London in 2009-06

The Bakers Arms (an important landmark for buses) in the Lea Bridge Road in a large town near Chelmsford is now a Polish pub.

As well as two tvs in the single and large bar of The Pub on the Park in a large town near Chelmsford a ceiling mounted projector sends a mirror image to a screen mounted in a window so the smokers don't miss out.

Four things we learnt visiting a large town near Chelmsford:

1.   there are even more cranes on the 2012 Olympics site and despite our recent lack of supervision two stadia have been started but annoyingly the bit of pretend motorway across Hackney marshes has got a 30mph limit in the middle for the next six months because of the site,

2.   orthodox Jews in Stamford Hill and the rain cover their big fur hats (kolpik) with plastic bags,

3.   the traffic in Stamford Hill on an early Saturday evening can be absolute murder when you're trying to get to Winter Wonderslam, and

4.   road works have made it almost impossible to cross the road outside the Hackney Empire.

Yesterday's Winter Wonderslam in a large town near Chelmsford was the expected mix of madness, theatre, skill, physical endeavour and good solid fun even if this roller derby was a bit of a runaway for The Steamrollers.  Thankfully nobody hurt and it's her gum shield not Auntie Terror's teeth.

Saw an "urban" bicycle being ridden in Framlingham this morning, straight handlebars and single fixed but mudguards and a bottle cage, eventually those near Chelmsford fashions do reach near the coast ... and Gosia's mobile coffee shop wasn't on the hill.

A sad postscript to last month's des' dinners; Chrystelle Brown the 26 year old niece of luncher Richard V's friends was killed by a lorry whilst cycling in London.  She is the eighth female cyclist to be killed in London this year.

Three things we learnt visiting a large town near Chelmsford:

1.   you can get your Oyster card topped up in the most unpromising looking corner shops,

2.   the Cherry Tree in the Lea Bridge Road where in 1962 at the Glendene Cycling Club Christmas Dinner and Dance revellers grooved to Maurice Windle and his Melody Kings has had a paint job and is now called the Waltham Oak,

3.   you still can't count the cranes on the 2012 Olympics site.

Three things we learnt visiting a large town near Chelmsford last weekend:

1.   you can't count the cranes on the 2012 Olympics site ... at least you can't if you're the driver,

2.   there's road works on the bit of M25 between the M11 and A12 for the next year,

3.   Sunday doesn't make any difference to the traffic around Harrods.

Yesterday's Roll Britannia in a large town near Chelmsford and the echoing confines of Earls Court had all the rowdy noisyness of a swimming gala and, despite the contact nature of roller derby, essential goodwill.  A cracking day out with outbreaks such as spontaneous Jacko zombie dancing and spectator versus mascot racing.  Surely a bit of colourful, sexy, carrying on near the coast would make a nice change from all that relentless scrummy cake and nature notes?

Open gardens and a large town near Chelmsford aren't two things likely to go together but we discovered at an open gardens last week in Hackney gardens created by stunning devotion to fruit and veg (even a tiny cherry tree), and stylishly mirrored, water featured and power awninged jobbies created by paying someone else to do it for you.

David Hoffman does get his hands dirty to achieve outstanding photo-journalism (even if he can't tell the difference between Sussex and Suffolk ... but then he's from a large town near Chelmsford).

Long time bar manager at the Framlingham Station and more recently manager of the Crown Hotel Gareth Clelland will be joining ex-Station chef Phil next week at the Wright Brother's Oyster Bar in a large town near Chelmsford.  We ate there last year at a birthday party and encouragingly porter beer is served.

Well, that's another one over. 

One of the things they do in a large town near Chelmsford on a Christmas Eve.  This temporary ice rink at the back of Liverpool Street Station may be small and lack the dramatic setting of the rink in at Somerset House but a lot fun was being had ... though ice skating does inevitably involve a certain amount of falling over.  Now who could organise a rink round here next year?  Maybe for the Framlingham Street Fayre?

There was a pretty substantial film crew outside Hackney Town Hall yesterday morning.  "A drama piece for the BBC" said the soundman we asked so we went back to get the camera.  When we returned all that was left was this trolley and a runner who told us "It's a one off drama for ITV called Criminal Justice".

As you can see the Hackney Empire has fulsomely embraced the desperately pretending we're on Broadway look but inside it's still a magnificent red and gold, incredibly high ceilinged monstrosity.

This is why we missed the Dave Berry memorial Big BSA Bash ... we were in a large town near Chelmsford watching reigning world time trial champion Fabio Cancellara (who despite the name is Swiss) win the prologue of this year's Tour de France.