wrong kind of snow" so, although our train was running as scheduled, we knew it was being combined with the previous service and therefore were unsurprised when we were re-allocated to alternative seats on arrival at the International terminal. The terminal looked nice and new but was so jam packed with travellers that it was hard to form any real opinion of the place. Fortunately we didn't have too long to wait before embarking. As we settled into our re-assigned seats I observed that we were in what would normally be first-class accommodation, in spite of having economy class tickets but assumed that this was just a first-class coach that had been re-designated due to the combining of the two train-loads of passengers. You can imagine our delight when it emerged that we were to be treated to the full first class service anyway!
So we had a pretty luxurious ride to Paris and disembarked at Gare du Nord in good spirits. Gare du Nord looked just as it did eight years and more ago and the long queue for taxis was the same old mix of fast movement, animated exchanges and semi-chaos as ever. Our driver seemed to be pretty on the ball and got us to the Normandy in good time through the rush-hour traffic and we were soon checked in and dispatched to our rooms. Although provided with all mod cons, the Normandy could hardly be more unlike a modern identikit business hotel: charming and quirky with meandering corridors that rose and fell by several steps in places and spacious rooms with high ceilings. What a lovely place!
Only having such a short time in the city we wanted to do something useful with our first evening and so, unpacked and freshened up, we met up in the foyer and ventured out to the nearest metro station (Palais Royal Musée du Louvre) emerging at Trocadéro from where we walked down through the Palais de Chaillot and across Pont d'Iena to the Eiffel Tower. Temperatures in Paris were no warmer than those we'd left behind in Cambridge, hovering around zero, and the fountains and pools were frozen solid. In the gathering gloom we didn't have to queue to ascend to the second stage of the tower (the top was not open) and were soon braving the cold and wind to look out over the city as night fell. When we'd done we retreated back across the river, admiring the illuminated tower, and found ourselves a typical Parisian brasserie in which to take an early dinner.
Dinner was at the Café Kleber in Place du Trocadero and we were among the first diners of the evening. Lisa and I started with half a dozen escargots each, prepared in the traditional way with parsley butter, while Mary went for a salad. Lisa followed up with a rump steak while Mary and I plumped for onglet à l'échalote (skirt steak with shallots). The steaks, delightfully rare and juicy, were served with the traditional frîtes and we enjoyed a bottle of Sancerre with all that (Mary's not a red wine person). We passed on dessert and moved straight to coffee (Lisa & I) and hot chocolate (Mary) and Lisa and Mary topped off with a Grand Marnier each.
Dinner over, we took the metro back to the hotel and chatted over a round of drinks in the hotel bar before calling it a night.
25 January, 2010
24 January, 2008
Having a Blast with Mary
We had a great deal of fun the last few days in the company of Lisa's college friend, Mary, who flew in from New York to spend a while with us. Mary has long been a great friend of Lisa's and distinguished herself by being the only person to make the trip from the USA to our wedding (all those years ago!). Her visit was planned over the cusp of the New Year and she duly arrived chez-nous on Saturday. That evening we cooked our current favourite dish, the Kingfish Mooli with boiled red rice, on what turned out to be our only evening eating in.
Sunday we all walked along Mill Road into the town centre to show Mary some of the sights. Lunch was at the famous Eagle pub and in the evening we dined at the Loch Fyne restaurant on Trumpington Street. On Monday, I had to go to work but Lisa took the day off to take Mary on a trip into London. They started in Westminster at the Cabinet War Rooms and finished up in Chinatown at the New World restaurant before getting the last train home. In spite of some very wet weather they seemed to have had a good time.
Mary had Tuesday to herself while we were at work and in the evening we rounded off the culinary part of the visit with dinner at our favourite local place: Café Adriatic up on Mill Road. We finished on a gustatory high which was appropriate as it was Mary's birthday. She flew home yesterday leaving behind two very happy hosts who'd enjoyed her stay tremendously and were already looking forward to the next opportunity for meeting up with her.
Sunday we all walked along Mill Road into the town centre to show Mary some of the sights. Lunch was at the famous Eagle pub and in the evening we dined at the Loch Fyne restaurant on Trumpington Street. On Monday, I had to go to work but Lisa took the day off to take Mary on a trip into London. They started in Westminster at the Cabinet War Rooms and finished up in Chinatown at the New World restaurant before getting the last train home. In spite of some very wet weather they seemed to have had a good time.
Mary had Tuesday to herself while we were at work and in the evening we rounded off the culinary part of the visit with dinner at our favourite local place: Café Adriatic up on Mill Road. We finished on a gustatory high which was appropriate as it was Mary's birthday. She flew home yesterday leaving behind two very happy hosts who'd enjoyed her stay tremendously and were already looking forward to the next opportunity for meeting up with her.
17 January, 2008
Couscous and Curry
On Saturday we were delighted to play hosts to our friends Frank and Debby. As Debby is a "vegetenarian", as Frank memorably puts it, we were careful to ensure that no dead animals featured in the evening's menu. The centrepiece was a huge platter of couscous with mixed vegetables which seemed to go down well with all concerned.
The following day Lisa and I were in a curry mood and spent several hours preparing a feast of Chettinad chicken curry (one of our favourite dishes from Atul Kochar's "Indian Essence"), Bengali-style Aubergine in Yoghurt (from Anjum Anand's "Indian Food Made Easy"), a Coconut Fish Curry based on Atul Kochar's recipe but made with kingfish, a cucumber raita and a pot of red boiled rice. The only trouble was that by the time we'd brought all this to our groaning board, we were pretty pooped and settled for a simple dinner of just the kingfish mooli and the red boiled rice.
On Tuesday we reprised the couscous dish from Saturday but, true to our omnivorous inclinations, we added some chicken to the mix as shown in the photo at the head of this entry. Yesterday we made a fresh pot of rice (Basmati this time) and refreshed the unused dishes from Sunday night to enjoy a delicious midweek curry for next to no kitchen labour (at least, on the night itself).
We'll be entertaining again this coming weekend as Lisa's great friend Mary is coming over from New York for a few days with us. In fact, rather than writing this, I should be sorting out the spare room this evening to make all ready for her arrival on Saturday!
The following day Lisa and I were in a curry mood and spent several hours preparing a feast of Chettinad chicken curry (one of our favourite dishes from Atul Kochar's "Indian Essence"), Bengali-style Aubergine in Yoghurt (from Anjum Anand's "Indian Food Made Easy"), a Coconut Fish Curry based on Atul Kochar's recipe but made with kingfish, a cucumber raita and a pot of red boiled rice. The only trouble was that by the time we'd brought all this to our groaning board, we were pretty pooped and settled for a simple dinner of just the kingfish mooli and the red boiled rice.
