Champagne is good for you

So it’s a pretty late update from the weekend, but it’s easy to get caught up in the World Cup and the summer of love. World Cup games featuring Spain, England, Australia and Sweden the last few nights have meant we were slightly distracted.

Friday night saw me ‘cook’ a goat’s cheese salad and a beef carpaccio of sorts for Paul. Both were pretty nice, if I do say so myself. We knocked back a bottle of Pinot with that, and topped it all off with berries and crème fraiche, so no wonder I decided to get up early (c’mon, 8:30am is early) and go for a run Saturday.

I don’t know why I bothered really, it was probably one of my worst runs for about 5 years. I did my normal 6-mile down and around Regent’s Park, but the warm weather combined with sleepiness, no food and a niggly foot injury meant I stopped about 3 times. Still it was sunny enough to take my shirt off in Regents Park and I got a little less pasty. Soon I’ll be positively Kidmanesque in my complexion.

At least I burnt off some of the 5000 calories and 45 units of alcohol we consumed at the Taste of London. It was a lovely hot day (well, 27C) and we ate plenty and drank far too much champagne.I took some pictures, but they seem to consist of the tops of peoples heads - not sure how that happened. It finished bang on 4pm, so we went and sat in Regent’s Park, drank some more champagne, then the group decamped to our place to freshen up for Mark II’s friend’s party.

We all headed off to Clapham South for a housewarming. Mark II’s friend’s name is Alan and he is lovely. So lovely that Paul is keen to groom him as a friend. It was a fairly quiet affair, only about 25 or so people there, and I made friends with a pocket gay from Boston. He was very sweet and one of those americans you meet that challenges your preconceptions about americans. There’s always one. After that we went clubbing, purely to keep Alan, Mark, Oscar, Damien, Dr F. et. al. company, mind you. Mark and Oscar are really nice guys - so generous - we’re very glad to have met them.

Sunday was originally for going to the ponds and sunbathing, but it turned out Sunday was for sleeping. And for watching Australia get beaten by Brazil, but at least they put up a good fight. Just a draw needed now to get through to the last 16. And then elimination.