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2 moments of euphoria, 4 of disappointment
Yesterday I had a day out with my son and son-in-law to the final of the EFL Trophy at Wembley Stadium. My local team, Sutton United, were in action.
It was my first visit to the new stadium and what a magnificent place it is. I had been to the old stadium three times, I think, having watched a schoolboy’s international and a couple of dull (as I recall) full internationals. Other than these games and a match at Fulham (!) it was quite an experience being at an event involving a large crowd (30,000). The full capacity is 90,000!
In these Covid times I was grateful for having chosen good (ie more expensive) seats, so we were sat in a quite sparsely populated area of the stadium. Nevertheless it was impossible not to be in close contact with crowds of people within the general area of the stadium as well as on public transport. Fingers crossed that we remain virus free!
It was a good game and Sutton were unfortunate to have had victory snatched away in the 96th minute of the match. A pizza and a pint at a pub near Waterloo Station rounded off a wonderful day. Apart from the result.
BBC match review 
Approaching the stadium 
Pre-match tipple! 
Sutton score! No comments on 2 moments of euphoria, 4 of disappointment -
Painshill Park, Cobham
Painshill Park, near Cobham in Surrey, is a delightful park. On a lovely, sunny day the beautiful grounds, lake, waterwheel and crystal grotto meant there was much to photograph!
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Guildford to West Byfleet
Yesterday was a wonderfully sunny and warm March day (shirtsleeves weather!). I struggled to complete the almost 12 miles along the River Wey-Navigation from Guildford to West Byfleet. I’d done this walk before, but this time it was harder on my feet. It didn’t help that I was standing for almost 5 hours – I rarely stop to rest. A highlight of the walk might have been to capture an image of a heron as it flew to and from its nest, not far from where I was standing. Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough with my camera, and waiting a few minutes for the heron to return proved fruitless.
At the start of the walk was this curiosity above a car park barrier. 
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Dorking to Brockham and back
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Dorking to Betchworth
On a glorious day I improvised a new walk, starting from Dorking station and heading through the villages of Pixham, Betchworth and Brockham.
Unusually for me I had a mega-sized pub lunch, at the Red Lion in Betchworth. What with a pint as well, I was feeling distinctly heavy for the last 5 miles. The steak & ale pie meal was very good and the pub is recommended.
In the pictures below, note the very odd scarecrow guarding the fishing lake!
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Carshalton
Carshalton on a drizzly morning, Two ducks and two herons.
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Obstacles on a North Downs hike
On an 8-mile walk from Box Hill along the North Downs to Gomshall, there was plenty of evidence of the damage caused by the recent series of storms, and several times I had to negotiate obstacles on the blocked track.
World War 2 pillboxes litter sections of the North Downs Way.
Harvesting of trees in the woods.
In the distance……
And at the end of the walk, at Gomshall, a delightful farm setting.
Whilst waiting for a bus there was just time for a brief visit to the pub
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Chess v bot Aron (game 1)
First game with chess bot ‘Aron’. A convincing win for me having wiped out most of my opponent’s pieces as well as getting a second queen. Put like that it sounds like it was a rather weak opponent. I’ll see how the next game goes. I may have to move up a level.
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Sutton 4 Scunthorpe 1
Match company in the form of my daughter’s husband made for a pleasurable afternoon at today’s home game. A sparkling first half saw Sutton go into half time with a 3-0 lead. A fourth goal finished the game and as it fizzled out there was a consolation goal for the visitors.
Sutton 4 Scunthorpe 1
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Chess v bot Elani (games 2 & 3)
My 2nd and 3rd games against chess bot Elani went much like the first game. Elani made some weird moves, reflecting its beginner ranking. I guess it’s easier for a chess programmer to code silly moves into a game than it is to play weak moves.
In this game Elani (white) had lost most of its pieces. The checkmate position uses a queen and knight.
In this 3rd game, Elani (white again) was checkmated using two rooks and a bishop.
It’s time to move up a rung, so next game I’ll try playing chess bot Aron. It’s got a beginner rating of 700, compared to Elani’s beginner rating of 400.
I’ll see how it goes.
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