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The Second Annual Gathering @
The Second Annual Gathering @
The Barbican Centre, London
Friday the 6th of September 2019
Life outside Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments" - Episode 14 Life Outside Ambridge Have a seat and let's chat.
I am certainly planning on being there and I hope as many people as possible take the plunge and decide to come too - I honestly had a great time last year at Waterloo. Looking forward to it...!
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea, Gary, thanks. Is that the conservatory ?
ReplyDeleteSo, a reminder for Sept. 6th, Barbican Centre, from 11am earliest, though probably a little later for most of us. ( Just hope it isn't pouring down like today....we were going to Kew with friends, but decided to postpone till next mutually convenient day, when the forecast is better)
Such a shame that we will not be able to actually be in the conservatory which was my reason for suggesting the Barbican.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely picture Gary, thanks for finding it.
Not poss for me unfortunately, rehearsals & concert on the 8th, intervention chirurgicale the following Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteHave a great time & a few beers for me!
Have just booked my flight to London!
ReplyDeleteGoodness Gary! You are very good to go to the expense of booking a flight to London for this event. But as train fares are so horribly expensive these days, perhaps there is not much difference? Anyway, I admire your dedication to these blogs and the folk using them. I am still considering if I shall be fit enough to go along.
DeleteI used some Avios points Archerphile, so all I paid for return flights was £35!
DeleteI really hope you will find a way to come along on the day - and I can think of worse people to Uber across London with than our fellow bloggers! C'mon, you know you want too....!!!
Hi Archerphile, I’m traveling up for this and I think we’re in the same neck of the woods ( I live in Ropley near Alresford) I would be happy to give you a lift to & from local station and lend an elbow traveling across London if that would help. Just let me know on here, I imagine we could safely exchange mobile numbers on this forum.
DeleteThat is so kind of you KP, in fact everybody is being very kind and thoughtful
DeleteI have a strategy planned for next week. Mr A is going to take me to our local station and see me up onto the train ( he might have to push!). I’ll travel down to the city, find somebody to help me down, then mooch around the city, which is quite hilly, to see how long I can manage and its a quite an uphill walk back to the station. I’ll find a porter or someone to get me back on the train and Mr A will be waiting to help me off!!
It is mainly going down steps I find very difficult because my rotten knee tends to collapse under me sometimes as I put weight on it and steep steps are very difficult.
If I can manage all that without too much pain and getting exhausted......I’ll be in touch on here. (Wouldn’t need lift to station, have my own live-in taxi driver!)
That sounds like a good plan, just a thought though, Petersfield station might be easier to negotiate. Train costs and journey times are similar, I am happy to meet you at either one then sort out journey from Waterloo to the Barbican by whichever means of transport suits you best.
DeleteWinchester High Street is quite steep although I have finally worked out how to get to each station platform to avoid stairs.
I’m afraid Petersfield station is a very long way away from me KP, if I decide to go up to London I would use Basingstoke to Waterloo, or possibly Reading to Paddington. The new, modernised Reading station is more manageable (with escalators) thanBasingstoke. But many thanks for the offer.
DeletePtbY asked on the other blog where on the Barbican exactly.
ReplyDeleteIt will be signposted Barbican Centre, I think. It is in front of the large building where the theatre, gallery & conservatory are, restaurant one side. Open space, fountains ( hopefully playing) views across the water, Wren church, if I remember correctly.
If you come from Barbican tube, you walk a bit, some steps ( down?) & there you are.
If coming from Moorgate tube you are directed along walkways into the B. Centre. From there you find your way to the entrance where we will be, out or in, depending on the weather.
Thanks Carolyn. Will get my little yellow man on google maps to have a sneak preview.
ReplyDeleteI’m disappointed in you Gary...... thought I’d you set off now with your bike and tent you could have had a gentle cycle down. 🤭🚵🏻♂️🚴🏻♂️
It’s unbelievable to think that flying down is a hell of a lot cheaper than the train.
