The 11th day of May broke fine and sunny proving that the sun shines on the righteous and as it was Paco’s birthday and the day of the NERDS May ramble everything boded well for the day. Paco celebrated being three quarters of a century old and had previously promised to buy everyone Prosecco to commemorate his long-livedness. (Lafayette was becoming certain that all the NERDS were changing into girlies as the gallons of Calvados usually consumed has been usurped by fizzy Italian white wine!). The Seaford contingent travelled by train to Lewes and met Sandyballs and then everyone faffed about in The Runaway Cafe drinking coffee and giving Paco his birthday cards (no presents) while they waited for the train to Cooksbridge.
Actually the Bish was sicking to his macho side and had brought some 5o years old Calvados for everyone to try. (It had been on his sideboard for 50 years forgotten yet ever maturing.). It tasted OK, not like the stuff Lafayette used to buy off the PAF and which turned into something akin to soapy water after a couple of months! (Ed:- My experience of the PAF Eau de Vie is that it blew one’s head off even after several years in the bottle.)
And so the group of NERDS went to Cooksbridge, walked across the road and found an old red telephone box
(this is rural Sussex after all; ie: no mobile phones) but this telephone box was stuffed with old paperback books thrown out by the locals.
Since there were no tomes that held any interest to the NERDS and no original first editions worth purloining everyone trudged up the long, long road to The Rainbow pub where it was Wednesday - Carvery Day!!
For once the NERDS were the first, hurray!,
pre-empting the ‘old trouts’ so they were the first to get the pick of the food. Not bad this, a choice of three meat joints and lots of extras. Meanwhile Paco had treated everyone to a couple of bottles of Prosecco which went down very well with the food.
At this point Froggy regaled us about how he went into a pub with a girl on each arm and bumped into Dennis Waterman (recently deceased) who was with only one girl..... so Froggy had effectively out-girled a famous television star.
Following the lunch everyone quick marched back to Cooksbridge
in the rain which was just beginning descend. From Cooksbridge by train to Lewes and thence into the Lansdowne Arms where the Bish bought a complete round of drinks and then everyone dispersed.
Our thanks to Sandyballs for getting the weather half right and for organising the ramble. Also thanks to Paco for having his 75th birthday and for buying us all Prosecco. And thanks to Froggy for taking all the photographs.
Next ramble to be arranged and promulgated shortly. Lafayette.
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