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Warsaw – Metro System : C4 Bemowo (Visiting Every Station)

Next on my expedition to visit every metro station in Warsaw was Bemowo, at the western end of the M2 line. Construction of the station started in 2019 and it opened for passenger usage on 30 June 2022, with the station name being simply the name of the district that it’s located in, although during planning it was named after the street it’s on, ‘Powstańców Śląskich’. It’s a residential area of the city and something of a transportation hub, so the extension out here seems rather sensible.

The Church of the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Luke the Evangelist which was constructed in 2001, with the parish having been established in December 1992 by Cardinal Józef Glemp. The first Holy Mass had been celebrated on May 31, 1990, at the site of the future church.

It might have my initials, but I can’t imagine me starting a construction company on the grounds I’m not keen on changing light bulbs.

The sculpture of General Józef Zachariasz Bem (1794–1850) who was a Polish military leader and national hero of both Poland and Hungary. He began his career in the Napoleonic Wars and rose to prominence during the 1830–1831 November Uprising in Poland, where he earned a reputation as a skilled artillery commander. Later, he played a key role in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, leading forces in Transylvania to several significant victories against Austrian and Russian troops. His leadership, courage and tactical brilliance made him something of a beloved figure in both nations given how much he had surprised and delighted the populations. Following the collapse of the revolutions, Bem sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire, where he converted to Islam and continued his military career under the name Murad Pasha. He died in exile in Aleppo in 1850, although his remains were later brought back to Poland. Despite his exile, Bem’s legacy endured as he is remembered as a symbol of cross-national solidarity and the shared fight for independence, with statues and memorials honouring him in both Poland and Hungary.

Looks a bit industrial. This was on my way to look at the nearby Górczewska Park.

This text reads “SÁNDOR PETŐFI 1823 – 1849, Outstanding Hungarian poet Adjutant to Gen. J. Bem, Fell for freedom”. Unless my two loyal blog readers have already forgotten from two paragraphs ago, they already know about General Bem. Sándor Petőfi was a legendary Hungarian poet, revolutionary and something of a national hero. He is widely regarded as Hungary’s national poet and was one of the key figures of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Petőfi’s poetry, full of passionate calls for liberty and national pride, inspired revolutionary fervour among Hungarians. His most famous poem, “Nemzeti dal” (“National Song”), played a central role in igniting the revolution.

The park’s amphitheatre which was opened in 2008 and which can seat up to 1,000 spectators. From 2009, it was named the Michael Jackson Amphitheatre, which didn’t delight everyone and they took the name away in 2019 as it became too controversial. It was originally given this name because he did some sort of musical event at the nearby airport, Warsaw-Babice Airport.

Some trees and a park seems a sensible place to put them.

A hill in the park with a playground on it.

It started raining so I thought that I’d better get back.

Going down the steps.

The station design which seems less decadent than they could have made it given that it’s a new station and the ones before looked, well, more jazzy. The plan was to use weathering steel, or Corten Steel, as apparently this rustiness looks interesting. I’m not entirely convinced, but there we go.

The ever useful metro map. The task of constructing the C4 Bemowo station, along with the preceding C5 Ulrychów station and connecting tunnels, was awarded to a consortium comprising the Turkish company Gülermak Ağır Sanayi İnşaat ve Taahhüt A.Ş. as the leader, and the Italian company Astaldi S.p.A., both of whom had experience in building other bits of the network in the city. While the station box itself was constructed using the cut-and-cover method, typical for Warsaw Metro stations, the connecting tunnels were bored using Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), which were named “Krystyna” and “Elisabetta”.

April 18, 2025
2025 LDWA Capital Challenge

Someone, which I accept was likely me, thought that it would be a great idea to complete the LDWA Capital Challenge event again. So, after getting up way too early, here’s Liam on the train all excited for the day of traipsing around London. The event has three different routes, although we happened to be doing the same route that we had completed before.

An early morning Tower of London.

The Tower of London with a pond in the moat.

Old and new, it looks a little AI created, but is authentic.

