Wearing the Hat with Pride
Today, as I’ve walked around Islington and ridden the buses hither and thither, I’ve been wearing my Ipswich Town hat in the heart of Arsenal territory.
Have I got any comments? Yes! Were they rude or offensive? No! Well not to Ipswich or myself, but there were a few jokes from Spurs supporters at Arsenal’s expense. Even the few Arsenal supporters who said something, were usually questioning the commitment of their team or some of their players.
In fact, the one feeling I got was one of tolerance. Something we could all learn from in many areas.
More Engineering Pornography
I have a full-size electric drill, but I need something light to put plugs in the plasterboard walls, as although the hand-drill is good, the chuck is not very good and I can’t drill holes deeper than a couple of centimetres.
So I went to Franchi in the Holloway Road and bought a Bosch wine bottle opener.
Bosch IXO Vino
But it also puts in screws and drills holes.
Bosch IXO Vino with Drill Bit
It is actually quite powerful and is ideal for those small jobs, which don’t need the strongest of tools. It also sits in a small charger/holder, so you don’t have to charge it up, when you haven’t used it for a few months.
So ladies, you now know what to buy your man for his birthday! Or for yourself, if you’re an alcoholic with a penchant for expensive wine in corked bottles and you don’t have the strongest of hands.
Trains on the Western Curve
Yesterday, as I went to Stratford and was getting my train at Dalston Kingsland, I saw a train test running on the new Western Curve, which connects the East London Line to Highbury and Islington.
A Train on the Western Curve at Dalston
The train on the right is on the North London Line travelling towards Highbury and Islington and on to Willesden Junction and Richmond.
I think the only problem with these two London Overground lines, is that they are generating a lot of traffic and they might turn out to be victims of their own success.
The Acceptable Face of Football
I didn’t particularly enjoy the football at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, mainly because of the score, but also because of the complete lack of atmosphere in the ground.
Last night at Portman Road, there were 4,500 Arsenal fans amongst those at the ground and the place was jumping, as it hasn’t done all season.
To make matters better, Ipswich won by the only goal, so perhaps the troubles of this season are on their way out.
In some ways one of the highlights of the night, was the atmosphere on the crowded train home. I was in a First Class carriage and evrybody else looked as if they supported Arsenal. I was wearing my Ipswich hat and all I got was congratulations and the odd back-slap.
In the end I walked home from Dalston Kingsland, through what is Arsenal territory without any comments at all.
How far from the stereotype is all this?
The Problems of Evening Football at Ipswich
Evening football shouldn’t be a problem, but yesterday meant that I had to travel from Stratford in the rush hour and that means that a cheap day return wasn’t available unless I left before 4:30. In the end I got the 4:09 after taking the North London Line from Dalston Kingsland. The trouble was this got me to Ipswich at about five thirty for a match that starts at a quarter to eight.
Ipswich isn’t too good for eating gluten-free, the only place being Pizza Express and they were full, so in the end I resorted to plan B of eating a packed supper in the rain in the stands. I should say though, that I could have booked myself a gluten-free meal in the restaurant at Portman Road, but I didn’t want to pay the extra to sit away from my friends.
The salad I took was interesting in that it was a Four Bean and Buckwheat Salad from Waitrose.
Waitrose Four Bean and Buckwheat Salad
I ate it with some salami and an EatNakd bar. It was delicious and I don’t seem to have suffered any reaction. But then it didn’t list any allergens on the package. Why can’t they label it with None? Thanks go to the guy in Waitrose in the Barbican for checking the rather small print on the label.
I did make one mistake in that I forgot to take any cutlery, but thanks to Marks and Spencer in Ipswich for letting me have one of their free forks, without making a purchase.
We see a lot of bad service, so when I get good service it should be recognised.
The Anonymous Widower 