Weeknote 173

• Bank Holiday Monday walked up to Ally Pally (Alexandra Palace) to take in the views across London
• A mostly quiet week at work with many people still off for the school holidays or just catching-up on messages
• Managed to win the draw for a couple of tickets for Joe Lycett’s new 1-hour live TV chat show, The Lycett Arms, on Friday and brought a friend along. We turned up four hours early since entry was free but not guaranteed. We did get in, but ended up among the unlucky few parked in the private function room rather than the fake pub’s main space — the bit that only flashes up briefly on camera with Joe and a special guest. A strange setup, but a fun one-off experience all the same.
• Went for a shorter cycle ride than planned on Saturday from Dorking to Reigate. It ended up being about an hour instead of three because my gear‑shifter battery was almost flat. I also learnt there are apparently a dozen or more types of flat circular batteries, and of course none of the local shops stocked the one I needed. So an online order it is.
• Joined Mena and her sister on Sunday for a really relaxed trip to Rye. It brought back good memories of the years I used to cycle there from Kent when I lived nearby. Still just as pretty and quiet, only now with far more trendy cafés and shops than when I first visited in 2009, before the faster train options from London existed.