November 2026. St. Leonards-on-Sea. East Sussex. I’ve been down in Rye for a few days before Dad’s funeral, taking father-in-law to East Grinstead for scans and generally dealing with masses of paperwork. With Kent and East Sussex Beer Guide chapters complete, it would have been nice to get in a West Sussex tick or two,… Continue reading SO, WHAT DID BRAPA MISS IN THE HORSE & GROOM ?
BUGGLES v WALLABIES AT THE INKERMAN
November 2026. Rye Harbour. If you’re noticing a lack of spark in these recent posts you’re not alone. And it’s not just the strain of planning funerals and care packages; frankly the repetition of travel between Sheffield, Cambridge, Tunbridge Wells and Rye dulls the brain. I’d give anything at the moment to be in (checks… Continue reading BUGGLES v WALLABIES AT THE INKERMAN
THE SADLER’S CAT
November 2026. Manchester. It was my fault. Booking a gig in Cambridge followed by one in Manchester the next night, then back down to Cambridge a day later was entirely my choice. But I’ve had plenty of missing out on gigs (and Proper Days out) due to ongoing family demands of late. It’s risky enough… Continue reading THE SADLER’S CAT
SINGALONGA SWINTON
November 2026. Swinton. Greater Manchester. 12 minutes out from Manchester Victoria lies Swinton in the city of Salford. Wiki says “Historically in Lancashire, for centuries Swinton was a hamlet in the township of Worsley, parish of Eccles and hundred of Salfordshire (a clearly made-up place)“. An unheralded town of 22,931 souls, notable for Holt boozers,… Continue reading SINGALONGA SWINTON
CRUSHING DEATH AND GRIEF PRESENTS WENDY EISENBERG AT THE NEW CHESTERTON INSTITUTE
November 2026. Cambridge. “We’ve really missed your weird music rants, Retired Martin“. Aww, nice of you. Whenever Tidal recommends an album as good as this year’s eponymous “Wendy Eisenberg” I always go straight to the Dice app to find gig tickets in weird places, and could think of nowhere weirder to see Wendy than back… Continue reading CRUSHING DEATH AND GRIEF PRESENTS WENDY EISENBERG AT THE NEW CHESTERTON INSTITUTE
FIREWORKS AND KEY KEG
November 2026. Cambridge. You might have thought I’d had enough “Crushing Death and Grief” of late, but here they are, like darkness my old friend, promoting a gig by THE hot indie sensation of 2026 at a social club in the back streets of workingmen’s Cambridge on Bonfire Night. They’ve delayed the gig ’till after… Continue reading FIREWORKS AND KEY KEG
MILTON CONQUERS HISTON
November 2026. Histon. A couple of days in Cambridge on funeral planning duties, staying in the “PLUS” room at the otherwise spartan Travelodge in Orchard Park. I really should review the Madri at the hotel bar. I’m a regular there now, probably get my own pewter jug for the hot chocolate that’s one of the… Continue reading MILTON CONQUERS HISTON
AT LAST ! A GOOD BEER GUIDE ENTRY FOR COTTENHAM
November 2026. Cottenham. Cambridgeshire. Yes, that red P above Village College is a Good Beer Guide entry for Cottenham, which according to my spreadsheet is the first in at least a generation, whatever a generation is. But I had been to the Chequers, nicely placed at the village crossroads next to the war memorial, at… Continue reading AT LAST ! A GOOD BEER GUIDE ENTRY FOR COTTENHAM
GOTHIC COTTENHAM
November 2026. Cottemham. Cambridgeshire. Back in Cambridge, I complete the funeral formalities and pop to the local Building Society to put a hold on Dad’s accounts. The folk at Cottenham branch were the loveliest in the aftermath of Mum’s death and Dad’s Power of Attorney shenanigans, and I kid myself it’s nice to reminisce about… Continue reading GOTHIC COTTENHAM
GETTING BEST VALUE FROM YOUR SPOONS TEA
November 2026. Hillsborough. Sheffield. One of the issues about flitting between a Sheffield home, a Sussex caravan and a Cambridge Travelodge is that we never quite have enough food in any of them, but always seem resigned to chucking away vegetables into a black bin we never quite get collected. With a return to Waterbeach… Continue reading GETTING BEST VALUE FROM YOUR SPOONS TEA
