I chose The Pembroke very carefully. I dug out my trusty slide rule, compass, protractor and set squares…
…concluding that this place was approximately equidistant between my place and Simon’s…
…it was also one of those places I’d heard good things about and was keen to try.
Everything went according to plan; I turned up a couple of minutes after the appointed hour and Simon turned up shortly after that.
I bet you put some effort into choosing this place on the grounds of its equidistance…
…said Simon. I nodded.
Thing is, I forgot to mention last time I saw you, but I have finally got round to commissioning that work on my house I’ve been talking about for years…so I am currently living with my mum in Pinner.
Last time I saw Simon was his gig at Notting Hill Arts Club:
I’m not surprised Simon didn’t mention the “staying with mum” business on that occasion; it’s not a very rock’n’roll existence, is it? Even if temporary and in sensible circumstances. Even with Simon’s lovely mum.
We spent a bit of time bemoaning the whole “builders in the house” business.
Then we worked out that half way between my place and Simon’s mum’s place is probably Alperton or Wembley (it is). I have subsequently researched half way houses in Alperton/Wembley – click here. Probably best we booked The Pembroke.
The food was good, the staff were attentive without being overly-so. They had acquiesced to my request for a corner table, not that the place was too full anyway, but that back corner is away from the bar, which is a bit nosiy there.
All very satisfactory.
But the funny thing was, that once Simon had told me that he was living with his mum, he seemed somewhat reverted, somehow boyish compared with his usual self.
Example. Simon was describing his mother’s house, which is not the house I remember Simon & Sue growing up in; their folks moved to a different house in the 1980s.
Simon described the garden as big. Seriously big. He then went to Google Earth to try locating the garden so I could see it.
At one point, when I wondered why Simon was looking at the Google Earth globe, Simon asserted that his mum’s garden is the only structure of human construction, other than the Great Wall Of China, that can be seen from outer space. Perhaps that assertion was meant to be exaggeration for effect, rather than an attempt to hoodwink me.
In the end, Simon failed to locate his mum’s garden on Google Earth…I mean, it can’t be that big then, can it?
So we discussed other things. Such as the political omnishambles that is the general election.
We also discussed Simon’s latest cracking single, which I had been honoured to hear in preview and is due to be released on the Friday after our get together…
…which is today, now that I am writing this up, so I can share the charming video and song with you:
Cool sound, coming from a self-confessed “old bloke” who still lives with his mum…
…Ok, is temporarily living with his mum while making even more cool studio space for himself and Timothy in his house.
Anyway, we had a very enjoyable evening, as always. I was surprised at how late it was by the time we toddled towards Earls Court, from whence I went the two stops back to my place and Simon…schlepped all the way to Pinner.