There had been snow overnight, and while it was melting by the time we were out at around 0930, it was still cold. An Openreach gang had beaten us to it and were working away in the margins of the trench that they had dug and refilled the week before at the bottom of West Hill, just before the bridge. One chap was busily taking a long length of drain rods apart without the benefit of gloves and he explained that the men from Openreach were tough.
Various young ladies at the station preferred to use the ticket machines, rather than either of the two ticket clerks, ready and waiting behind their window. Perhaps it was too early in the morning for them to be talking to strangers.
Onto the Regent Street All Bar One to be greeted as regular guests. And to be downgraded from two tubs of smarties to one, not very full. Perhaps this was a consequence of being served by a young man rather than a young lady.
Wigmore Hall pretty full, no moribunds and just one child. This last equipped with a special cushion so that he could see something.
Once again struck by how much we like piano trios, having done a few last year, most recently at reference 2, not, as it happens, a BH occasion. And struck this morning by the first of them being one of the first of the many pieces of music published by Beethoven - at the time it having struck me as youthful - but not the work of a beginner at all.
I don't hardly use TB any more, but we thought we would mark its former importance by taking lunch at 'Il Pizzaiolo' in Blenheim Street, just off New Bond Street. Which turned out to be a cheerful, old-style Italian flavoured restaurant both run and used by genuine Italians. With ambience being set by semi porno pop videos on one screen and an important football match - MIL vs. CHI - on the other. We learn that CHI is the television acronym for A.C. ChievoVerona. Prezzo seemed a long way away.
Interesting and entirely acceptable white wine - although not the one I thought I had asked for - sporting the words 'feudo Apiano Fiano Campania Lapio', some of which Bing suggests stand for something in the world of southern Italian wine. He also suggests that 'Apanio' should actually be 'Arancio'. Perhaps there was something fishy going on.
Starter good, penne flavoured with dried tomatoes. Main course adequate, a large slice of crumb fried chicken, that is to say damp inside with a coating rather like that of a fish finger, a dish which I suspected of coming straight out of the freezer, more or less ready cooked. Plus a dollop of spaghetti. Tiramisu good. Brandy good. Service good - despite the rather weak English.
All in all, a cheerful lunch.
Out to admire the prices of the clothes in the fancy shops nearby. While another shop, for the second week running, offered us the brightly coloured lumps snapped above. Fortunately the English of the chap handing it out was good enough that I learned that the stuff was soap rather than sweet, before I tried eating it.
Tube to Waterloo where we had just missed a train, so up to 'Cabin' for a spot of their newly arrived Calvados - a place where I have had a very grand bacon and egg sandwich. Very reasonably priced, but the bar, up in the roof, was very cold and nearly empty. Plus their train departure repeater screen was not working, which I mentioned to a couple of station staff loafing on the stairs back down to the platform. One of them seemed concerned and I have every hope that it will be repeating again next time I visit - the angle meaning that you cannot read the main indicator board from your seat in the bar.
Onto platform 1 where we were interested to see that it was a young lady down on the tracks, uncoupling the front train from the back train. Which seemed to be taking a while but they got there in the end, as did we.
Reference 1: http://www.gouldpianotrio.com/.
Reference 2: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/trios.html.
Reference 3: http://www.chievoverona.it/.
Reference 4: http://www.feudoarancio.it/.
Reference 5: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/master-builder.html.
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