Barbados beckons

The diet day reprieve came just after the meagre 5:2 diet breakfast. Old chum Barry “Teddy Bear Times” King accepted the invitation to go to lunch, which had been issued by That Nice Lady Decorator when her attention was elsewhere, (probably that Sunday lunch about which she was still chuntering yesterday). She had not realised when suggesting lunch that Monday had been previously designated (by her) to be a diet day. I protested just enough to give me a small chance of not looking too smug (failed), and after a morning finalising the details of our impending trip to Barbados tomorrow, which precluded my attendance at the Sussex Seniors cricket practice, and the various acts of delegation required to ensure my music business empire can function smoothly whilst I am away, we set off to lunch at the George and Dragon at Houghton.

It is amongst my favourite pubs in the area, and a splendid lunch ensued. Scallops wrapped in bacon with black pudding on a bed of leaves was so superior to the offering the day before at JAK at the White Hart, that I wondered why we had not made more use of this wonderful old English pub, with a great log fire and a wonderful view out over the South Downs. Some in the female contingent of my family, do not take to the swirly carpets, but one must look through the occasional fashion lapse and concentrate on the food and wine. I know I did. I must also pay tribute to the starter, prawns in satay sauce, which were magnificent, and these two dishes should serve as some pointers to the chef at The George at Burpham in terms of imagination.

Talking of imagination, I do fondly imagine that one day, That Nice Lady Decorator’s dog, Banjo, will be as well-behaved as this one whom I photographed in a pub recently.

A new dimension to the command of “sit”

Shorts and short sleeves shirts have been extracted from deep storage, and are filling up the suitcase, which lays with its gaping mouth open, hungry to hurry us on our way south for some sunshine. OK, that is a bit over the top, but when one has been rained on at some stage almost everyday since Christmas, one can be forgiven for looking forward to a bit of warm sunshine, which I hope is what awaits us in Barbados.

We will be there for 11 days, I, mostly searching for new customers for the wonderful services of Currencies Direct, i.e. working, and in my few brief moments of leisure, watching the three 20:20 international cricket matches between England and the West Indies, and during those rare moments of relaxation trying some of the local Banks beer and Mount Gay Rum. This does seen a rather curious name for some of the finest rum that exists, and one wonders if, with that epithet, it is still as welcome in Putin’s Russia as it was before a Pussy Riot? Or am I confusing issues deliberately?

First however, it is my duty to collect some Monte Christo No 2 cigars that Mr Clipboard has brought back for me from his visit to Cuba last week. The handing over can only take place over lunch, that is the law, so we are venturing to somewhere called The Stag On The River at Eashing to comply with the rules. It would be remiss of me if I did not immediately check out the quality of these very fine smoking comestibles and show my gratitude for his kind gift, for which he is charging me cost price plus 25%.

Chris France