SomersTownLisa

London Life
2022-03-22 15:24:12 (UTC)

The Victoria

Sun 20/03/2022
I’d cancelled the Junior Park Run volunteering as I was getting in so late from Brighton, and had had a few drinks in the sun after the run yesterday as well as at the party, but got up in time to cycle up to Highgate for a session with the Ranger. There were several people there I’d never met before, including a couple of blokes, a tall girl Judith and a smaller one, Moya. For once I talked mainly to the people I know, Sam and Karen. We made some fences and demolished a den.

Karen had signed up for the CA task in Crouch End, even though the Highgate task ended only half an hour before the two-hour Crouch End one did. She even stayed for Paul’s yoga session. I was intending to quietly let her go on to Crouch End on her own, as I had a slightly fuzzy head, but she said “are you coming, Lisa?” in such a sweet way, I said "oh all right then" and people laughed.

So I got my bike, we walked over to the other park and got given a task which we actually started at 12:47; taking climbing plants and ivy off trees. When asked how long we we’d got, I said “quite a while”, but we actually finished at 13:00 when the picnic started. I think I could have even gone to some sort of social at Westbury, but I had been intending to go home.

I decided to cycle back a different way, via Crouch Hill and Finsbury Park. Jack wrote to say he’d be at St Pancras at 14:40 so I said I’d meet him. I left my bike at home and walked to Granary Square, as I thought he might see his sister off at King’s Cross and I prefer to avoid her. Eventually about 14:55 I messaged to ask where he was, and because of his sisters being late as usual, he was arriving an hour later (my phone wasn’t picking up messages again).

I was wearing a summer jacket and was a bit cold from waiting (I’d decided just after leaving home not to go back for a jumper) and was full of indecision about what to do. I walked down to Pret at King’s Cross but it was also quite cold in there, so I started to walk home but diverted to Notes cafe. I queued but when I got to the counter they told me to take a table, then no-one came to serve me so I sat in Pret after all, and really enjoyed my latte.

I eventually met Jack in Granary Square and we walked down to the Natural Park to get a snack, but they were just closing so we walked up to Camden Town and went in Vegan Planet. This time Jack had the “twice-cooked fish” and I got a tofu dish. The waitress there who used to work in Dou Dou was very chatty with Jack, and explained that they were opening a new restaurant in Westminster.

We decided to go straight to Mile End for the quiz. I was tired so got a black coffee before my alcohol. I was surprised to see Si, who said he hadn’t signed up, and I thought we’d have one person too many, but Jo didn’t appear. Asad, Heather and Aine made up our team. Most of the answers which I could get were known by the others also. I made a blunder by suggesting “Endeavour” (a recently discovered ship) and King “Richard” rather than “Endurance” and “Edward” which cost us 6 points and meant we finished 4th out of 19, rather than 2nd. I was happy with fourth anyway; we missed out on winning a bottle of wine, but I didn’t want that.

I was surprised no-one said anything to Jack along the lines of “nice to meet you after all this time”, in fact they treated him more as if they already knew him.

Mon 21/03/2022
I saw a picture of Frances, who’d gone for a meal with both Steves, Graham, Rosie, Aidan, Sophie (I think) even Abi (Kentish Town) and the Japanese girl who’s party I went to once. It was probably Frances’ birthday; I’d joined her for some previous birthdays around this time. I don’t think I ever quite became one of their gang, and overall I prefer the people I’ve got to know now; Sree, Fiona, Aine, Sam and Beth (even Karen) feel like real friends.

We went to lunch at The Fields Beneath while Jack got some over-expensive thing fitted on to his bike to hold his phone, as well as a bag to fit on the front. I got some ingredients from the healthy shop in Kentish Town, as I wanted to make some ten-minute rice. I had to get soya beans instead of mixed frozen veg, and cooked tofu instead of quorn. It’s lucky Jack got me to stop at Nisa for bread, as I got some needed but cheap rice there. I did find some soy sauce at home (the tiny sachet you get with a take-away) and instead of garlic I found a tiny sachet of garlicky sauce which had come with another meal, and was “best before November 2021”. I made the cobbled-together meal in the afternoon gave some to Jack for his tea and he said it was delicious!

I left a bit later than usual for the Monday task, as I was going straight to Mile End Park. To my surprise, as I hadn’t been particularly slow, I only just got there in time (must have misjudged the time), feeling as if I was gatecrashing a party (I am usually more comfortable being among the first two or three to arrive at anything). I had to take one or two of Aine’s barbs without having the wit to respond. She tried to say “goodbye Lisa” when Laura said she could only have a team of four for the litter-picking, but I stuck with Aine, Sara, Sam and tall Jo, who I’d met doing a task with Jack but I couldn’t quite place tonight until I checked the attendees list later.

Aine suggested coming for a drink at The Victoria, although I had loads on Saturday, and topped myself up at the quiz yesterday, but I wanted to establish the idea that we always go to the pub. The USA couple are quite reliable attendees, Simon came and wasn’t too annoying, Heather also joined us, as did Rowan, Sam, Kellie and the girl from the Green party. Simon was trying to get enough signatures from his ward to stand in the May council elections.

Sadly Fiona didn’t join us as she was walking home rather than cycling; she’d got a puncture. We were talking about it getting lighter, and for some reason talked about World Cups broadcast from different time zones, and how do they programme national television news in the USA, with its several time zones. The Green party girl is both vegan and needs gluten-free food, making it much harder for her, than for Jack and me.

We were all sitting with empty glasses waiting for someone to say they were leaving, until Simon got up. CityMapper told me to go to Stratford (the “wrong” way) and get the Overground. I got some onions, carrots, a tin of lentils and one of tomatoes in Camden, and made some bean ensaladas for our lunches next day, as I was going into the office and Jack was at home without me. I already had vegan cheese at home, tortillas, one can of tomatoes and some mixed (baked) beans.




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