Yesterday evening, after a lengthy day in our capital city, Karen and I got back to chez Strachan at around 11.30 pm; or 25.30 as a friend who can’t work out the 24 hours clock would say.

Although tired, we were buoyed by seeing our son Jonny earlier in London town. That being said, we were relieved to get home, relax into comfy chairs and kick off our shoes. As I recklessly kicked off my left shoe, Karen opined “He’s a right tight get our son. Fancy getting us to pay for the meal. The stingy get!”

I concurred, before standing back up to see the collateral damage caused to the china ornament, which I’d knocked off the fireplace with my discarded left shoe. In the dimly lit living room, illuminated by a lamp with an energy saving bulb that takes two weeks to fully brighten, the ornament appeared fixable…… However, I thought it prudent to wait for Wednesday daylight to make a proper assessment.

With this in mind, I lolled back in my chair, sighed and asked my other half if we had any wood glue. My wife pointed out that fixing the Coalport china ornament with wood glue would be pure folly, as would my other suggestion of Blu Tack for a more long-term sustainable fix……. She’s so chuffing negative is my missus!

Our trip to the Hammersmith area earlier in the day was the first time either my wife or I had the pleasure of visiting the area. Unless, you count the times we went to the Hammersmith Odeon to see musicians, the Hammersmith Apollo to see comedians and the Hammersmith Lyric Theatre to see thespians.

Actually, coming to think of it, we’ve been to Hammersmith a few times!!…… Strike that paragraph above!

When we first walked out of Hammersmith tube station into the fumes of the London borough the first sight we were greeted by was a busker. He looked down on his luck, or he would have been if he thought he’d get any money from my wife and I.

On closer scrutiny, I noticed there was some slight damage to his fret board of his acoustic guitar. In between his eclectic set of songs, he confided in Karen and I that he couldn’t fix the fret until he got his wood glue back off his sister. She’d borrowed it the day before to fix a damaged Coalport china ornament.

As we had a bit of a wait for our son to finish work, Karen and I sauntered, strolled and meandered the streets embracing the cosmopolitan atmosphere and looking for wood glue for the busker…… Incidentally, it was me who sauntered, Karen was the one who strolled and meandered. At one point I pondered strolling as well, but gave that epiphany up as I really couldn’t be bothered.

We eventually met up with Jonny shortly after watching a hypnotic Hammersmith sunset disappear behind the famous Odeon venue. When we saw him, he was in good spirits…… He was bathing in single malt whisky!

Seriously, though, we it was warming as ever when he greeted with his usual smiling face (he gets that off me) as we rendezvoused outside his place of employment, at the end of the working day.

The three of us meandered off (I’d stopped sauntering by then) to a local eatery, where we enjoyed a pleasant meal in a convivial atmosphere. Jonny seemed upbeat, relaying to us of the wealth of knowledge he’d acquired in his time working in this historic London borough.

Listening to him eloquently tell of the history of the Hammersmith and it’s keynote landmarks, I couldn’t help but feel pride at how my northern son had integrated into working life down south. In particular, his acquired knowledge of West London takeaway restaurants is astounding.

At around 07.00 pm, or 17 ‘o’ clock as my non-24 hour clock grasping friend would say, we bid a found farewell to our son outside of a pub adjacent to the underground station.

He affectionally hugged me and his mum tightly when boding us goodbye and a safe journey back. Call me ungrateful, though, but ordinarily I prefer people to hug me with their arms around my torso, not hands around my throat!

We then left our separate ways; Karen and I towards the tube station and our onward train journey home. Jonny, meanwhile, headed off towards the main Hammersmith street to no doubt spend the money he’d saved with us buying dinner, tight sod!

Anyway, I need to get off; that wood glue won’t find itself.