On Tuesday we reprised the couscous dish from Saturday but, true to our omnivorous inclinations, we added some chicken to the mix as shown in the photo at the head of this entry. Yesterday we made a fresh pot of rice (Basmati this time) and refreshed the unused dishes from Sunday night to enjoy a delicious midweek curry for next to no kitchen labour (at least, on the night itself).
We'll be entertaining again this coming weekend as Lisa's great friend Mary is coming over from New York for a few days with us. In fact, rather than writing this, I should be sorting out the spare room this evening to make all ready for her arrival on Saturday!
07 January, 2008
Belated New Year's Eve
We stayed home "à deux" on New Year's Eve, cooked a nice dinner for ourselves and opened a bottle of Champagne to toast the chimes of Big Ben at midnight. At which time Lisa was actually on the phone to her good friend Mary in New York City, so Mary was remotely with us as the New Year arrived in the UK. During that call we arranged a date for Mary to come visit us here in Cambridge in just three weeks' time. More on that in due course, no doubt!
This last weekend we had a kind of belated New Year's party down in London at the home of our dear friends Chris & Tony. Eight of us sat down to a superb dinner of ceviche followed by chicken casserole and several other dishes. A great time was had by all. Sunday, the six of us who stayed the night had a late breakfast and walked up to Alexandra Palace to get some fresh air and stretch our legs.
Lisa and I took a detour on our way home to have dinner in the New World, our favourite restaurant in London's Chinatown. Lisa has blogged elsewhere about Thursday's dinner which was delicious. Wednesday was our first day back at work since 21st December so, instead of cooking for ourselves, we treated ourselves to dinner out at the local "Strada" which, for a chain restaurant, has a relaxing and unhurried atmosphere and even manages a touch of elegance.
This last weekend we had a kind of belated New Year's party down in London at the home of our dear friends Chris & Tony. Eight of us sat down to a superb dinner of ceviche followed by chicken casserole and several other dishes. A great time was had by all. Sunday, the six of us who stayed the night had a late breakfast and walked up to Alexandra Palace to get some fresh air and stretch our legs.
Lisa and I took a detour on our way home to have dinner in the New World, our favourite restaurant in London's Chinatown. Lisa has blogged elsewhere about Thursday's dinner which was delicious. Wednesday was our first day back at work since 21st December so, instead of cooking for ourselves, we treated ourselves to dinner out at the local "Strada" which, for a chain restaurant, has a relaxing and unhurried atmosphere and even manages a touch of elegance.
02 January, 2008
Holiday Menus
We really went to town with the cooking over this holiday period. We didn't photograph every single dinner but, in truth, they were all very tasty and satisfying. Several of the links below are to entries in Lisa's
A Cook's Journal blog, the others are to photos in my Flikr photostream. The full roll-call is as follows:
A Cook's Journal blog, the others are to photos in my Flikr photostream. The full roll-call is as follows:
- Saturday, 22nd December
Steak Frites & Green Beans - Sunday, 23rd December
Pheasant Casserole with Celeriac & Apple Mash and Brussels Sprouts - Monday, 24th December
Lamb Shanks with Colcannon Mash and Carrots - Tuesday, 25th December
Escargots
These were just supposed to be the starter but it turned out this was enough dinner for us tonight - Wednesday, 26th December
Quail Risotto
From the cookbook "Francesco's Kitchen" I gave Lisa for Christmas - Thursday, 27th December
Roast Duck with Brussels Sprouts, Swede & Carrot Mash and Roast Potatoes & Parsnips
This was the main course planned for Christmas Day - Friday, 28th December
Pheasant with Brussels Sprouts, Baby Carrots and Mashed Potatoes - Saturday, 29th December
Spaghetti Carbonara - Sunday, 30th December
Provençal Beef Daube with Baby Carrots, Brussels Sprouts and Baby Potatoes
The daube was actually cooked yesterday and reheated today - Monday, 31st December
Quail on Polenta with Green Beans - Tuesday, 1st January
Partridge on Mashed Potato with Brussels Sprouts
29 December, 2007
Out and about between Christmas and New Year
Yesterday we took the train out from Cambridge, two stops to the east to the delightful market town of Bury St. Edmunds. As you can see from the photo, we spent some time looking over the famous Abbey ruins. Before this, Lisa bought me a new overcoat, as a belated Christmas present, at a gentlemen's outfitters in the town. We also checked out a couple of cookware shops in the town centre. Before heading for home, we called in for a couple of beers at the Grapes, a pleasant and welcoming pub.
Two days earlier (that's Boxing Day, a.k.a. the "Feast of Stephen") we spent the afternoon walking along the river Cam. We headed north on the west bank from Water Lane and walked up as far as Baits Bite Lock where we crossed over and made our way back south as far as Fen Ditton. By then we were ready for a rest and so sought out a pub. We wound up in the Blue Lion which seemed like a nice place in spite of initially serving us two undrinkably sour pints. Suitably refreshed after an hour or so, we continued home.
Two days earlier (that's Boxing Day, a.k.a. the "Feast of Stephen") we spent the afternoon walking along the river Cam. We headed north on the west bank from Water Lane and walked up as far as Baits Bite Lock where we crossed over and made our way back south as far as Fen Ditton. By then we were ready for a rest and so sought out a pub. We wound up in the Blue Lion which seemed like a nice place in spite of initially serving us two undrinkably sour pints. Suitably refreshed after an hour or so, we continued home.
23 December, 2007
On the Threshold
Phew! It's finally up and decorated. Allow me to introduce El Gordo: Steve & Lisa's Christmas Tree 2007. He's a big boy (hence the name) so we have to hope he won't encroach too severely on the kitchen door. Regardless, he's a big part of the Christmas atmosphere that I aim to (re)create each year. Along with "paper chains" (made of metal foil these days), lights in the window, the crib/creche and other decorations. This year (as last) glass tree ornaments have been held back for fear of the havoc Robbie might wreak but our annual special ornament has pride of place, as ever.
As anticipated last time out, on Wednesday evening we had a wonderful time at the Pharmacology Christmas Party in the great hall at Clare College. A champagne reception was followed by a sit-down dinner of smoked salmon terrine followed by honey glazed duck breast in a peach sauce and then another terrine, this time of chocolate and Cointreau. You'd better believe it tasted as good as it sounds! The evening was rounded off in the College cellars with music and dancing until the wee small hours. What better way to confirm that the season of celebration is well and truly under way!
