This time we have been proud to host nothing less than the South African Ladies Team attending the Eight Ball Pool World Championship 2009 in Blackpool!

Carol, Janine, Florence, Miranda, Alta and Bev decided to come a couple of days earlier to visit London, so we took the chance to invite them to The Elbow Room, our favourite pool venue in London, for a friendly game, some drinks and a chat!

We had a very fun evening together!!

It does not happen every day to speak with someone who participate to World Championship, so we have been asking them how they started playing pool and what is that they enjoy the most about this sport.
That’s how we discovered that for Bev all started because his brother and father were playing and they thought it wasn’t a “ladies’ sport”! The same happened with Florence’s boyfriend… and yet these girls proved all them wrong!

What they like the most about playing pool is having the chance to share some quality time together with friends and family, and of course the fun and the adrenaline of every new challenge!

We have been playing together for all evening, chatting and sharing ideas and thoughts.
We have been talking about shopping, travelling, lifestyle in London compared to South Africa, and even about mortgages and public transport!!
… What’s sure is that we really want to go to visit them soon!! : )))

Some of our guests came to play pool with us, and they were very happy to have he chance to do so… it does not happen every day to play with World Champions!

We have been very pleased to have these fantastic ladies with us. It’s always so very rewarding when we get the chance to meet such amazing people!
It truly makes the difference.

We have been fantastically guested by The Elbow Room, our favourite pool bar, on Chapel Market, Islington, a few minutes away from our Hostel.
It’s a fantastic venue, lively and so very welcoming!
Thank you to Donald, Kit and all the great staff who gave us the chance to have such lovely time!

And if you like to play pool, even if you’re not a World Champion, do not miss the chance to play at The Elbow Room!
Every Monday playing pool is FREE all day!
If you’re up for some fun times with your friends, great music, great food and drinks, do not miss to pay them a visit next Monday!!

Thank you Carol, Janine Florence, Miranda, Alta and Bev for staying with us: we look forward to see you again soon in Ashlee House!!
(Or maybe will be us coming to South Africa! : )) )

For more photos, just check out our Flickr Photopage!

All photos © Sonia Bertacchini

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As promised, here are more photos of our Beat The Banana Fun Run!

And if you want to see more, just check out our Flickr account! : )

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Well, I am happy to say that we were wrong!!

Every year the The World Cancer Research Fund holds a 5km fun run in Hyde Park during the Cancer Prevention Week.
The slogan is BEAT THE BANANA! and the concept sees participants chase a life-sized banana around the course ~ (a very handsome life-sized banana, believe me) ~ with the aim of beating it across the finish line.

We were worried by the weather forecast, but at the end it did not rain and the day was lovely.
Apart some initial troubles (Pablo was without glasses and everyone had a yellow t-shirt, so he got lost), the Ashlee House Team has been standing on the departure line, ready to rock!

Lucie, Pablo and Kristine have been great, running all the distance with a smile on their face, and at the end of the day the only sore muscles were the mouth ones, because of too much laughs.
We did not beat the banana, this year, but we had so much fun that we are looking forward to next year: we are sure we will do better next time!!!

The day ended up with a good pint, of course, and some nice food to restore the tired athletes… : )

More photos will come, but hey, the sweet season is here, and more run events will take place all around London. What about joining us, next time?

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