England's Perfect Reply to India's T20 First Innings
I woke up in the Meadows with a very stiff neck. It seems I fell asleep whilst reading Tim Snyder's latest book "The Road to Unfreedom". Tim is brilliant, but sometimes a bit heavy going.
Within seconds of reading my Twitter feed I realised that the T20 semi final England v India was going on right now and if I would only shake a leg I could watch it. And where better to do so than Trent Bridge. If not at the World famous cricket ground itself, then at the nearest pub... The Trent Bridge Inn.
Time to get up!
Now I'm not a fan of the Brexit-loving git that runs Witherspoon but credit where credit's due, they do run a series of characterful pubs and they do great breakfasts.
Hales and Butler just smashed them in just 16 overs with the winner a fantastic six from Butler.
Brilliant! England would be in anothet World Cup final after all.
Full of cricket enthusiasm, where else to visit next but... Trent Bridge.
Visiting Trent Bridge
Got to visit the best cricket ground in the world (ok, I'm biased).
I went to the Trent Bridge shop and almost bought a Notts CC cricket jumper. £45seemed a bit pricey for a thick wollen jumper I was hardly likely to wear, so in the end I opted instead for Notts CC lapel badge. Still, had a great chat with the very wise and experienced shop assistant.
I revisited the Forest shop just to make sure I hadn't missed any must-have items before catching the bus to the city.
I went straight to Marks & Spencer again, this time to buy a set of thermal underwear. I had intended to buy a few sets to take with me to Ukraine but when I saw their bulk I realised this was a futile endeavor. Better to buy stuff whilst there, I reckon.
I did a bit of sight seeing...
Including a Robin Hood baked potatoe hut that Lee Stewart took the mickey out of on his recent tour. His clever pointing out that the legend of Robin Hood pre-dated the discovery of America (and hence potatoes) fell on deaf ears, rather like my reminder that the chimp in the "Cheeky Monkey" ads is not a monkey.
Then, I walked back to my "B" (i. e. Not B & B) to drop off my shopping and then I had a bit of a nap before my next little adventure, a pub crawl in Nottingham.
Nottingham pub crawl
So, to the pub. Got to.
I decided to go to the oldest first, a pub I tend to go to every time I visit Nottingham.
Ye Olde Trippe to Jerusalem is (of course, arguably) the oldest pub in Nottingham (arguably, the World!). It is bloody old and very characterful which is why these days it always seems to take an eternity to get served as there are always tourists like me looking for that elusive selfie.
Talking of Robin Hood...
The Castle was the next...
One strange new phenomenon I noticed on city streets this time were plenty of random electric scooters, presumably just waiting to be hired by some kind of mobile app.
Next it was time for Fish & Chips again. #9 on the tour was the Cod Fish & Chips bar. The chips were perfect for me (soggy) and the fish & mushy peas weren't bad either.
Next, I followed advice and headed up Derby Road to the aptly named (if you're a Forest fan) Mist Rollin Inn.
Next was the Organ Grinder.
Next was a surprisingly pleasant pub, The Falcon Inn, which I must have walked by many times thinking it was a dive but the general rule these days, it seems, is that you simply can't get a bad pint.
It felt like stepping back into the 1950s. A quiet pub with a few cozy snugs so you could hear people talk without raising their voice and a lovely open fire.
Then it was the pub at the top of the hill, the Sir John Borlace Warren.
Next, on the way back to the City was the Whistle & Flute where they were showing Manchester United v Aston Villa. Villa led twice but United stormed back to win 4-2.
Lastly, I had another half to The Bell Inn whilst watching the rest of the United v Villa game.
Finally, popped my head into an old haunt, Yates' Wine Lodge now rebranded as a trendy cocktail bar.
All those times I staggered out of that place having had an Australian White Wine (aka Rocket Fuel) top up.
I went to bed very content because I'd managed my drinking very sensibly. If alchodroid can be believed I never went over the legal limit in the whole evening.