Walking over Tower Bridge to the start of the event, which this time was at a community centre. The first London LDWA marshal we saw was Pete C and it’s always a delight to catch up with him.

The fog on the Tyne is all mine all mine…. It’s the Thames, I accept, but I don’t know any songs about the foggy Thames.

Liam at Canary Wharf.

Some decorative elements at Canary Wharf.

One of the two city farms that we walked by.

Some pigs.

Looking back to the city.

Liam in the Greenwich foot tunnel. I would say that there’s a fun fact that the tunnel was bombed during the war and the heavily patched up area in the middle is testament to that, but I’m not sure that is quite a “fun” thing… Incidentally, we had to walk up and down the stairs as the lifts were broken. However, as Liam and I are just natural and accidental Olympian types, we would have walked up and down anyway.

The Cutty Sark, a majestic clipper ship launched in 1869, embodies the romance of the high seas and the fierce competition of the 19th-century tea trade. Built for speed, with the odd name “short shirt” (Scots for a short undergarment, the name of a witch in Robert Burns’ poem) was designed to be the fastest vessel on the China tea route. Though she never quite clinched the title, her sleek lines and impressive sail area allowed her to achieve remarkable speeds, later dominating the Australian wool trade. It became a training ship used by the Royal Navy and it then became a museum ship before a sub-optimal situation when it caught fire a few years ago. There’s a bit of the Ship of Theseus about all this, I wonder how much is actually original….

The first snack of the day, from the Tesco Meal Deal we had obtained earlier in the day.

The River Thames and my fun fact about this is that the river has its very own species of seahorse, which is a short-snouted seahorse that has been found living in the tidal parts of the river, particularly in the area around Greenwich.

Looking back on where we’d walked earlier in the day.

Clever, if you walk in that direction for 24,859 miles then you end up back in the same place. There are some technical reasons why that might be quite challenging, but I like the theory.

This is the ‘Demon with Bowl’ sculpture by Damian Hurst located on Edmund Halley Way and designed to look like a Ancient Mesopotamian demon.

I used to live over there…….

Liam enjoying the exciting view. We were making a good pace at this point, trying to keep other walkers in sight to help with the navigation. As a little treat for him, I let Liam do all the navigation on this event. Actually, I’ve let him do that for the last 23 events, which is a reminder of how we work so well together.

Approaching the Thames Barrier. As today’s fun fact, the design of the Thames Barrier’s rising sector gates was actually inspired by the humble taps on a gas cooker. Reginald Charles Draper, who conceived the idea, based the rotating cylinders on the way gas cooker taps work.

A close-up of the barrier and Liam studied its engineering. I wondered if there were any nineteenth century clay pipes in that beach area.

Volunteers at the second checkpoint which was the first one with some little snacks to keep us going. As usual, thanks so much to all the volunteers who make events such as this possible.

My delicious lunch from the Tesco meal deal, fortunately not heated up too much in the blazing sun. I haven’t yet mentioned, but it was too hot.

Some fields. If I’m being honest, I’m more of an urban walker.

A bridge at Eltham Palace, once a favoured palace of kings, including Henry VIII who spent his childhood there, it fell into disrepair which wasn’t entirely ideal. In the 1930s, eccentric millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld built a stunning modern home onto the existing Great Hall, creating a unique architectural hybrid.

Anyone looking closely will see Dave M filming one of his videos. Dave started later than Liam and I, catching us up just before we reached the Palace. We walked together until the next checkpoint ensuring lots of gossip, but then he had to have a long rest at that checkpoint so Liam and I bravely walked on our own. I initially assumed that he just couldn’t keep up with the pace of us athletes, but it transpired he was waiting for his wife…. I wondered how much attention Dave actually pays though, we walked up about 12 enormous hills near Charlton and he didn’t even notice them. Actually, Dave was also reading from the route description, something which is completely beyond me, I’m more of a GPX person. But, I sometimes think I’m not a natural navigator….

