It's been a while... the return of Mornington Crescent

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

I haven't played the game for several months, so I'm a little rusty. I'll start cautiously with an inverted half-shunt to

Bayswater

Thoroughly delighted at the high standards of rule upholding here. The same certainly could not be said of the Christmas ‘19 game, which the Cavendishes would rather forget. Now there’s a set of tennis whites which were never the same again.

Sadly my stamina is not as it once was, so I shall play a demure double-thrust diamond and retreat in good order to:

High Street Kensington

You know we never speak of Christmas 19 in polite company, it's a dark night when you see Chivers the Butler cry; the man was 3rd infantry at Sword Beach for gads sake.

I shall ride the front carriage to Mudchute.

Using the DLR rule I cross the river to Cutty Sark

Goodness that's a nifty manoeuvre @noswaithda1. I'm not really sure how to follow...

I had a look at my Nelson's Cribnotes 2nd edition, and reckon I should be able to get away with a jaunt northwards (apparently a tactic frequently used by Lord Leaping back in the hedonistic and probably best forgotten 30's) to Heron Quays...

There has indeed been some very skilled play today, reminiscent of the tournament at Claridges in 1935 at which I learnt the Mulgrave formula for following-on from transverse bifurcated passes. My options now are limited, but I’ll limp on to

Latimer Road

Chalfont & Latimer then.

Ha!

This year's edition of Septum's Almanac has reminded me you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks and I shall try out the rather newfangled Ponsonby Shuffle. Perhaps even more effective than the Mulgrave Formula.

Maida Vale

My understanding, strictly on the QT is that Septum's is being widely discredited in certain echelons. I'm going old school to Bank to keep my ear to the ground in The Ned.

Septum's, eh! That's rather contraversial these days.

I'm not sure Bank is permitted in these circumstances but I won't object - and I'll use the old trusty quarter-turn with capriole and a half pirouette, which leads me to Charing Cross.

The Mulgrave Formula has helped the Colonel out of many a tight spot, not least after that contretemps in Gdańsk in ‘97 when he made the mistake of playing Paris Gare du Nord on the reverse diagonal.

Turnpike Lane

I borrowed the Captain's edition of Septum's a few years ago; had to return it, the pages were stuck together. Gospel Oak.

As it's a Thursday .... BlackFriars

Hoorah! Exactly the lead-in I needed for a Hegel Manoeuvre to

Turnham Green

Dammit! That's just what I was going to say. It'll have to be Waterloo as a poor alternative.

Oo dear @RomanMum, I think you’ll find Waterloo was played up thread. Awkward, but if the Brigadier tries to give you any trouble over it, just you remind her that “the scones don’t butter themselves.” She’ll know what it means.

Anyway, the Hegel Manoeuvre previously played is a fitting lead in for (and I think everyone will appreciate the humour in this):
Parsons Green.

Ha! Parsons Green! You are a wag my dear Allotment. And provides me with the ideal Greenside opener to

Temple

It’s taken a week, but we’ve now laid the groundwork for an onward slide to

Golders Green

@AllotmentTime thanks for the heads up, is it too late to retract my move? The Brigadier pm'd me with a message full of capital letters and angry emojis. Needed a stiff drink to recover.

I'd better stick with something safer: Arnos Grove?

Some very classy moves going on here. Difficult to follow as Felbrigg's Convention would rule out my first thought.

As it is a Saturday and getting dark already, I think I am safe to play Old Street.

A fine run of play this chilly evening. LeStage's protocol has confirmed my best move would be to Walthamstow Central.

Ooh. Don't mind admitting I had to look up LeStage, haven't seen that invoked in a very long time.
Playing it safe(ish) with
Holborn

LeStage in November? That’s certainly a novelty. It emboldens me to essay a lateral demi-shunt to

Putney Bridge

Given the wild success of my last LeStage-inspired move, I shall invoke it again as November is waning and play Kew Gardens.

Before December renders a double shunt west invalid, I will trip along to Osterley.

As we are now (just) in December, the Pemberley-Harcourt Rules come into play; double shunts west are indeed invalid (as comfortablyfrumpy reminded us) and the Victoria line is plumb.

Canada Water