August 2024 Ramble on Wednesday the 14th.

Here is what we did yesterday:

It was a pleasant morning, The NERDS convened at Newhaven bus station.

There were a few absences despite efforts to bring new blood into the brotherhood.

No Gorilla Steve - held up in Kent; no Dave Hack - must have forgotten about us; no Dio, off catsitting in London. Oh well the usual Old Buggers with a total age of about 460 years, Just Sandyballs, Matt, The Bish , Froggy, Paco and Laf. but enough for a quorum.

Laf had great plans to walk into the centre of town but somehow, under the indolent August sunshine his resolve cracked and he put everyone on a number 12 bus. This took us all of two stops and just along from the Newhaven

Coffee Shop

where we met up with Paco who had parked his car nearby.

We did the usual practice of oggling the sixteen year old waitress and talking scandal amongst ourselves. Weary of non alcoholic drinks Laf marched us outside and down the High Street where we bumped into Mrs Lafayette who studiously ignored us (very wise). Next stop was The Bridge Inn where Louis Philippe

allegedly popped in for a pint of Harveys while on the run from a howling mob of Revolutionaries

many years ago.

The inside of the pub had been tarted up recently, either to commemorate Royalty having once visited, or to celebrate the Triumphal Entry of The NERDS that day.

There was plenty of room, the decoration was not unpleasant and it was good to see another pub revitalising in NHN due to the sad demise of The Jolly Boatman and others.

Time was rolling on so Laf led everyone along a devious route, avoiding the dangerous Ark Tavern where we might have been predisposed to have a (nother) drink. Our destination was La Luna Rossa

where Rosario threatened to double charge Lafayette for only bringing a skeleton NERDS crew.

However we promised to eat and drink a lot

so he produced some good Italian food and we set about drinking all his wine supply.

Laf did actually have a plan to call in at The Ark on the way home but laziness again intervened when Paco said he had his car around the corner. So we all piled into that and Laf was chucked out at the ring road to wonder why there were no buses to take him the 25 yards back home.

Nice day, Nice Nerds, nice food, no scandal....... we must all be getting old.....

Lafayette.