MISTAKEN FOR FILM CREW IN MATFEN

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OK, I’ll accept “Mistaken for film crew” isn’t quite as exciting as “Locked in Victoria Park” or “Gatecrashing craft weddings in Dulwich“, which were highlights a year ago. But this is Northumberland, not trendy London.  Things are more sedate up here.

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We arrived just after opening, greeted by the entire pub staff staring at us. Mrs RM’s driving really isn’t that bad.

Parked up well away from the starers, we admired the village green.

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Matfen

As I approached the bridge over the stream, I had the impression of being followed.

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The stream

Sure enough, I was being followed.  By a bloke with a camera and a boom mike.  I made for the pub.

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Black Bull

“What yer doing”   said the principal starer.  Ah, they thought I was film crew.

“I’m playing the part of BRAPA in a film about the battle against craft keg” I said.

We had a little laugh about that.

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Nice beer, passable glass

A bit more geared up for food than the Swinburne, but none of that “Will you be dining with us” stuff here either.  And no rushing me to choose between the beers.  Those Cross Bay folk get around, don’t they ?

But I had the Wylam Tankard from down the road, of course. Another two ticks (NBSS 3.5) in the book, and those half pint glasses are growing on me.

It wasn’t really cold enough to stand by the fire but I did anyway, just so I could say “Nice fire” to the landlady.

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Real fire

Something for everyone here. Viz back issues for Cooking Lager, classic rock for Pub Curmudgeon,

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Gotta be “Atomic” hasn’t it ?

and some interesting artwork in the Gents for Satan.

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Spooky

Mrs RM chose to sit it out again, rather than drink Frobishers, so missing out on the Belinda Carlisle she would have chosen.

The folk here were really chatty, once they got over the disappointment that I wasn’t doing a film about all the pubs with “Bull” in the title of something.

I asked the landlord, seen below tasting his own beer, if Dryanuary was hitting them hard.

“Oh, folks round here don’t fall for that nonsense !”

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Top man

The TV crew were still outside when I rejoined Mrs RM.  I think they thought I was BRAPA.

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Too early, lads

 

 

 

Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

35 thoughts on “MISTAKEN FOR FILM CREW IN MATFEN”

  1. Excellent silk purse intro out of that sow’s ear old boy with his home movie tripod young Martin.
    I’d love to share with you my tale of being caught short in the Number 2 department and Yoko Ono’s bidet but every time I do Cooking Lager gets all scatalogical on me and this is too whimsical a beer blog for that.
    But what a gorgeous looking village.

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    1. I have a real aversion to toilet references, Prof. I’m old school when it comes to that, never use the defecatory swear words.

      Yes, gorgeous village. Usual story, visitors head for Northumberland beaches and ignore the inland.

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  2. Two Wylam beers! Wow! That’s the best ‘look what’s on the bar’ shot you’ve posted for er … many months actually. It doesn’t get better than Wylam, cask or keg. I had the Macciato porter last week on cask and it was AWESOME. Jakehead just has to be one of my favourites – have you noticed the latest casks of it are a shade darker than they have been? I noticed it yesterday in Mews Wetherby, I thought they had poured me the wrong beer at first. Lovely looking village, Northumbria is like that isn’t it. One of my favourite counties after GOC.

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    2. You don’t joke about Yorkshire ?
      Ron the ex-copper who ran my local in Wiltshire used to say Yorkshire people are like the Scots but with all the goodwill squeezed out of them.
      He said he could tell when a person was from Yorkshire because they always told him within five seconds of meeting him.

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      4. My ambition is to have one of those blue plaques on the wall saying ‘Richard lives here’ like Sir Geoffrey has on his house down the road. Obviously it doesn’t say ‘Richard Lives here’ on his house …

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  3. ” Mrs RM’s driving really isn’t that bad.”

    Guffaw. 🙂

    “Spooky”

    Is that glass or some sort of curtain?

    “so missing out on the Belinda Carlisle she would have chosen.”

    I would’ve put money on her ordering the Supercharged IPA.

    “Top man”

    Nice hat!

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/J6QDIpU3e3VVwJht1

    Oh and if BRAPA reads this; look at the map Si, and notice such “boring” names as Little and Great Whittington as well as East and West Moorehouses. 🙂

    Cheers

    PS – “they though I was film crew”

    I ‘thought’ there should be a ‘t’ in there somewhere. 😉

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      4. “though I prefer obscurenmodern stuff just to irritate Mrs RM.”

        I use Jazz to do the same to Mrs Russto;

        For example;

        Pat Metheny or

        Weather Report

        (and maybe some Monty Python songs if I feel like sleeping on the couch that night!) 🙂

        Cheers

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    2. “op five for me on that list… Elvis Costello, ZZ Top, Blondie, Mott The Hoople and Beach Boys/ T Rex tie! Good boozer on that basis alone”

      Oooh, I’ll play.

      Ok, one sec…

      It’s a tough one but:

      All the Young Dudes
      Killer Queen
      Jean Genie
      Legs and;
      You wear it well. 🙂

      Cheers

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      8. “I’ve got less people following my site so need to keep them sweet!”

        Maybe you need to be more, um, sarcastic… like Martin. (kidding!)

        Oh, and the only one who thinks I’m sweet is Mrs Russto. 🙂

        Cheers

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