IF you set off now. Bloody fat fingers !!!!! Aargh!
DeleteI have done hols.which have included a door-to-door travel service, This meant taxi transport, to + from Manchester airport, then flying to either Heathrow or Gatwick, to then get a main flight. This was the cheapest option and far quicker, and less hassle, for me.
ReplyDeleteI probably paid for all this in the holiday costs - but worth it!
No excuses Archerphile.
ReplyDeleteWe want to meet you.
My offer is still on the table
Mr A is living it up in Canada ,you accompanied him to the Wedding Anniversary Party so it is your turn now.
Gary...... could you be ( would you be ) clever and put up the map of the Barbican ( I would if I could) and do a dropped pin on the lakeside.
DeleteWould that be possible ?
Please.
( I learned dropped pin last week. )
Archerphile, you now have several offers of help and lots of encouragement.
DeleteHere is a bit more of the latter from me.
Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone!!
DeleteIf you read my reply to KP above you will see my strategy for next week.
Hopefully all will go well and I’ll be meeting you all before long.
P.S. this is nothing to do with me ‘getting one back’ for the party and Canada, nothing to do with Mr A at all in fact - just my mobility difficulties at present. Once I have a new knee to go with the new hip there will be nothing stopping me! 😃 🤞
MrsP - after the horror show with the blog this morning I am not going to attempt to do anything any more complicated than this! Will try to do as you ask tomorrow...
ReplyDeleteIf I knew how I would do it myself GG.
DeleteHowever, to all others.........
If interested, Google The Barbican Centre and their website has a map of the complex.
The Lakeside Terrace - LT - is where we are gathering.
I have been assured that there is a cafe on that level, inside, that provides hot/ soft drinks and light food options.
Early September often brings us good weather so let's be optimistic and hope that it will be pleasant enough to spend some of the time outside on the Terrace enjoying the fountains.
I shall have to be outside because I will have Lady with me.
If you can do Google Earth, again it's possible to find your way around the complex and get directly to the LT by foot. There are white lines on the ground to help follow a route. But it is a complicated building so be aware but NOT deterred.
Would anybody like me to bring any poppy seeds?
ReplyDeleteMight be able to muster a few hollyhock seeds too hopefully.
Ha! I will gladly bring you the seeds of the plants from the seeds that you gave me last year Lanjan. Talk about the circle of life...!!
DeleteThat is very kind Gary but I still have some of last year’s hollyhock seeds and have spotted a garden down the road with some attractive pink ones.
DeleteFunnily enough I obtained(knocked on the door and asked ) some double pale pink seeds which grew into lovely hollyhocks and lasted about two years but then they too vanished.The person from who. I obtained them said that all hers had vanished too.
Most of my penstamens came from cuttings I got when I knocked on a door down the road to ask if I may take some cuttings.
The original hollyhock seeds came from a churchyard in Stratford Upon Avon and my opium poppies from a friend who lives near Warrington.
From whom
DeleteI understood that Hollyhocks are bi annual meaning that they flower every other year.
DeleteI had a conversation with a local person only last week about this when commenting on hers.
Hollyhocks seem to grow in abundance in this area.
I know you are all too young but if any of you approaching the mid seventies would like me to bring the book Ev recommmended I will gladly do so.
ReplyDeleteIt is called
‘A Grand old Time” by Judy Leigh.
Glad you enjoyed it enough to share, Lanjan!
ReplyDeleteOops wrong blog!
ReplyDeleteHow many have we got coming to the meet up then?
ReplyDeleteAny newcomers?
Me!
DeleteAnd me and Lady.
DeleteAnd me. So that’s 3 so far! 😆
ReplyDeleteGiven her horrible accident yesterday and the injuries sustained I imagine Archerphile will not feel able to join us after all.
DeleteWe will be disappointed if I am right, so I hope that I might be wrong.
Gary, I see that you have become ' tiger '
ReplyDeleteOr should it be ' tigger ' !
