Well, after a bit of a rest since the weekend, I thought it was about time to post my thoughts about 4:3tv Meet 003.
The weekend started off early Saturday morning for me with a drive over to Del Boy's gaff. It wasn't long before he'd prepped a full English, which was swiftly washed down with half a pint of Malt Scotch. What better way to start the weekend off than that!
Then it was time to make our way over to Hammersmith to meet some of the lads. First port of call was The Brook Green Hotel, where we had a couple of pints of stout. Not longer after we were joined by Dirty Epic. Then along came John Steed & Vienna. Another pint later and in walks Charles Bronson. After downing that pint, we got on the tube and headed over to Knightsbridge and a short walk to The Star Tavern in Belgravia. As has already been pointed out, this was the pub where the Great Train Robbery was reputedly planned. It's also where quite a few famous people have used over the years, including none other than Diana "Lilly Rix" Dors.
Soon it was time to make our way over to The Blackfriar to meet up with the remainder of the hard core drinkers - Windy Miller & Carter. More ale was supped before we headed up towards Fleet Street. Some of were getting a bit peckish at this point so it was decided to nip next door for an Indian meal. I wanted steak at a Bernie Inn but a curry was favoured by the majority so in we went, only to be turfed out a quickly as we got in. The bloke on the door saying they were full but in reality, I think he was wary of the look of us lot descending on his place. So it was next door to The Albion. Another pint followed and we ordered a meal. It was a decent drop but the grub took an age to arrive so we quickly downed that and moved on. At this point we lost a weary Charles Bronson who left in direct pursuit of his kip.
Not deterred, the rest of us shot over to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese for yet more ale. It has to be said that their stout is second to none. Superb! A wonderful old boozer that I thoroughly recommend if you're in the area.
From here we bid goodnight to Carter before moving on the Seven Stars - which by coincidence is just around the corner from the "Hunterian Museum" (cue remarks from all corners saying I should be in one). The Seven Stars is another favourite of mine. A cracking pub.
So, it was now getting late and time to head off back to Del's gaff for a good nights kip.
Another early start on Sunday and off to Hammersmith.
Some of the squad were already staked out - Athene Noctua and Steve Austin. Before long we were joined by The Saint & Brown Granada so we walked up to The William Morris for a breakfast. Here, I met up with the old pal Sam Tyler and before long, Windy Miller & Mickeyosan.
Set up for the day we headed back to Colet Court to meet the remainder of the squad. John Steed & Vienna were soon in attendance, as was Carter, Stan, Michael Rodd, Superclassic, DC Burtonshaw & Peter Picard.
Time to kick off the 4:3tv Meet 003!
Off to Barons Court, we got on the first tube and headed over to Maida Vale for the morning tour. This took in locations from Funeral In Berlin, Man About The House, Georgy Girl & Robbery!, as well as the famous Zebra crossing Abbey Road. Some great locations in a lovely area before finishing the morning session with a Minder location and into The Warrington Hotel (From The Sweeney episode "Night Out") for a nice relaxed lunch.
A couple of nice pints of Guinness and a bowl of chips (courtesy of The Saint), bar fights, you name it, it happened in The Warrington on Sunday. My kind of pub lunch.
Then it was time to get back on the tube and head back over to Hammersmith for the afternoon session.
Sweeney location after Sweeney location followed in quick succession. Most of the squad were amazed how close some of these locations were. We got around these exactly as planned and were back to our final port of call, The Queens Head, bang on time at 5:30.
Unbeknown to most of the squad, I had arranged with my dear mate John Lyons to join us, along with his lovely wife Ann, for the evening.
I've known John for a few years now and he is one of the most genuinely nice people I know. Also his lovely wife Ann. I'm proud to have them as friends.
After dinner, John was introduced to everyone by none other than Stan, AKA Mr Smooth. Then John addressed the squad for an hour with the story of his career. The hour seemed to pass in seconds and I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I could have listened all night long. Then the squad were given the chance to ask him questions about his career. There were some wonderful insights into the biz and as ever, John filled his stories with funny anecdotes.
It was all over too quickly and it was time for John & Ann to bid us farewell. This was also time for some of us to say our goodbyes as some of us had quite a long drive home after a long day.
My overall thoughts on the day are of complete satisfaction. I had a few hours on the drive home to reflect on the day and can honestly say that I enjoyed it more than ever before. I have been organising these events now for more than 10 years. After each event, people have said in their reports that "it was the best yet" etc etc. They are indeed all good days out, but for me, this one had not only a superb set of locations, but also in my opinion, the best squad ever to attend a Meet. Most of us know each other very well now, but we do still get new faces from time to time and it is fantastic when you all make newcomers so welcome. This really ensures that people want to come back time and time again for future events.
So onto the thank you's of which there are many.
A huge thank you to Del & Raquel who allowed the Gene Genie to kip at Nelson Mandella house on Saturday night. Del does a mean fry up it has to be said and the half pint of Scotch cut through the grease easily to make it a more healthy option.
Del, please pass on my regards to Raquel again pal. Cheers to you both
Thanks to the boys who made the trek on Saturday and stood their rounds in the various boozers we frequented. You're all good drinkers and I'm happy to continue that trend.
Thanks to each and every one of you who attended the Meet and turned up on time on Sunday. With the itineraries I plan it is always essential that people are punctual so we don't have to drop locations to save time.
Thanks to Del & Sam for keeping the Meet register page updated. Del keeping the squad list up to date and Sam with his invaluable travel news. Without this, we could have faced disaster in getting from A to B. Thanks lads. Much appreciated.
Thanks to Steve Austin who kindly offered to print up the screen grabs for everyone. Very professional mate - Cheers
Thanks to Stan for his doing the introduction with John Lyons. You're inimitable in this role mate so you've got the job for life there!
Thanks to all squad members who got me & Sam a pint in during the course of the day, and thanks to those who offered. Sam has made a mental note of those offers and will be calling them in at the April Meet!
Finally, thanks to all for your appreciation and positive comments on this thread. It makes all the graft worthwhile for me and ensures I'll be happy to plan the next Meet - 004, in April 2017.
Gene.