Category: Friends and Family Events

After Returning From Our Travels, A Busy Period Running Up To Christmas & Twixtmas, 14 to 31 December 1993 & Beyond

I had allowed an additional day to sort myself out after our return from our long break, so the delayed return…

A Dreadful Journey Home From Bali, Via Jakarta, Bangkok & Abu Dhabi, Worthy Of Complaint, “Courtesy” Of Garuda Indonesia, 12 & 13 December 1993

…was less problematic for me than it was for Janie.

Janie has not made that mistake again since – we both tend to allow plenty of leeway and sorting out time after our travels.

I had some pleasurable things to do as well as hard work on our return – a NewsRevue Smoker on 16th December – the concept of such smokers is explained in my 40th anniversary piece – here and below:

NewsRevue 40th Anniversary Party, Show & Smoker, Canal Cafe Theatre, 18 August 2019

…and a BDO Consulting Xmas lunch the next day. Not sure where we ate that year – but it mught have been the Bleeding Heart again – in any case I won’t have been interrogated in the 1988 mode – click here or below for that story:

Binder Hamlyn Management Consultants Christmas Lunch Virtually All Day, 14 December 1988

Janie took quite a bit of work over that first weekend back – 18 & 19 December. My diary is silent about the weekend. there was talk about meeting up with Kim & Micky on Monday 20th for dinner, but I think we canceled that out, again perhaps pressure of work and dread of meals out during that holiday season.

Janie even took a couple of clients on Christmas Eve, whereas I (still a BDO salaryman for the last holiday season) needed to use up my accumulated holiday days to avoid losing them. I had Microbee come to look at my cockroaches that morning instead.

I went to my parents on Christmas Day and Janie saw her mum. Janie and I got together for the holiday season on Boxing Day.

We spent part of the Twixtmas period at Janie’s and part of the time at mine. Phillie, Tony & Charlie were around that season and when they wanted to stay at Janie’s, we decamped to mine.

I think we took the three of them to the flicks at Whiteley’s on Tuesday 28 December. For sure we took them to see The Secret Garden at some point during that period. I think Charlie (aged 6 or 7 at that time) got a lot more out of that experience than any of the rest of us. I am pretty sure it was on that occasion, while walking from my flat to Whiteley’s, that Tony opined to me on the sanity (or otherwise) of Janie’s family; judging Janie to be the sanest one but not delving into where that assessment might stand on other benchmarks or spectra of sanity.

It was my good fortune to be spared the family trip to Bristol during Twixtmas, not least because I had some client work to do that Twixtmas (the International Transport Workers Federation didn’t shut down for Twixtmas).

Janie and I got together again for new years eve – a quiet one if I remember correctly.

I think we spent a fair chunk of that time going through our holiday pictures, and why not?

Dreaming of a sun-drenched Twixtamas?

After spending the first couple of days of the new year at mine, as the family were still around, we then switched back to Janie’s place after another of those Worm family meals on Bank Holiday Monday (3rd January) at the North China Restaurant – still there as I write in January 2020. (The restaurant, not the Worm family).

So we spent the next weekend (8th/9th) at Janie’s; a quiet weekend by the looks of it.

Dinner With Annie & Annalisa At Janie’s, 8 October, Then Kim & Micky Also At Janie’s, 16 October 1993

This date hovered around between the Friday 8th and Saturday 9th, eventually settling, it seems, on the Friday.

Janie finished work a bit early and did the honours for an 8.00 meal. It will have been a good one, but Annalisa’s vegetarianism (was Annie also veggie?) will have irritated Janie a bit.

My guess is that Janie will have done something along the lines of the food she tends to serve Kim. Perhaps ratatouille. Perhaps Lebanese style food.

It will have been good. (I know i have said that twice).

Janie and I went to the hygienist the next day. That incident will have been unconnected with the good meal incident.

I think I possibly flew out to Geneva on the Sunday. For sure I was there on the Monday and I think I stayed a couple of nights.

The following weekend, I played bridge at Tessa’s on the Friday then went on to Janie’s place.

On the Saturday Janie cooked for Kim & Micky. That too will have been a good one.