Beckenham Place Mansion and time for another fun fact…. Despite its rather grand appearance as a Grade II* listed Georgian building, the impressive portico on the north-west side wasn’t originally part of the mansion. It was added later, around 1806-1812, and was actually salvaged from another demolished house in Blackheath called Wricklemarsh House showing that they had a desire for recyling.

Not that I’m one gossip, but it was evident to me that Liam was limping slightly, but he denied it. We are very different, at the first sign of pain or discomfort with me, then absolutely everyone knows about it, including members of the public who happen to be walking by. Liam is braver and doesn’t like to make a fuss, whereas I rather like a dramatic monologue, why be subtle when there’s an opportunity for a theatrical production?

Some street art somewhere near Crystal Palace. Liam’s foot wasn’t in the best of states by this time, but I rushed ahead to inspire him to walk quicker. As they always say, “the sooner you’re finished, the less time you’re stuck out there”. I accept I’m not sure who actually says that, but there’s some truth to it and tough love is important. I did say we could slow down if he wanted, but we both knew that I didn’t really want him to.

I did wonder about visiting a pub at the end of the walk, but the one near to the end point is operated by Sam Smiths and I can’t be navigating their odd rules and regulations.

The end of the walk and I think we were very brave. It was good to see Gavin at the finish with a smiling face and I announced that Liam was suffering a little in the hope that we might both get extra cake although that didn’t work. Although, and unusually, I thought Liam should win the ‘bravest walker’ out of the two of us as he had been a bit limpy but kept going. For anyone interested, the results are here and that was over twenty minutes faster than when we did it before. We never really worry about times, but we were surprised at how fast we got round, we must be getting fitter and healthier.

My certificate and my third pack of Mini Cheddars as I can’t be near them without eating them and I also needed sustenance after the long walk.

Liam and I at the end, with Sarah who trod on my shoelace but I was too polite to say. We then walked back to the nearby Overground station and then nearly boarded the train before I remembered we hadn’t touched in, so that would have been sub-optimal to have been fined. Luckily I remembered, we boarded and Liam soon recovered and didn’t collapse. As one of the finest athletes in the LDWA, I was uninjured. This tends to happen on urban walks, I like firm and flat surfaces, which isn’t the usual terrain of a challenge event. I should say we didn’t see much of the other walkers from Norfolk, but it was good to catch up with Andy and others at the end.

It was another lovely day out and marvellously organised. There is less food and drink than other challenge events, but the theory is that entrants walk by hundreds of food and drink options, so the need is a little different to a rural walk. I’ve now put my certificate on the wall at home, I’ve once again gone for blu-tac rather than a frame as that’s just, well, within my DIY skills.

April 18, 2025

Ickworth House – Below Stairs

One of the volunteer guides at Ickworth House told me that this favourite area of the property was the below stairs tunnels and rooms. These comments transpired to be very understandable having seen the whole building, there’s an element of rawness down here.

Located on the lower floor under the Rotunda, the opportunity to explore this hidden world is largely thanks to a significant initiative by the National Trust: the “Ickworth Lives” project. Launched in 2011, this project meticulously researched and restored the basement quarters to reflect their appearance and function during the 1930s.

The wine and craft beer storage area. I accept it was mostly the former.

Keeping track of who was staying in the rooms.

A lovely view of a brick wall, although at least there was some sun shining in. Anyway, I think it’s time for a table:

Role	Key Responsibilities	Mentioned/Implied at Ickworth
Butler	Supervise male staff, manage wine cellar, oversee dining service, potentially valet duties	Yes (Mr. Dunning)
Housekeeper	Supervise female staff, manage linens & stores, oversee house cleaning	Yes (Mrs. Seddons)
Cook/Head Cook	Plan menus, order food, manage kitchen staff, prepare meals	Yes
Valet	Gentleman’s personal servant: dressing, clothes care, shaving, boot polishing	Implied/General
Lady’s Maid	Lady’s personal servant: dressing, hair, cosmetics, clothes care	Implied/General
Footman	Assist butler, serve meals, answer door, run errands, polish silver	Yes (Laurence)
Housemaid	Clean rooms, make beds, clean fires, dust, general household duties	Yes (Rose, Lily, Florence)
Parlour Maid	Serve meals (often breakfast/lunch), clean reception rooms, answer door	Yes (Mary Brunning)
Kitchen Maid	Assist cook with food preparation, kitchen cleaning	Yes (Ruth Mizen, Maggie)
Scullery Maid	Wash dishes/pots/pans, heavy cleaning in kitchen/scullery, prepare vegetables, light fires	Yes (Arianna, Harriet Flack)
Hall Boy	General errands, heavy lifting (coal/wood), cleaning boots, assisting footmen/butler	Yes (John Mayhew)

