Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in ………….. Surrey, Croydon, North and Central London,

Week 61 (or Week 24 of the new adventure), Saturday 15th August until Friday 21^st August 2015.

Last weekend MOZ and I went “up north” back to Hampstead we have not been there for a few weeks.  The first thing I saw coming out of the station was a lonely teddy sitting on a bollard; the poor bear looked lonely and lost.  I really wanted to take the bear home, I didn’t.

 Poor Bear.

After having a coffee and cake and buying some artisan bread in “Euphorium” bakery, we mooched around.  I got very excited when I saw “Keats” the cat, which is not really its name; I call him/her that as they live near John Keats the poets house.  Keats is such a friendly kitty and loves to be fussed; I suspect this is how it spends their day just being loved by poetry enthusiast visiting Keats House, what a tough life.  In other cat related news on Sunday MOZ and I saw a cat we call “Little Tarts” near MOZ’s house.  We haven’t seen Tarts for a while, who came  running up to us chatting away in a strong east London accent  just wanting more love, another cat who leads a busy life.  In fact Tarts made us miss the bus, due to following me.  Well I’m blaming missing the bus on Tarts MOZ was not impressed as she was already at the bus stop and saw the bus pass by.

 Emmmm, Coffee and Cake.

Back to Hampstead, It was late in the afternoon so we thought we would go visit the Hampstead Heath swan family.  We were so lucky, I could almost shake wings with them, they were within touching distance the whole family, mum, dad and 5 not so small signets.  One of the parents stood right in front of me neck stretched tall and proud.  There was a lot of wing flapping from a couple of the large grey signets it’s amazing to see how they have grown over the last couple of months.  Other highlights were plenty of Pigeons who kept catching my eye (I love a Pigeon), and a number of Rats who were spotted running along the waterline grabbing sodden bread that hadn’t been eaten.

 Big Birds of Hampstead.

Yes I’m a geek, a sci-fi fan but also a bit of a transport fan; I love a train, both overground and underground.  I enjoy a bus as well and have very fond memories of travelling all day on a “Red Bus Rover” ticket with my best friend George when we were young trying to travel on as many buses in one day.  We always seemed to end up going through Catford at some point, a place that I like to think of as a Bus Bermuda Triangle.  We would literally hop on and off because the old Routemasters had an open back door.  There are very few of these buses around today because they have been replaced by a new generation of what are nicknamed “Boris buses” after the Major “BoJo The Clown” who brought them in to service.  I think you can hop on and off when the back door is open but in this age of ”health and safety” I doubt that will be often.  MOZ and I took a trip on a new one, like a kid I sat right at the front of the top deck and enjoyed the trip stuck in London traffic (Yes I’m sad).  Saw some nice graffiti, interesting shop names and signs along the way; we didn’t have a plan of where we were going.

 Posh North London “Keats” on the left, and rougher east London “Little Tarts” on the right.

Once in central London we really needed a drink so popped in to a fave watering hole, I can’t tell you its name because I don’t want you all going there and overcrowding the place.  But I can tell you they play indie music while you look out of the window and watch the rozzers taking crims into a police station.  Lovely having a drink with my best friend, while looking over her shoulder as the TV was showing “Indiana Jones and the last Crusade” see told you I’m a geek.  MOZ was watching it as well, I suspect she’s a geek..

 Seen from a “Boris Bus”.

I don’t have many weekends left until I leave for Mozziebeak and I look forward to spending them with my best friend of 26 years.  I will miss MOZ but I will continue to pester her by e-mail, text and Skype, there will be no escape from me.  I bet she was hoping for a rest once I had left.  This really was a perfect weekend for me, time with MOZ catching up with nature in the big city while being a geek.

 Cheap sarnie’s for the week, emmmmm tasty.

In other news.  Shocked the man in M&S because I was buying 5 cheap sandwiches on Saturday night, which would last me the whole of the week ahead.  Leaving a slightly damp bag cycling bag in a corner of the office hoping no one would think it was a bomb.  Horrified about the size of Curly Wurlys there so small these days, compared to when I was young.  Finished four more paintings only a couple left. Saw a couple of dead hedgehogs while cycling, very sad.

 Countries I have been to, designing a new Tattoo for next year.

The Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have been watching: “Witnesess”, (esp 3), “Partners In Crime”, (eps 4), “The Great British Bake Off”, (Season 6, eps 3), “The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice”, (Season 2, eps 3), “Ripper Street”, (Season 3, eps 4), “Horizon: “Are Health Tests Really A Good Idea?” (2014-15, eps 14), “Horizon: How Big is the Universe?”, (2012-13, eps 4), “Horizon: First Britons”, (2014-15, eps15) “Mountain Goats”, (Season 1, eps 1), “Britain’s Nuclear Secrets: Inside Sellafield”, “Race for the World’s Frist Atomic Bomb: A Thousand Days of Fear”, “Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth”, (eps 2 & 3), “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, (1989), “Continuum”, (Season 3, eps 2 & 3).  

This week I have mainly been listening to: “Morrissey”, The Doors”, Throwing Muese”, “Belly”, “M.I.A”, “Kenickie”.

Reading on Kindle……“A Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire” book 2 “ A Clash of Kings” by George R.R. Martin.