Marianne & Steve’s Party At The Loose Box, Brompton Road, 18 September, Then An Unspecified Midweek Dinner 23 September 1993

In truth I don’t much remember this party, but we both recorded it in our diaries with faithful addresses and how to get there notes, so I’m sure we went.

The Loose Box is now (writing January 2020) in Horseferry Road, but in those days for sure was Brompton Road.

No clues about where Janie and I had our dinner 23 September. Perhaps I cooked for her but I did have an early flight to Geneva the next morning, which is one of the reasons we dined together on the Thursday, as I was due to stay over in Geneva for the weekend and then the following week.

Actually, more likely I’d have got us both a Chinese takeaway from May’s place (The Park Inn) that night – I’d been on a busy day that day and can’t imagine that cooking would have made sense.

We both loved May’s food.

A Needly Appointment With Dr Rasheed, Colville Health Clinic, Followed By Pampering At Janie’s Place, Sandall Close, 17 September 1993

A public domain image, not actually Dr Rasheed preparing to jab me.

Janie and I were preparing to go to China, Hong Kong & Bali in the late summer of 1993. An element of prophylaxis was called for, including some vaccination. In particular, we both needed a typhoid jab; I hadn’t had one of those since 1979.

My track record with vaccination was not (and is not) a glorious one. I am a true believer and always take recommended vaccines, but I get irrationally nervous for jabs. One especially ignominious example from my infanthood (some time in the mid-1960s) is contained in the prelude to this (here or below) weird, other story:

Strange Case Of Dr Green And Mr Knipe…And Beluga Caviar And Scotch Whisky And A Bust Of Hitler, c22 December 1981

For those who choose not to read the above, Dr Green ended up under the dining room table at Woodfield Avenue giving a terrified, bolting infant-version of me one of my childhood jabs in the buttock.

Further, my previous experience with typhoid vaccination, in 1979 ahead of my visit to Mauritius, had not been a great experience. It had left me feeling very sore and a bit poorly for a couple of days.

I therefore planned my typhoid jabs with precision, arranging a Friday end of the day appointment so I could drive straight over to Janie’s, where she had promised to look after me and help me convalesce from the jab.

I seem to recall that she made soup for the purpose. Chicken might have been involved as well. We’d been going out for over a year by then and in any case she had insight into the quintessential cultural mores.

Prophylactic, therapeutic, palliative…chicken soup has got the lot

While all that tender loving care was being prepared in my honour, a trembling version of me turned up at the Colville Health Centre to see Dr Rasheed at 17:40.

Dr Rasheed was a locum, I believe. My regular GP at that time was Dr Catherine Mok. I used to refer to my regular GP as “Mok The Afflicted”, but only because I was addicted to puns. She was a very good GP in my view.

Are you all right?…

…asked Dr Rasheed, perhaps concerned by this trembling wreck of a patient.

Sorry, doctor. I’m a total wimp when it comes to jabs.

Hmmm. Well, the really cowardly people don’t turn up for jabs at all. What are you afraid of?

It’s irrational, doctor, I realise that. But actually, in the matter of this typhoid vaccination, I get a bad reaction to it, so I am anticipating feeling very sore and a bit poorly this weekend.

Dr Rasheed looked puzzled.

When did you last have a typhoid vaccination?

1979, when I went to Mauritius.

Dr Rasheed laughed.

We don’t use those antiquated vaccines any more. You haven’t had Typhim before. You might get a little soreness at the site but side effects are all-but unheard of now.

Back when a jab was really a jab. You knew about it for days. That’s what I call a jab.

It was all over in the batting of an eyelid. I felt like a total fraud as I was driving to Janie’s place, anticipating some 24 hours of tender loving care, realising that my chances of actually feeling poorly were vanishingly small.

Cushions, plumped up pillows, gentle entreaties of the “how are you feeling now?” variety…

…so for how long did I milk that TLC situation before coming clean to Janie that I had been worrying about some obsolete vaccine from a bygone era and didn’t feel sore and poorly at all with this one?

That’s between me, my conscience and Janie.

After the big reveal. Does Janie look pleased?

