Australia Visits

I am not at cycling on Monday as we head off to see Clive Myrie in conversation with James Rodgers at Derby Theatre. Myrie is interesting to listen to but for me Rodgers is even more fascinating. Rodgers was the BBC’s Foreign Correspondent in Moscow until he was chucked out along with most western journalists and his tales of Russia and Ukraine are fascinating. He reminisces on how cheap it was to get out there around 2019/2020 which is very true because we ourselves were planning a trip to Chernobyl via Kyiv before Covid intervened and then of course Putin’s invasion. 

After a day in work on Monday, L now has no boss for the next five weeks so will be WFH for sometime. The Olympics are now on and our first golds arrive from Tom Pidcock in the Cross-Country cycling and from the Equestrian Eventing Team.

On Tuesday my Dad manages to take himself to a special Pre-Season Golden Rams Coffee Morning by taxi and apparently has a great time as they unveil a new 50th Anniversary shirt. It being the anniversary of the 1974/75 league title. I’m in the New Inn with him and the Lad the next evening and I thought L was at yoga until I get a photo of her and her friend in the Wollaton pub on the Peroni. After yoga apparently.  

On Thursday morning I run 5k run with L and the Lad but there’s no tennis in the evening.

I have the day off on Friday as we pick up L’s Australian penpal and her hubby from the train station. We take them for lunch on Wollaton Park and then to Miller & Carter for a meal in the evening. We give up our bedroom for them and camp out in the office. L glares at me when I suggest we pretend we’re teenagers in a single bed.

On Saturday I inflict my Dad on our visitors and take them all to Nottingham Castle. Then afterwards we take them to Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, England’s oldest inn but not oldest pub... In Nottingham the Salutation and the Bell claim to be older... All three pubs will fight to the death over this.

They also have the long defunct Hardys and Hansons Olde Trip on the bar. Presumably it’s just one of their owner Greene King’s other beers rebadged. They also have another of the old Hardys and Hansons’ beers Cursed Galleon now brewed by Milestone and down at 4.3% rather than 5% but still very nice.

We then drop our Australian guests back at the train station as they head back to London and then on to Zagred where his family are from. We drop my Dad back at his home and then spend the evening in the Plough where they have three different version of a new ale called Summer Pale at 3.9% that they want you to vote for the best one of. Sadly they are all pale and 3.9%. Then thankfully we’re back in own bed.

On Sunday we run 6.5k with L and do the gym in the evening. 

(Sunday 4^th August)