Life in a coal barge

A women parked her Chelsea tractor outside our house this morning, let her dogs out and went for a walk in the park. Not so unusual; it happens all the time. The dogs let me know, as they do, so I know it was a woman with dogs. When I left the house and walked by her car, on the passenger seat, wide open, for all the world to see, was her handbag – one of those big, bulky ones.

Now, I realise our street is probably one of the safest in Surrey, with a crime rate so low it’s a negative figure against the rest of the national average BUT, surely this is just tempting fate. It was very obvious and a red flag for any opportunist thief. Stupid woman. Or, maybe it was a police decoy. If so, they picked the wrong street.

I didn’t see her leave, so I assume it survived.

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Today I bought us a couple of tickets to see the Lipizzaners at the Spanish Riding School, while we’re in Vienna and made reservations for Christmas Eve dinner at a gorgeous looking restaurant. It’s all getting a bit exciting now. I then set off for Date Night.

What with the numerous overseas trips and what-not, we’ve not had a Date Night for a while. Sometimes routine is perfect. A bit like the Christmas lights that adorn just about every tree in Canary Wharf.

I met Mirinda at the ferry and we decided to eat at Canteen.

Canteen is generally pretty lively in Canary Wharf, with lots of business people having drinks and, seeing as it’s almost Christmas, a fair few diners as well. Still, we managed to get a table and settled down to a lovely meal of chicken and mushroom pie, mash and greens. The only downside, and this was very disappointing, was the fact that the big glass doors that run down one side of the restaurant were open and a steady breeze, heavily laced with cigarette smoke, accompanied our dinner. I know people have to smoke outside, which is fine, but a restaurant really should be aware of the comfort of their diners. I might just dash them off an email of complaint.

After dinner we took a stroll around the buildings and waters edge, stopping off to admire the Vega IV, a custom re-built Dutch coal barge, moored near the Turkish restaurant. You can read all about it here. Mirinda was particularly taken with the chandelier in the main section.

It’s only 1.65 million pounds. We’ll buy it after Christmas, I think. I really love the fact that to fill it with petrol would cost about £1,500. You do get the use of a heli-pad, though. Perfect.