Bank Holiday Weekend Avoiding Carnival At Sandall Close, 27 to 30 August 1993

This is the first year I escaped carnival by taking refuge at Janie’s place. It is a tradition that has persisted for over quarter of a century at the time of writing.

No clues about what we did.

Very little, presumably.

We were no doubt busy celebrating my birthday and the anniversary of our first date:

Janie and I Go On Our First Proper Date, The Street Of Crocodiles, Cottesloe Theatre, 29 August 1992

Nothing wrong with that.

Did We Go To Andrea’s For Dinner?, 21 August 1993

Both of our diaries say:

Andrea dinner?

Neither has any further details.

I’m going to guess that this particular idea fell through.

But it might have happened that evening, just with neither of us writing any further details in the diary.

For sure we did have dinner with Andrea…more than once…but probably not that night.

An Unexpectedly Quiet Long Weekend Followed By NewsRevue Edinburgh Preview, 7 to 10 August 1993

By the looks of it, Ros Ellott was due to come and stay with Janie that weekend but in the end did not.

We had booked out a long weekend for the purpose.

I guess Janie and I found things to do, but none are recorded in the diary.

We both worked on the Tuesday – Janie working a very long day – then headed up to the Canal Cafe Theatre to see the Edinburgh show preview.

Elements of that particular Edinburgh show have been preserved for all posterity through a TV show named The Wire. The extracts even include one of mine – the Kate Adie Song.

The NewsRevue bit of the show starts at c7:00.

Top marks again to Janie in the stalwart stakes, coming with me to that show after a 12-13 hour working day.

Dinner With Michelle & Neil At My Place, 31 July 1993

If the previous week had been a bit of a theatre-fest for Janie…

Kim & Micky’s Party, 25 July 1993

…the following week was a bit of an Ian’s-old-friends-from-Uni-fest for her, as we followed up an evening with Annalisa and Annie with a dinner at my place with Michelle Epstein (then Infield) and Neil Infield.

The diary is silent on what I served. Probably my Chinese specialties but you never know.

I’m sure it was a very pleasant evening.

I think it was the first time that Janie met those two. The next time I think was out in Sussex at their place.

Kim & Micky’s Party, 25 July 1993

Janie had been on a bit of a theatre-fest that week. Bish Bash Bosh with me on the Thursday…

Bish Bash Bosh, NewsRevue Spin Off In Willesden, Opening Night, 22 July 1993

…The Questors Theatre with her mum on the Friday night (production not named in the diary), while I played bridge with Daniel and friends that night.

Then we both went to see Oleanna on the Saturday – that was a wow evening…

Oleanna by David Mamet, Royal Court Theatre, 24 July 1993

…so Kim & Micky’s early evening party (starting at 5.00) was probably a bit of an antidote to all that.

Was this the one during which Victor gave me and Janie (especially Janie) the benefit of his wisdom about relationships? I have a feeling it was. It went down about as well as the Professor character in Oleanna touching his student on the shoulder. Oh well.

But the party would have been a swinging one, with plenty of people, good food, fine wines and lots of fun. Just the ticket ahead of early starts for both of us on the Monday morning.

Lunch With My Parents, Royal Garden Hotel Kensington, 18 July 1993

As if a rather disastrous night out to see (half of) Hedda Gabler wasn’t enough for one weekend…

Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, Holland Park, 17 July 1993

…we were at mine that weekend and were joined at lunchtime by my parents. I’m pretty sure this was the first time Janie met them.

My vague recollection is that this particular gathering went fine and that it was the next time around that mum was rude to Janie and then phoned to apologise as soon as she got home…

…but maybe it was this occasion. Janie is sure the rude incident occurred at my place, but then we might have gathered at my place before or after The Royal Garden.

Sunday lunch at The Royal Garden was a good choice for my folks. It was always a buffet, each week on a different theme. Janie and I eschew such things now, but in those days lots of our friends liked them and for big/fussy eaters such as dad and mum (respectively), such buffets were a good idea. Dad could always indulge himself and mum could always find at least something she liked.

Mum and Dad 15 years earlier – they were in colour by 1993