It was a bit lonely doing a pub crawl around Nottingham on my own (the "one") but it was still a lovely day - mood score 11-1.
Checking Out of Helena's
I woke up with no hangover and handed my key back to Helena, the very friendly host, before setting off in the general direction of Leeds.
Nottingham brekkie
First, a quick stop in Nottingham to grab some breakfast and a coffee.
At least I got to do a bit more sightseeing.
Seeking University Nostalgia
The first bug change I noticed was the security. Every time I'd been before, U just drove in, or walked in, without any questions asked. This time I had to stop and answer a couple of questions to a security guard who was really friendly, to be fair.
The visit had a strange mixture of the old familiar and the strangely new.
Sherwood Hall car park was the former, the new sports village the latter.
The Old... the walk back to Sherwood
I visited the Pharmacy department where I used to go for half of my lectures and tutorials. I was very sad to discover that not only did they not have any memorial, room named named after my old tutor who was also head of department, Professor James Crossland, but the experienced-looking receptionist had never even heard of him. I think she did feel a little sad with me about that.
For years, Crossland maintained and updated the key textbook Lewis' Pharmacology. Jim never put his own name to the text even though he edited it for far longer than Lewis. Such a modest man. It also saddens me that even the usually ubiquitous coverage offered by internet search engines like Google cannot detect a single grainy photo of him. I have my own copy of the text at home but this is all I could find on the web...
Leeds, Leeds, Leeds
So, finally, the last leg up to Leeds when I was able to start listening to Martin O'Neill's new book on Audible, read by the author. Having finished Anne Applebaum's the other day, Martin's new book was perfect timing.
So far, so good. It's so good to listen to your heroes describing their early lives.
Once in Leeds my good old school mate and his lovely wife took me out for a fantastic curry in Leeds, after which we had a mini pub crawl which included the oldest pub in the city.
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| Nottingham to Leeds |
Now that was another great day... 16-0.
Scampering across Wakefield
Everything had gone really smoothly so far so I was due a Murphy's Law moment.
It happened innocuously at Wakefield. We arrived at Wakefield Westgate station to catch the train to Nottingham only to find that it had been delayed, threatening our connection at Chesterfield. Upon asking the member of staff, it was suggested that we could catch a direct train to Nottingham but from a different station.
So, we had a 15 minute scamper across town to the other station, Kirkgate.
Why have two stations?
Packed Train to Nottingham
The two carriage train was packed and we had to stand up most of the way before getting to sit in comfort chatting to a Derby fan on his way to the hated Milton Keynes and a young physiotherapist undergraduate who was related to a blonde Forest midfielder Paul? White.
Canal in a Pub
The Canalhouse pub is peculiar in that it has a canal running through it.
Of to the World Famous City Ground Again
This time I did get to sample the tasty nibbles in the Legends Lounge.
Viv Anderson is a fleeting Legend
The legend today was Viv Anderson. Viv was looking good and made a few good points about Forest but, disappointingly, the interview only lasted two minutes and then he was off. So, no photo I'm afraid.
Forest 1 Crystal Palace 0
Cooper's team selection included Boly and Worrall at the back after their great performance mid week against Spurs.
I was just hoping that Forest would get some luck for a change.
This was my 1,220th match attended. My 445th Forest game and the 7th time I'd seen Palace, all but one at the City Ground.
Luck did indeed come our way when Saha missed a penalty just before half time..
... and again just after it when a Gibbs-White goal, initially ruled out for off-side, was given after a VAR check. Justice.
So Forest go into the World Cup break off the bottom of the league and on a bit of form.
For the last three home/away games, Forest are mid table.
Nigerian Heavyweight Boxer and his Wonderful Rice
On the train back to Leeds we were entertained by a Nigerian heavyweight boxer and his tasty rice chicken dish which he was keen for his fellow passengers to try.
MoTD
After an even better chicken and rice dish it was time to sit down and watch some Lee Stewart comedy and Match of the Day.
So, yes, yet another great day - 13-0.
