Secure at last

I got locked in a secure room at London Bridge station yesterday. There is this room which has an autophone in it - very useful if one is below ground. So I went in there to make a phone call but the handle doesn't work on the way out. So I made a phone call the the Ops Room, who said they would send someone. They forgot. I rang again and spoke slightly more forcefully. This time I was allowed egress.

The only thing in the room is the autophone.

Q1: Why would anyone enter that room?
A: To use the autophone.

Q2: Why is there an autophone in the room?
A: In case anyone gets stuck in there.

Non-stick

I've just bought a brilliant new Teflon frying pan but I am having trouble getting the price-sticker off.

...Your feet in the form of a square. 

Sheer pottery

Fee Fi Fo Fum!
I smell the blood of an Englishman!

Since the first line is nonsense, I wonder why it wasn't at least made to rhyme?

Kasparov v Topalov, Wijk aan Zee, 1999.

[Event "61st Hoogovens Tournament Cat 18"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "1999.01.20"]
[Round "4"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary (RUS)"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin (BUL)"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2812"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[PlyCount "87"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 c6 6. f3 b5 7. Nge2 Nbd7 {Diagram?} 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6 Bb7 10. a3 e5 11. O-O-O Qe7 12. Kb1 a6 13. Nc1 O-O-O 14. Nb3 exd4 15. Rxd4 c5 16. Rdd1 Nb6 17. g3 Kb8 18. Na5 Ba8 19. Bh3 d5 20. Qf4+ Ka7 21. Rhe1 d4 22. Nd5 Nbxd5 23. exd5 Qd6 24. Rxd4 cxd4? (Weak.) 25. Re7+ Kb6 26. Qxd4+ Kxa5 27. b4+ Ka4 28. Qc3 Qxd5 29. Ra7 Bb7 30. Rxb7 Qc4 31. Qxf6 Kxa3 32. Qxa6+ Kxb4 33. c3+ Kxc3 34. Qa1+ Kd2 35. Qb2+ Kd1 36. Bf1 Rd2 37. Rd7 Rxd7 38. Bxc4 bxc4 39. Qxh8 Rd3 40. Qa8 c3 41. Qa4+ Ke1 42. f4 f5 1-0

Auntie's Divorce

I went to High Holborn yesterday to find out when my Aunt Pat divorced her husband, Herbert Bauernschmitt. I had been told that they had divorced in 1965 or 1966. It cost £20 to search, and they found nothing. Then Mum told me that they had probably divorced in the 70s - so I have to do a new search. I hope he didn't diborce under the name of Mark.

It won't be long now...!

Neighbours have complained about the smell.

The Natiomal Liberal Club, Whitehall Court, London. 

Here is a framed version. 

Myself and the great Richard Thomas in the Feyenoord away strip. 

We have finally got the ceiling finished, and the chandelier is up at last. 

This is my favourite picture of Joseph. He was about 1 year old here. It was taken in the Playbarn at the Kiss Me Hardy at Collier's Wood. 

A possible photo of me. 

This sign was posted all over Mitcham by a cab company. Someone obviously knocked it up on a computer. He must have written, "Heathrow £23 Gatwick £25 ..." but then decided to use a spellchecker... 

My niece Catie and Joseph. They get on very well together. 

Diary of a Dodger... photoblog

Diary of a Dodger... photoblog

My uncle - or rather my aunt's husband - has his own sort of website. There are some good photos there; he is a good photographer.

Breakfast at Winkies

Tigran Petrosian – Anatoly Karpov Moscow Spartakiad, 1979

Tigran Petrosian (2610) – Anatoly Karpov (2715}
Moscow Spartakiad, 1979

E19: Queen's Indian: Old Main Line with 7...Ne4 8 Qc2 Nxc3 8 Qxc3

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Qc2
[ A more modern idea is 8.Bd2 f5 9.d5
( Karpov has also tried 9.Qc2 Bf6 10.Rfd1 Nxc3 11.Bxc3 Be4 12.Qd2 d5 13.cxd5 Bxd5 14.b4 c6 15.a4 Nd7 16.Ne1 Bg5 17.Qb2 Bxg2 18.Nxg2 Nf6 19.Bd2 Nd5 20.b5 Rc8 21.Rac1 Bxd2 22.Rxd2 cxb5 23.Rxc8 Qxc8 24.axb5 Qd7 25.Qb3 Rc8 ½–½ Karpov,A-Brodsky,M/Tallinn EST 2005 (25))
9...Bf6 10.Rc1 Na6 11.a3 c5 12.Ne1 exd5 13.cxd5 Qe7 14.Nd3 d6 15.Nf4 Nc7 16.b4 Rfe8 17.bxc5 dxc5 18.Nxe4 fxe4 19.Rc4 Nxd5 20.Rxe4 Qf7 21.Qc2 Nxf4 22.Bxf4 Bxe4 Naumkin,I-Komarov,D/Reggio Emilia ITA 2005/Ajedrez en Madrid/0–1 (38);
8.Nxe4 Bxe4 9.Ne1 Bxg2 10.Nxg2 d5 ½–½ Barsov,A-Bluvshtein,M/Hastings ENG 2005 (10)]
8...Nxc3 9.Qxc3 c5 10.Rd1 d6 11.b3
[ 11.dxc5 bxc5 12.Bf4 Qb6=]
11...Bf6 12.Bb2 Qc7
[ 12...cxd4 13.Nxd4 Bxg2 14.Kxg2=]
13.Qc2 [ 13.Qe3 Nc6=]
13...Nd7 14.Rd2 Rfd8 15.Rad1
[ 15.Rad1 Rac8 16.dxc5 dxc5 17.Ne1 Bxg2 18.Nxg2 Bxb2 19.Qxb2 Nb8 20.Qc2 Nc6 21.Qe4 h6 22.Nf4 Rxd2 23.Rxd2 Rd8 24.Rxd8+ Nxd8 25.Qa8 g6= Drawn. Karpov-Balashov, Hanover 1983.] ½–½

Joseph

Joseph is playing up this morning. He is nearly four, but it is weird to see all the tempestuous O'Brien traits barrelling out of him.

Installation

Brilliant Installation last night at John, Lord Lumley Lodge No 5885. I presented the 2nd degree working tools and I got them more or less word-perfect. I only got prompted on the bit, "The level is to ... er ..." Of course I got the prompt "... lay levels."

Vince is pretty unhappy at the Surbiton Lodge. They want him to stay on as Master for another year. At the moment he is struggling to learn the whole 2nd degree in a month. I am trying to learn the entire third degree - but I have a year for that.