Angel Lane...

Grace Dent, the Guardian’s restaurant critic, has just written a glowing review of the Angel Lane Chippie in Penrith. It’s one of my favourite chip-shops too, though my order is always the same: a portion of home-made mince pie, chips and extra gravy. I can taste it now! Most of my favourite chip-shops are in West Yorkshire, though the old-fashioned back-street chippie hasn’t fared well against all the competition from piizzas, kebabs, burgers and fried chicken. And I can’t think of too many other fish & chip shops in Cumbria which are worth a detour. I just hope the Angel Lane Chippie will be able to cope with the extra business the review will bring…

To let...

Licensed today: not much of a picture... but it does a job...

Slapper...

Labour MP Tracy Brabin has been upbraided in the Twitterverse for revealing a bit of shoulder as she spoke at the despatch box. I can’t fault her tweet in response. “Hello. Sorry I don’t have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm I’m not a slag, hungover, a tart, about to breastfeed, a slapper, drunk or just been banged over a wheelie bin."

I'm in Coventry today, so it seems appropriate to have licensed this pic of Coventry Building Society...

Blackwell...

Licensed today: a fireplace at Blackwell, the arts & crafts house overlooking Lake Windermere...

The prospect of paradise...

Sudesh Amman, the man who was shot and killed in Streatham yesterday, after stabbing three people, was already well-known to the police and security services. In a notebook he had written a list of his ‘life goals’. At the top of the list, above family activities, was "dying a martyr and going to Jannah" (paradise). Those of us who live secular lives, in a basically secular society, should sit up and take note… that some people really do believe what they say they believe...

Appleby...

Licensed last week: the Crown and Cushion pub in Appleby...

Leaving the EU...

As with Christmas and New Year, the night we left the EU came and went without any involvement from me. I’m not even sure what I think - or feel - about it all; our disengagement from Europe has taken way too long… and the process has only just begun. I hope for the best while expecting the worst. Those who voted ‘remain’ don’t want everything to go tits-up… just so they can be proved right and say “I told you so”.

Licensed yesterday: Windermere at Waterhead...