The 2019 Fathers Day weekend was spent in London. On Friday, we took the A1 from Harrogate to London, stopping in Blythe for lunch. It was a warm and sunny  in London, a perfect evening to sit on the terrace and drink G&Ts (London No.1), munching long, thin Catalan sausages. Lamb chops, asparagus and potatoes were cooked for supper and the just released La Rioja Alta Vina Arana Gran Reserva 20012 – supple, soft and silky, was sipped (17). It was an auspicious start to the weekend!

 

 

Little Seren came in with her teddy to play in our room early next morning and that was the perfect start to the day.

 

 

We took the Tube to Vauxhall and walked the packed streets to the Kensington Oval to watch the World Cup cricket match between Australia and Sri Lanka which at the end, the Aussies won comfortably. The ground was full of noisy Sri Lankan supporters, waving national  flags, drinking beer and having a great time. It was a game that Sri Lanka could and should have won. “Sri Lankan cricket now is a parable of the country’s current political dysfunction” – one commentator observed. We sat in the sun, drank mediocre Wolf Blass Silver Lablel Chardonnay (14.5) which came with a novel plastic ice bag, a carafe and two stemless plastic wine glasses and ate olives, peppers stuffed with feta cheese and smoked salmon sandwiches.

 

 

That evening’s supper was String-hoppers from Sambal Express, the Sri Lankan takeaway in Colindale. The bottle of chilled Cattarrato from Tasca D’Almerita was excellent. (16).

 

 

On Fathers Day we went to one of our favourite London pubs, W B Yeats near Finsbury Park, for a Sunday Roast. It is a small place with a friendly, homely atmosphere and the staff welcome you like long lost friends. It is child and dog friendly and popular with locals, making prior reservation essential. We sat at a table near the bar and drank draft Punk IPA and ate rare roast beef, roast lamb and roast pork with wonderful roast potatoes and wild asparagus.

We spent the afternoon in Finsbury Park, strolling and watching the swans with their signets playing in the lake.

Back home, a bottle of Henriot NV Champagne was uncorked that evening and sipped in front of the log fire in the sitting room to celebrate Fathers Day 2019.