26 Feb 2013
Posted in Blog at 12:15 pm by alby
We had a date! It’s been a while but we went out for a meal. Yes just us two.
We went to a place called Masa. It gets rave reviews and friends have recommended it. Fair enough.
The place is a lovely old Wesleyan chapel and just to set the mood it started gently snowing as we walked up to it. First impressions were favourable. Nice place, warm, bit posh.
We got our drinks and sat down. They brought canapes! Very nice they were too. The bar is downstairs but the restaurant is up on the chapel balconies. We were led upstairs up what looked like the original stairs to the balcony. Very nice indeed. Properly lovely venue.
We were then led to the highest point at the back of the building and offered a seat in a little cubicle with low walls (IE not closed off from the other diners). The table fitted very snugly into the cubicle which left little room for wiggling myself round to get to the best seat. Not very dignified but really not fussed as the venue is so interesting.
The food was next. After the lovely canapes we had the tiniest cup of soup. Was nice but R thought it a little bland. Starters next: I had a guinea fowl and sausage terrine with accoutrements, R had the prawns. Mine was smashing, really very nice; R thought hers was a little bland. Mains next: I had slow cooked pork; R had guinea fowl. Mine was good but not smashing; R thought hers was a little bland.
You may have spotted a theme here. I have to agree with R that her food was bland. It definitely did not live up to the swankiness of the venue (nor the cost of the food). Ah well. The head waiter guy did ask how we thought it was and R broke convention and actually told him.
After puddings, expensive and nothing special, we headed home.
Now I had to re-negotiate the awkward table/cubicle combination. I was also now carrying the bottle of wine that we’d ordered but were far from finishing off. Once out the cubicle; again a struggle not best dignified; I started to make my way down the stairs. Dark brown stairs that weren’t terribly well lit. I managed to slip down one step and flew forwards. My ankle made a lovely crunch noise and then the rest of me made a thud as I hit the floor. The wine bottle did NOT break! I saved it. Unfortunately my ankle was not so lucky and it hurt a lot. There was an immediate response from the staff who were very keen to see if I was ok. After hobbling downstairs again I thought a sit down would be beneficial. Then I started to feel sick and also desperately needed the loo. R told me that I’d gone very pale. Wasn’t fun.
I’d only had a half pint of lager and a smidgen of wine but it must have looked for all the world that a drunkard with a bottle of wine had fallen. R still laughs when telling people about it.
Yesterday my ankle was twice the size of the unaffected one. Hopefully nothing too bothersome in the long run but I expect to have some damage to one of the ankle ligaments at best. Having said that since starting this post I’ve managed to walk quite a way with less and less pain. Should be painless pretty soon. I’ll have to check the ligaments in a while tho.
Good job I’m not litigious.
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21 Dec 2011
Posted in Blog, Reviews at 12:18 pm by alby
Seems I’m not the only one who wants to see people do well (as per here):
Lovely article in the Grauniad.
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08 Dec 2010
Posted in Blog at 2:04 pm by alby
Long time no writing… again.
Life is busy and changed somewhat and I’m getting very little time to write anything.
I’m doing an OU course, driving a couple of hours a day and spending my waking hours at home doing the family thing. Really not getting time at work (lunchtime as I write this) either.
I do miss writing here so I’ll see what happens in the next few weeks.
Cheers.
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29 Oct 2010
Posted in Blog at 12:07 pm by alby
I’m doing an OU course at the mo and occasionally get an emailed “magazine”. I’ve never normally read it but one article stuck out.
Coo!
Hello again, long time no hear etc…
I particularly like the line
I have a tendency to stomp around ranting about maths to anyone who’ll listen
Seems very Biskupian.
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06 May 2010
Posted in Blog at 9:38 pm by alby
We went to Ilam with Ruth, John and Matthew this weekend. Nice day including a picnic in a hailstorm.
Pics here.
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02 Nov 2009
Posted in Blog at 12:03 pm by alby
I really am going to get round to typing some more about my trip soon. I really have been awfy busy since I’ve been back what with stuff going on in Leicester and Derby as well as catching up with work stuff galore.
Hopefully the MJC stuff at least will be up later this evening.
Then maybe I can get to the news stuff I want to talk about as well.
Sigh.
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16 Jul 2009
Posted in Blog at 7:12 pm by alby
Cocking internetz am down again! Grr.
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11 Jul 2009
Posted in Blog at 1:44 pm by alby
I’ve just spotted an oddity with my photo gallery page.
When I put some juggling photos on there AND mention it on rec.j I get a decent number of views. EG The Scottish Juggling Con this year has around 300 views; Bath and Chocfest are both in the 200s. This is about right.
But, for some reason I can’t fathom, the Lestival ones from this year shot up from around that number to a startling “929″ views as at time of writing.
Anyone any idea?
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25 May 2009
Posted in Blog at 10:11 pm by alby
Back from Bungay. Not only the most chilled event of the year but also the least juggly. My record was soundly thrashed this year with a grand total of no juggling done at all.
I was there a day later than I’d have liked what with screwing up my work diary somewhat. No matter, I arrived just in time to bid DB farewell as he and others were off away to the Dutch convention. Oh and I completely missed D as he’d zoomed off to drive a lorry containing 2 passengers to Nice for the Monaco GP.
Once set up I was there to sit and chill. So I did.
It was probably the most necessary thing to do. Work and life has been hectic so a half week or so of nothing was just the ticket.
Chatted to a goodly number of people, met new folk, chatted to pals, drank a bit, played games and napped.
Ate some decent grub too. The cafe had started doing omnivorous stuff this year but I failed to have any as the one time I tried they’d run out before I got to the front of the queue. The vegan thing I had was pretty good though so I’m not complaining.
The only food missing was that I didn’t get to the pub as per usual.
The weather was lovely with only one short burst of rain whilst I was there and that was whilst I was napping.
The show was very much a thrown together affair but that’s another thing that makes Bungay different. (Belgian) Martin rocked as usual and Pretentious Ken made the tent laugh heartily. A good evening followed by drunken games – Mandy and Alex deserve a mention for being so entertaining whilst a “bit tiddly”.
The drive home was a real pain though. Lovely people to miss and it’s a long way. Sigh.
Will miss it until next year.
Photos here.
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01 Apr 2009
Posted in Blog at 6:32 pm by alby
Haven’t done this for a while but here are some recent search terms:
- menaderings monkey juggler
- why wont gp refer to physio
- juggling conventions clurb
- ï¼ï½%81ï½%8eï½%95ï½%85ï½%8cï½%81
- cos it just so couldn’t be
- what about germs
- have you ever shat yourself while passed out
- what do bulgaria do for fun
- did jasper get stabbed late at night at a party ?
- alby plastic 1/35
- therapies for hypercondriacs
- funny answer to what are your political views?
- sara jay juggles balls like a pro!
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