That’s quite a selection of staff who were working in the warren of rooms downstairs. The job wasn’t the worst going, but it would require an early rise and shifts tended to be up to 16 hours a day, with minimal days off. Lady Theodora Hervey, the 4th Marchioness, had at least improved matters somewhat in her 1910 investment in the facilities which reduced the need to walk so far to serve food and it also introduced electric lighting and hot water boilers.

It seems that rather than the servants being housed in the attic of the building,some of their sleeping quarters were located in the maze of downstairs rooms.

I’ve seen far worse in terms of accommodation.

I can only imagine this was one of the rooms for a butler or valet, it’s quite decadent. It also has half a set of encyclopaedias.

Some of the industrial equipment in the cellars. Liam was more excited about all this engineering than I was. How someone can get excited by a piling rig is beyond me, but I don’t judge.

The finishing kitchen and this was installed after the dining room debacle meant the food was getting cold by the time it arrived.

I did note that the kitchen was bigger than my entire flat….

More engineering.

Liam understood this.

The pipes continue.

One of the toilets that the servants could use.

And, for the sake of completeness, the other one.

There’s been an increase in interest in this whole sort of thing since Downton Abbey, although I’ve personally always been more engaged with You Rang, M’Lord?, although I must admit to having never watched Downton Abbey…. It’s definitely an intriguing area of the house and they’ve restored this really to quite a high standard of authenticity which has humanised the rooms.

April 17, 2025

Ickworth House – William Hogarth’s ‘The Hervey Conversation Piece’

As I’m not observant, I hadn’t realised at the time that this painting at Ickworth House was by William Hogarth (1697-1764) who must rank as one of the most influential British artists. The work was commissioned by John, Lord Hervey, and also has the title of ‘The Holland House Group’ which seems to me to be a more grown-up sounding name than ‘the Hervey Conversation Piece’. This secondary title points towards the significant presence of Henry and Stephen Fox, whose family later held the title Baron Holland and resided at Holland House. I had to look it up, but the ‘conversation piece’ style of artwork was a thing in the eighteenth century, a way of the middle classes to show off their status.

It was painted between 1738 and 1740, with this being time for another table…

Sitter	Key Title/Role	Depicted Action/Pose	Relationship to Hervey/Group
John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey (1696–1743)	Vice-Chamberlain to Royal Household	Standing centrally, wearing gold key, gesturing at plan	Commissioner; Central figure; Political leader/Courtier
Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland (1705–1774)	Surveyor-General of the King’s Works	Standing, holding up architectural plan	Political ally (Whig); Colleague (related interests in architecture/works)
Stephen Fox, 1st Earl of Ilchester (1704–1776)	Later Joint Secretary to the Treasury	Seated at table with wine/fruit, dog at feet; stick upsets Desaguliers’ chair	Brother of Henry Fox; Political ally (Whig); Social connection
Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough (1706–1758)	Gentleman of the King’s Bedchamber (from 1738)	Seated left of Hervey, leaning in, gesturing	Colleague in Royal Household; Political ally (Whig); Social connection
Thomas Winnington (1696–1746)	Whig Politician	Standing beside Marlborough, foot on garden roller	Political ally (Whig); Social connection
Rev. John Theophilus Desaguliers (1683–1744)	Natural Philosopher, Clergyman, Engineer, Freemason	Peering through telescope, teetering on upset chair near river	Intellectual figure; Represents scientific/Enlightenment interests within Hervey’s circle

I love a political artwork (I don’t get out much) as they’re statements of intent and political alliances rather than anything else. Hervey had reached the giddy heights of Vice-Chamberlain to Royal Household which was a rather more powerful role than it is today. I note that because I would bet that the majority of people don’t know that Samantha Dixon currently holds the role, although I sometimes fear that the majority of people don’t know who the Home Secretary is.

