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I saw The Jam five nights in a row in 1979 (or possibly 1980). Firstly at the Rainbow in London and then down in Brighton – sleeping on the beach, completely zonked. 17 years old and living like someone out of Quadrophenia, (but at a posh grammar school!).
However, the best gig I ever went to was also in 1980. In Llandewi Brefi village hall (a place now famous for different reasons). The Thompson Twins played there only a week after lining up at the Lyceum who used to do fantastic Sunday night specials. I was at University down the road at Lampeter and we got together a minibus. The only other audience were a bunch of teepee-dwelling hippies, who put on an anti-nuclear war play and passed around the magic mushrooms. The gig ended with the entire audience on stage with the Thomson Twins, playing along on dustbin lids, whatever.
They hit the charts a month later, seemingly minus four of their band members, who probably couldn’t hack the pace, or are still lost in deepest Wales.
Actually, I think it is worth popping over there now and then. The liquidity late on for horse racing is good enough for most players. And some of the stuff on their "insight" area is very good.
Since the commission "upgrade" on betfair I have given up the unequal struggle of trying to keep my discount rate reasonable over there, and am quite happy to take advantage of other offers.
For example
– The 0% commission for the big race and football game each day on wbx.
– The 2% commission on asian handicaps at betdaq.Every little helps. Betfair don’t deserve the brand loyalty they seem to continue to get.
Re bread:
My wife bought me a bread-making course for my birthday a few years ago with Dan Leppard who is some sort of artisan baker/guru thingy.
It was very useful – even taught me to make my own "starter" to make sourdough which is just sublime. I had to give it up though as I was just sitting down and eating the whole loaf straight from the oven and getting even fatter!
He taught two me two really interesting things about bread I’d never come across (before or since). Firstly, you don’t need to endlessly knead your dough. What the yeast needs is time to rise not a good battering. Just give it time (hours) and the occasional knead.
Secondly, use sunflower oil instead of flour to roll your dough out/stop it sticking.
Both these tips really help.
I though it was the best article he’s written for some time.
Of course that may have been down to the absence of any tips…
Wish I’d been there! Upstairs is very good.
That’s true of loads of pubs in the centre of town. Bunch of Grapes – Drury Lane – terrible pub, possibly the worst in Covent Garden, but a really nice snug upstairs and if not being used for a party a great place to guarantee getting a seat/avoiding music – that’s me getting old!.
Coach and Horses – further down road – very good pint of guiness.
London is woefully short of decent cocktail bars, but Tuttons right in Covent Garden is OK for a manhattan (on the rocks) and is shunned by all the tourists – who assume it’s just a restaurant.
Borough market – I forgot the best one for beer and standing around outside – The Market Porter.
When in that part of town all incomers should of course at least check out Anchor Bankside, and The George, Borough High Street (Chaucer’s finest). I love the old ones with about twenty different rooms. Mind out for the American tourists being entertained by faux irish minstrels though!
Was that really slippy blue popped in – a nice blast from the past. Must be a thin skein of cloud apparating across the south london skyline to make me idly come this way so soon after – "london calling".
When I venture back to the ‘smoke’ for the first time since leaving I’m very keen to to go to all the old great city boozers that have everything you could want in a pub but ventilation. Since the smoking ban I reckon they are placed for a true renaissance. Prufrock et al take heed.
Unfortunately I’ve never been able to remember all their names, but you know the ones – old Victorian pubs, glass serving windows, lots of separate rooms, beer, and people spilling onto the pavements. The ones I can actually name without recourse to fancyapint.com.
The Lamb and Flag (Covent Garden/leicester Sq) even in the smoky days was one of the best meeting places.
Argyll Arms (Oxford Circus)
The French House – Soho (once you’ve got over the fact they only serve beer in halves you’ll have noticed that actress from casualty who you can”t name and had only half noticed until you saw her in the flesh but are now dribbling over – literally)
Off Borough Market – The Bunch of Grapes and The Wheatsheaf are excellent for beer and atmosphere, especially on market days and there used to be a sausage cafe between the two – Cumberland Sausage roll and all the trimmings entre beers. Nice
And The Newman Arms – off Oxford Steet – my personal favourite – great beer, cozy atmosphere, sad media geeks in small black spectacles aside, AND upstairs a pie restaurant – really top class pies and beer. Come on!
Shifnal is less blessed.
Personally I thought Frankie did well to avoid the Coolmore tactics, and sit nicely off the pace. And I say this as someone who bet almost entirely on the basis that the tactics would "spoil" Ramonti and Asiatic Boy. (Well done to Corals/tdk who ducked Ramonti early).
It probably did mess up Asiatic Boy. For me I was quite taken by the way he plugged on, and having proven he acts on turf, I’d take him as a positive from the race.
I think I pay c.£360 per year for contents. I haven’t claimed in twenty years.
We lost the entire contents downstairs in June’s floods. £15K.
Seems a fair arrangement.
Those without insurance will hardly end up better off will they? Strange thing to be chippy about – better to be thankful you didn’t flood imho.
Hi baggie – thanks for kind offer. A common occurrence in Bridgnorth I understand. In fact when Anne phoned 999 as I slipped under the waves the lady on the end of the line was quick to tell us it was much worse in Bridgnorth low town.
A clue in the name I’d have thought!
I was in Shifnal – so not even on the Severn. Not flooded in living memory, but within 6 weeks of me arriving – must have been a black cloud I dragged with me!
The house is uninhabitable for at least three months – so we’ve left the insurers and landlords to it. Thanks again anyway. In true English style it did prove a way of getting to know the neighbours.
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I’m losing.
Bad day Tuesday. Worse night.
House flooded out. Wasit high. Exciting in the moment of fear but rather muddy and smelly in the aftermath. Welcome to Shropshire. Goodbye earthly goods. Farewell Leicester Square.
Missed the next couple of days; shovelling s**t
, comforting wife, wondering how I got here. Just as well, backed a load of virtual heartbreakers. Selinka to win for example.Now sat in a hotel room in Telford, which is a roundabout surrounded by car parks, wondering how £15 per day use of the internet is going to go down with the loss adjustors. Still, ****
em if they can’t take a joke.Lucky I count my blessings every day.
<br>And have a treble sorted for tomorrow…
I think it’s a good idea to put niche hobbies down on CVs – there’s every chance the recruiter is a trainspotter in disguise.
I always looked very favourably on people who put down horse racing on their CVs.
Mind you, they nearly always turned out to be feckless idiots.
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Even I’ve just re-activated my betdaq account, and, I’m an insignificant player.
Surely this is the biggest opportunity betdaq and wbx will ever get to make inroads. If they fail to grasp it we’ll all be losers in the long run.
After all Betfair aren’t even a plc yet…
Thanks for the kind words Dave!
Wasn’t there talk of a separate section here somewhere for bloggers to be listed?
Just browsed the thread – good work as always fellas.
Looks like there’s enough form on show in the Chester race for me to get involved for the first time! That said, my move has meant me not seeing many races, and my lack of satellite continues to be a hindrance.
I’ve also just scurried back to the form books to see why I discarded Sinead of Aglish, having read NV’s wise words!
Still, here’s my first 2yo tissue of the season:
Cracking 5/2<br>Fast Feet 7/2<br>Artdeal 6/1<br>Primo Heights 6/1
Now that Vhujon is out I’m not sure this is going to be quite the tear-up anticipated and Cracking could well make all. I haven’t bet yet but were I to do so I think that would be my play.
Oh, and I’ll have to throw in a straight forecast with Sinead now!
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