Yes it's hot. It's very hot. Even a cold shower, doesn't work because as soon as you step out of the shower you start sweating almost instantly. I just don't think that I am designed to deal with the heat - damm celtic genes.
So, what have I been up to since my last post on Tuesday? It's been a busy few days, so here we go.
Wednesday
The hottest day of the year, and where was I? Stuck in the office with 'natural air-conditioning'. i.e. open a window. Unfortunately for me, the only window I have faces onto the break-out area which happens to be a swealtering sun trap that saps your very will to live.
Let's just say, that once it hit 4pm, it got to the point where I could stand it no longer. Solution? Go to the pub and sit in the shade in a beer garden (okay it's a concrete back yard, but around Victoria it's the only decent 'beer' garden that can be found!) http://www.londontaxitour.com/london-taxi-tour-eating-and-drinking-pubs-the-colonies.htm
I
met up with Kate & Andy down there and enjoyed not 1, not 2, but 3 grapefruit and lemonades (yes, the no beer on a weekday rule still applies), followed by a bitter lemon. Of course, Kate and Andy are still revelling in this and sit their with their glasses of wine with big grins on their faces......I ended up heading up to Charlotte Street with the intention of finding a tapas bar as I was in a tapas mood, via Sound Control which is the large Virgin Megastore on Tottenham Court Road to have a bash about on their electronic drums - okay, I'm not a big fan of 'synth' drums, but I have to say I was kind of impressed - although I didn't think much of the hi-hats & snare - maybe it was to do with the set up? But over all - not as bad as I thought it would be.
So after that little diversion, it was onward bounds to Charlotte Street to find some tapas.
My god. How hoaching was Charlotte Street? ?http://www.londontown.com/LondonStreets/charlotte_street_ecb.html
We found the tapas place but it was fully booked! Hmmm... so what next? Tim favoured going back down to Charlotte Street - but I was thinking no way! It's all packed. So, off we went just wandering up the road, stumbling onto Whitfield street where we found this tiny wee Brazlian/Spanaish Bar called 'Bar Andalucia'. http://www.salsapower.com/cities/uk_london.htm
Woohoo tapas at last! Well, no. Their kitchen was shut that night, but it was a funky wee bar that has regular salsa lessons if anyone is interested in going. At this point hunger was kicking in, and with no tapas in sight, what to do? Easy really, if stuck in this situation you can always count on finding an indian restaraunt to hand.
So, we settled on an Indian instead of tapas. Finding the 'Agra' resturant which just so happens to be one of the oldest tandoori house in London! http://www.london-eating.co.uk/537.htm We sat outside, as at 10pm it was still swealtering! We had a good meal of, poppadoms, onion baji, chicken livers, prawn dopiaza, some other prawn dish, rice, paratha and again, washed down with a bottle of sparkling water - still that no beer on a weekday rule!
After that, it was close to midnight and time to go home! Fully stuffed and knackered.
Thursday
It's still hot. It's still so bloody hot. Back in the office, lethargic with the heat, stuggling to get anywork done. Sitting with a lovely collection of empty water bottles on my desk thinking that perhaps at some point I should put them into the recycling.......
In an effort to try and focus on work - give myself a goal to look forward to I decide to head down to the South Bank afterwork and wander on down to the National Theatre and see what free event they have on. I quite fancy sitting outside with a cool drink and taking on some culture!
Or so I thought..... I head down to the South Bank with Vicki from work, grab a seat and an orange juice to watch on of the most bizarre performance art I have ever seen. http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=19103
It was weird. Very weird. And involved a caravan, a tarzan outfit and a palm tree. Enough said. James, turned up just at the very end of the performance - typical! We all wandered along the South Bank, popping into Gabriels Wharf, which was hoaching as everyone else had the same idea of being on the South Bank on a hot Summer's evening!
Vicky left us at that point, and James and I continued wandering along the South Bank. Of course, with it being hot we found the nearest watering hole. Now, this is where it get's interesting.
We head up to the bar, I ask James to get me an orange juice - but it doesn't quite work out that way, as he's pissing himself laughing and refuses to go up to the bar and order a juice! So, that order then turns into a Leffe Blonde. Now, going by the logic that I was going to have a beer on Friday at the DfT Sports day (as Friday is technically the weekend.... and sports day being a special event.....), we eventually decide that as it's Thursday night, and Friday is only a few hours away it's really nearly the weekend.....
Of course, that leads into another Leffe, and another and another. We then leave to walk further along the South Bank and find that we need to find another toliet stop! Of course, we find the Founder's Arms; http://www.riverthames.co.uk/eatandrink/pub/bankside.htm
to pop into for a quick one and use their facilities.
Walking onwards towards London Bridge, we find another watering hole The Anchor Inn; http://britannia.com/travel/london/cockney/anchor.html which we of course have to stop and use the facilities and polish off 2 bottles of cold white wine whilst sitting outside admiring the view of the Thames & St Paul's catherdral.
Stumble home and fall into a drunken restless slumber in the sweaty, humid heat.
Friday
Well.
What can I say?
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Head hurts. Mouth is dry. It's 8:30am and I'm already drenched in sweat from the heat.
All sticky and hurty.... Can of coke, nurophen, 4head stick (brilliant wee thing that also helps headaches http://www.mypharmacy.co.uk/medicines/medicines/f/4head/4head.htm ), open windows further, lie back in bed and die slowly.
Texted Dorian & Joanne at work to say, that I was just going to head straight to Sports Day at Chiswick ( http://www.cssc-london.co.uk/chiswick/index.htm). As I lie in bed waiting for the painkillers to kick in I turn on the telly and the joys of ITV3 in the morning! Quicny, LA Law, Quantum Leap - Student paradise! Armed with bad TV and painkillers I begin to feel slightly more human!
I jump into the shower (cold) and begin to feel sensation returning back to various parts of the body. So, armed with another dose of nurophen, a bottle of Sprite I walk up to the bus stop and wait for the 73 to take me down to Kings Cross. And I wait. And wait...... For those of you who don't know about my daily trials and tribulations with the No. 73, i direct you to my favourite blog http://73omnibus.blogspot.com/ - I just don't have the energy to go into this all over again, when this bloke does it so well!
After finally getting to Vauxhall and meeting up with Nishi & Kate, we head down to Barnes Bridge in a fantastic air conditioned train! And why can't they have air conditioning on buses?? Again, soooo not going there. Read the 73 blog!
So, what can I say about sports day? It was fantastic. Not that I actually participated in any of the events (going by my injury rate at previous events I thought it best to just observe this one). I watched my old work collegues from DfT in the football and softball and of course did the ritual heckling. This had to be one of the funiest Sports days I had been to in a long time.
James eventually turned up, hungover like hell and blaming me for his delicate state! Me? Little old innocent me? As I recalled, it was him that started the whole thing off.
Watching Nishi in the Egg & Spoon race, James & Andrew in the Egg and Spoon race. Don't worry, I don't think any records were broken at this event....
To be fair, Nishi hadn't actually entered into the Egg & Spoon race, un-beknown to her, James had been increadibly evil and entered Nishi into the three legged race and wheelbarrow race. Nishi got her own back by entering James into the Sack race
Which left, the following events to observe:
- Welly Wanging
- 3-legged race
- Wheel Barrow
- Sack race
Welly Wanging was just hilarious, especially with Andrew's attemp at throwing the welly flying way off course, sending the spectators running for their lives! He will never live that one down.
The Wheel barrow race was just magnificant to watch. My sides are still sore from all the laughing. Nishi and James didn't win that race either.
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