You can take the boy out of Pompey…
I made a long overdue return to Portsmouth this weekend with Sam after almost 6 years away, and I am happy to report that it’s almost exactly as I left it! I fostered a strong affection for the place during my 5-year stay, and as soon as the Spinnaker came into view on my drive in, a stupid grin spread across my face and I immediately felt like I was back home.
I got there rather early as I had dropped Mum off at the airport en-route for a trip of her own (Mallorca v Portsmouth? I think there’s only one winner), but even that worked out, because I found myself on a virtually deserted seafront at about 8am* in beautiful early-morning sunshine. Sam wasn’t due for a good while, so I ended up going on a very long wander along part of the coast, before heading inland past some old familiar spots.
When my Samigo arrived, we located our Air BnB (a stone’s throw from the seafront), and after the old man had a nap, we walked the short distance to Canoe Lake for a game of tennis. Tennis is the reason Sam and I met in the first place, after both narrowly failing to make the University team back in the day. We played at a few clubs during our time in Pompey, but Canoe Lake was the last – and best – of the lot, so we resolved to play both days we were there. As luck would have it, it was ‘Day 1’ of the grass season, so the pristine grass courts were open for play!
We paid another return visit to Sakura, a small Japanese restaurant which Sam had taken me to as my introduction to Japanese cuisine; I have since developed a taste for much of their food – particularly katsu curry – and it all started here. The next morning, we wandered the other (more interesting) half of the coast, stopping for a seafood-themed lunch before ending up in Gunwharf Keys. Another thing we’ve bonded over is our love of films, so we perused the listings for something that took our fancy. The choices weren’t great, but we opted for Kung Fu Panda 4, hoping for a few laughs if nothing else. I have only seen K.F.P. #1, and if I’m honest, I’ve still only seen #1! After about twenty minutes, the warm weather walk + fine food took its toll on me, and I became rather drowsy. I tried my best to resist, but once I realised I’d lost track of the film’s plot, I succumbed and had a bit of a snooze! Sam told me I didn’t miss much.
We took the bus back and had a bit of a rest before our second bout of tennis, and then had a pizza apiece in front of a few episodes of Clarkson’s Farm to wrap up an enjoyable evening and wonderful weekend. My only complaint about the trip was that it wasn’t long enough, but that is easily rectifiable – I don’t plan on waiting another 6 years either.
*Truth be told, my very first stop was the Asda store where I used to work! I was curious to see how the ol’ gal was doing, and if any familiar faces were around. They weren’t, though perhaps partly because it was the dawn shift; I did observe some ‘Click-&-Collectors’ for a bit, and reckon I could still run rings around ‘em – you never lose the magic!