![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Waiting For The Ghost Train
Oct. 31st, 2021 08:44 pmThursday night went to the bonfire and fireworks at HMS Sultan. There was a queue a mile long to get onto the site, but fortunately they held back lighting the bonfire until we'd got in. The bonfire was a large cylindrical structure with pallet-like wood all round the outside. A DJ from regional radio station Wave 105 was compere for the evening, and captured the general mood when he said "It feels like two years - probably because it is two years - it really is great to be back." The fireworks were a splendid display of colour and high-shooting rockets, accompanied by a medley of rock music including, to my delight, Summer of '69. After the display I joined another lengthy queue, at one of just two burger vans present. An older gentleman next to me in the queue observed that there used to be so many more food vans at the event; I recalled that there were lots the last time I came, in 2011. The frankfurter hot dog was well worth the wait though.
Friday Jade and I went to see a local duo, Harddrive, who play 80s synth pop hits, at a pub in another part of town. The duo were really good but the pub was jam packed and there was a rowdy element there. Fortunately Jade and I were away from the rowdies, and we were able to have a bit of a dance in relative peace. We had a terrible time trying to book a taxi home - we both phoned several taxi firms (three or four of the ones I tried all got me through to the same company and same lady) and nobody had any cabs earlier than 12.30. Just after 11pm I managed to book us an Uber and we got home without a hitch.
Yesterday I headed for London to see Clapton Community away at Kensington Dragons. I must have walked all over the streets surrounding Wormwood Scrubs and some of the parkland looking for the entrance to Linford Christie Stadium before finding it. We'd been warned there was no food or drink available at the ground so I moseyed on to the nearest pub, the Pavilion, and spotted several other CCFC fans there. Joy - they served Parma Violet cider. Went for an excellent Southern Fried chicken burger and sweet potato fries.
There was a high stand of half a dozen rows overlooking the stadium, with the pitch surrounded by a running track. As kick-off approached the stand filled with CCFC fans. I chatted to Annu, Eva and a few others. Annu told me all about her trip to Dublin to see Bohemians play, sounded amazing. The merch man arrived soon before kick-off and tossed me up a new home shirt. The game progressed with lots of vocal support for CCFC as always. Tons won 4-0 and we were delighted to see cult hero James "Briggsy" Briggs - wearing my original shirt, now bearing the number 31 - get on the scoresheet. A couple of the chaps alongside me talked about their trips to see St Pauli; one of them revealed that he'd had some great times following St Pauli's reserve team, Amateure, around the German 4th division grounds. One of our fans did a lap of the running track carrying an Ultras flag towards the end of the game; as he crossed the finish line a chorus of "One more lap!" rang out from the stand, and he obliged. On his second lap a young lad in a Tons away shirt also ran round the track some way behind him; we called out "He's catching you!" When the adult fan entered the home straight on his second time round we all sang the Chariots of Fire theme. The young lad got a big cheer when he crossed the finish line.
I set off this morning intending to hit London again for CCFC women's match at Edgware, but at Portsmouth Harbour station an announcement said that because of a broken down train at Guildford, all trains to Waterloo were cancelled. I boarded a train for Victoria, only for that to sit motionless on the platform for half an hour after its due departure time. At first, the delay was said to be down to an error by dispatch staff, then it was awaiting instructions from the signalman, but by the time five minutes had become 20, the reason we were given was an electrical fault at Fratton. When we did get moving half an hour late, on the move between Portsmouth Harbour and Portsmouth & Southsea the supervisor suddenly announced that the train would be terminating at Littlehampton and that those of us travelling to London would need to change trains at Portsmouth & Southsea. Leaving the train there, I looked on the platform board and there wasn't a train to London Victoria for another twenty minutes. There was now no hope of getting to Edgware in time. Gloomily, I turned back, got the next train to the harbour and the ferry back to Gosport, and spent the afternoon having Sunday roast and morosely drinking in the White Hart. And in my absence the girls won 4-0.
Cosmic.
Friday Jade and I went to see a local duo, Harddrive, who play 80s synth pop hits, at a pub in another part of town. The duo were really good but the pub was jam packed and there was a rowdy element there. Fortunately Jade and I were away from the rowdies, and we were able to have a bit of a dance in relative peace. We had a terrible time trying to book a taxi home - we both phoned several taxi firms (three or four of the ones I tried all got me through to the same company and same lady) and nobody had any cabs earlier than 12.30. Just after 11pm I managed to book us an Uber and we got home without a hitch.
Yesterday I headed for London to see Clapton Community away at Kensington Dragons. I must have walked all over the streets surrounding Wormwood Scrubs and some of the parkland looking for the entrance to Linford Christie Stadium before finding it. We'd been warned there was no food or drink available at the ground so I moseyed on to the nearest pub, the Pavilion, and spotted several other CCFC fans there. Joy - they served Parma Violet cider. Went for an excellent Southern Fried chicken burger and sweet potato fries.
There was a high stand of half a dozen rows overlooking the stadium, with the pitch surrounded by a running track. As kick-off approached the stand filled with CCFC fans. I chatted to Annu, Eva and a few others. Annu told me all about her trip to Dublin to see Bohemians play, sounded amazing. The merch man arrived soon before kick-off and tossed me up a new home shirt. The game progressed with lots of vocal support for CCFC as always. Tons won 4-0 and we were delighted to see cult hero James "Briggsy" Briggs - wearing my original shirt, now bearing the number 31 - get on the scoresheet. A couple of the chaps alongside me talked about their trips to see St Pauli; one of them revealed that he'd had some great times following St Pauli's reserve team, Amateure, around the German 4th division grounds. One of our fans did a lap of the running track carrying an Ultras flag towards the end of the game; as he crossed the finish line a chorus of "One more lap!" rang out from the stand, and he obliged. On his second lap a young lad in a Tons away shirt also ran round the track some way behind him; we called out "He's catching you!" When the adult fan entered the home straight on his second time round we all sang the Chariots of Fire theme. The young lad got a big cheer when he crossed the finish line.
I set off this morning intending to hit London again for CCFC women's match at Edgware, but at Portsmouth Harbour station an announcement said that because of a broken down train at Guildford, all trains to Waterloo were cancelled. I boarded a train for Victoria, only for that to sit motionless on the platform for half an hour after its due departure time. At first, the delay was said to be down to an error by dispatch staff, then it was awaiting instructions from the signalman, but by the time five minutes had become 20, the reason we were given was an electrical fault at Fratton. When we did get moving half an hour late, on the move between Portsmouth Harbour and Portsmouth & Southsea the supervisor suddenly announced that the train would be terminating at Littlehampton and that those of us travelling to London would need to change trains at Portsmouth & Southsea. Leaving the train there, I looked on the platform board and there wasn't a train to London Victoria for another twenty minutes. There was now no hope of getting to Edgware in time. Gloomily, I turned back, got the next train to the harbour and the ferry back to Gosport, and spent the afternoon having Sunday roast and morosely drinking in the White Hart. And in my absence the girls won 4-0.
Cosmic.
