jasonbstanding.com

They ain’t just whistling dixit!

An instant feckle-raiser* to many new arrivals to Old Blighty from Australia is the idea of the TV Licence – the annual fee which owners of TVs pay, which goes into funding the BBC. Personally I don’t mind the idea at all, and think it’s a reasonable way of funding a national broadcaster, and every now and again one gets the opportunity to see something which the licence fee is going towards which reinforces what excellent work some parts of the BBC do. Previously my exposure to such things was chiefly ...

According to this, when passing Westminster Abbey,…

According to this, when passing Westminster Abbey, Darwin’s, and St John’s Wood, as you veer left take care not to run over The Queen - who you’ll find in the middle of the road.

Their mums must get some awesome postcards!

It’d be fair to say that I know a fairly mobile bunch of people -- many of my friends from growing up don’t live in the ol’ neighbourhood any more, though having moved to different parts of Australia, or the world. I’m going to assume this is pretty normal going by the number of places I’ve been on holiday where I’ve heard an Australian accent pipe up in the background (that is to say -- EVERYwhere I’ve been, with possibly the exception of Mississippi). Every now and again, however, I hear ...

Qype: The Laughing Halibut in London

London – Eating & Drinking – Fastfood & Takeaway – Fish & Chips “Fish & chips” is an interesting cuisine option – it’s almost universally invoked with a modicum of enthusiasm, and is very much regarded as an English cultural cornerstone – and though it’s ostensibly a simple meal, there’s definitely a huge variation in quality. One thing that’s always puzzled me, in fact, is how people maintain their enthusiasm for fish & chips from their local chippy when it’s obviously terrible. Having walked past The Laughing Halibut many-a lunchtime to ...

Someone Else: by Elliot Mason, and the David Goo Variety Band

Qype: Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in London

London – Eating & Drinking – Pubs & Bars – Pubs Out on a Saturday evening’s pub-skylarking with a friend we found ourselves in Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, and I have to say – I was very impressed! Initially the heat from the fireplace seemed oppressive, but that was possibly in contrast from the frigid chill we’d come in from. As our eyes adjusted to the stygian darkness of the front bar we managed to find a couple of chairs and thought “Ah well, this is a tourist pub – we’ll ...

Aye, there’s the rub. A dub dub.

One of the reasons, it’s been said, that the rationalist/skeptic movement haven’t swollen their membership in the same way as say, an organised religion, is that there’s no obvious focal point for them to congregate at. So in 1999 a group called Skeptics In The Pub was formed to provide a regular chance for people to experience lectures on “a rational approach to extraordinary claims” in a social environment. On Monday Feb 15th the London Skeptics In The Pub were holding a meeting, so it seemed a good idea to pop along & ...

You know you’re in Knightsbridge…

Qype: Greenwich Union in London

London – Eating & Drinking – Pubs & Bars – Pubs We recently bowled in here for a Sunday roast whilst in the neighbourhood – as a visitor from the far North I’d often heard of The Union in the wilds of Greenwich, and was quite pleased with what I found. The main drawcard of this place is the beer: the tap selection is almost solely the preserve of Meantime Brewery, London’s excellent artisans of the brew. There were around 6-8 interesting looking beers on keg, and 3 further ales on ...

‘Oss ‘oss!

England is a country rife with tradition & local custom, which gives rise to some fascinating events -- I’ve written before about the tar barrel running in Ottery St Mary before, and alluded to but not gotten around to writing about the cheese rolling race at Coopers Hill in Gloucestershire. In May I was lucky enough to be invited to Padstow, in Cornwall, for another distinct local gem -- the Mayday ‘Obby ‘Oss Festival. Mitch & Bill from our morris dancing team have been heading down to Padstow for years now ...