I’ll be there, couldn’t make last time but looking forward to next Friday
ReplyDeleteGlad we'll meet you, KPnuts ! Note , it's not next Friday, but the one after - Sept. 6th.
DeleteYes I did mean 6th September. I’m wishing my life away.
DeleteI am looking forward to meeting ‘old’ friends and new.🤗
ReplyDeleteSo that’s 7 so far, cos I know Lanjan’s coming to buy me cake!! 🍰☕️😉
ReplyDeleteCan't remember what the bet was about !
DeleteI said Tim was mr big. Lanjan said no.
DeleteMight still be a mystery on the 6th. ...suggest, in that case, 2 coffees, 2 cakes each spread over time, taking it turns to treat...
DeleteYes you are right P tb Y .
DeleteI hope to be there too.
You might get a cocktail if you are right about Peggy’s money.
I need Archerphile to come so that I can justify an Uber taxi from Waterloo.
Lanjan, I fear that Archerphile will be housebound for a while. I will be coming into Waterloo and am happy to share an über (or travel by tube together) as I am always unsure meeting a group of people for the first time.
DeleteKP nuts, that is great news.
DeleteWe will be able to meet under the clock.
I think we are hoping to meet at the Barbican from 11.00 am
All being well I should be able to get to Waterloo for 10.30 am .
Depending on weather I am expecting to get the bus to Waterloo and then to walk the mile and a half to the Barbican with the dog.
DeleteHowever if wet, I may well take the train, ( quicker, but I enjoy the bus and don't have to pay ) and could join you and share the expense of the Uber.
I look forward to seeing you again,Mrs P whether at Waterloo or at The Barbican.
Delete10.30 works for me, off peak travel starts at 9.00 😉
DeleteGary, will you becoming in to City Airport or Heathrow ?
ReplyDeleteIf Heathrow it occurs to me that your tube fair will cost more than your air fare.
Be coming - tt tt
DeleteMrsP, I WILL be becoming....
DeleteOoh Gary, you are becoming..... very !
DeleteI wish you all well.
ReplyDelete✔️ Maybe a photo GG for a future blog?
DeleteWe all agreed last time that no photos would be shared on the blog so as to maintain the magical illusions of beauty/age/gender/weight/height/colour/fashion sense*
Delete*delete as appropriate....
7 more sleeps!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you all have a wonderful time on Friday. I was hoping to make it this year but won't be able to.
ReplyDeleteNext time Gianna!!!!
DeleteDefinitely I will keep September free next year.
ReplyDeleteIt's time for me to 'fess up.
ReplyDeleteI have been spending time recently, quite a lot of time, cos ' people' don't get back when they say they will....... to try to negotiate access to the Conservatory at the Barbican on Friday. It will be for a limited amount of time if access is granted.
I have managed to speak to someone again today, and am hopeful that I will know by the end of today whether it is finally yes or no.
I also need to make everyone aware of the position on bags.
One bag per person allowed anywhere in the Barbican and NO Backpacks.
Please don't put yourself in the position of being turned away.
I am posting this today as I am leaving home tomorrow and am not absolutely sure that I will have access to broadband at my daughters house where I will be staying from Wednesday evening.
I will hope to have definitive news this evening.
MrsP.
Thanks for the tip regarding bags.
ReplyDeleteLanJan, I’ll be under the clock at 10.30, I’ll be carrying a Borsetshire Echo.
Will Mrs P be joining us there? She said she might awhile back.
I wish all those, who are meeting up on Friday, a fun and enjoyable time together.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping to join you on Friday. Plan to book my coach ticket tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tip about bags, Mrs P.
Mrs P...... 🤞 for conservatory access.
ReplyDeleteKP nuts and Zoetrope. Lovely to hear about newbies coming. Look forward to meeting you.
3 more sleeps!
Great KP.Nuts.
ReplyDeleteLook forward to seeing you under the clock.
I have good news.
ReplyDeleteWe will be allowed access to the conservatory at one o'clock.