There is some background information here, which is that John Hervey and Stephen Fox were in a relationship, although initially John has pursued Henry Fox until he rejected the advances and he went for his older brother instead. For extra excitement, Winnington had an affair, likely more than one, and managed to get himself involved in a duel.

The artwork has never left the property and was owned by the Hervey family until 1956 when it was accepted by HM Treasury in lieu of death duties and then given to the National Trust. There’s also a copy of the artwork at Redlynch Park in Wiltshire, which was the country seat of the Fox family.

April 17, 2025

Ickworth House – Painting of Constantine Phipps Greeting Augustus Hervey

This painting at Ickworth House shows the meeting of the Hon. Mrs Constantine Phipps being led to greet her brother, Captain the Hon Augustus Hervey, later 3rd Earl of Bristol. The artwork was commissioned in 1750 by the matriarch Mary, Lady Hervey, but it was a rather more complex affair than she might have first intended. The six individuals posed, or whatever it is people do when sitting for a painting, in Paris in October 1750 and much of the whole thing was a show of her social status. Anyway, there’s more about Mary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Hervey and more about Augustus at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Hervey,_3rd_Earl_of_Bristol.

The artist was Hubert-François Bourguignon (1699-1773), known as Gravelot, who was something of an active participant in London’s burgeoning art scene, frequenting Slaughter’s Coffee House and teaching at the St. Martin’s Lane Academy, an important precursor to the Royal Academy, alongside figures like William Hogarth and Francis Hayman. His pupils included the young Thomas Gainsborough, who reportedly even painted backgrounds for Gravelot in the mid-1740s. In the Ickworth painting, commissioned five years after his return to Paris, Gravelot appears to have been the primary architect and instigator of the whole arrangement. He is credited with painting the bodies of the figures and, significantly, the heads of Mary, Lady Hervey, and the Fitzgerald couple.

But then we move onto Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702–1789), a portrait painter born in Geneva to French Huguenot parents. For the Ickworth commission, Liotard was specifically engaged to paint the heads of the Honourable Mrs Constantine Phipps and her husband. But then it seems that Lady Hervey became a bit impatient with the speed of everything and she commissioned Francis Hayman (1708-1776) to finish everything off, although his exact contribution is unclear so there are some figures that have likely been painted by three different people.

Which gives us (as everyone loves a handy table):

Figure	Name & Title (at time of painting / later)	Dates	Relationship to Commissioner (Mary, Lady Hervey)	Depicted Attire	Artist of Head
Woman being led	Hon. Lepell Phipps (née Hervey) / later Lady Mulgrave	1723–1780	Daughter	Pink and white dress	Liotard
Man being greeted	Captain the Hon. Augustus Hervey / later 3rd Earl of Bristol	1724–1779	Son	Blue naval uniform, gold braid	Gravelot
Woman seated (right)	Mary ‘Molly’ Lepel, Lady Hervey	c. 1700–1768	Commissioner (Self)	Pink dress, black shawl	Gravelot
Man leading woman	Constantine Phipps / later 1st Baron Mulgrave	1722–1775	Son-in-law	Blue attire	Liotard
Second woman standing	Lady Mary Fitzgerald (née Hervey)	1726–1815	Daughter	Green dress	Gravelot
Second man standing	George Fitzgerald, MP	(dates N/A)	Son-in-law	Murrey-brown coat, blue waistcoat	Gravelot

What a faff. This painting was one of the relatively few at Ickworth House that just stayed at the property, perhaps because no-one else would want it, rather than being one that the National Trust had to work out how to reacquire later on. The whole thing feels like the eighteenth century equivalent of a modern-day photo of a family on a first class flight somewhere cultural, showing happy families, a slight air of superiority and a hint of cultural aspirations. Well, something rather more than a hint. The painting is all very country house aristocracy, although to be fair, that’s exactly what it is and I’m rather pleased (as much as anyone can be in the circumstances) that the painting has continued to be kept at the house.

