earlier in London

we 27 Nov 2019	In our childhood we read from the public library an autobiography of a Canadian sports promoter working in 1950s London. Not surprisingly he promoted ice hockey but perhaps more surprising also bank track roller derby, The long term result of our reading was when ... more here
mo 18 Nov 2019	A pleasure to visit the imaginatively made over Campsea Ashe Station House yesterday for the last day of Artdog's show. Artdog will be showing Saturday at Brockley Open Studios in South London and in Framlingham next month.
th 14 Nov 2019	Saturday in Norwich was women's flag american football Opal series round four. Hosted by the Iceni Spears we were very pleased to see their numbers have grown to offence and defence plus players over but not GB defensive end Victoria Ware as she'd injured her ankle playing netball. In contrast the Hyde Park Renegades (in white) had the just the minimal five and were devastating.
sa 19 Oct 2019	Sunday we arrived at Hogtoberfest on the outskirts of London in time for the presentations but there was freeriding afterwards. Hogg Hill continues to develop with new to us dance and street luge. We were particularly impressed with a very young woman who despite a dressing on her right leg and struggling to slow in the first right hander was still buckboarding.
tu 18 Dec 2018	The London Rollergirls are recruiting coaches for next year, applications close 28 December. It used to be the law at roller derby bouts that if the announcer mentioned ex-LRG coach Ballistic Whistle there had to be an official time out.
su 19 Aug 2018	Aldeburgh Carnival tomorrow, when we saw it earlier this century with Lady KRJ who grew up in Hackney she asked Why's it so quiet and where are all the black people?
mo 13 Aug 2018	Yesterday's Bury Saints v London Olympians in Thetford was full of incident including starting 45 minutes late because the medic couldn't find the venue. The refs ended the game early because an injured player on the field couldn't be moved until an ambulance arrived so we're uncertain of the score but certainly an Olympians win.
we 8 Aug 2018	We've made several tries to have a ride on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London's East End but so far have failed. Here's an attractive day out to achieve it, for a month or so there are non-stop specials ending with a 30 minute guided walk around Greenwich, and there are some lovely bits of Greenwich by the river BTW.
th 14 Jun 2018	Following a 55-00 loss against London Blitz B the weekend before last the Ipswich Cardinals american football continued a now 3-1 winning season after a 42-06 win over visitors Maidstone Pumas last weekend who despite being much outnumbered stuck at it good humouredly.
fr 8 Jun 2018	The Ipswich Cardinals may have lost their away game at London Blitz B on Sunday but their 2-1 season so far is still an encouraging improvement on the last couple of years. The Cards' first home game of the season 2:30pm kick off this Sunday.
th 26 Apr 2018	Sunday we counted 23 starters including newbs and at least one coach doubling up for the Bury Saints season starter. 23 clearly made a steep hill to climb against opponents London Blitz. Subsequent injuries reduced the 23 but the Saints determinedly stuck at it preventing the tsunami that might have been expected. Sadly no Saints Cheerleaders this year but the pizza outside the clubhouse smelt wonderful. Pix on that there Facebook.
we 6 Dec 2017	Yesterday morning in the east of London (a large town near Chelmsford) we saw a takeaway offering Vegan Italian Street Food and a woman bin person.
sa 21 Oct 2017	Very much approve of this, today the London Rockin' Rollers celebrate 10 years with an old school roller derby; two whistle starts, minors (remember taking a cougar?) plus tutus and fishnets. Our memory may be gilded but we recall the two whistle start did make for more variety in play ...
mo 26 Jun 2017	After yesterday's 03-36 loss to the Wembley Stallions an Ipswich Cardinals coach pointed out to his players that as usual the Card's were way outnumbered, the Stallions were top of the division and the visiting coach said it had been the Stallions' hardest game so far this season. We much admire the Card's perseverance but just a few more players would make such a difference.
mo 22 May 2017	It was the London Warriors' high completion passing game that did for the Bury Saints yesterday in Thetford ... we had a sweet jerk sauce on our chicken wings.
su 21 May 2017 Hogg Hill	Yesterday afternoon we arrived at the Redbridge Cycling Centre's The Crackling with just two hours left and as heavy rain stopped. The cafe was full but as the track dried out longboarders, buckboarders and sliders appeared but regrettably no slalom. Finished visit with and bread pudding in the cafe ... nice.
we 10 May 2017	The Bury Saints played London Blitz Sunday as the Saints' first home game in the Premiership . They were on a different pitch with a decent sized scoreboard, tiered seating, an announcer/commentator, programmes and the black van of True Wings who had a permanent queue until they sold out though a mercy dash soon restocked them. The Saints scored first with a converted touch down but eventually lost 36-07. For us the ... more here
mo 13 Feb 2017	A large town near Chelmsford in 2014 and 2013.
we 25 Jan 2017	The Norfolk and Suffolk photographs of Justin Partyka's were a feature of Mary Chamberlain's book Fenwomen when republished by Full Circle. The London gallery Osbourne Samuel are curating an online selling show Close to Home of his East Anglian works and running until 24th February.
mo 1 Aug 2016	Nice to see that against London Blitz B yesterday the Ipswich Cardinals scored what looks like two touchdowns.
mo 20 Jun 2016	Yesterday not surprisingly Ipswich Cardinals outnumbered some three to one lost 41-12 to visitors Wembley Stallions. Usual entertaining combination of excellent plays contrasted with fumbled snaps and dropped punt returns. Unintended humour when at a play end pile up a giant lineman cried I can't move! Ref called for a medic before it became apparent he couldn't move because of the bodies on top of him ...
