Then Anita Rani, nearly re-nick-named One-nita, stormed into a nice 6 – 2 lead (IIRC).
Then of course Hazel Irvine broke the week tally record, Century-ing her way to a 15 – 6 (or 7?) lead over Anita Rani?
Someone finding my blog ask-searching if Anita had replaced what’s-her-name on the ONE show.
She would’ve been a v hot fav if she had!!!
But… back 2 the title and, my trip to London.
I feel like I needed it more than ever and I know I have posted that I didn’t plan to update a lot anymore but I had a couple of *00+ days in there and it’s already the best month since May last year.

Anyway… London.
For the first time since 2008 actually arriving by train at Liverpool Street Station.
Once a cab from Stratford, when I went to London for only a day (when I so nearly missed the boat), once the Tube.
Walking around a bit, I noticed how close Aldgate actually is to LST. (2005)

Then to Trafalgar Sq and beyond.
I was staying @ the Shaftesbury Hyde Park International, and didn’t want to check in too late and had planned to spend the evening in Queensway.
I stayed @ the Blakemore on my first visit to London.
The info from the travel agency seemed to locate it @ Queensway, so that’s where the cab got to first.
The cabbie then said ‘it could ‘ve saved you 2 quid’ and to always have the address ready for the cab driver.
But it made for me leaving the hotel @ around 9 to check Queensway out and it has stuck ever since.
No Queensway though later that evening, apart from getting some cash for a deposit at the hotel, which I thought to find quickly because of its long name.
It took a bit longer, as it’s not a well lit sign with its name on it IN GIANT LETTERS.
One might as well go into Queensway and walk through the other street. Inverness Close?
Earlier in the day, I had found a book which I kept putting back, only to take it and start browse-reading again.
As it got later and later, and dark outside, I adviced myself ‘for God’s sake, buy it!’.
Then, going down the stairs, I discovered where the sport section was and immediately found the book that I was on the lookout for.
Rapid Response by Dr Steve Olvey.
That’s why, while browsing it, I skipped going to Queensway that evening, reading about every chapter that I could relate to.
Couldn’t hold back a tear or 2 at the Zanardi bit, where his wife Daniella told him about his legs.
Heck, I was alone!
This book has inspired me to, perhaps, try a different approach to book-reviewing.
But more on that later, if I do a review AND have the book back.

Then, on the Thursday, I walked my legs off.
Ouch, bending my knees to go down to browse yet another book.
Started of, naturally, at the hotel, short street inbetween, Queensway,
Hyde Park.
One ‘where does that lead to?’ further, Kensington High Street, Royal Albert Hall + Memorial, West Carriage Drive? Bayswater Road.
Edgeware Rd, where a tasty lass was window cleaning, showing off her *ssets. On purpose no doubt, as she could have bend through her knees
surely!?!
Cakes ‘n’ Bakes?
Since this was Edgeware Road, naturally I thought of Sonali.
Next, obviously, Oxford Street, Cambridge Circus, Regent Street, Green Park, Buckingham Palace Road,
Ebury Street.
Semmalina, the famous sisters not spotted. (Emma Forbes and her (lovelier?) sister Sarah Standing)
Pimlico Road and another.
Back to Piccadilly Circus, Coventry Street, Leicester Square, CCR, China Town, New Oxford Street? Great Ormond Street (has High Stakes closed?), CCR, Trafalgar Square.
Later back to the hotel via Winter Wonderland. (via Hanover Street)
The German fries even better than the year before.
Earlier I had had some chocolate in Regent Street from a very nice lady, who might have been hotter than the chocolate!
If I wasn’t such a coward I would have asked if I, Londonphile, could have her picture.
And the lady in Edgeware Rd and the German? Lass in Winter Wonderland.
I’d have published my ‘London Lasses’, part ** (it’s late and I don’t wanna spend a half hour making up a number).
Best selling, the 2003 edition, when the weather was, for a change, hotter than the girls.
100 degrees!
Short skirts, upskirts.
That’d have a great title! But no, we called it ‘London Lasses: 2003 Edition’…
800,000 more would’ve been sold.
A couple of very nice cashiers (F!) over the years. Where you don’t care a penny if you were short changed.
One notably at Maxwell & Kennedy’s,
but not Kirsten, whose name was on the receipt and even recognised me the year after, and who I thought to recognise at Stratford.
More like the one that maybe was a bit like one of them girls from All Saints(?).
The first year the lady that helped me was a Diane Louise-Jordan look-a-like.
I have mentioned of course the cashier at Australia Shop a couple years back.
Down Under?
Down and Out more like!