The person I have been in touch with today, on the ball and pro active, a good bloke, is off on leave from this afternoon but has primed a colleague whose name I have.
We will not be given a great amount of time to be in there as it is a working day for the gardening staff.
I have been warned that it may be wet underfoot as watering will have taken place in the morning.
Also we need to be aware that if before Friday a corporate booking is requested for Friday afternoon then we will not be granted access. This is understandable as we are not being charged for our entry.
The Barbican has a trust ( somebody else please gather details ) and when booking for anything at the Barbican one is asked for a voluntary contribution.
I have offered a contribution from us as a group as a token of our thanks and goodwill.
I trust all will be comfortable with me having done so.
The usual entry fee is £11. Per person.
It has occurred to me that I will not be able to join you in the conservatory as I will have to stay outside with Lady.
I shall be very sad, as it's years since I've been in to the conservatory and I believe it is far larger and better than when I last saw it.
Please all take on board the bag conditions.
London is very security conscious for very good reason.
We all need to keep each other safe.
I look forward to seeing everyone on Friday.
LanJan and myself have each other's mobile numbers should anything go amiss.
( like me not waking up until eleven on Friday morning)
Yay galore!!!!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful meet up everyone, I’ll be there in spirit, if not in body.
ReplyDeleteSo glad the Uber taxi from Waterloo will go ahead and my accident has not ruined the idea.
Looking forward very much to hearing ALL about you Day.
Enjoy! 😃
AP, we'll raise a glass to you( coffee just doesn't cut it) & also to Sarnia. Different reasons, same goodwill & friendship.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Mrs P, for all your information and efforts. Really looking forward to it all.
ReplyDeleteArcherphile, take good care of yourself - hopefully see you in Reading next year, or maybe a Hampshire meet up as has been suggested. ( I am getting withdrawal symptoms as we are usually on our way to the New Forest this time of year).
Zoetrope, all being well KPNuts ,Spicycushion and I will be meeting under the clock at Waterloo at 10:30 am on Friday.
ReplyDeleteMrs P may join us but she says she hopes to walk with Lady to The Barbican.
Spicycushion, Mrs P and I have each other’s mobile numbers in case there is a problem.
As Archerphile says I hope we will arrive in style at The Barbican in an Uber taxi..
ReplyDeleteI was going to justify it if Archerphile came but since Spicycushion has been in the wars lately ,that is justification enough
(If the worst comes to the worst there is the No76 bus)
.
I should arrive at Victoria coach station at 10.15. I've seen online that there is a direct train from Victoria to the Barbican on the Circle Line. I hope I choose the right way round ⭕😁
ReplyDeleteI shall arrive at London City airport first thing in the morning & shall walk from there. I am assuming the weather will be favourable...
ReplyDeleteScattered showers predicted, Gary(4.49pm)
ReplyDeleteZoetrope (4.36pm), 12 stops, the one after Victoria should be St James Park, NOT Sloane Square, which would mean more stops !
Sorry, 13 stops.
DeleteThank you Carolyn
ReplyDeleteAnd Zoetrope when you come out of the coach station you turn left, not right then right to the main road Victoria St and left again towards the station.
ReplyDeleteDown steps to the tube.
If you know all this then I apologise for being patronising.
I have arrived in London. Very very fast run on the motorway.
I haven't found the hidden phone yet, ( don't ask) but hope I do as it is the only alarm that wakes me. And no, a mobile doesn't.
This house has a big spider in residence too. I saw it running out of the corner of my eye. I lifted my feet. Hope it's under the cupboards now.
Setting off this morning for London. Looking forward to my couple of nights away on my own and the meet up. From mentioning it, it seems to have come round really quickly.
ReplyDelete1 more sleep!!!
See you all tomoz!!!😊🍰☕️
Good journeys everyone. ✈️🚈🚖🚇🏃🏻♀️🚌
ReplyDeleteTalking of travel...don't want to over egg this, Zoetrope, but you could cut down the tube stops from Victoria to only 7 , by taking the Victoria line to Kings X, & then the circle/metropolitan/Hammersmith & city to Barbican for the last couple of stops. You may not want to change lines, but just suggesting another option.