April 17, 2025

Norwich – Flixbus

In news that comes as no great surprise, Flixbus have now arrived in Norwich. The above photo is from the US as I don’t have one from Norwich yet, but they’ll be going to destinations such as London and also, the pearl of the west country, Swindon, so start packing your tiaras for that decadent treat. I’ve travelled with them many times and it’s all a bit erratic as they franchise out their operations so the quality of service is highly variable. I try to stick to trains as coaches are just more stressful and less comfortable, but their prices are generally very low so I’m sure I’ll end up on one at some stage but I’m it’s always something of a local dip of travelling going with them.

April 16, 2025
Ickworth House – Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition

I am that dull that I not only have a favourite encyclopaedia, I have a favourite edition….. So, I’m always surprised and delighted to see them in the wild so to speak. Although the National Trust has split this collection at Ickworth House between two rooms which I managed not to be too traumatised about, although I had a strong urge for Liam to put them all together in one place. I don’t have a physical copy of the book at the moment, but there is a free version on-line and here’s just one random section from the complete set of books that Project Gutenburg has transcribed. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned, but I had some e-mail conversations with Michael Hart, the founder of Project Gutenberg, in what must have been around 1995. Unfortunately, my e-mail archive doesn’t go back that far to read what riveting things I asked him about….. Anyway, I appear to have digressed once again.

April 16, 2025
Bar Billiards World Championships in Sudbury – 2025 Edition

Does bar billiards get any more decadent than this? A couple of weeks ago, it was the world championships in Sudbury. If I’m being honest, I’m not always the best prepared at this, and was for a while reliant on young Oscar, the landlord of the excellent White Lion, to use his reserve cue. But, I managed to acquire my own cue in a fit of organisation, albeit still requiring Oscar to bring that one along anyway. He’s a bit like Alex Higgins in many ways is Oscar, I’m more like Terry Griffiths in terms of playing style. Many thanks to John and Pete, both from the new Artichoke team, for working out how to get me to the event and that was hugely appreciated. I’m fully engaged in pre-match gossip and that got me in the right frame of mind to start the day off. Yes, that was a cleverly worked in pun there.

Very regal. There are nine tables at the world championships and this year there were 81 entrants in the competition, which is growing in popularity every year. There were players from a few Norwich teams who were taking part in the event to add some extra excitement to proceedings. Even Oscar reminding me at the start that my hairline is receding in a way which isn’t ideal at all didn’t diminish my day’s aspiration and target to just not come last of the 81 players taking part. I had set my expectations quite low in that regard as it’s best to be realistic.

The first round of the competition involved groups of three and I was selected to play against Nancy and Lee. The anticipation was palpable, the air thick with the scent of polished wood and the faint clinking of anticipation from the players who had started. Anyway, with the tension racked up, I promptly lost my first match to Nancy so that was bloody sub-optimal, but she deserved the victory. To my slight surprise, I managed to beat Lee which meant that I came second place in the group as Nancy also beat Lee. Also, note the racked up pun in that paragraph. This was also when I heard that Dave Brewer, one of the leading lights of bar billiards in Norfolk, had managed to lose both his first round matches. I thought that if talent of that quality wasn’t winning then the standard must be high.