As anticipated last time out, on Wednesday evening we had a wonderful time at the Pharmacology Christmas Party in the great hall at Clare College. A champagne reception was followed by a sit-down dinner of smoked salmon terrine followed by honey glazed duck breast in a peach sauce and then another terrine, this time of chocolate and Cointreau. You'd better believe it tasted as good as it sounds! The evening was rounded off in the College cellars with music and dancing until the wee small hours. What better way to confirm that the season of celebration is well and truly under way!
17 December, 2007
Christmas starts here!
Friday marked the start of the Christmas season. Lisa was invited to join the rest of the lab where she worked until this summer as they marked the end of the year with a meal in the Riverside restaurant at the University Centre (or "Grad. Pad" as many of us persist in calling it). As often in such circumatsnces, I tagged along too. The relaxed atmosphere suited the occasion perfectly and the food was much better than I'd had there before. A good (but not stupid) time was had by all.
It says much about the current morale in my own place of work that we'll have no such meal this year, for the first time since I started working there. To compensate, we have a very special Christmas meal to look forward to next week: a party at Clare College organised by Lisa's current Department. More about that, I'm sure, in a future posting.
Saturday was Robbie's first trip back to the vet's in almost a year, to get his vaccination boosters and an anti-flea shot. Later the same day we brought home this year's Christmas tree from the local greengrocer's. For the time being it's parked out in the garden but yours truly has been nominated to get it set up in the house so digits will need to be extracted in the week ahead!
It says much about the current morale in my own place of work that we'll have no such meal this year, for the first time since I started working there. To compensate, we have a very special Christmas meal to look forward to next week: a party at Clare College organised by Lisa's current Department. More about that, I'm sure, in a future posting.
Saturday was Robbie's first trip back to the vet's in almost a year, to get his vaccination boosters and an anti-flea shot. Later the same day we brought home this year's Christmas tree from the local greengrocer's. For the time being it's parked out in the garden but yours truly has been nominated to get it set up in the house so digits will need to be extracted in the week ahead!
03 December, 2007
Stew and Stewarding
Lisa beat me to the punch in blogging yesterday's dinner: a Greek-style octopus stew inspired in no small measure by a dish we enjoyed immensely when we lunched at Taverna Eraina back in August. Read her entry on A Cook's Journal for the details but I have to say that, this time, we really did crack it and achieve the combination of deep, dark flavour and juicy tenderness that (for us) is the essence of this dish. Our friends from London, the ones we expected to be entertaining this weekend and who failed to show up, missed out on a treat and I capitalised by taking the left overs into work for lunch.
On Saturday, Lisa and I were once again stewarding at the Mill Road Winter Fair. This annual event, now in its third year, celebrates the incredible diversity of this corner of Cambridge with businesses and community groups taking the opportunity to present themselves to the ever-increasing numbers of attendees. Lisa and I love living in this area and feel we benefit tremendously from its multi-cultural and local community focussed character, so the least we can do is give up a few hours each December to stand on a freezing street corner in a Hi-Viz vest handing out leaflets and telling folks where the Star Wars Imperial Stormtroopers may be found (I kid you not!). This year, our stint on duty was relatively early in the day so we had time after knocking-off to wander the length of Mill Road and, in particular, enjoy the open studio at the Cemetery Lodge, the Salsa Drummers performing in front of the swimming pool and (most deeply affecting of all) the guided tour of the local Mosque. In the difficult, dark depths of Winter, a little determined effort netted us a sparkling catch of jewel-bright memories. At this time of year that's hugely helpful, like a hill-top cairn in the mist.
On Saturday, Lisa and I were once again stewarding at the Mill Road Winter Fair. This annual event, now in its third year, celebrates the incredible diversity of this corner of Cambridge with businesses and community groups taking the opportunity to present themselves to the ever-increasing numbers of attendees. Lisa and I love living in this area and feel we benefit tremendously from its multi-cultural and local community focussed character, so the least we can do is give up a few hours each December to stand on a freezing street corner in a Hi-Viz vest handing out leaflets and telling folks where the Star Wars Imperial Stormtroopers may be found (I kid you not!). This year, our stint on duty was relatively early in the day so we had time after knocking-off to wander the length of Mill Road and, in particular, enjoy the open studio at the Cemetery Lodge, the Salsa Drummers performing in front of the swimming pool and (most deeply affecting of all) the guided tour of the local Mosque. In the difficult, dark depths of Winter, a little determined effort netted us a sparkling catch of jewel-bright memories. At this time of year that's hugely helpful, like a hill-top cairn in the mist.
15 November, 2007
Coq au vin
Just a short note this week to mark the occasion of Sunday's dinner dish. Coq au vin holds a special place in our gastronomy as it was the signature dish of Lisa's beloved Uncle Jean. Several times his version of this dish, always saved for a special occasion, was the high-point of a visit to Nice for us. And, for Lisa, the association goes back very much further. That this was the first time we'd dared cook this dish since Uncle Jean passed away was highly significant. That we unconsciously chose to do so on the day (11/11) that, here in the UK, goes by the name "Remembrance Day" was, I suspect, not coincidental. Not at all. The food was good. The memories powerful and positive. Such are the pathways of grief.
08 November, 2007
New Wheels - All Round
After several months of indecision, Lisa finally settled on the new bike that she wants. She's opted for a new “everyday” bike to take her to work and back and for riding about town and made her choice last Saturday in Howes Cycles on Regent Street, Cambridge: our cycle suppliers of choice. Her new steed is a Specialized Globe Comp the successor in the Specialized range to the Crossroads bike that Lisa rode for many years. This particular model has an 8-speed hub gear: a technology we’ve both come to love over the last few years for its reliability and ease of maintenance. We picked up the bike yesterday morning (the photo was taken in the shop as Lisa was about to ride off to work) and already I can report that the Lisa is enjoying the new bike's lightness and responsiveness so much that I've got my work cut out to keep up!
On Tuesday we had a serendipitous dinner of rabbit stew. We're both quite partial to rabbit so an unexpected opportunity to come by a freshly-killed carcass wasn't one to pass up. Lisa has detailed the recipe we used in this entry in A Coook's Journal. As you can see, the presentation was straightforward with boiled spuds and plain vegetables to foreground the meat. The outcome was wonderfully tasty and probably the most tender dish of rabbit we've ever had.
