The Adventures of Melvyn and Lesley
Having retired we are busy pursuing the things we enjoy
We had a great night at the Lowery Theatre where we went to see Albert Lee. It’s always to watch the masters at work. The music was excellent and it was very interesting listening to his tales of playing with Head Hands and Feet, his time with Eric Clapton and the Everley Brothers.
The first of the four North Staffs cross country races, and it was a beautiful day. The women’s races were just over 5k and the men’s about 10.4k. Although not as challenging as some cross country courses, it’s a race and so it’s pretty tough. The woman did brilliantly finishing first in division 2. I was very pleased to find out that I was the first vet 60 in a time that was several minutes quicker than last year.
Photos courtesy of Mick Hall and Bryan Dale
A lovely run along the canal, through Camden Lock to Little Venice, up to Lord’s cricket ground and then over Primrose Hill and home.
Tony wanted some big shelves. What he wanted is what he got.
Lesley and I had a lovely evening with Paul and Sue. Sue cooked a delicious meal, which I devoured with a vengeance (even though I had already eaten my way through all the nuts they had laid out beforehand).
Paul decided it would be a good idea to do a sofa photo which he then sent to the physics reunion group.
Bit of a panic on here, headed out to pick up Ella from Wrexham, only to find that the A534 was closed. Had to make a diversion, thankfully we arrived with two minutes to spare. Collected Ella and then headed off to M and S to see mum nice cuppa tea with scone to follow
It was lovely to catch up with Alisdair and Sarah again last night, Lesley and I had a really good time at one of our favourite venues. I suspect we overdid it again with the amount of food that we ate.
Always a tough race but has become something of a classic. Having been run for many years in conjunction with the Ipstones Carnival. This year the start and finish were at the village hall and not at the fire station as previously. Once on the road though the course was the same. A long uphill start that goes on for over a mile before dropping down. Again from just before 4 miles there’s another big hill before finishing. This was my first race since coming home from Greece, I was able to meet many of my friends from different clubs, including my rivals over many years, Mick Beardmore and Stan Winterton.
I last ran the race in 2013 and this year I was pleased to finish first in my age group, especially as the prize was in the form of chocolate.
I joined the off road group tonight to run from the Forest Hills Hotel, Frodsham. A nostalgic evening for me as I used to work at Frodsham High School for 10 years so the journey across and the run itself brought back many memories. The run back was quite dark, especially in the wooded areas and it made me realise how poor my head torch was. Most of the runners had modern LED lights which were very impressive.
Unfortunately I forgot my phone, so no pictures and I had to get Amy to send me a copy of the run for Strava.
It was great to catch up with some of the runners I hadn’t seen for a while and especially Dave Rowlands as we recounted old tales in the Belle Mont hotel.
It was Steve’s turn to host our get together this time. I picked Alan up from Macclesfield and had a chance to say hello to Barbara. Onwards to Bramhall to collect Steve and say Hi to Carolyn. Our first stop was the Crown Inn, Heaton Lane, Stockport. The pub is situated under an impressive 27 arch viaduct. Alan was educating us on the wonders of real ale and the significance of the Crown Inn as one of the leading suppliers of good beers, so it was disappointing that their first beer was not very good. My diet coke was fine. Never one to give up Alan convinced Steve it was worth trying another (different beer), I think they were happier this time but it was time to move on.
Next stop was The Royal Nawaab, Levenshulme. This was the first time for Alan and me. We were both very impressed. The Nawaab is an alcohol-free zone, it caters for a large number of Muslims, and a large number of Asians were eating there, always a good sign. The food was lovely (possibly a bit salty – both Alan and I were very thirsty afterwards) and the choice would ensure that everyone, including veggies would have plenty to choose from.
A late night for me, getting home just before 1:00 the following day.
