In cricketing terms the August bank holiday traditionally sees in the last over of play for a number of things including tomatoes, samphire, and every other year, the Ashes.
My favorite part of this weekend must surely have been meeting a winging Aussie in the cinema queue. As rain washed away any hopes of outdoor play on Saturday, my daughter and I decided to go to see Despicable Me 2, and it was in the line for tickets that Sheila poured his antipodean heart out to us explaining that he only comes to London one day every other year from Norfolk to watch the cricket.
I suggested that whilst in one of the world’s greatest capital cities, he should take full advantage of all that it had to offer; he looked at me as if I was mad, and then proceeded to declare his wicket by purchasing a ticket for the same child’s film that afforded me the greatest daytime nap since Roy Walker’s catchphrase was moved to afternoons.
Sunny Sunday by contrast was a trip to the fun fair on Hampstead heath, a series win, and the last chance to cook English tomatoes and samphire before drawing stumps. Both were blanched separately in boiling water; tomatoes were skinned, halved and slow roasted, whilst the samphire was fried with butter, garlic and lemon juice. The two were served with a grilled fillet of bream and balsamic reduction.
At the end of the day bad light prevented a 4-0 victory; as England were about to pull down Australia’s trousers, point and then laugh, the umpires called time and we had to make do with the victorious result of three rubbers to nil. If you ask me my new budgie smuggler friend should have left before the start of the movie and gone straight to The Tower.