The intricacies of the tournament structure then came into play, with the highest-scoring second-place finishers granted passage to the coveted main event. I had someone explain it to me twice before I understood it, but it’s a well thought through system which lets everyone have several games during the day. I then went on to referee several other games including one where Lee H from one of the Norwich teams was playing (who reminds me of Judd Trump, but he won’t read this, so I can write anything there) and I managed to get distracted for the first time when refereeing but the players managed to forgive me. They showed commendable sportsmanship which was handy, although my little lapse was relatively minor. Lee H also hasn’t forgotten a little error I made in a game last year in the team tournament, but he added that Pete (the formidable Danish talent and I can only compare him to Kurt Maflin who I know is Norwegian, but I don’t know any Danish snooker players) from his team had done the same in the singles, so that made me feel slightly less incompetent. It was then time for a rest before the next stage. For the snooker lovers, they’ll hopefully acknowledge that quality pun even though it isn’t relevant to bar billiards…

The next stage was another group of three people and I somehow managed to come second in that group, but with a high enough score to make the next round. A quick shout out to the ebullient Pete B from Norwich as well, he’s creating some videos which are phenomenally well made and really show bar billiards in a positive light. I was fascinated by the processes he has to get the score onto the videos, it would all be beyond me, but it’s skilfully done. I might one day appear in one of his videos!

That score of 1,620 was a bit of a shock to me as well as I normally bank any break of more than 20. Thanks to Fraser who came to referee the game and also to Julian who came all the way from Norwich to supervise me in case of any bar billiarding drama. Incidentally as some gossip, Julian (who I compare to Joe Davis since for reasons unknown I seem to be doing some snooker analogies here) has played three games of bar billiards now in his lifetime, two of them in recent weeks and the other about 60 years ago or something. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the frame for next year’s competition, although I won’t tell him that leaning dramatically over the table to miss an easy shot doesn’t quite count as cardio.

Yes, I recorded the score. I’m like that…. Sometimes luck is just on your side though.

As an athlete of some measure (and walking 27 miles on Saturday is testament to how I can switch from one sporting activity to another), my completely unexpected continuation in the event meant that I had to rush to Aldi to buy some snacks. And another beer. Actually, on that point, they had three different real ales available, all from Mauldons and they were reasonably priced and well-kept.

Unfortunately, although I was close, I didn’t chalk up a victory against Pete M in a relatively low scoring game, but he deserved not only that victory but indeed he went on to win the plate. Note another pun there. I’m not normally one for puns, but I’m on a roll here. Actually, that pun reminds me that I was one of the players who didn’t bring any chalk, but I had remembered the cue so that’ll do.

This is a really marvellous event, it’s a fun day out and although there’s of course an element of competition, it’s informal and designed to be about having a good time. I was pleased to get as far as I did, so I’m looking forward to having quite a punchy world ranking later in the year. That’ll be going on this blog I can tell you. It’s the team championships later in the year at the same location and I hope to take part in that, although I’ll have to find some people willing to go along with me….. Thanks to all of the organisers for doing what they did, I very much enjoyed it and am very grateful for those who supported me, got me there and cheered me on during the day. And managing to just not come last was the icing on the bar billiarding cake. Did someone mention cake?

April 15, 2025
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 5 and Falafel and Friends

This week’s visit in the project that James and I have to dine at every food stall at Norwich Market (2025 edition) was to Falafel and Friends.

The menu is extensive and is displayed across two boards. The stall is one of the larger ones at the market as it takes up four units and it’s clearly signed so customers know where to order. The stall takes cards and cash, with everything being clean and tidy. There was a friendly and immediate welcome from the team member, with the ordering process being efficient and well managed. I was given a little slip with my order number, although the team member brought it over around six minutes later without needing to be reminded what I had ordered.

I took a seat in the small dining area which overlooks the servery and the waiting customers, although it was quiet for the half an hour we were there with just a couple of customers. James had to hide from the staff at Lucy’s Chips, once again, as they will wonder why he’s defected away from them. When seated James excitedly told me his latest joke, which was as funny as usual, but was at least not offensive to anyone in the surrounding area.

I went for the Kimchi Dog, which is what I had tried to order when we visited in 2023 but they weren’t available at the time. This was decent, the roll was lightly toasted and the falafel sausage was firm on the exterior and yielded when cut to a softer interior with the falafel having a depth of flavour. I liked the homemade kimchi element under the sausage, although I thought that it could have been a little more powerful in flavour. The Cajun potatoes were crispy and tasted rather pleasant with some lingering heat, whilst the sauce added some extra piquancy to the whole arrangement. The elements worked well together, with the blend of spices and ingredients being thoughtful.

