Twenty-six members were in attendance at Westminster station for the start of a pre-Xmas Lunch walk on . We headed across Westminster Bridge and joined the Thames Path by the old County Hall building. We avoided the temptations of fairground rides and mulled wine stalls as we walked in an easterly direction to the Millenium footbridge, now no longer wobbly. Crossing to the north bank of the Thames, we made for Blackfriars Bridge where we left the riverside to walk to the Middle Temple. However, the plan to go through the gardens to Fleet Street was thwarted because the exit gate was closed. A diversion brought us back enroute at Temple Bar and then onto Lincoln Inn Fields. There, we passed a small classic car rally before crossing into Covent Garden and finishing at our lunch venue, the Freemasons Arms. Twelve more members joined us there and the new management at the pub provided an excellent repast in the upstairs function room. After our chair Hilary spoke about the Club’s past year and thanked the staff, we headed home in a festive mood.
As most of you know, the club had a trip here in June 2015 and this is where our web master Clive lives. I’ve been in touch with him on and off since March. At the beginning, it seemed that the village was isolated from the virus, although there were cases in Ronda. Things have become progressively gloomier over the last 6 months and here’s his latest on how things are in the village.
dinner at the simancon
Businesses over here are dropping like flies… I think now the penny has dropped exactly how much they relied on the UK, German and US visitors… I am not sure how long some places in Grazalema will remain open. Places like Rumores and the Simancon seem to be keeping their heads above water but others are obviously struggling. In Ronda 20 bars shut down permanently last month. The coronavirus is increasing again and we have cases all around us in the villages. Apparently, Ronda only has 2 available intensive care beds available… Spain registered almost 2000 new cases over the last 24 hours. Goodness knows what will happen when the schools re open next month.
On Saturday 14 March, just ahead of the more stringent advice on social distancing, the Club held its AGM at Better Bankside. With the increasing threat of coronavirus, the organisers had thought long and hard about whether to go ahead and email reminders had been sent out about the importance of hand washing, so I was expecting a much reduced attendance. In the event 36 members turned out, only two down on last year, and this in spite of a few older members sensibly deciding to stay at home to reduce their risk of infection. Perhaps we all had an inkling that would be our last physical gathering for a while. Hilary, in the chair, began the meeting with tributes to Solvig Starborg who had died in January and Ian Gordon who had passed away last May. Both had been AGM regulars. Continue reading AGM 14 March 2020→
Nine Polyamblers met at Stratford, despite the drop in temperature and pessimistic weather forecast, for the stroll across the Olympic Park, past the stadium where Danny was watching athletics the week before, and along the thoughtfully renamed Greenway (formerly the Northern Outfall Sewer Cycleway!) to Victoria Park, met by a flock of mini-cyclists wearing yellow high-vis jackets and then through the Old English Garden, past the East Lake and the massive Burdett-Coutts Drinking Fountain to the grassy expanse of the East Park. Continue reading Sunday 28th July Victoria Park Jazz→
My chosen rendez-vous point for the Angels Tour, the Midland Hotel, was in the right spot but sadly was not offering lunchtime food on the day. They were very apologetic and allowed us to bring in sandwiches from nearby, which some of us did, while others went to the KooKoo Cafe recommended by Rosie. Suitably refreshed, 16 of us gathered in Angels reception, to be met by our guide Mark who informed and entertained us for the next 2 hours. We started in Continue reading Monday 17 June 2019: Angels Costume Tour (Hendon)→
