Went out for a meal with Selina and Graham at the Old Trout in Thame. Stayed there most of the evening. The meal we had was good, not excellent, I suppose because it was from the Telegraph special.
The place was reasonably busy, some tables being used more than once during the evening. Service was generally prompt but not intrusive.
We had John and Carol over for supper. Â Slow soak in the hot tub, beautiful dark, cold, and clear evening, followed by supper with a roaring log fire burning sustainable fuel in the house.
Menu
Our first Cambridge Society trip of the year was to the Marylebone Cricket Club. We were counted in at the Grace Gate and congregated in the Tavern stand. We were split into groups of 25 for the tour.
First stop was the pavilion, where we entered into the Long Room. When matches are playing, the long room would have over 200 people standing and seated. In the centre of the long room are the doors out to the wicket. The players would have to come down the stairs from the changing rooms, walk through the crowded long room to the doors in the centre, and out onto the ground. The trip back would either be elating or embarrassing depending on the outcome of the players innings.
Next we moved on to the committee room, where we sat and listened to the history of the MCC. Rosemary was not overly impressed by the quality of the committee tables. There was a lovely gavel, looking like a small cricket ball and bat.
Next on to the home changing rooms, where all the centuries scored in test matches by England are posted. One century from Bill Edrich, and two from John Edrich.
Back down the stairs and up again to the museum. The shutters on the entrance were jammed, so we had to take the back entrance through various small narrow corridors. Here we saw the ashes and lots of memorabilia from test matches and the history of cricket. There were odd exhibits, like the stuffed sparrow, which had been killed by a cricket ball. There were many photographs of players, and numerous signed cricket bats.
Now we walked around the ground to the nursery end, where there is a small field for practice and for playing lesser matches, along with the indoor cricket ground and ECB offices. At this end, there are the Edrich and Compton stands, these are not tall and must not be increased in size. Making them bigger would hide the tress in the background. To this aim the National Westminster Media Centre is tall, but build on two towers so that the trees can be seen under it. We took the lift up to the Media Centre where we can an excellent view of the ground. The Media Centre was a large monocoque aluminium structure, which was build, be a shipbuilder in Torquay.
Final visit was the Lords Tavern for a beer and lunch.
While in London we paid a visit to Alfies antique fair. Here we saw lots of gorgeous goodies. There seemed to be a lot of fantastic lighting from the 60s. I was quite taken by it, until I spied the price on one rather small light fitting of £450.
Rosemary and I were invited by Tony to attend the Aylesbury Business Excellence Awards run by The Bucks Herald. Tony was on the short list for winning the Small Business of the Year award. Tony owns Ladymead Joinery and specialises in top quality hardwood windows, doors, staircases and fencing.
The event was a black tie dinner and awards ceremony at the Aylesbury Civic Centre. Amazingly the trousers appeared not to have unduly shrunk in the wardrobe since they were last worn. The meal was a four-course meal, (Chicken and Smoked Bacon Salad, Lamb, Profiteroles and Cheese) with wine, and various speeches. Our waitress was not a young thing, but was very proficient and quite a character. The main entertainment was the impressionist, Steve Nallon from the TV show Splitting Image. He provided us with the voices of Tony Blair, Anne Widdecombe, Alan Bennett and many other politicians and entertainers. Dez Kay from Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio was the Master of Ceremonies.
After the ceremony, the disco started, hosted by Phil Gomm. At which stage we decamped to the bar and some quiet. Though I could have stayed and watched for hours, admiring the hairdressers from Destiny Hair Designs and the Bucks Herald girls dance. Did though have a chat with Adstock Web who speacialise in Web solutions and search engine Optimisation, who alas failed to win the innovation award, which went to Littlecote Soap Company.
Well did Ladymead Joinery come top of its class? Of course they did!! Their craftsmanship and customer service delivered by Tony Clark and his team make Ladymead Joinery a worthy winner.
Christmas has been and gone. Mainly quite a cold week, with snow in some areas, but again no snow around where we live. Our main Christmas meal was on Boxing Day, when Selina and Graham visited for lunch.
Not a good Christmas, I took to bed shortly after Boxing day with a bout of flu.
Now fully recovered, I have had a quick two-day trip to Edinburgh where I met up with Ed for a couple of pints and some smoked Salmon for supper.