lathany

It's been just over a month since I posted a general update on stuff. A fair few things have happened:

Afternoon tea - Having consistently failed any sort of meet-up for several months, I finally got in touch with venta and Chris C and we arranged to meet for afternoon tea one Sunday at Bake-A-Boo. This seemed like a solid plan, but I failed to take into account the London transport system which tries to pretend that North West London doesn't exist on a Sunday. Consequently, instead of the Jubilee line, I got to experience the Bakerloo line and the replacement bus service for the overground. I was nearly an hour late for venta and Chris, which I think is a personal best (but not in a good way). It was also, of course, the time at which I discovered that I didn't have venta's mobile number (and she doesn't have mine). However, tea was there when I arrived and was still very fine. There were crustless sandwiches (tuna and cucumber plus egg mayonnaise), scones with cream and jam, little pink fairy cakes with hearts in the middle, banana cake, white chocolate shapes, thin biscuits shaped like teapots and chocolate-dipped strawberries. I went for the slightly boringly-named (but lovely) "Afternoon tea" (after being offered a long and exciting tea list) and drank my way through the teapot-full (about five cupfuls). I had my tea bought for me, so I don't know how much it was, but I'd fully recommend the venue. Afterwards we went to a nearby pub (which I can't remember the name of) and I came home via the Northern line (which was working).
The Godfather, Catch Me If You Can and X-Men 2 - LoveFilms has made three offerings since I last posted and I enjoyed all three. I've not see The Godfather before and I got slightly lost amongst some of the more minor characters, but I enjoyed it and have had the second one recommended. Catch Me If You Can was something I'd seem adverts for at the cinema and wondered whether it would live up to its trailer (Stargate didn't); fortunately it did. I thought both leads were excellent, as was the storyline (although bateleur was more taken with the intro sequence). Finally, X-Men 2 was blockbusterish and looked suspiciously post-Halle-Berry-Oscar-win due to her much expanded role on the first one. Again, enjoyable and we thought it was better than the first X-Men.
Solitaire Mystery - Having read Sophie's World some years ago, I thought I would try this offering also from Jostein Gaarder. It's similar to Sophie's World in many ways - philosophy with a toe in the weird but, sadly, I found it was also similar by having a somewhat inconclusive ending. I think it's worth a look for anyone who likes the author and it has some nice concepts which it bases around a pack of playing cards, but ultimately was unsatisfying.
Cardiff - We (as in work) had a visit planned to Cardiff Civil Justice Centre. However, it was a nine-thirty start, so I stayed overnight beforehand. Due to the offers available through the civil service booking system I ended up at the Radisson Blu which had opened last month and was walking distance from the station. The hotel was decent, attractive and the room was lovely (the view from the eighth floor was very good). The restaurant wasn't really open, but the bar menu was available and good (I had Welsh dragon sausages on a bed of mash followed by cheesecake). The following day was very interesting but, sadly, I can't talk about it as it was confidential. As the court would not usually have observers, I can't talk about the cases I saw either (heard by a District Judge). All I can say is, I always find the judiciary visits fascinating and I'm gradually learning more about how it works.

Work has been comparatively quiet, although I have a lot to clear next week. I'm looking forward to my summer leave now and have a number of computer games lined up for the occasion (such as Glass Rose) and also a Kew visit.