A big feature of our dining this autumn has been slow cooking. This has proved a great way for us to enjoy long-cooked food on mid-week days when we don't have the time to spare in the evening to let something cook for hours. Monday's dinner was a case in point: a slow cooked brisket joint that we put in the oven on a low heat on Sunday to cook overnight. In the morning we just turned the oven off and left the pot undisturbed then, when we got in from work, all we has to do was warm the pot up again (on top of the stove) and prepare some fresh vegetables to go with it. The depth of flavour is completely out of proportion to the minimal effort involved and particularly suits the dark autumn evenings. Delicious!
On Tuesday we had a serendipitous dinner of rabbit stew. We're both quite partial to rabbit so an unexpected opportunity to come by a freshly-killed carcass wasn't one to pass up. Lisa has detailed the recipe we used in this entry in A Coook's Journal. As you can see, the presentation was straightforward with boiled spuds and plain vegetables to foreground the meat. The outcome was wonderfully tasty and probably the most tender dish of rabbit we've ever had.
A big feature of our dining this autumn has been slow cooking. This has proved a great way for us to enjoy long-cooked food on mid-week days when we don't have the time to spare in the evening to let something cook for hours. Monday's dinner was a case in point: a slow cooked brisket joint that we put in the oven on a low heat on Sunday to cook overnight. In the morning we just turned the oven off and left the pot undisturbed then, when we got in from work, all we has to do was warm the pot up again (on top of the stove) and prepare some fresh vegetables to go with it. The depth of flavour is completely out of proportion to the minimal effort involved and particularly suits the dark autumn evenings. Delicious!
29 October, 2007
Culture-Crossing Couples
It's a cliché to say that the British and Americans are two peoples divided by a common language but often enough Lisa and feel like the living embodiment of this fact. We both claim to speak English but our cultures are much more different than is generally supposed. While this is most often a source of enrichment and expanded horizons, it can also lead to surprisingly difficult frustrations. For that reason we take special pleasure in the company of other cross-cultural couples, whether Anglo-Chinese, Indo-Norwegian or, as in the case of our dinner guests on Saturday, Italian-Korean.
Our Neapolitan friend, Chiara, introduced us to Clemente from Northen Italy last August but it took to now for us to meet his lovely Korean wife Myung Hee. As this was their first time as our guests we subjected them to our signature appetiser of escargots and the main course was pizza, partly contributed by Clemente. Much of the conversation was taken up with comparing notes on our various experiences in getting hooked up with a partner from another culture and how we manage the tensions that cross-cultural living throws up.
Our menu for the evening was conspicuously missing any contribution from Myung Hee's part of the world, so we quickly agreed that our next get-together should rectify that and focus on Korean cuisine. We hope it won't be very long at all before that comes off. As always the talk ran late into the evening and so it came about that, in the photo (taken right at the end of the evening), Lisa is checking the times of the last bus home with our guests: it had already gone, so a taxi was summoned forthwith!
Our Neapolitan friend, Chiara, introduced us to Clemente from Northen Italy last August but it took to now for us to meet his lovely Korean wife Myung Hee. As this was their first time as our guests we subjected them to our signature appetiser of escargots and the main course was pizza, partly contributed by Clemente. Much of the conversation was taken up with comparing notes on our various experiences in getting hooked up with a partner from another culture and how we manage the tensions that cross-cultural living throws up.
Our menu for the evening was conspicuously missing any contribution from Myung Hee's part of the world, so we quickly agreed that our next get-together should rectify that and focus on Korean cuisine. We hope it won't be very long at all before that comes off. As always the talk ran late into the evening and so it came about that, in the photo (taken right at the end of the evening), Lisa is checking the times of the last bus home with our guests: it had already gone, so a taxi was summoned forthwith!
01 October, 2007
Once More Unto the Breach
Tomorrow is the first day of the Michaelmas Full Term at Cambridge, the start of the new academical year. The nature of my job (IT support to the Faculty of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies) differs radically between term-time and vacations and Michaelmas is always the most intense and stressful of the three. I had last week off work to take a deep breath before diving in. For most of that week, Lisa was away in New York City visiting her sister and four young nieces and nephews she hadn't previously met. The photo shown was taken from the Staten Island Ferry looking back at the southern tip of Manhattan.
The house here seems very empty when Lisa's away and I find it hard to motivate myself to do more than the basic minimum. I did, though, manage to complete one project that's been pending for more months than I care to think about and put up a new lighting unit in the kitchen to replace the unflattering single fluorescent strip light with a set of six directional halogen lamps. I must be one of the least "handy" people in the country so this simple-sounding task was a major accomplishment in my book!
Lisa returned to the UK on her birthday but was too tired from travelling to celebrate, so we went out to dinner the following evening. The chosen location was Café Adriatic up on Mill Road, one of our favourite local haunts. It didn't disappoint: a low key atmosphere coupled with uncomplicated but well cooked and beautifully presented food and well-judged service was just what we wanted. A relaxing and satisfying evening that, even topped and tailed with Prosecco and Sambuca, didn't cost an arm and a leg.
The house here seems very empty when Lisa's away and I find it hard to motivate myself to do more than the basic minimum. I did, though, manage to complete one project that's been pending for more months than I care to think about and put up a new lighting unit in the kitchen to replace the unflattering single fluorescent strip light with a set of six directional halogen lamps. I must be one of the least "handy" people in the country so this simple-sounding task was a major accomplishment in my book!
Lisa returned to the UK on her birthday but was too tired from travelling to celebrate, so we went out to dinner the following evening. The chosen location was Café Adriatic up on Mill Road, one of our favourite local haunts. It didn't disappoint: a low key atmosphere coupled with uncomplicated but well cooked and beautifully presented food and well-judged service was just what we wanted. A relaxing and satisfying evening that, even topped and tailed with Prosecco and Sambuca, didn't cost an arm and a leg.
10 September, 2007
Barbie-pink pop-up tent
"It's very pink!" I said. And so it is. But, hey, if you want to buy a pop-up tent in September you can't afford to be too choosey. The idea is that it'll extend our use of the garden into the early autumn as the weather cools. As you can see from the photo, the WiFi from the house reaches out here so we can e-mail, Flikr, blog or Facebook or just read the paper and listen to TheJazz on the DAB radio Lisa got for my birthday.
Talking of birthdays, yesterday Robbie (our youngest feline) celebrated his first birthday. We're not certain of the actual date but, counting back six weeks from when we first got him (based on how old he appeared to be), we hit on 9/9 as a memorable date to fix as his "official" birthday. Having rescued (in one way or another) all our cats we don't have accurate dates of birth for any of them but we celebrate Thomas on May Bank Holiday and Sofia on 17th January.
