Mornington Crescent....

[BratFarrarsPony]

Well as I won the last game fairly and squarely despite not being as quick as the old lags....I will start another game.

Gants Hill

All right, as long as we go via Mincing Lane, but after that the only way is Haverfordwest.

I trust everyone is refreshed after yesterday's festivities. I fear the Colonel may be somewhat the worse for wear (last seen, he was face down in the potted palm, mumbling something about a surfeit of sherry) and MamaPungu seems to have run off with FatherChristmas yet again, but otherwise I thought the day went well.

Angel

What was special about yesterday and when has the Colonel not been the worse for wear?

King’s Lynn - if you will pardon the obvious!

The playing of the closed lines rule is now necessary to take us to Dersingham in case we should see Her Majesty or one of her Christmas guests at the local church.

As you know, Saints, I believe the the proposal at Bogota '87 to confine the Game of Games to closed lines only had a lot to recommend it and would have been carried by acclamation if there had not been dirty work behind the crossroads, mainly at the Vatican.

As it is, I am going to move us all to Harwich - and bear in mind that between Christmas and New Year twiddlings are negative even on Thursday.

The Archdeacon's rash has flared up again. I told her to lay off the Advokaat but you know what she's like.

It is forecast to be windy tonight and tomorrow and so I move inland to the shelter of Manningtree.

Harwich? Really? If you insist, then I suppose it must be

Aldwych

The never built tube lines rule comes into play, and so the move to Waterloo is in order.

A nice enough move in its way but careful perusal of the Honours List makes it apparent that a move to Reigate is unavoidable.

"For services to the manufacture of non-biodegradable potato chips" - oh yes. Oh my word yes. Whoever wrote that had some grounding in the Game of Games. I see the hand of the Squadron Leader at work there.

I see being passed over once again has made Andrew tetchy and impulsive. Reigate, indeed. Honours aren't everything, as I remarked to Lilibet as she handed over my insignia.

Dorking

Not that Honours List. That’s so common that they print it in the public press and it’s even on the Telly Vision thing - or so I am informed. I meant the real one. Lilibet is gagging to join me on that.

Aldershot

I am not sure that Her Majesty would wish you to refer to her as other than The Queen or Her Majesty in public. Even Prince Philip sings God Save the Queen, not God Save my Wife or God Save Lilibet.

As for Honours, when was the last time an MC player was honoured? They seemed conspicuous by their absence this time. I cannot imagine Nick Clegg ever playing the game of games, and as for Ringo, I am sure that Day Tripper has no reference to MC either.

The possibility of the dinosaurs aka the RMT being on strike today leads me to move to New Malden where at least alternative means of transport are available if needs be.

Really? I had always thought that Day Tripper and also Ticket to Ride were veiled references to the game of games. On some of the more outré fan sites, they say the cover of Abbey Road is a sly reference to the occasion when George attempted a Fenton's Feint to St John's Wood and sent the whole game into knockings for a fortnight.

Thames Ditton

Time for the rail replacement bus rule to get us to Hampton Court. I have to say I had forgotten that George would be an MC player- given how he helped to save the British film industry and that one of the earliest films he supported was set in east London, it all makes sense to me.

Oh, ho, Saints, have you had an invite to the infamous Hampton Court NYE bash too then? What's your outfit? I won't tell you about mine but it is not the frogged purple number - not my style and anyway it's still at the launderette.

Let's go via Caledonian Road - they are big on New Year in that part of the United Kingdom which is sometimes called Scotland.

We better stay on the London Underground as other train fares have gone up, presumably to buy a few more G+Ts for the shareholders.

So let us move to Southgate

Boring, boring, boring. To hell with the money. Wakefield Westgate - first class of course - and bags I sit on the Commodore's lap because I saw her first and I like the smell of gin.

We have been to God's Own Country a lot during this game. I'm not going to avail myself of first class, but with a couple of changes of train return to Enfield Chase as there is a lovely pub near the station which I can visit.

Whence I play a half-rhymer (see Rule 164(18(iii)) in the Saskatoon recension) to Henfield.

Ah, Sussex by the sea, or nearly by the sea. Henfield is not far from the producer of fine ales, Dark Star, whose produce would be most welcome alongside the game of games. Use of the closed lines rule and the Thameslink rule in one move for possibly the first time, ancient and modern as it were.

I once played a truncated version of the game of games in this county, and to commemorate this, move to Shoreham by Sea

Now look here, Saints. All of us who were at that truncated game remember what happened and we would all like to forget it. The chihuahua will never be able to put it out of his mind, poor little chap, and I don't think the vicar will ever recover what little there was of hers.

And you know how we all covered up for you: especially, well, you know who, who did two months in the Scrubs, three in Holloway, and four in the Insect House at the Zoo and all for your sake.

So I don't think we should ever hear about it again.

Now, an early bid for the Special Prize for Improbably Spelt Names (yes, it's one of those years which is twice a prime again): Kirkcudbright

I think before yet more action from the dinosaurs who want to be closing doors, we should move south via the west coast lines, for an overnight stop at Wigan North Western. The road to Wigan Pier from there is not far.

Oh dear. We do seem to be in the doldrums. I've got just the thing to pep us up:

Cambridge

Oh, I know where you mean. Biggish town, lots of rather fine buildings which could be used to house a university if we ever need a second one which of course we don't. The best that can be said for it is that it is near Ely.

From which the obvious step is, but no, I won't insult your intelligence by mentioning it (especially after that fracas there in '63 when HRH the Princess Margaret turned up unannounced). For discretion's sake let's go to

March