Bit of a stressful get-out-of-the-house to get to the ice-skating this morning on time. We got up early but just were not quite together. We made the train we planned to, but then slight delays on the tube and not actually knowing where we were going meant we were not quite on time for the ice skating. If you're going, get there early, in plenty of time. We got in and on the ice and had a good skate around. I think I was the best, of course, probably T1 next best and then Clare and T2 least confident. T2 got one of the penguin-scooter things after a while (I think youre meant to pre-book them) and that gave him a lot more confidence. By the end he was very keen to have another go.
We met up with Mum and Dad while we were skating; they arrive while we were skating and I spotted them at the side of the rink. We joined them after and had a bit of a look around Battersea Power Station. The mall type bit of it is not quite finished yet. Looks nice, but not so much open. There were so many gaps that we stopped looking after a while, but I really liked the Searcy champagne Rolls Royce, and I actually saw a few things I might have bought in Super Dry. Not quite enough to keep us in the Battersea Power Station area, we could not find a place to book for lunch that was not already booked. Decided to walk with Mum and Dad back to Battersea Park. They had got a bargain ticket and had to be on particular trains and so could not be as flexible as we were. On the way to the train station we passed a pub that might be worth a look, The Duchess Belle, and it was fantastic. A bit busy to sit in side, so nearly gave it up, but looked in the back garden and it was great.All divided into booths, with mirrors everywhere that looked like windows. And (enemy of the environment) heaters, so it was very comfortable to sit out there. We did not even really drink, we had mulled wine and chips. I saw they had one sort of real ale, a Deuchars IPA, but I am mostly not drinking at the moment, and had the car at the station to deal with later.
After we took trains our separate ways, they to Clapham Junction and onward home, and we the other way. We went to Victoria and to Zizzi for a very late lunch, and very nice it was too. They have changed their menu a bit, I had aubergine pizza with vegan meatballs and it was great.
Then back to St Pancras and home. We were exhausted, but Clare still needed to head out because her brother was in town. I expect she'll get a second wind. I watched Enola Holmes1 with the boys, and then to bed.
Paul Clarke's blog - I live in Hythe in Kent. Married + father to two, I'm a full-stack web engineer, + I do js / Node, some ruby, python, php ect ect. I like pubs, running, eating, home automation and other diy jiggery-pokery, history, genealogy, Television, squirrels, pirates, lego, and TIME TRAVEL.