Elsewhere in the blogosphere, earlier this evening I uploaded a note about Malcom Saville's Mystery at Witchend to by books blog. Yes, I finally plucked up courage to read to first of the Lone Pine books; almost a year after our inspirational trip to Church Stretton and around forty years since first reading the books. I'm delighted, and not a little relieved, to discover that it was every bit as readable as I'd hoped and remembered. Now I can go on to seek out some more of the titles with confidence that I'll enjoy reading them.
Talking of birthdays, yesterday Robbie (our youngest feline) celebrated his first birthday. We're not certain of the actual date but, counting back six weeks from when we first got him (based on how old he appeared to be), we hit on 9/9 as a memorable date to fix as his "official" birthday. Having rescued (in one way or another) all our cats we don't have accurate dates of birth for any of them but we celebrate Thomas on May Bank Holiday and Sofia on 17th January.
Elsewhere in the blogosphere, earlier this evening I uploaded a note about Malcom Saville's Mystery at Witchend to by books blog. Yes, I finally plucked up courage to read to first of the Lone Pine books; almost a year after our inspirational trip to Church Stretton and around forty years since first reading the books. I'm delighted, and not a little relieved, to discover that it was every bit as readable as I'd hoped and remembered. Now I can go on to seek out some more of the titles with confidence that I'll enjoy reading them.
30 August, 2007
From Physiology to Pharmacology
On Tuesday, Lisa started her new job. She now works in the Pharmacology department and, for the first time in her scientific career, has a permanent position. As a big part of her new job is to help prepare the teaching labs for the students’ practicals, her work will now follow the rhythm of the academical year closely, just as mine does.
On learning that her contract in the Physiology department wouldn’t be renewed, Lisa immediately started looking for a new position even though there were still several months to go. Fairly soon, she got fixed up and the new job is based just a few hundred yards down the road from her old lab. Lisa finished work in Physiology on Friday and is desperately sad to be leaving such a great bunch of work mates. We all went out to lunch together on Friday, at the Eraina Taverna in Free School Lane where Lisa was presented with a farewell card and gifts from her erstwhile co-workers.
More farewells that evening at our regular Friday night pub session with the nucleus of what is no longer "Lisa's lab", though I imagine Lisa and I will still show up to keep in touch. Friday was Mei Hua's birthday and (although she'd tried to keep it quiet) we ambushed her with a special ice-cream dessert in the pub. Saturday was business as usual around the house, plus a trip to the vet for Thomas and Sofia for their six-monthly anti-flea injections.
On Sunday we were due to visit the art exhibition at Gravelly Barn to reprise last year's trip but poor weather prospects and a lack of cycling miles in our legs kept us home and we ventured out only as far as the river for a few hours gentle stroll and for Lisa to take some photographs of the wildlife to be found in that vicinity (including yours truly!).
And so to Tuesday, and an early start to get Lisa to Pharmacology to begin her new job on time. It was a huge wrench for her to find her self in unfamiliar surroundings but early indications are that it's a good place to work and there's every chance Lisa will settle down there at least as well as she did in Physiology.
On learning that her contract in the Physiology department wouldn’t be renewed, Lisa immediately started looking for a new position even though there were still several months to go. Fairly soon, she got fixed up and the new job is based just a few hundred yards down the road from her old lab. Lisa finished work in Physiology on Friday and is desperately sad to be leaving such a great bunch of work mates. We all went out to lunch together on Friday, at the Eraina Taverna in Free School Lane where Lisa was presented with a farewell card and gifts from her erstwhile co-workers.
More farewells that evening at our regular Friday night pub session with the nucleus of what is no longer "Lisa's lab", though I imagine Lisa and I will still show up to keep in touch. Friday was Mei Hua's birthday and (although she'd tried to keep it quiet) we ambushed her with a special ice-cream dessert in the pub. Saturday was business as usual around the house, plus a trip to the vet for Thomas and Sofia for their six-monthly anti-flea injections.
On Sunday we were due to visit the art exhibition at Gravelly Barn to reprise last year's trip but poor weather prospects and a lack of cycling miles in our legs kept us home and we ventured out only as far as the river for a few hours gentle stroll and for Lisa to take some photographs of the wildlife to be found in that vicinity (including yours truly!).
And so to Tuesday, and an early start to get Lisa to Pharmacology to begin her new job on time. It was a huge wrench for her to find her self in unfamiliar surroundings but early indications are that it's a good place to work and there's every chance Lisa will settle down there at least as well as she did in Physiology.
22 August, 2007
Lousy weather & great company
We enjoyed our first camping weekend in Willingham so much that we re-booked before we left the camp site to return for the weekend just gone. We set off on Friday with high hopes of repeating the thoroughly pleasant experience of three weeks before. Leaving at 4pm we again rode via Coton, Madingley, Dry Drayton, Oakington, Longstanton and Willingham to Roseberry Tourist Park 1.5 miles out on the Earith Road, arriving at around 6.30pm having covered 16.7 miles in 1:35:42. The weather was cloudy and quite breezy all the way. Our welcome was again very friendly and we quickly pitched the bug and our stand-alone porch. Dinner was grilled lamb kofta patties (which Lisa cooked at home that morning) and basmati rice with shitake mushrooms, peas & mangetous (left over from Thursday night's dinner). We listened to the evening's Prom on the radio during and after dinner. Retreated to the bug and played some dice cricket, Steve finally got Lisa all out for 361 and reached 48 for 1 after 10 overs. And so to bed.
On Saturday we slept late. There had been quite a lot of rain during the night but it was not too wet when we surfaced around nine. I journalled for a while then made coffee in blustery winds under grey skies. Lisa prepared grits for breakfast (on the Trangia) which we ate with eggs fried on the Coleman. Around noon we rode into Willingham to get some food and the Guardian. As the weather was unsettled, we rode straight back to the shelter of the bug and clocked up just 3.15 miles in 18:57. After a lunch of cheese and ham sandwiches, we spent a rainy and windy afternoon in the bug reading the paper. Lisa made us some popcorn at some point. At dinner time we braved the elements to cook some stir-fried beef and vegetables and some basmati rice with mushrooms and spring onions. In spite of the cooking conditions, both huddled under the stand-alone porch at our respective stoves, the food came out well and we enjoyed a very tasty dinner. As night fell and the rain continued, we returned to the bug and listened to some music (Jacques Loussier's Play Bach) while Lisa read her book (Bill Buford's "Heat") and I journaled. When the iPod's battery ran out we set the alarm for 8.00am, turned out the lights and settled down for the night with the rain drumming on the tent.
