Preston, Nottingham and Much Hoole
All of last week I was in Lancashire with Hilary, which was superb for many reasons, not least that I was able to concentrate on getting a fair bit of work done away from the distractions of those 3.5 million visitors to this lovely town of Stratford, discover the delights of Preston, which included finding a market stuffed full of second-hand book stalls - which was quite a distraction - a superb Waterstones where I bought George Melly’s Slowing Down, plus The Winter Soldiers, by Garry Douglas Kilworth, which is one of his series of ‘Fancy Jack’ Crossman Crimean War adventures (more of Mr Kilworth later), and Alan Whicker’s Whicker’s War.
I started reading all three in the Caffé Nero afterwards and again became quite distracted because all three books are superb, plus the coffee in the Nero is some of the best you’ll find anywhere, which means that Stratford should have one. Please.
It was also quite a distraction ear-wigging other peoples conversations too…
” Used to be a butchers when I were a lad.”
” What did, dad?”
” This place.”
” Are you sure?”
” Aye. Mind, that were afore all these mobile phones.”
” Oh, do you want a bit o’ cake or something?”
” Lovely. Don’t believe in ‘em.”
” What?”
” Mobile phones.”
” Why?”
” Well, who is there to talk to?”
” What sort of cake?”
” Chorley.”
” Don’t reckon they have Chorley cake, dad.”
” Do they not?”
” No. But they’ve got some nice cheese cake mind.”
Which they had.
So quite a few distractions, but I still managed to get some work done…some.