ReplyDeleteMrs P, that spider has followed you ! Time for Lady to show her mettle & loyalty by demolishing the 8 legged instead of the furry ones.
KP plan to be wearing green top and light grey trousers
ReplyDeleteThank you Carolyn and Mrs P for your tips. I'll see how I get on in the morning and hope to meet you all at around 11.
ReplyDeleteNot patronising or over egging. I'm not very familiar with London, so will be relying on signs and Google. 🤔😀
LanJan, I should be getting to Waterloo about 10.20, I’ll have a folded Ambridge Voice under my arm, I can’t find my stash of Borsetchire Echoes.
ReplyDeleteThanks LanJan, I’m sure we will spot each other. I will be carrying an “Ambridge Voice “ I can’t find my stash of Borsetshire Echoes.
ReplyDeleteRV with the anesthésiste, will raise a few glasses to you all tomorrow evening! 🍻🍷
ReplyDeleteI'm very sorry that I will not be able to make it today. I've had a bad cough for a couple of days which has got worse overnight. If I don't see my GP today, I won't be able to until Monday evening, which I feel is too long.
ReplyDeleteI hope you all have a lovely day. I'm sorry that I will miss this opportunity to meet you.
(Rewritten to take out gory details)
Oh that's a shame Zoetrope! Get better soon and next time...?
DeleteSorry to hear that Zoetrope. What a shame. Hope you feel better soon 🤒
DeleteWhat a shame, Zoetrope. Hope the weekend sees some improvement for you.
ReplyDeleteHaving lunch at the local hospital instead of with you all at the Barbican 😕. Waiting for results of tests.
ReplyDeleteWish I was there with you.
NOT a great exchange, Zoetrope, but necessary, unfortunately. Hope you have the results by now. We were sorry not to meet you.
DeleteThank you all for your comments, I am now back home with 2 weeks of antibiotics. After a load of tests, it was diagnosed as a simple infection rather than anything more sinister.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the meet up went well. I hope to join you next time.
Yay, Spicy, we missed you ! Do hope you,'re feeling s not better this evening.
ReplyDeleteWe really had a great afternoon, so much talk & laughter, As PtbY said on the other blog earlier, not much TA analysis, but lots of other things mulled over & shared., though I don't agree with her that the Barbican is a dump ! That said, I was disconcerted to find I got lost, had to ask the way - so much new building, makes me wonder how many years it was since I last went there....
KPnuts did actually get us some delicious nuts towards the end of our time there, delicious, & rather posher than the KP variety, methinks.
We met the famous Lady, who is beautiful, but quite nervy if Mrs P leaves her a for a while. Mrs P & a couple of others did visit the conservatory & I attempted to take Lady outside, together with a spritzer in the other hand. Not a success. Came back, slightly dishevelled, lost some of the drink...PtbY, much more dog wise, did so much better a few minutes later. Most of the time she snoozed peacefully (Lady, not PtbY !)
This is now definitely an established tradition, & it will happen again, when we hope other will be able to join us.
Sorry, Spicy, 1st sentence should read ' hope you're feeling a bit better tonight'
DeleteI have just posted on the other blog. Lovely to see folk today and missed those who weren’t able. Looking forward to the next one.🤗
ReplyDeleteHi, I’m sitting on the train traveling home after a terrific day. It was lovely to meet and put faces to the names.
ReplyDeleteThe conservatory was impressive, so thanks to PtbY for arranging that. I was glad to have met up with LanJan at Waterloo as the Barbican is not an easy place to find people and I would probably have wandered for some time, especially as I didn’t know what the group of people I was meeting looked like.
I really enjoyed the day, conversation wasn’t restricted and some of our number shared episodes from some extraordinary lives. A bit outside my normal comfort zone but I am glad I made it.
So am I (glad you made it )
Delete