To Lords again on Saturday. The wife takes weather forecasts very seriously and assured me that there was no chance of any cricket being played. The older brother and I however braved the elements and actually got to see over seventy overs bowled and a convincing victory for Pakistan, albeit one that ended in near darkness.
Accompanying us was our friend the Loughton lawyer and after the match we set off to try and lift our spirits on licenced premises. After an airshot at the handsome Landmark Hotel on the Marylebone Road (no draught beer - even for ready money) we struck gold at The Harcourt Arms - London's Swedish pub. Obviously the Vikings invaded Southwold years ago and came away with happy memories. The main beer served at the Harcourt Arms is Adnams, and, fittingly for a Swedish pub, the barmaid who served us was wonderfully pleasing-on-the-eye. Here we were able to watch the closing moments of the England-Andorra European Cup qualifier on a plasma screen more usually used to show Scandinavian ice hockey matches (as well as keeping an eye on the barmaid). In addition to Adnams they serve Kopparberg here which is a mixed fruit cider guaranteed to anaesthetise you against all life's ills, and in winter you can get a Swedish mulled wine called glogg. It's a great pub.
Stupidly, as I supped my beer, I mentioned that my next blog might praise the Bavarian legal system. I had been impressed to read that Michael Ballack (of Chelsea and Germany) had been fined by a Munich court for failing to declare at customs the Fendi handbag which he had purchased as a gift for his footballer's wife/girl friend in Dubai. He had paid about £1,200 for the bag, and the fine levied by the German court ended up in the region of £65,000 - a high price, but one that might serve to remind Herr Ballack to declare his foreign purchases in future.
Abruptly the Loughton lawyer stopped ogling the barmaid and sprang to life, a glint in his eye as he saw an opportunity to defend the English legal system against a Ranting Nappa attack. "Let the punishment fit the crime!" I pleaded. "Why should Alan Sugar's Rolls Royce be charged the same £40 parking fine as the wife's small hatchback?". I even tried bringing Papua New Guinea law into the fray, but all to no avail. The Loughton lawyer had the bit between his teeth and, Rumpole-like, he wasn't going to let me off the hook. Remorselessly he chewed into every plea I could come up with. I think I'll keep off legal argument for a while.