It was not raining when we awoke but cool and very cloudy and it started to rain again while Lisa was on her weekly Sunday morning call to France. We partook of coffee and then ham & cheese sandwiches for breakfast. Eventually the rain eased of and we set to to break camp and head home after a thoroughly dull weekend. We left the camp site around 3.30pm and retraced our route out from Roseberry Tourist Park, via Willingham, Longstanton, Oakington, Dry Drayton, Madingley and Coton back to Cambridge. We were home by 5.30pm having covered 17.59 miles in 1:44:52 (an average speed of exactly 10.0 mph). Our cycling total for the trip was 37.41 miles ridden in 3:39:31.
We had Monday off work and dried out the bug and porch before stowing them away with the rest of the camping gear. Then we set to and prepared to receive two guests for dinner. This is Lisa's last week in her present job and Monday evening was our chance to say farewell to April, a veterinary student from Korea who's been working in Lisa's lab over the summer.
She came over in the early evening with our great friend (and frequent kitchen guest) Mei Hua and we made pizzas together using Lisa's home-made dough and tomato sauce. We prepared three different toppings: the one shown here featured three types of cheese and fresh basil from the garden, the other two pizzas were topped with goats cheese and red onion and pepperoni with anchovy. Before the pizzas we served a mozzarella and tomato salad and a selection of antipasti. The assembled company made short work of the food on offer and the conversation flowed in full flood well into the night.
On Saturday we slept late. There had been quite a lot of rain during the night but it was not too wet when we surfaced around nine. I journalled for a while then made coffee in blustery winds under grey skies. Lisa prepared grits for breakfast (on the Trangia) which we ate with eggs fried on the Coleman. Around noon we rode into Willingham to get some food and the Guardian. As the weather was unsettled, we rode straight back to the shelter of the bug and clocked up just 3.15 miles in 18:57. After a lunch of cheese and ham sandwiches, we spent a rainy and windy afternoon in the bug reading the paper. Lisa made us some popcorn at some point. At dinner time we braved the elements to cook some stir-fried beef and vegetables and some basmati rice with mushrooms and spring onions. In spite of the cooking conditions, both huddled under the stand-alone porch at our respective stoves, the food came out well and we enjoyed a very tasty dinner. As night fell and the rain continued, we returned to the bug and listened to some music (Jacques Loussier's Play Bach) while Lisa read her book (Bill Buford's "Heat") and I journaled. When the iPod's battery ran out we set the alarm for 8.00am, turned out the lights and settled down for the night with the rain drumming on the tent.
It was not raining when we awoke but cool and very cloudy and it started to rain again while Lisa was on her weekly Sunday morning call to France. We partook of coffee and then ham & cheese sandwiches for breakfast. Eventually the rain eased of and we set to to break camp and head home after a thoroughly dull weekend. We left the camp site around 3.30pm and retraced our route out from Roseberry Tourist Park, via Willingham, Longstanton, Oakington, Dry Drayton, Madingley and Coton back to Cambridge. We were home by 5.30pm having covered 17.59 miles in 1:44:52 (an average speed of exactly 10.0 mph). Our cycling total for the trip was 37.41 miles ridden in 3:39:31.
We had Monday off work and dried out the bug and porch before stowing them away with the rest of the camping gear. Then we set to and prepared to receive two guests for dinner. This is Lisa's last week in her present job and Monday evening was our chance to say farewell to April, a veterinary student from Korea who's been working in Lisa's lab over the summer.
She came over in the early evening with our great friend (and frequent kitchen guest) Mei Hua and we made pizzas together using Lisa's home-made dough and tomato sauce. We prepared three different toppings: the one shown here featured three types of cheese and fresh basil from the garden, the other two pizzas were topped with goats cheese and red onion and pepperoni with anchovy. Before the pizzas we served a mozzarella and tomato salad and a selection of antipasti. The assembled company made short work of the food on offer and the conversation flowed in full flood well into the night.
13 August, 2007
Art and Sushi
Friday we again skipped off work in time to be on that 4:15pm Cambridge Cruiser train to London. This time our destination was more central as just five stops on the tube brought us to Piccadilly Circus where we surfaced and strolled along to the Royal Academy (of Art) to take a look at this year's Summer Exhibition. With the best part of a thousand exhibits this annual extravaganza is pretty much a case of Art Overload but great fun for all that. Apart from some amusing and witty video installations, the vast majority of my favourites were among the flood of paintings in the first few rooms. The obvious "star turn" of this year was the 50-canvas Hockney behemoth, Bigger Trees Near Water, that filled an entire wall but there was lots more to appreciate: too much to enumerate and, frankly, probably too much to remember properly, even with the help of the RA's illustrated "Best Of" guide.
Before heading for home, we wanted to eat and soon settled on sushi at a branch of the Yo! Sushi chain of "conveyor belt" sushi bars. This was the first time in several years that we'd had sushi in one of these places. When we lived in Harlow we were often to be found in the Moshi Moshi Sushi bar in Liverpool Street station which was my first introduction to the conveyor belt principle. It was fun to do it again and we piled the plates high as we tucked into a selection of favourites!
Before heading for home, we wanted to eat and soon settled on sushi at a branch of the Yo! Sushi chain of "conveyor belt" sushi bars. This was the first time in several years that we'd had sushi in one of these places. When we lived in Harlow we were often to be found in the Moshi Moshi Sushi bar in Liverpool Street station which was my first introduction to the conveyor belt principle. It was fun to do it again and we piled the plates high as we tucked into a selection of favourites!
06 August, 2007
Barbecue triple whammy
I can't quite believe I have no photos from this weekend just gone. I guess there's no enforced correlation between the significance of events and the number of supporting images. Of course there's no reason on earth why there should be but in this case it's particularly a pity.
Friday we left work early and 4:15pm saw us seated on the Cambridge Cruiser non-stop service to London. Two hours later we were knocking on the door of a house in Eastcote on the north-west reaches of the Metropolitan line. We were excitedly greeted at the door by the reason for this trek into parts unknown: my pen-friend of thirty-three years, Louisa. Originally from Singapore and now settled in up-state New York, Louisa was making a visit to these shores with her family and generously invited us to dinner at her sister's house where they were all based.
You can't correspond with someone for over thirty years (even if contact has become sporadic, and mostly electronic, in recent years) without some kind of bond developing and Louisa and I have known each other much longer than either of us has known their respective spouse. I met Louisa in person a few times in the early eighties but this was the first time we'd seen each other in more than twenty years, it was my first chance to meet her husband and kids, and Lisa's first chance to meet any of them. Suffice to say we had a great time: they are all really cool folks.
