Meeting Friends and Old Colleagues on Merseyside

I didn't wake up this morning until 9.30 a.m. - must have been either the long journey up to Liverpool yesterday or the red wine last night. Either way, it was nice not to have to rush anywhere or cajole Tom to get ready for football. I ate fruit for breakfast and had a leisurely morning before Malcolm and I went off for a four-mile walk along Otterspool Promenade. The tide was just turning and there were a few anglers who told us that there were cod back in the Mersey Estuary. As we walked along a coastal freighter came up close to us - the Linnau - on its way to pick up cargo at Garston Docks. Back at Malcolm's flat I had a light lunch of chicken soup (only 4 pro-points) before we drove into Liverpool and through the tunnel to Birkenhead for the Tranmere Rovers v. Saints game at Prenton Park. Southampton supporters made up a large contingent of the spectators and we were looking forward to a good game which could strengthen Saints position towards the top of the table. Unfortunately, as so often at Tranmere, Saints played poorly with Tranmere blocking any attempts by Saints to play fluid positive football and two defensive blunders by the Southampton team produced a 2-0 win for the Birkenhead side. Fortunately, I had come up to Liverpool to see friends and the match was incidental, but for those who had paid a lot of money to come up it must have been heartbreaking. Amongst those was Matt R, my former colleague from Friends Provident who had caught the train up with another colleague. We had a chat on the terraces and gave them a lift back to Liverpool Lime Street Station after the game. It gave me an opportunity, too, to get up to date with things at my old company. This evening Malcolm and I walked the half mile or so to the Light of Bengal Indian restaurant on Aigburth Road where we met up with our old good friends Geoff and Alma. We had an excellent meal - sorry my diet went right out of the window - and a lovely chat. such nice people. Alma chatted to Sara and the phone and we shall continue to keep in touch through Facebook. Despite the dire football match (typical of my trips to Prenton Park) I've had a really lovely day. Must get back on track with the diet though as I feel really "podged" at the moment!