Category: London Page 11 of 12

Ah, It’s Ages Yet – Loads Of Time To Train…

Before I did the London Marathon this year, I said to my lovely bride-to-be that after it was over, I’d probably never run again in my life – not even for a bus. “Uh-uh,” I predicted I’d say, “I’ve done a lifetime’s worth of running, thanks very much.”
She disagreed.

And she is, of course, right: today I’ve signed up to do the London 10K next May. As I’ve commented before, I’ve gained a lot of weight in recent months (I know, the idea that I’m celebrating completing the Marathon is a bit of a lame excuse six months down the line), so this is a perfect excuse for me to lose some of the lard.

Right now, of course, May 2008 seems very distant indeed, but I know full well it’ll come hurtling round the corner with shocking speed… something I’m unlikely to do if I don’t shed my excess weight, so I’d better start thinking about a training plan.

If you’re a Londoner, or even if you’re not, why not consider entering? It does costs a bit of money (£25, to be exact), but the atmosphere at the Marathon was terrific, and of course you get to run in what I, as I’ve said before, genuinely believe to be one of the finest cities in the world…

Nicely Phrased, But In The End It’s a ‘No’

Clever bit of wriggling from Sainsbury’s there.

What they really should have put was:

‘Paying by cheque?
Oh no you’re not!’

Let Me Take You By The Hand

… and lead you through the streets of London, where, within 48 hours, I saw the following people of varying note:

Michael Portillo at a tube station in a bow tie and dinner suit
Helen from Big Brother 2 outside Sainsburys in Central London
Russ Spencer (also known as the rather burly blonde-haired chap) from Scooch walking near Embankment
John Simpson, Broadcaster and Writer, boarding a train at Waterloo

Didn’t speak to any of them, didn’t feel the urge to, or anything like that. Just like the fact that I live in a city where people I see onscreen are also the people I pass in the street.

As For My Own Appearance… Well, It Must Be A Face – It’s Got Ears

Are any other writer-types going to the Writer’s Guild BBC Event on Thursday evening ?

I am, and if you want to say hello, please don’t be shy – I’ll be the tallish one in the suit (yes, going there straight from work).

If you are going, please feel free to leave a comment here, or drop me a line at john@johnsoanes.co.uk. It’d be good to put faces to some of the names I see onscreen so regularly.

Please Note This Was In The Days I Needed Glasses (And I Wasn’t Wearing Them At The Time)

Sauntering through Soho a couple of weeks ago, I spotted a chap who looked familiar.

“Oh,” I thought, “that’s Kevin Godley of Godley and Creme and 10CC. Perhaps I should go over and say how much I admire his work, particularly the video for Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘Two Tribes’.”

Then he drew closer and I realised it was in fact writer and TV presenter Howard Jacobson, who always seems an intelligent chap, but to whom I honestly have nothing to say.
One of the very rare occasions in my life when I actually avoided an embarrassing situation for everyone concerned.

“Careful Now” / “Down With This Sort Of Thing”*

Spotted in Holborn, a rather extreme bit of graffiti.

As a Vegetarian, I often worry that I look a bit half-hearted by not being a Vegan, but on the basis of this it looks as if Veganism’s all gone a bit hardcore, so I’ll continue to eat dairy products, I think…

*As Fathers Ted and Dougal put it in ‘The Passion of St Tibulus’

A Welcome Break From The Usual Discarded Free Papers

Spotted on a Central Line train recently – alongside some discarded newspapers – a copy of a slim book, left (I like to think) for someone to find and read.

Which book is it, you ask? Well, it was none other than the Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tse, a frankly terrific read if you’re looking for a more meaty read than the usual papers dished out to London commuters.

I’d like to think this was my first encounter with the BookCrossing phenomenon, though as I didn’t peek at the book itself (I already have a copy), I can neither confirm nor deny…

Nota Bene: Good Notes

Aha. As I suspected, some jolly decent sorts have posted their notes from the Tony Jordan chat on Wednesday, and frankly, they’re probably better than mine.

So, I’d respectfully point you towards the write-ups by David and Lianne – if you read both their sets of notes, you get an extremely good picture of the event.

And, of course, an idea of just why it was so interesting and worthwhile.

Sometimes It’s Useful To Be Reminded Of These Things

Last night I went, as mentioned previously, to the Tony Jordan event at the Royal Court here in London. It was a nicely informal bash, with probably a couple of hundred people there, and topics covered in the interview and Q&A ranged from coming up with ideas to some real nuts-n-bolts stuff, so it was definitely worth my time and attention, especially as it was free (yes, free – arranged by the BBC. Huzzah for Auntie!).

Almost tempted to type up large chunks of my notes by way of sharing with folks who might be interested but couldn’t get there, but while I mull over whether I’ll just be duplicating work which others will be doing in more accurate form elsewhere, I’ll share the following (only slightly elided) quote, which rang very true for me:

“Writers are always looking for reasons not to write, or why they haven’t been discovered yet… there is no secret. A writer writes.”

And don’t worry, I’m not entirely unaware of the irony of posting this on m’blog when I could be finishing off something more substantive… but I thought it was worthy of reporting to a wider audience.

Cup Of Tea… Or Perhaps You’d Prefer Something Stronger?

Anyone out there in the world of blogging fancy a drink after the Tony Jordan session tomorrow at the Royal Court in London? It’d be good to put faces to names (and words, if that makes any kind of sense).

If you do, drop me an e-mail at john@johnsoanes.co.uk sometime between now and mid-Wednesday afternoon. Or leave a Comment on this ‘ere blog. Thanks.

Page 11 of 12

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén