Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Christmas Ramble 2009

N.E.R.D.S.’ Christmas Ramble, No. 241.

Wednesday 9th December 2009.

Those Present - Lafayette, Sandyballs, Froggy, Muscles Matt, Bronco, B.T.,
The Admiral, & El Paco.


Christmas reunion, the gathering of the NERDS clan - old faces, even older faces and some bloody ugly faces as well. Matt had recently returned from Dublin where it had been so expensive to even look into a tea shop let alone keep up with the high social standards there. The recession hadn’t, however, stopped The Admiral from rolling up in his posh, white BMW only rivalled by Sandyballs who had got himself a brand new Vauxhall Astra by selling Flintoff to child slavers in Morocco. (Doesn’t all that baby sitting just so get on your nerves?). B.T. had made a second sortie back from the Pyrenees where he had left behind his new life of hunting, shooting, fishing and shagging the President’s wife (god, she’s a slapper that Italian bitch), and Paco, well Paco had been forced out by his charming daughter who needed to put the budgie on the clothes line and beat the secondary cigar smoke out of its lungs.

The first dispute began on Berwick station where Lafayette accused Sandyballs of having stolen his yellow and black Rupert Bear scarf some time ago to reintroduce it in a pathetic attempt to rival the bit of green rag which Philby habitually wore round his neck. Sandyballs bristled at being compared sartorially to the lowly Belgian (well, you would, wouldn’t you?) and said huffily that he had always admired Rupert Bear anyway. Froggy assuaged the situation by bringing out his hip flask and thereby turning both Matt and Lafayette into life long fans of Sailor Jerry’s Rum (yum, yum!)

The route led along a cycle path to The Cricketers, a well known Sussex pub famed for its promotion of the game of Toads (Hence the name) and Harvey’s beer. Sandyballs and Lafayette had sussed out this pub during one of the preceding weeks and had both managed to get smashed on Bonfire Boy (No. Matt, not what you’re thinking…it‘s a drink). Today the place seemed to be full of nubile barmaids warming their backsides by the Christmas fire so Froggy tried to impress them by waving his orang- utang teeshirt about and saying it was almost an extinct species. Paco said he was wearing a Che Guevara teeshirt who himself was an extinct species on account of the fact he was dead. B.T.pricked up his ears at this and wondered about investing in a load of teeshirts with Philby on the front…..

Sandyballs whipped everybody outside as time was marching on and the Christmas dinner was waiting. We headed along the Old Coach Road where in days of yore highway men had roamed and virgins had lost their…..I- pods. Today, however , it was just shitty, murky and drizzly. Seasonal presents were discussed. Froggy said he hadn’t had sex for months so he’d bought Mrs. Froggy some stuffing for Christmas. Matt said he should have got her a digital pen for the modern librarian on the go. He’s so thoughtful, isn’t he?

After a lot of… er walking we arrived at the Barley Mow at Selmeston where lunch was to take place. The last time we had been here was absolutely ages ago when the Mystery Guest had been sweet Emma Ryan in a big, daft hat (someone still has the photos somewhere). According to Sandyballs’ researches she has now grown up and is teaching flamenco dancing in Spain in an attempt to regain her language allowance.

Who was today’s Mystery Guest then ? Well funnily enough on entering the Barley Mow we all fell over Bronco who had skived out of the ramble and was sitting there enjoying a pint ; so faute de mieux he was made M.G. Bronco was pissed off that the NERDS had arrived; he had had two girlies, Claire and Madelaine, pandering to his every whim, fetching him drinks, laughing at his tales of winning the Derby and dating Princess Ann, and didn’t want the adoring atmosphere to be disturbed . Bad luck, cock ;the NERDS want their Christmas dinner!

And so we ate …and drank .. A bit and pulled crackers and told jokes and B.T. told us all about his mole problem(!) and how Morgane was and Bronco got golf tees in his cracker which Matt tried to prop up his testicles with and Sandyballs refused to eat any sprouts, as usual and we agreed that the food and the ambience was not as good as at the Pilot at Eastbourne but that the girlies had tried hard.

Eventually kicked out of the pub by Sandyballs cos we had a train to catch, we wandered through some more dank fields and byways until we got back to Berwick station where Froggy discovered he’d lost the French leather purse containing the whip! What a disaster! What incompetence! What a pillock! Froggy was so traumatised by its loss that he threatened to resign from the NERDS. There was a deafening silence until Bronco produced a mangled blue thing from his pocket and asked if this was what he had left behind on the pub table. Order was restored Froggy’s wrists were unslashed and we got on the train to Lewes.

Finally, a parting drink was had at the John Harvey Tavern in Lewes where B.T. was visited by one of his descendants and reluctantly had to hand over her dowry in advance. Still, at least she’s not making babies just yet (everyone has a chance , even old clapped out NERDS like El Paco.) and then, I think, we went home.

It had been a good ramble with a chance to see Old NERDS and those who were busy crumbling under the heavy weight of retirement. Poor old Admiral having to do all that lifeboat stuff at home now! So thanks to Sandyballs and Lafayette for preparing the route and to Froggy for losing the whip. Things can only get better in 2010.

Happy New Year.


Lafayette.

Friday, December 11, 2009