Surrounded by the sister's eight West Highland White Terriers, we sat out in the extensive back garden and tucked into a seemingly never-ending flow of delicious food, much of it grilled by Louisa's husband on a brand new gas barbecue. All too soon it was time for us to make our exit and retrace our steps to Cambridge. We spent as long travelling as we did at the party but we both agreed it was more than well worth the effort.
Saturday, we were the barbecue hosts as Lisa's friend and sometime colleague, Sandro, paid us a visit. Among other talents, Sandro is a trained Reiki Healer and several years ago Lisa designed a web site for his Reiki work. Having not seen hime for some time, there was much to catch up on and the talk continued all afternoon and on into the evening. At some point it became apparent that the only sensible thing to do was to have dinner together and Lisa set to to work on the barbecue. So, for the second day running, we had grilled dinner al fresco with great company.
And so to yesterday evening, when, as guests of our friends (and my sometime colleagues) Kate & Makram, we completed the hat-trick. We cycled over to their place and were immediately plied with Makram's famously wonderful Hummus and other introductory delicacies while Makram cranked up the barbecue to start grilling kebabs. The food was tasty and authentically middle-eastern so Lisa frequently pumped Makram for details of how his culinary effects were achieved. There seems to be something about eating freshly grilled food in the open air that stimulates conversation and brings on a tremendous sense of well being and comradeship. Not until some time after sunset did we finally take our leave and ride home and head for bed ahead of another working week.
Friday we left work early and 4:15pm saw us seated on the Cambridge Cruiser non-stop service to London. Two hours later we were knocking on the door of a house in Eastcote on the north-west reaches of the Metropolitan line. We were excitedly greeted at the door by the reason for this trek into parts unknown: my pen-friend of thirty-three years, Louisa. Originally from Singapore and now settled in up-state New York, Louisa was making a visit to these shores with her family and generously invited us to dinner at her sister's house where they were all based.
You can't correspond with someone for over thirty years (even if contact has become sporadic, and mostly electronic, in recent years) without some kind of bond developing and Louisa and I have known each other much longer than either of us has known their respective spouse. I met Louisa in person a few times in the early eighties but this was the first time we'd seen each other in more than twenty years, it was my first chance to meet her husband and kids, and Lisa's first chance to meet any of them. Suffice to say we had a great time: they are all really cool folks.
Surrounded by the sister's eight West Highland White Terriers, we sat out in the extensive back garden and tucked into a seemingly never-ending flow of delicious food, much of it grilled by Louisa's husband on a brand new gas barbecue. All too soon it was time for us to make our exit and retrace our steps to Cambridge. We spent as long travelling as we did at the party but we both agreed it was more than well worth the effort.
Saturday, we were the barbecue hosts as Lisa's friend and sometime colleague, Sandro, paid us a visit. Among other talents, Sandro is a trained Reiki Healer and several years ago Lisa designed a web site for his Reiki work. Having not seen hime for some time, there was much to catch up on and the talk continued all afternoon and on into the evening. At some point it became apparent that the only sensible thing to do was to have dinner together and Lisa set to to work on the barbecue. So, for the second day running, we had grilled dinner al fresco with great company.
And so to yesterday evening, when, as guests of our friends (and my sometime colleagues) Kate & Makram, we completed the hat-trick. We cycled over to their place and were immediately plied with Makram's famously wonderful Hummus and other introductory delicacies while Makram cranked up the barbecue to start grilling kebabs. The food was tasty and authentically middle-eastern so Lisa frequently pumped Makram for details of how his culinary effects were achieved. There seems to be something about eating freshly grilled food in the open air that stimulates conversation and brings on a tremendous sense of well being and comradeship. Not until some time after sunset did we finally take our leave and ride home and head for bed ahead of another working week.
30 July, 2007
Weekend Getaway
We had a great weekend away, camping in a village called Willingham just sixteen miles by bike from home. We'd camped here before, seven years ago, when the campsite (Roseberry Tourist Park) was far less well developed than it is these days. Back then, we really did camp in a pear orchard but now the few remaining pear trees are more ornamental.
On Friday, we packed up all our camping gear and loaded up the Galaxies for the first time in almost two years. We left home at 3.30pm and after a little shopping in Cambridge (gas cannisters & bike light) rode via Coton, Madingley, Dry Drayton, Oakington, Longstanton and Willingham (where we shopped for food in the Co-Op) to the campsite 1.5 miles out on the Earith Road. We enjoyed pleasantly warm sun and a gentle breeze all the way and arrived at around 6.30pm having covered 18.79 miles in 1:54:51.
We were treated to a friendly welcome. The tent pitch cost £10.00 per night plus £2.00 extra to leave after noon on the last day. We found a spot and pitched the bug and our stand-alone porch then checked out the immaculate toilet and washing facilities. Dinner was Bachelor's beef flavoured rice to which Lisa added fried minced beef and a chopped up omelette. As the evening was getting cloudy and cooler, we retreated to the bug and played 21 overs of dice cricket, leaving Lisa on 123 for 3, while listening to some music on the radio. And so to sleep. During the night, we spent a while admiring the stars in the cloudless and very dark sky.
On Saturday, we woke to warm sunshine at 8.30am and I journaled for a while, while Lisa snoozed. We breakfasted on fried eggs and bread & butter with tea & coffee and listened to some of the morning's play in the test match (England v. India, second test at Trent Bridge, day two).
Then we got out on our bikes and rode a circular route around some of the local villages. From Willingham we rode to Rampton along a very badly surfaced road. We were intrigued by a thatched house at Rampton with thatch fox on the roof ridge. From Rampton to Longstanton along a near unrideable byway, now split in two by work on the execrable guided busway. We broke for a picnic lunch at Longstanton opposite All Saints' church.
We enjoyed much better roads from here on. From Longstanton to Swavesey and on to Over where we stopped for a while to watch a game of cricket being played on the village green. From Over we rode back to Willingham. After a little shopping in the Co-Op we returned to campsite. The day's trip totalled 15.88 miles, covered in 1:46:41 of riding.
After some downtime with newspaper and popcorn we started on dinner. Tonight's meal was spaghetti (actually Amoy "straight to wok'' thread noodles) with a home-cooked meat sauce we brought with us. Dinner over by 7.30pm we settled down in the bug with tonight's Prom concert on the radio. Finished the evening with some more dice cricket, leaving Lisa on 329 for 7 after 50 overs. And so to bed, with heavy rain falling throughout the night.
