96 hours

Back in Bermuda after a short hop home for my son’s birthday and mascot exploits.

There was a lot of flying around, which is customary. I had a cracking night with my Hornchurch mates on Friday plus a very hot chicken madras in the Cinnamon Spice. We followed this up on Saturday after the game with another curry, this time in Brick Lane. We vowed not to be enticed into the first place we passed, but sure enough the offer of two rounds of drinks and a lively atmosphere was enough for us to eat at The Famous Curry Bazaar. It was very good and full of local hipsters and pre-clubbers at 8pm. Whatever happened to eating a curry after the pub shut?

The next morning my brother took us just up the street from where he lives to The Premises Cafe on Hackney Road. According to The Observer, one of the 50 coolest places to eat in the world! It’s attached to the renowned recording studios (with an impressive list of artists) and next door to the gigantic rabbit (which at the end of last year caused quite a stir) and our brunch was top-notch. The dinner menu looked good too, and at a tenner a head for two courses bloody good value.

Then we wandered up and down the Colombia Road Flower Market, which I have always loved. The smell of early spring blooms and toasted bagels filled the air and I couldn’t quite resist the little boutiques where I picked up a few things for my daughter. 

Then finally the long weekend ended with some home cooking at my Mum & Dad’s down in East Sussex and a little nap through Gnomeo & Juliet on Monday and a drink down by Sovereign Harbour. 96 hours, back at Gatwick and home.

Mascot

I head back again to London tonight and get to spend the day with my son tomorrow on his 11th birthday. However I think both of us are more excited about his birthday treat on Saturday.

I booked him in as one of the match mascot’s for Saturday’s game at home to Exeter at the beginning of the season and told him just a week or two ago. With the added exhilaration of there being a 20,000+ crowd at The Valley to run out of the tunnel to it will hopefully give him many memories to cherish forever.

I was talking to my brother the other day and exactly 30 season’s ago he was the match mascot (there was only one in those days) for a pre-Christmas match at home to Carlisle United. It was our promotion season but needless to say the crowd was a long way off 20,000. we think it was more like 5,000.

Anyway Charlton won 2-1, and my brother picked two favourite players, apparently so he was told, this had never been done before. Those players were a young Paul Walsh and the slightly more experienced Colin Powell who scored on the day to keep us top of the Division 3 table. The other Charlton goal was an own goal after Carlisle took the lead.

The Valley was a bit different 30 years ago even though my son will run out to the same famous song as my brother did three decades previous. My son has picked another winger in Scott Wagstaff as his favourite player and also selected a second as is tradition in Rob Elliot and my brother will join us on saturday so it will be a real family day out. “There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts throbbin’ his old sweet song.”

Before that on Friday night I will head over to see my Hornchurch mates and I’m really looking forward to seeing them for a few pints as it has been too long. Then I end this short trip with a stopover down on the East Sussex coast with my parents.

Mug

My first morning back at work has been spent packing my belongings into a few boxes. If it is not enough to keep moving house we are now moving office. An office move always presents an opportunity to lose a few things of course, I just hope it’s not my Charlton mug, which appallingly a bloke down the corridor has recently taken to use for his coffee.

Why would you use someone else’s coffee mug? There must be 50 mugs in the bloody kitchen. Worse is that I just give him a stare when I see him with it and don’t say anything? What should I say?

Some people I have noticed put a name sticker on their coffee mugs. I could do that but it reminds me of school. I’ll have the other half putting my name in the back of my shirt next.

I ended my short visit back to the UK on Wednesday night with a few pints in Hornchurch. It was fun and boozy as always with the added excitement of the Wednesday night pub quiz. We entered as the Bermuda Quadrangle and came 3rd out of 18 teams. Disagreement over Gerri Halliwell prevented us from coming second but the fiver prize came in useful for the cab fare to the curry house.

We have our bank holiday this weekend (I had yours last weekend too) with Monday being Labor Day. Once a day for unions now just an excuse for a three-day weekend but I’m not knocking it.

Fears of another tropical storm coming within range of Bermuda might keep us indoors but according to the list I found stuck on the fridge door last night I have enough stuff to be getting on with inside.