Sorry Els, I missed your question.
As I'm sure you know by now I lost my job in London. Came back here because I was knocked off my feet by the news and terrified of getting into debt and a new spiral of despair if I couldn't find a job to pay my rent. I've been allowed a wonderful breathing space by my parents and am ready to face the challenges of the new year now.

Okay.

I don't know if you have carveries in the States. I would assume you do, so I won't explain. If you don't, please ask and I'll enlighten you.

They are rare here now, having reached their eminence in the '80s and '90s.
But they work.
We went to an estate pub (a pub on a council estate aka the projects) at a time when smoking in pubs is banned, tax on alcohol is high, just after Christmas/ New Year and people are uncertain in their jobs.

The place was packed.
And with a mixture of people, but I would say the majority were families. Some older children treating parents (some "children" the age of my parents!) some parents younger than me. Most had the air of a regular treat.

It was good value for the food - £7.95. The surroundings were clean and comfortable. It's not an attractive venue from the outside, but we (and by the carpark, everyone else) could walk there. It's a convenient place with decent food.

First pic the Carvery table
Second pic my meal.
I had venison.

Clockwise from top on my plate: stuffing balls, peas and sweetcorn, mashed potato, yorkshire pudding, venison, roast potatoes. The yorkshire was pre-cooked and probably frozen, it's not a classic of its kind. But the roast potatoes were divine. I was light on the veg as I had a fruit shake for breakfast - also I didn't fancy the other veg on offer (I hate brussels and the beans were boiled to buggery).

First pic is Dads' dinner.
He had roast beef and it was more or less the same as Mum, so as she had started before I got back to the table I didn't take a pic. Greedy mare.

You should be able to recognise everything from the above, except they had brussels and roast parsnips, which I didn't.

Second pic is the usual suspects.

Heh, your dad looks like he could be from any of the male persons of my family.

That's a handsome family you have. How lucky you are to have them.

Aw Man I Missed Lunch !!???

Sunday !! I thought you were going to call when you guys headed out so I could Meet you guys at the Pub !!! ;)

Looks Good !!!

Oh my Goddess, that looks YUMMY! How I LOVE the gravy! Sundae, your mom and dad look so wonderful and happy - no doubt you are their daughter!!!!!

Some more town shots for you today.
There is an older part of town than I have previously shown.
The whole town centre was originally small lanes with small shops (except the High Street, natch).
The majority was bulldozed in the 60s for the new wave of brutalist architecture, which consisted of concrete, concrete and a bit more concrete. And when it rains (not a rare occurrence here) it goes the colour of sadness. They've since tried to repair the damage with revamps and facades and enclosing the shopping centre, but of course you can't replace history.

Anyway, here are some of the bits the planners managed to miss.
The Kings Head pub - was a coaching in as I'm sure you can tell be the entrance.

Sorry bout the wheely bin, no way to keep it out of the shot.
As you can see from the second pic, the pub is well and truly hidden. It has its own courtyard too.

Temple Square (where my Mum's dentist is actually)
The lovely Temple Street, Castle Street and Church Street all meet here, and the not so lovely Rickfords Hill. Although The Saracen's Head (our only gay pub) is there, so it has its uses.

The second photo is looking up Church Street with Temple Square behind me. I'm sure you can guess where the name comes from.

St Mary's Church and environs.

Old pub in St Mary's Square, now converted into flats (shame!)
I remember going there once and sitting on the wall with a soft drink and a packet of crisps because children weren't allowed inside.

It was converted into flats in the early nineties and I always wanted to live there. Maybe one day :)

The Masonic Hall just round the corner.

Yay! I love Sundae Girl picture threads. These are great pictures.

I love the history of the UK.

Cheers!

A bit of old and old/ new.
The Wesleyan Church on Buckingham Street. Looks like the God business is booming as they are having an extension built - hence all the vans and solitary lazy workman.

The second is further up the same street, showing the old and new side by side. The Emperor's Lounge used to be The Buckingham Arms - quite an old pub. Very rough though. As you can see it's been tarted up, but unless the clientele has changed it will probably still be rough!

Kingsbury. A mixture of old and new.

Currently noteworthy because when the town planners decided to give it a revamp and more relaxed feel, they spent a lot of money on a water clock and fountains. I mean it's okay, but in a country that only gets over 20 degrees in one month of the year they do give a bit of a bleak effect. Personally I'd have grassed it over with benches and a small fountain in the middle.

Still, what do I know?

John Hampden, missing from the previous set of photos.
And Lloyds bank just behind him.