Category: Friends and Family Events

Mum’s Funeral, South London Crematorium/Streatham Park Cemetery, 15 January 2015

In the orthodox Jewish tradition, the funeral takes place very rapidly after death. But mum and dad had opted out of the orthodox way and had planned to be cremated. Hence the 10 day interval between mum’s demise and her funeral.

The funeral took place at South London Crematorium/Streatham Park Cemetery at 16:00 that day. The funeral was officiated by the Streatham Liberal Synagogue’s Rabbi, Janet Darley.

As for dad, I wrote and read a eulogy which I shall upload here, with any other artefacts I think worthy of retention, such as the music playlist, when I go through the relevant papers in the fullness of time.

We, family and friends retreated to Nightingale for a reception, the centrepiece of which was the cafe cheesecake which made mum so happy during those last few years of her life.

Come to think of it; if there is one thing I do miss about that whole period it is that wonderful cheesecake.

Mum’s Death, 5 January 2015

Janie and I had visited the day before and suspected that mum was fading.

Angela Broad visited on the Monday, allowing me to try and get back into work. She called me late afternoon to let me know that mum looked very weak indeed – significant change even in the last 24 hours.

So it didn’t come as a surprise to me (although these things are always a shock) when the hospital called about 10:00 pm and broke the news to me that mum had died.

After sorting out the formalities over the next couple of days, I made the following posting on Facebook:

I also felt the hospital treated the whole matter with great care, compassion and professionalism, so I also (a few days later) published the following open letter of thanks to the hospital staff:

Those two Facebook postings pretty much sum up my thoughts at the time, really.

A Gresham Society Visit To the Wallace Collection Including Lunch With Richard Evans, 18 September 2014

Wallace Collection – Great Hall, November 2023, with thanks to Chris Parkins

I have written up this visit on the Gresham Society website – click here.

If anything ever befalls the Gresham Society site, you can read my words on this scrape here.

This was my first visit to the Wallace for several years – Janie and I went in 2008, primarily to see an Osbert Lancaster exhibition – click here or below:

Three Galleries In One Day, Royal Academy, National Portrait Gallery and Wallace Collection, 6 October 2008

The Day Charley the Gent & I Didn’t Go To Radlett To Watch Cricket, But Chas & Dot Did Come To Noddyland For Dinner

Most of what needs to be said about this day is summarised in the King Cricket piece about it – click here or below:

Middlesex Second XI v Essex Second XI at Radlett

If by any chance anything ever goes awry with that link, it is scraped to here.

In case you can’t be bothered to click but can be bothered to read my scribblings, the plan was for me and Chas to go to Radlett to watch some cricket, after which we would retire to Noddyland where Dot, Chas’s wife would join Chas, me and Janie for dinner.

In the end it rained such that cricket made no sense but a very pleasant dinner still made sense.

I’ll leave the final word to Chas:

…we had a great time yesterday, the house and garden are both very beautiful, the area is gorgeous, you both have made a very good decision to live there.

I felt a little embarrassed as the food was everything thing I adore, and lovely wine too!

To my amazement Dot enjoyed the Salmon and really enjoyed the hospitality, even the singing and ‘metal’ playing!

Don’t forget the option for you to see cricket at Essex is still very much open – just let me know some possible dates and I will organise.

I took Chas up on that offer – the following season – reported here and below:

Essex v Australians at Chelmsford, Day 2, 2 July 2015

But before that, indeed fewer than 10 days later, Chas and I were together again at Lord’s for Day Two of the Sri Lanka Test:

England v Sri Lanka Day 2 Lord’s Test Match, King Cricket Match Report, 13 June 2014

Those are both events reported more comprehensively on King Cricket than on Ogblog!

Essex v Australians at Chelmsford – match report
England v Sri Lanka at Lord’s, day two match report

Lunch With Mum, Garry & Janice at La Cucina, 23 February 2014

Image borrowed from www.londontown.com

Towards the end of mum’s life, these outings were not easy affairs, as her confusion was certainly getting quite a bit worse from the start of that year.

Mum liked La Cucina in Northcote Road and had settled on that as being “her place” after a not such good meal at Numero Uno early in her time in Nightingale.

La Cucina is now gone. Here is an extract from that restauarant’s final LondonTown.com record – click here:

A large corner building marked by large burgundy awnings, Italian bar and restaurant La Cucina is a Northcote Road landmark – indeed you’ll often hear uttered locally ‘I’ll meet you at La Cucina. But the popularity of this restaurant isn’t just down to being easy to find, of course not, La Cucina is so well loved by Wandsworth locals for numerous reasons, not least the laid back, friendly atmosphere and friendly service from all Italian wait staff.

Indeed, we were happy to carry on going there because the waiters used to fuss around mum (Janie deliberately malapropises the notion of waiters fawning around mum to “fornicating waiters”) and make her feel special. They also did “old fashioned Italian-style food”, such as liver strips in sauce, that made her feel comfy.

Garry and Janice kindly came up from Southend to see her/us from time to time and this was one such occasion. Mum was really pleased to see them – she still recognised people she knew well at that time – six moths later it was different.

An enjoyable lunch indeed. I think we retired briefly to the Nightingale cafe so mum could show off her family to the visiting masses.

Hil & Chris For Dinner At Noddyland, 15 February 2014

Nothing much written down, but I think this was the evening that Janie produced her wasabi beef special for those two and jolly wonderful it tasted too.

I seem to recall that they stayed over and that we said goodbye to them before going off to play tennis, during which time they left.

Dinner At Noura With Jamil And Souad, 7 February 2014

Every so often, Jamil and Souad insist on taking me and Janie out for a meal. We occasionally get a chance to reciprocate, but not as often as we are hosted.

On this occasion, not for the first time, they chose Noura; a fine Lebanese restaurant in Belgravia; a place where our host couple is well known.

Janie and I love Lebanese food; Jamil and Souad know how to help us choose; to some extent favourites and known treats, to some extent things we might not have tried before.

As always with those two, an excellent meal in excellent company.

Kim Micky & DJ For Dinner, Noddyland, 25 January 2014

My diary is not very forthcoming about this evening.

I have a vague feeling that Janie sourced a high quality capon for this meal.

This is not to be confused with the tough old boiler chickens referred to as capons that I discuss in the middle of this history piece from 1967 – click here.

In any case, you can be sure that Janie cooked a very good meal and that we all had a very enjoyable evening.

To Moro, To Moro…, Dinner With Jilly Black And Friends, 15 January 2014

I have found an unfeasibly long trail of messages on Facebook messenger between me and Jilly simply to arrange for me and Janie to join Jilly and friends at Moro in Exmouth Market for Jilly’s sort-of birthday thing.

Not a big thing like her 2015 do – click here.

But still a thing.

It had been quite a while since I’d last seen Jilly, for no apparent reason other than general busyness, mutual social laziness and dates/lives not coinciding.

I have always liked Moro – click here – but hadn’t eaten there for some time, life not really taking me to Clerkenwell all that much now. I think it might have been a first time for Janie. North African Spanish fusion was bound to be her taste and indeed was.

Jilly’s friends are reliably good company and this occasion was no exception.

Janie and I very much enjoyed the evening, as did Jilly, by all accounts.

A Gresham Society Visit To The Shard, 24 May 2013

I have written up this event for the Gresham Society website – click here or picture link below:

If anything were ever to happen to the Gresham site, click this scrape link instead.

Here are the other pictures from Janie’s phone: