100 yards south of Piccadilly & running parallel, is Jermyn Street. In fact you can enter stores like Fortnum & Mason or Waterstones from Piccadilly & leave via Jermyn Street. 

And it was in Jermyn Street we found this wonderful old cheese shop. That's all it sells - cheese. And don't bother asking for any Dairylea Slices. We did once buy some dreadfully smelly cheese there, just to pretend we were posh I suppose. 

I'm suddenly reminded of two of my own personal favourite shops.

Not because I buy stuff from them, I absolutely do not, but pre-COVID when Gill & I used to go rambling around the West End, we would often pass this shop on Piccadilly. It only sold one thing - mustard. I SO wish I liked mustard.



 

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The thread included this shop which only sold clothing & accessories for sailors. It's in Central London. 

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Twitter can be so toxic, & I suppose that reflects the world we live in, with so many isms. Racism, sexism, croneyism & God knows what else. Within it though, if you look hard enough, there are little pockets of wonderful stuff.

The kids must think I've gone doolally, & they may be right, but I spent a whole hour perusing a Twitter thread about an umbrella shop yesterday. And it was the most enjoyable hour I had all day. It started off with an umbrella shop & wandered off naturally into all sorts of odd byways.

My favourite leisure activity is reading books, & books are my most treasured possessions. A good Twitter thread is not far behind though.  

WARNING - don't bother reading this Twitter thread unless you are a bit cranky - there's nothing exciting to see.


https://twitter.com/ceebrie/status/1384545452205518853

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[He's just one of those people who walks in and it's the equivalent of an enormous cat pissing on the door. Just stakes territory immediately]

I went looking to see if Meat Loaf had paid any tributes to Jim Steinman, & only managed to find this;

"Coming here soon, my brother Jimmy. Fly Jimmy fly,"

That's OK, no worries.

But then, quite by chance & on the same website, I found the reverse to what I was looking for - I found a comment about Meat Loaf by Steinman. I have never seen or heard this expression before, but it'd beyond excellent, & certainly fitting for Meat Loaf. Maybe only a Jim Steinman could have said such a thing.


"From the minute he walked in, I was stunned," Steinman said of Meat Loaf's audition in a 2003 interview. "I thought he was astonishing. He's just one of those people who walks in and it's the equivalent of an enormous cat pissing on the door. Just stakes territory immediately."

Isn't that just wonderful?




 

 

Back on topic, Bazza gave a few interviews at The Crucible on Monday & it's looks like he is in fine fettle & bursting with good health & energy.

There must be something subliminal going off there, the first time I read the Argue post I also thought it said "(including myself)", which seemed an odd thing to write.

Was quite reassuring to see Tom fall in the same hole. 

Here's a recent photo of him - I'd never have recognized him.

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Jim Steinman (73) has died. I never realised he was that old.

What a shock. Amazing songwriter, unique.  

He must have been immensely wealthy.

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We just await Boris claiming credit for it now.

More from Arsenal;


The last few days have shown us yet again the depth of feeling our supporters around the world have for this great club and the game we love.

We needed no reminding of this but the response from supporters in recent days has given us time for further reflection and deep thought.

It was never our intention to cause such distress, however when the invitation to join the Super League came, while knowing there were no guarantees, we did not want to be left behind to ensure we protected Arsenal and its future.

As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. We made a mistake, and we apologise for it.

Here’s Manchester United’s statement:

Manchester United will not be participating in the European Super League.

We have listened carefully to the reaction from our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders.

We remain committed to working with others across the football community to come up with sustainable solutions to the long-term challenges facing the game.

Arsenal are out, too.


As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League.

We made a mistake, and we apologise for it.



https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1384626900056805379

Tottenham’s statement:

We can confirm that we have formally commenced procedures to withdraw from the group developing proposals for a European Super League (ESL).

Chairman Daniel Levy said: “We regret the anxiety and upset caused by the ESL proposal. We felt it was important that our club participated in the development of a possible new structure that sought to better ensure financial fair play and financial sustainability whilst delivering significantly increased support for the wider football pyramid.

“We believe that we should never stand still and that the sport should constantly review competitions and governance to ensure the game we all love continues to evolve and excite fans around the world.

“We should like to thank all those supporters who presented their considered opinions.”

Liverpool Football Club can confirm that our involvement in proposed plans to form a European Super League has been discontinued. In recent days, the club has received representations from various key stakeholders, both internally and externally, and we would like to thank them for their valuable contributions.