The rain cleared up early on Sunday morning and we breakfasted on egg fried rice and scrambled egg under clear skies. We made peanut butter sandwiches for the ride home then began packing up. Sooner than we expected, both Lisa and I had our bikes loaded and ready to go. Stopping at the office on the way out to book a pitch for our next long weekend (in August), we set off for home at 11am. We retraced our route out from Roseberry Tourist Park, via Willingham, Longstanton, Oakington, Dry Drayton, Madingley and Coton back to Cambridge. Back by 2pm (including a shopping stop on Mill Road). Covered 16.67 miles in 1:40:36.
Out total for the trip was 51.34 miles, ridden in 5:22:18.
On Friday, we packed up all our camping gear and loaded up the Galaxies for the first time in almost two years. We left home at 3.30pm and after a little shopping in Cambridge (gas cannisters & bike light) rode via Coton, Madingley, Dry Drayton, Oakington, Longstanton and Willingham (where we shopped for food in the Co-Op) to the campsite 1.5 miles out on the Earith Road. We enjoyed pleasantly warm sun and a gentle breeze all the way and arrived at around 6.30pm having covered 18.79 miles in 1:54:51.
We were treated to a friendly welcome. The tent pitch cost £10.00 per night plus £2.00 extra to leave after noon on the last day. We found a spot and pitched the bug and our stand-alone porch then checked out the immaculate toilet and washing facilities. Dinner was Bachelor's beef flavoured rice to which Lisa added fried minced beef and a chopped up omelette. As the evening was getting cloudy and cooler, we retreated to the bug and played 21 overs of dice cricket, leaving Lisa on 123 for 3, while listening to some music on the radio. And so to sleep. During the night, we spent a while admiring the stars in the cloudless and very dark sky.
On Saturday, we woke to warm sunshine at 8.30am and I journaled for a while, while Lisa snoozed. We breakfasted on fried eggs and bread & butter with tea & coffee and listened to some of the morning's play in the test match (England v. India, second test at Trent Bridge, day two).
Then we got out on our bikes and rode a circular route around some of the local villages. From Willingham we rode to Rampton along a very badly surfaced road. We were intrigued by a thatched house at Rampton with thatch fox on the roof ridge. From Rampton to Longstanton along a near unrideable byway, now split in two by work on the execrable guided busway. We broke for a picnic lunch at Longstanton opposite All Saints' church.
We enjoyed much better roads from here on. From Longstanton to Swavesey and on to Over where we stopped for a while to watch a game of cricket being played on the village green. From Over we rode back to Willingham. After a little shopping in the Co-Op we returned to campsite. The day's trip totalled 15.88 miles, covered in 1:46:41 of riding.
After some downtime with newspaper and popcorn we started on dinner. Tonight's meal was spaghetti (actually Amoy "straight to wok'' thread noodles) with a home-cooked meat sauce we brought with us. Dinner over by 7.30pm we settled down in the bug with tonight's Prom concert on the radio. Finished the evening with some more dice cricket, leaving Lisa on 329 for 7 after 50 overs. And so to bed, with heavy rain falling throughout the night.
The rain cleared up early on Sunday morning and we breakfasted on egg fried rice and scrambled egg under clear skies. We made peanut butter sandwiches for the ride home then began packing up. Sooner than we expected, both Lisa and I had our bikes loaded and ready to go. Stopping at the office on the way out to book a pitch for our next long weekend (in August), we set off for home at 11am. We retraced our route out from Roseberry Tourist Park, via Willingham, Longstanton, Oakington, Dry Drayton, Madingley and Coton back to Cambridge. Back by 2pm (including a shopping stop on Mill Road). Covered 16.67 miles in 1:40:36.
Out total for the trip was 51.34 miles, ridden in 5:22:18.
23 July, 2007
Perfect Day Out
Yesterday we made our second trip to Lord's to see a Test Match, just a couple of months after our first visit. We made great efforts to be at the ground for the start of play this time, in spite of the trains being up the creek as usual on a Sunday. What trains there were out of Cambridge were packed with cyclists and their mounts because yesterday was also the date of the annual London-Cambridge cycle ride, something Lisa and I aim to do one of these years. We'd made up our sandwiches and boxes of salad the night before and were able to make a prompt start which, combined with knowing what we were doing, gave us a much less stressful journey.
We arrived with plenty of time to pass through the thorough but very friendly and polite security checks and do a bit of shopping in the Lord's Shop before settling into our seats well before play was due to start. England resumed their second innings on 77-2, 174 ahead, and we got to see the rest of the innings (including a big knock of 134 from Pietersen) which ended on 282 all out. Coming into bat after tea, chasing a score of 379 to win, we saw India get to 137-3 by the close. The cheer when Monty Panesar again claimed the wicket of Tendulkar was almost as loud as that for Pietersen's century!
Throughout the day, the weather was good, the atmosphere great and the cricket competitive. Just the perfect way to spend a summer's day. Lisa often likens going to the cricket as being like going to the beach for the day, in the sense that it's a full day relaxing in the open air with no intrusions from one's everyday routine. We hope to do more of this next year!
Enthusing with a colleague, from Dehli, at work today about how much we'd enjoyed the day I was delighted to learn that he'd been there too: ensconced among the Indian supporters directly across the ground from us. Of course we were each hoping for a different conclusion on today's final day but honour was shared as the match ended in a draw; yes, it's true, cricket really is a game where you can play for five days and still not get a result!
We arrived with plenty of time to pass through the thorough but very friendly and polite security checks and do a bit of shopping in the Lord's Shop before settling into our seats well before play was due to start. England resumed their second innings on 77-2, 174 ahead, and we got to see the rest of the innings (including a big knock of 134 from Pietersen) which ended on 282 all out. Coming into bat after tea, chasing a score of 379 to win, we saw India get to 137-3 by the close. The cheer when Monty Panesar again claimed the wicket of Tendulkar was almost as loud as that for Pietersen's century!
Throughout the day, the weather was good, the atmosphere great and the cricket competitive. Just the perfect way to spend a summer's day. Lisa often likens going to the cricket as being like going to the beach for the day, in the sense that it's a full day relaxing in the open air with no intrusions from one's everyday routine. We hope to do more of this next year!
Enthusing with a colleague, from Dehli, at work today about how much we'd enjoyed the day I was delighted to learn that he'd been there too: ensconced among the Indian supporters directly across the ground from us. Of course we were each hoping for a different conclusion on today's final day but honour was shared as the match ended in a draw; yes, it's true, cricket really is a game where you can play for five days and still not get a result!
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