Murphy
745 points
102 reds
7 yellows
6 greens
3 browns
17 blues
15 pinks
55 blacks
102 reds 103 colours
Ave Colour Blue .8
3.6 points/ball
2.4 points/shot
7 points/turn
27.59 points/point(s) scoring turn
24 sec/309 shots
2.9 shots/turn
89% pot success
5×50
Century 102
105 turns, of which 27 point(s) scoring

65 Penalty Points
Table Time: 57/43
Match Time: 4h 43m 20s
Bubble Break Score:
54004-37877
16,127

Frame Scores:
61-57 30-93 7-116 120-6 74-37 25-60 72-0 72-48 21-79 101-32 57-14 80-9 76-23 0-85 0-86 109-0
Aggr: 118 123 123 126 111 85 72 120 100 133 71 89 99 85 86 109
Min 71 Max 133 Ave 103
Winning margin: Smallest 4 points, Biggest 109, first and last frames

Frame Duration:
23:50 20:53 15:36 14:5 23:1 27:58 10:44 25:40 14:51 14:32 26:26 18:59 13:25 8:31 10:48 14:1
Min 8 min 31
Max 27 min 58
Ave 17min 1 sec

Robertson
500 points
66 reds
8 yellow
5 green
5 browns
16 blues
15 pinks
28 blacks
66 Reds 77 Colours
2.2 Points Per Shot
26 sec/227 shots
89% pot success
3 50 breaks
88 turns of which 21 point(s) scoring
Ave 5.68 Points Scoring Only 23.8
hi break 119

25 penalty points
Match time: 2h 35min 4sec
Table Time: 43/57
Bubble Break Scoring
(interval 7493-11194)
22410-31490

Frame Times:
40:20 6:9 23:2 14:11 16:2 13:12 14:4 12:0 16:4 19:0
Longest 40 min 20 Fastest 6 min 9 Ave 15 min 5.4 sec

Frame Scores:
44-45 78-0 42-51 9-95 31-81 72-1 72-30 20-119 90-12 6-66
Aggr: 89 78 93 104 112 73 102 139 102 72
Max 139 Min 72 Ave 96.4

O’Sullivan
392 points
55 reds
2 yellows
3 greens
1 browns
18 blues
9 pinks
25 blacks
17 sec/154 shots
90% pot success
3 50 breaks
42 turns, of which 10 point(s) scoring

Table Time: 56/44
Match Time: 1h 39m 41sec
4 Penalty Points
Bubble Break Score:
38258-31059

Frame Times: Fast 7 min 51 sec
Long 27 min 50 sec Ave 12 min 30 sec

Frame Scores Aggr: 97 100 127 140 84 88 141 120
Min 84 Max 141 Ave 112

Bingham
338 points
43 reds
6 yellows
4 greens
4 browns
10 blues
9 pinks
18 blacks
20 sec/152 shots
83% pot success
2 50 breaks
Hi Break: 73
60 turns, of which 14 point(s) scoring

Bubble Break Score:
49863 14319
Table Time 60/40
Match Time: 2 h 4 min 16 sec
39 penalty points
Ave Frame: 13 min (-ish)

Frame Scores:
Aggr: 87 117 109 119 110 87 123 121
122
Min 87 (2) Max 123 Ave 110.5

O’Sullivan:
626 points
87 reds
4 yellows
6 greens
4 browns
14 blues
15 pinks
47 blacks
18 sec/222 shots
91% pot success
4 50 breaks
46 turns, of which 19 point(s) scoring
Hi Break: 125

Table Time: 48/52
Match Time: 2h6m10sec
8 penalty points

Bubble Break Score: 16695 – 37466

Aggr Scores: Min 76 Max 126
Ave 105

Frame Times: Longest 15 min 17 sec Fastest 6 min 20 sec
Ave 12 min 10 sec

Perry
184 points
28 reds
1 yellow
1 green
0 browns
3 blues
4 pinks
16 blacks
20 sec/74 shots
95% pot success
2 50 breaks
Hi Break: 75
20 turns of which 8 point(s) scoring

Table Time: 67/33
Bubble Break Score: 32083-10342
Match Time: 82mins

105-0 77-0 37-68 93-23 8-91 98-2
602
Agg frame points: min 77 max 116
Ave frame points: 100
13 min 40 sec ave