26 April 2014 (Saturday) - A Gentlemen's Afternoon (hic!)

Being up rather earlier than I’d hoped I set about the astro club’s accounts. Not too bad, really. I then pootled about for a bit fiddling with my presentation for next month’s astro club. I hope it goes down well; it’s not especially long at the moment.

I could have gone out to be public-spirited this morning. I could have gone to a CITO (cache in, trash out) event in which geocachers do a bit of tidying up of a public area.
Last year I went to a CITO event. It was on 10 March and on re-reading my blog entry for that day I can see that I was rather unimpressed. Sixty brave souls turned up to be rather public spirited, but most people soon lost interest and shoved off to do their own sweet things, leaving only a few hardy souls working their butts off in the cold and rain.
There was another such event today. But it was in the same place as last’s year’s one. Presumably supervised by the same council employee. Bearing in mind it was already raining I decided to stay home this morning. ‘er indoors TM went along. She’s more public-spirited (and more forgiving) than me.

On March 7 I wroteMy new walking shoes have arrived…. I wonder how long they will last” Today I got my answer. I took “Furry Face TMfor a short walk, and within fifty yards I realised I had a wet foot. Looking at my feet I saw that the sole of my walking shoe had a huge split in it. On the one hand I got the shoes for half price. On the other hand they lasted six weeks. I would have expected a reputable brand such as Cotton Trader to have supplied shoes which would have lasted a little longer. Or do I walk *that* much that I have given the things a lifetime’s wear in a little under two months.
I phoned Cotton Traders to have a whinge. They were really helpful and have arranged for the knacked shoes to be returned and new ones sent out to me.

I then set off to Bybrook Barn; I’ve been needing an ink stamp for my latest geo-project. And having got one I lunched in the American diner.
Sax lesson went very well. I’m making progress, and this week’s homework has some well-known tunes such as “Yankee Doodle” and “On Top of Old Smokey”, and a couple of scales. My problem with squawkiness is probably due to my breathing (or lack of it).

I’d gotten to the music school a little early, and the student before me hadn’t shown, so I was finished there rather earlier than I might have been. With over an hour until the next phase of the day, I did what real men do. I went to the pub.
We were having “A Gentlemen’s Afternoon” going round Folkestone’s ale houses in lieu of a stag do. The plan had been to meet up at Ashford International at 3pm. Being at a loose end and having heard that Terry had arrived at the Admiralty I took the earlier train. We were soon in the Firkin where I had a rather nice pint of porter, and I got through another two pints whilst waiting for all our number to assemble.

A dozen of us then moved on to the Chambers for another pint; then to the Samuel Peto for food. You can’t beat a good mixed grill after far too much ale. Kipps bar had oatmeal stout. Very nice.
Most people were then going back to Ashford to see a band. But as Terry was staying in Folkestone and I don’t see him much I stayed in Folkestone for another pint at the Black Bull. Once a very rough pub this place has been done up very well.
I eventually said my goodbyes, got myself a kebab, found a train going in the general direction of home, fell asleep and woke up half way to London. Oh how I laughed…
As always I took a few photos of the action. All in all, not a bad day….

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