Easter in Brighton

Before I foolishly decided to cycle to Brighton (see below) we visited by more conventional means (i.e. the train). Here's a quick run-down of what happened...
King Ian greeted us upon arrival.

To say the beach was crowded would be a gross understatement. Then again, what do you expect on a blazingly hot bank holiday weekend?

OK, well this particular bit wasn't that crowded. Trust me though, the throngs were heaving either either side of this picture.

The whole gang were there... left to right: Holly, Pamela, Andy, Jade, Ian, Hannah and Flick.

Look at that - it's almost beautiful. Squint, and you can just about block out the tower blocks...

Flick stares moodily at the tower blocks. "Hey, I'm squinting but they're still there!"

And of course, what visit to Brighton isn't complete without a visit to the local arcade? (Girlfriends stood just out of shot, arms folded and with faces like fury. That is, until they get addicted to pumping money into those slidey machines with the 10p coins, and suddenly don't want to leave.)

London to Brighton. On a bike. Why?

So by some weird trick of fate I've found myself entered into the London to Brighton bike ride. I don't know what happened - one minute I was looking at a poster for it, thinking "Hey, that might be fun, I like Brighton, wouldn't it be nice to cycle to Brighton", and the next thing I know I'm sat in my living room with an entry pack thinking "What have I done? Do you know how far away Brighton is? Jeez..."

Just to clarify, it's a 54 MILE bike ride. Yikes.

But it's all for a good cause - the ride is in aid of the British Heart Foundation, so I'd be extremely, eternally grateful if you could help them out by sponsoring me for the ride. Any amount is fine, large or small, but it all makes a difference. You can sponsor me online by going to this address: http://www.bhf.org.uk/sponsor/lewispackwood or just slip me 50p the next time you run into me, either way is fine.

The ride is on Sunday 17 June, and I'll stick some photos up on the blog once I've done it. Flick and I are entering as a team, so hey, why not sponsor both of us? Let's face it, she's probably more likely to make it there than I am - just getting out of bed tires me out.

Harris Strikes Again

[Above] Richie can look forward to drinking lots of this during his foray into the Middle Kingdom.

Richie Harris is continuing his war against sanity with an ill-advised trek through China in aid of Oxfam. Everyone who knows him is patiently expecting shedloads of cheap underwear and Chairman Mao lighters as gifts upon his return. You can follow his misguided adventures at: http://www.harris78.co.uk/.

The daft fool.

Fancy Street Names

Sorry for the lack of posts - I started a new job at the beginning of April and it's been pretty non-stop since then. Anyway, more on that another time, what I really want to talk about is street names...

Now one of the things I particularly like about London is the often bizarre street names you find all over the place. "Poultry" is an ongoing favourite of mine, and "Cheapside" (right) is another particularly good one, especially since it's right in the heart of the city and is actually one of the most expensive streets in London.

So imagine my delight when I discovered the new office I'm working in is right next to "Lamb's Conduit Street". Yes, that's right, "Lamb's Conduit Street". I have absolutely no idea what it means, though presumably a lamb's conduit once stood on this very spot. The thought of it!

Another great one that Ian saw the other day was "Frying Pan Alley" - must have been a slow day in the Street Naming Ministry when they came up with that one. You can imagine them just looking around the room, trying to think of ideas...

"Desk Street! No, no ,no...erm...Packet of Crisps Road! No, that won't do...I know, Frying Pan Alley! Brilliant! Come on lads, let's knock off early and find some lamb's conduits..."

And so it goes on. Anyone else spotted some bizarre street names? There's a few good ones on this website.