James had pancakes and I asked him what he thought, which was something like (and he’ll forgive me if I’ve got his words slightly wrong):

“The culinary endeavour presented by these Kimchi Pancakes offered a fascinating exploration of flavour and texture. Anchored by a foundation of meticulously homemade kimchi, whose inherent piquant undertones provided a nuanced savour, the pancakes were skillfully crafted with gluten-free flour, resulting in a commendably tender consistency. Visually appealing with a scattering of verdant spring onions and an artful drizzle of vibrant sriracha, the initial gustatory apprehension revealed a complex interplay of umami and spice. While the anticipated savoury notes were indeed present, an unexpected yet intriguing sweetness emerged, creating a paradoxical harmony that, though not entirely conventional, proved to be a noteworthy characteristic.

Despite this subtle saccharine inclination, the Kimchi Pancakes were ultimately a satisfying and substantial offering. The inherent density and the fibrous nature of the kimchi contributed to a pronounced sense of satiety, rendering them a decidedly filling option. The thoughtful integration of high-quality ingredients, from the homemade kimchi to the gluten-free base, alongside the considered garnishes, elevated this dish beyond mere simplicity. Though the sweetness introduced a minor divergence from typical expectations, the overall experience was one of sophisticated flavour and considerable substance, marking it as a commendable and intellectually stimulating culinary encounter. Oh, and it was a bit sickly.”

So, that’s all rather lovely. I really enjoyed my Kimchi Dog which was filling and had a range of tastes and flavours. The challenge is that two years this was £7.50 and it’s now £9 for understandable inflationary reasons, but it’s now at a very punchy price point. I can understand their cost base and I’d still come back here again, as the quality of the food is definitely one of the best in the market. I mentioned in 2023 that this isn’t one of the stalls that James and I would have thought to go to before (we are a bit chips based), but it has surprised and delighted once again.

April 15, 2025
Ickworth House – Library

The library at Ickworth House, the largest of the property’s grand rooms and it is located adjoining the dining room. The name feels slightly misleading, as there are books all over the house and this room doesn’t have that many of them. It’s located at the heart of the Rotunda and is a large and expansive space that was also used as a ballroom. The fireplace was brought from Italy and installed by John Field, all part of the Grand Tour influence.

A lot of the books were rebound by Theodora, Lady Bristol, which has rather hidden their true beauty. I don’t like this uniformity, it’s a shame that the original bindings were lost. That’s what happens when books are seen as aesthetic things rather than beautiful in their own damaged right.

These great pillars are giant scagliola columns which cost £332 back when the room was laid out in the 1820s. It’s fair to say, that was a lot of money, somewhere around £35,000 in today’s money. At the same time, the bookshelves were installed, designed by the royal furniture makers Banting, France & Co who also supplied some of the other furniture in the room.

Anyway, onto one of my judgemental comments…. This room was significant in 2015 when the National Trust, under the leadership of Helen Ghosh, made a decision that they wanted people to linger in the room longer and to do that they would take the furniture out and put in bean bags. The mind process is just ridiculous, it’s easy to get people to linger in a room but it’s just as illogical to turn it into a waiting room as it is to fill it with clutter and force visitors to spend longer there as they can’t get around. At the time, the former head curator at the National Trust called the whole thing “misguided” and he seems right to me. After much hilarity from some observers, the National Trust scrapped the new vision after realising it was a bloody stupid one.

A lot of the blame appears to have been dumped by the National Trust onto Sue Borges, and there’s a photo of the bean bag project at Art History News. Borges claimed none of the 9,500 visitors who had gone through that weekend had criticised the arrangement, but the room guides apparently had a different take according to that article and it’s odd that out of such a large audience no-one had a differing view. Normally the Daily Telegraph have an entirely different view on the National Trust to me, as I’ve apparently gone a bit woke, but I’m pleased that wiser heads prevailed. Right, that’s that complaint out of the way and I very much like that they’re taken the historic items they bought back out of storage and restored them to the room.

April 15, 2025