Unique location, today, sitting under "the oldest circle of church bells in the world": those words are lifted directly from the BBC website, I'll have you know. Yes, these are the bells that Blatchly heard as a boy. Even our Grenvyle looks like a babe in comparison to these pealers. Ding dong.

We're sitting among the graves of St Lawrence church on Dial Lane. It's a delightfully sunny day but we've managed to bag a shady table. Over there, near Craftability, the solar rays are beating down. Over here, near the folk eating their McLunches, the Ambre Solaire is not required. This stretch of glebe has been claimed by Pickwicks, another one of those places (like Enjoy!) that I first mentioned back in the time of the Space Odyssey:

"... Pickwicks (formerly Boodles?) has been at the same location for years preaching the good news about ground coffee and good tea"

I've got happy memories of coming to Dial Lane many times when I was first earning some money. Upstairs, flicking through The Indy, nibbling a toasted sarnie, then sipping a cappuccino and eating a slice of passion cake: tres Chic, i.e. Good Times. Judging by today's outing, Pickwicks hasn't moved on. There's still a comprehensive selection of teas and coffees, and the menu still offers Brevilled bakery items. Cheese and pickle for me, and that's what you get, no more, no less, no leaves.

Unlike the food, the service had more than a little personality. Bit of to and fro is always welcome. Having asked the lady to rattle through the cakes on offer, I stopped her after item 1, the passion cake. Gotta have that retro experience in full. Made the mistake of opting for a cafe creme, comprising an espresso topped with squirty cream and sprinkles. Not great: should have stuck with the 80s cappuccino.

If it was a car -- Austin Montego.
If they were passing by -- Romeo Zondervan.