tu 24 May 2016	Maxine Roper ran the London Marathon in memory of two lost friends including our chum Fish and has raised over £2,000 for the mental health charity Mind. You can still donate (if only just) as today's your last chance.
th 12 May 2016	Sunday Framlingham soapboxes return to tarmac and on the Market Hill. There are three classes including 5-11 year olds ... assuming they can find a responsible adult to be with. In a similar vein the following weekend The Crackling returns to Hog Hill (Redbridge Cycling Centre) for skateboard longboarding and slalom plus new to us a flatland freestyle slide.
su 24 Apr 2016	Our very best wishes to Maxine Roper running the London Marathon today in support of the mental health charity Mind and in memory of two lost friends including the still very much missed here Fish.
tu 1 Mar 2016	Life Skills 9: Supermarkets that have a world food section (the Norwich Hartford Bridge Tesco has Nigerian 6% Guinness!) may have those large cellophane bags of ground spices at a pro rata one fifth the price of Schwartz refills. We decant them into large one time gherkin jars and even then the jars aren't big enough. Couldn't see any large bags in the Martlesham Tesco today but not surprisingly the Hackney Tesco does stock them.
sa 23 Jan 2016	The London Rockin' Rollers (not to be confused with the London Roller Girls) are recruiting a head coach ... #rollerderby eh?
su 15 Nov 2015	The mobile box office outside the Olympic Velodrome was brilliant at sorting the ticket up cock of our own making. Inside the velodrome the Revolution Sprint Series was providing entertaining racing from all sizes and gender. Our last visit with its non-starting Derny was reprised when the meeting ended a little prematurely because a three man pile up on the banking had damaged the track.
we 21 Oct 2015	Monday night we went to the Olympic Velodrome on comps for the first six day bike race in a large town since 1982 ... we went to that one too. We could moan about the poor signposting, poor lighting on the obligatory walk through the park, five pounds for a pint of Heineken and far too loud music but the velodrome is very impressive inside, the racing was brilliant and there was all the fun of a Derny that refused to start for the final keirin.
mo 10 Aug 2015	Reckon when we saw the Ipswich Cardinals play the Wembley Stallions last month Ipswich were outnumbered two to one. Yesterday when Ipswich played Bury Saints reckon it was three to one.
th 2 Jul 2015	After decades of watching American football on tv saw our first live match Sunday. Not surprisingly being outnumbered at least two to one the Ipswich Cardinals lost to the Wembley Stallions 19-44 but an honourable loss. We were surprised how difficult it is to follow the ball at ground level and in this soccer obsessed country how hit and miss the kicking was. We're looking forward to last match of the season against Bury (St Edmunds) Saints who reputedly are mostly US military.
we 27 May 2015	Bit of a busy bank holiday weekend. At Hainault the first Hog Hill of the year was full of longboarding, some buckboards, slalom and an impressive slide though this jammer must have hurt himself when he came down even faster the next time to repeat this stunt. A BMX track has been built in the track centre and was being used by tinys being coached by a not tiny. Monday's Framlingham Gayla had it seemed to us more spectators than usual and coped with surprisingly busy roads for a Sunday morning. The parade included from Dennington school a Jack and the Beanstalk float dispensing sweeties.
fr 20 mr 15	Before High Ongar in Essex was bypassed we used to pass the newsagents and sub-post office at seven in the morning. Though they were open to get to the papers delivered they'd sell you papers, sweets and cigarettes but they couldn't conduct post office business until nine because it would be unfair competition for the main post office in Chipping Ongar. So we were very impressed to find that not only is the Stradbroke library open on a Sunday but so is their post office counter. But big organisations like the Royal Mail have a genetic need to cock it up and in Yoxford are insisting that the shop can only have a post office counter if it opens on a Sunday.
we 18 Mar 2015	Nice to see there will be more Hog Hill's this year at Redbridge which is almost Essex but in fact still a large town.
we 11 Mar 2015	The East of England co-op has withdrawn it's planning application for what was the garage in Stradbroke.
su 15 Feb 2015	Today we snapped in Stradbroke and Otley near Norwich but that can wait while we try and wrap up pleasing Mr Google.
we 18 Feb 2015	Having been distracted by Stradbroke's community run library and post office being open on a Sunday we made it to Radio Stradbroke in time for the last fifteen minutes of Kim Bannon's show. This Sunday 10am-1pm it's Richard and Huggy with another punk show.
we 7 Jan 2015	Klaudia Sokolowska has been found safe and well in Bethnal Green.
th 18 Sep 2014	We've noted before the Haverhill Arts Centre has become a try out zone for Himoff Thetellies so weren't stunned but a little surprised that nice Stephen Mr Cleverclogs Fry is playing there next month. Then we read more carefully, it's a broadcast of him on stage in a large town.
we 17 Sep 2014	Sunday morning's 5.5 mile time trial in a large town was the penultimate stage of the 2014 Tour of Britain. At the end of Lower Thames Street there's enough of a rise that it was making the riders think. British rider Nathan Edmundson's support car stopped on the inside so the mechanic could get out to recover what might have been his dropped mobile. He'd only just got back into the car when following rider Manuele Boaro had to ride round the outside. Overtaking the still stationary GB car the driver of Boaro's team car gesticulated and expostulated (it's like ejaculated but without the innuendo) in Italian. Didn't recognise Mark Cavendish who looked a little porky and Sir Brad Wiggins' beard and national time trial champion's jersey confused us.

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