A Morning Trip In The Rain
I’ve been there many times in my past, both as a child and as a parent.
It’s raining, cats, dogs and hippopotami and all of the things to do indoors have been done to death. So this morning, I decided to see what the new Emirates Air-Line is like in the heavy rain.
I took my usual route to the Northern terminal at Royal Victoria DLR station, by taking a bus and a tube to Bank station and then getting the faithful Docklands Light Railway. Is there a railway anywhere in the world, that was built as on-the-cheap as the DLR, that has morphed so successfully from an ugly duckling into a swan? Or possibly in the DLR’s case to a whole game of swans.
Even on the short trip from Bank to Royal Victoria, there is much to see, like the expensive yachts, housing and offices, the many spires of the East End and mud flats, factories and construction of the River Lea. It is a trip that delights most children.
I took these pictures on the way to Royal Victoria, during the crossing and then at North Greenwich.
Afterwards, I took the Jubilee line to Canary Wharf for a late Full Italian breakfast at Carluccio’s.
So was it a worthwhile trip? And would it be with young children?
- I only got wet walking between Royal Victoria DLR station and the cable-car and between the cable-car and North Greenwich tube station.
- The queues were less than last Sunday and marginally worse at North Greenwich. Is that because there’s parking on the South bank of the river.
- The view from the gondola wasn’t too bad at all. Is the glass treated with a water repellant?
So on balance, a trip in the rain, may even have an advantage in that the crowds are smaller and you don’t have to wait.
A Good Idea For A Restaurant
This window display took my eye in Upper Street today.
A Good Idea For A Restaurant
Especially as the restaurant is closed on Monday.
Equation Dining Room, Islington
I shall try it for lunch one Sunday. Especially, as it looks like they can do gluten-free.
The Best Chicken Tikka Dupiaza In The East
When we lived near Woodbridge, C & I usually went every Monday evening for supper in The Royal Bengal.
I usually had chicken tikka dupiaza and this picture shows why.
Chicken Tikka Dupiaza
Being in the area, I couldn’t resist popping in for lunch.
It was just as good as I remembered it and served by the same staff as when it opened in 1982.
Nutritional Pizzas
This article about Nutritional Pizzas, caught my eye on the BBC’s web site, as I like a nice pizza and haven’t had a good gluten-free one since Naples, a few years ago.
The company behind the new pizzas is called, Eat Balanced, from Glasgow. I spoke to them today and their marketing person is actually a coeliac and she told me that gluten-free pizzas are in their company’s development plan.
So here’s hoping!
EggsMilkButter
EggsMilkButter is the name of a new cafe close to my house. The name comes from the tiling.
It will be nice to pop across the road to get a cappuccino.
Dinner From The Microwave
The Times today is having a go at microwave cookers. It didn’t stop me from eating one of Marks & Spencer’s Fuller Longer meals tonight. It was called Chicken in a Smoky Tomato Sauce.
It was surprisingly, quite well-endowed on the chicken front, although the sauce didn’t appear very smoky. But I could do without that! The only allergen was a small amount of cow’s milk. Here’s a picture.
Chicken in a Smoky Tomato Sauce
Note the Estrella Damm Daura beer.
I will have one of these again.
One of the Worst Days of my Life?
Today, my youngest son, George, would have been forty, which we always think is an important milestone in a person’s life. We tried to arrange a party or even a drink, but gradually everyone has cried off, so I shall celebrate this all by myself. I understand more and more the fortitude with which Aung San Suu Kyi endured her isolation. All of those birthdays and important milestones, that I’ve missed. And I will miss in the future.
But hey, at least I’m still here, despite the efforts of the Devil.
Luckily, by chance, I was given an overdose of survival gene at conception and that keeps pulling me through.
All I can say, to others now, is make sure your children don’t ever start smoking. George’s smoking probably led to his pancreatic cancer, especially if he was an undiagnosed coeliac and thus had a compromised immune system because of his gluten-rich junk food diet.
A Dunking Biscuit for Coeliacs
I have found that Waitrose’s new gluten-free ginger biscuits dunk well.
A Dunking Biscuit for Coeliacs
My mother and my late wife, C, would be horrified at the picture. Dunking was not for polite society!
But my mother would have been pleased that I’ve stopped biting my nails, which C knew anyway.
A1950s Sunday Tea Updated to Gluten-Free
For many of my age, Sunday tea was generally sandwiches and cakes washed down with a Cup of TyPhoo or other tea.
The sandwiches were often of the dreaded fish paste variety, with the paste coming from Shippam’s. For a treat my mother would often add malted fruit bread with currants and sultanas.
I can still taste it all now.
Today for tea, I had fish pate sandwiches and fruit bread.
Here’s the sandwiches, which I made from Genius brown bread, Benecol buttery spread and Waitrose mackerel pate.
Gluten-Free Fish Paste Sandwiches
I cut the crusts off to make them easier to eat. And here’s the Genius fruit bread.
Gluten-Free Fish Fruit Toast
I did toast it, as I prefer it that way.
So I can now go back to the 1950s for Sunday tea.
Who Ate All The Bread?
I took this picture of the gluten-free bread shelves in Waitrose in Islington
Who Ate All The Bread?
Obviously, they believe in a lot of choice for customers. Or are they following Marie Antoinette‘s philosophy of “Let them eat cake”? And biscuits
The Anonymous Widower 