Ealing North
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Steve Pound MP Ealing North |
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You'll never walk alone October 2003 I knew that 8.30 on Sunday morning was going to be difficult. The team that the “Gazette” doesn’t allow me to mention had completed a stupendous victory over Man. United – no less – and a little celebration had been inevitable. Thanks to the clocks going back I was able to go forward to Perivale for the start of what promised to be a pretty gruelling occasion. Walking from Horsenden Lane South to Hounslow Bus Garage may not look much on paper but to a seriously unfit 55 year old with a hangover the size of the millennium dome it looked like a marathon. I was walking for Greenford Celtic FC as part of the Middlesex Young Peoples’ Clubs annual fundraiser and to drop out and die in a ditch would be quite unacceptable. Just to be on the safe side Tom Brown and Sean Ryan had detailed an escort party of Celtic’s finest to keep me – literally – on the straight and narrow. Nathan Williams, Brian d’Souza, James Flynn, Patrick McMahon and Matthew Moran roared off at a cracking pace with me being herded in the middle like a befuddled sheep. The route ran over the A40 footbridge, along Perivale Lane, down Stockdove Way, up the Ruislip Road East and over to High Lane through to Church Road, Hanwell, under the Viaduct and along the canal to Brentford where we turned west along the London Road and finally staggered into Hounslow dehydrated and exhausted. At least I was dehydrated as none of the pubs that I had carefully noted on the map were open first thing on Sunday morning. It’s been years since I walked along the canal at Hanwell. My dear old dog Toby was still alive then and he would race along the towpath barking at the ducks and calling in at friends who used to live in the now long gone lock-keepers cottage. He would dash into the undergrowth but I could always see his tail waving and follow his progress by the movement of the bushes. I missed him so much that morning but there was plenty to distract me. I had quite forgotten how utterly beautiful our Borough is and how much gorgeous scenery can be found behind the streets and houses. My hangover completely disappeared and I was made almost speechless by the shades of green and gold that framed the canal on that glorious Sunday morning. Even Matthew Moran’s disgraceful excerpts from the Brentford songbook could not distract me from the joy of a perfect day in such a lovely environment and, were it not for the fact that I could barely stand, I would happily have turned round and walked back to Perivale to experience again the delights of an Ealing Autumn. |
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| Disclaimer | Copyright | Designed by Bassam Mahfouz. Promoted by Julian Bell, The Labour Party, Ruskin Hall, 16 Church Road, W3 8PP on behalf of Steve Pound MP |
