Mornington Crescent rides again

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

To nobody’s surprise, the frantic pace of this latest game means that the last thread is full and (as far as I can see) <polishes lorgnette> we don’t yet have a successor. So, off we go with a Brunswick Lateral to

Russell Square

Duck, I find the Close Supplement interesting and useful too, and I concur that you are being too modest. Brava!

Now, if I'm not mistaken I think the threat of Nidd is there, distant admittedly but nonetheless not to be ignored. I'm going to cross-fletz us to Swiss Cottage, whence I think we can proceed more safely.

Oh Crikey!!
I haven't got any option other than to go to Neasden or we will truly go to Nidd

Skilfully done.

A perpendicular to Ravenscourt Park. Unimaginative, I know, but I don't like the look of the Jubilee at the moment.

The Jubilee line does have its moments of unattractiveness I agree. So I will avoid it and move to Alperton.

Sorry for the silence, chaps, been a whirlwind of a week, plus (to misquote Adrian Mole) the balance of my mind has been somewhat disturbed by the news in the autumn circular from Lady B. Did you all receive it? Page 4

But back to business.

Deptford Bridge (as there's a lurking sub-acute waiting for me if I do the other obvious thing).

I am not on the circulation of the autumn circular after playing the closed stations rule in the 2004 long tournament. Perhaps given how it has affected you, @MarkWithaC I have been spared.

Mr Mole used to love the British Library and it is near Great Portland Street so I shall move there.

I'm not surprised, Llyn, given how strongly Mrs F feels about the closed station issue. I confess I only keep my name on the list because I find Mr Moffington's 'Racy Subclause' column so amusing. Although you probably know that much of it is rumoured to be ghostwritten by a certain stalwart of the community of St Ignatius. One can only imagine the shadowy life that person must live to be able to come up with some of that material.
Right then. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe looking at the direction of play that I'm permitted a Loose Drop here, which means I can say Tooting Bec.

Where is everyone else? I did hear something about an outbreak of food poisoning after the last Thursday buffet, but wasn't sure if it was true or some sort of in-joke to which I'm not party. Not that I don't relish our head-to-heads, of course, don't misunderstand me.

Sorry sorry! It's been the teenager's birthday, much cake and celebration has been had.

Right. So. Clearing the decks and turning to matters ecclesiastical.

Lady B is...an interesting woman. I would say more but the injunction was super and...

Suffice to say, the autobiography will be explosive, if she ever finishes it. I hear the Aubusson was never the same. And Mr Chalmers spent weeks rebuffing the silver.

Shenfield.

I’ve been struggling to devise a suitably ecclesiastical move here. I was all set to go, until the telegram arrived from the Archbishop threatening excommunication, so back to the drawing board I went. And please let’s never speak about the Aubusson.

Blackfriars

Lovely to have you both back!

According to some, Lady B very much made it worth Mr Chalmers' while on the silver. Or, to be more accurate, her middle daughter did…

BUT! That's little more than gossip, so I shall catch myself on and just say Harold Wood (via the Peebles Comparison, naturally).

Mark, darling, I’ve never been away. Even when I’m closeted in the withdrawing room with the Colonel, a magnum of Pol Roger and the leather-bound back editions of MC Minthly, I keep an attentive eye on what’s happening here.

Cockfosters

Cockfosters indeed! You walk a fine line. I applaud your steely nerve.
I'm playing an Additional Fox to take us to less wobbly territory: Hounslow West.

I do indeed have nerves of steel. They served me well after that unfortunate fracas in East Berlin in ‘74 - a terrible misunderstanding caused by playing Seven Sisters on a westward swing - when the Colonel and I had to go into hiding for several weeks until we could be extricated by the SAS.

Heathrow Terminal 4

I've been told about that at cocktail parties, but have never been quite sure how true it was. I feel rather honoured to hear it from the horse's mouth.
Do the SAS really look like the old Milk Tray ads used to suggest?

OK. Now, this may depend somewhat on people's interpretation of Feuerstein 2007, but I think... no, hang it, I'm SURE – MORNINGTON CRESCENT!

I don’t take kindly to being called a horse (perhaps you are confusing me with my dear friend Lady Ottoline?) and of course I can say nothing about those dear boys in the SAS beyond remarking that, as they say, who dares wins which, come to think of it, might equally be the motto of the game of games.

That last move is illegal and unlawful under the terms of the Reconciliation Conference in 2018, but do try again.

I wouldn't dream of saying such a thing about Lady O (have you seen the size and the aspect of her eldest son?), and of course you know I meant horse as a figure of speech only. But I can understand a person being prickly about East Berlin, so I shall draw a veil.
However, I must gently but firmly make clear a point about the Reconciliation Conference (you remember of course the follow-up conclave; the Wing Commander was hors de combat for quite some time afterwards, is all I will say here).
The motion to allow Feuerstein's suggestion about Tsung-Chin's Particular, which is obviously what I've deployed here, secured it in perpetuity. BUT, in the spirit of bataille loyale (how very martial I am at the moment), I'll take my turn again, and keep it strictly canonical this time.

Latimer Road

Ladbroke Grove, just because on a cold evening a long journey may not be a good thing. Agree about the 2018 conference, even though I missed it as visiting the city where they play the pale imitation called Chatelet Les Halles.

Ah, yes. Chatelet Les Halles. A good game, if not quite la crème de la crème. Inevitably, it leads me to

Waterloo

Oh some excellent play here!

St Paul's

Evening all. Quite a lot of both play and gossip to catch up on I see. Apologies for my absence the last few days. Unfortunately the dowager duchess was in town.

At the risk of being controversial, I’m hazarding a Becher’s to Barbican.

A Bechers!!??
Such boldness, and dare I say it somewhat foolhardy, so bearing in mind such a reckless move I'm going for Bounds Green

I think a short move to the sunny uplands of Arnos Grove just as the mist is visible is appropriate for the second move of the month.

No, I enjoy a Becher's, and I find it completely appropriate here; you cleverly took into account the fact that the Jubilee is leading.

Warren Street, while we have the chance. Obviously I needed to use a back-tilted salto, but that shouldn't cause any problems considering the amortization effect offered by the Bakerloo.

Euston Square. Explanation will be superfluous here to anyone with more than a passing knowledge of the game.

Indeed.
I'm keeping it similarly transparent with a basic Goldfarb to Wanstead.