Catching up

I must apologise for being so slack this week. I went to London with a friend on Tuesday and am still recovering!

Got to St Pancras just before lunch then went over to Euston to meet my friend (Lorraine, a dominatrix no less) who was coming down from Manchester. Filled the waiting time by having lunch, only to find her train delayed half an hour so I still had to wait around anyway. She arrived and we headed off to the Old Vic for a quick drink then went to fetish shop Honour where Lorraine bought some kinky business supplies - latex hood, nipple clamps, leather strap, blow-up doll (you know, the usual).

Then it was round to the Premier Inn at County Hall (my recommended budget hotel for central London) to check in and dump our stuff. After some messing around we headed back to the Old Vic to start our evening of drinking. Michelle Dockery (currently starring at the Old Vic as Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion) appeared in the bar at some point. Regular readers will know I enthused over her performance a couple of weeks ago, so I couldn't let the opportunity to introduce myself pass and when she had finished talking to whoever she was talking to, I said hello. Came across like a complete fawning fanboy, but she was most charming and really rather beautiful too.

After that, a quick phone call and we were joined by another friend of mine, Doug (who ditched his personal trainer to join us, good lad!), which was excuse enough to buy a bottle of Taittinger champagne (and no more expensive than Tesco thanks to my Pit Bar VIP discount card, hah!). Polished that off and went down the The Cut to Pizza Paradiso. The house wine was awful, but the caprini pizza (goats cheese, cherry tomatoes, rocket) was lovely and it's decently priced - recommended, just choose your wine carefully.

Next, across the road for more drinking at the Young Vic. At some point we started arm-wrestling eachother and I did pretty well, if I do say so myself. But I do have a technique, so had an advantage. We got kicked out around midnight and Doug went home, Lorraine and I headed back to the hotel, making a quick stop to buy bottles water, crisps, chocolate and, inexplicably, a carton of milk, which I promptly deposited in a sink of cold water back in our hotel bathroom.

Shortly thereafter, Lorraine and I started arm-wresling on the bed which led to real wrestling on the floor of the hotel room. As it does. All good, playful fun, but we're both still feeling the consequences! I think I came off the worse though. She's a dominatrix after all, she beats people up for a living! My upper arms are covered in bruises where she had me pinned down and I can't lift anything of much weight at all with my right hand because of the weak muscles.

Wednesday morning and it was back to the Old Vic for a free backstage tour, conducted by the legendary Ned Seago. Enlightening and entertaining for sure - and recommended because of that - but probably best enjoyed when not hungover! We then went off to Euston so Lorraine could catch her train back. While waiting in the food court, I noticed Sky News' crime correspondent Martin Brunt having a coffee or something and I went over to say hello as he left. Nice guy with a firm handshake, which is always a good sign. Left Lorraine, headed to St Pancras, bought a book at Foyles and headed back to the midlands.