I think I forgot to tell you that our trip to North America was scuppered by the collapse of Primera Air, so I’ll never know how jaywalking in New York compares to Duisburg.
But every cloud, etc. etc. In fact, this Saturday I’ll be meeting Mr Project Calypso himself, and have the honour of driving Simon around the scary gastropubs of West Huntingdonshire. Don’t worry Mark, I’ll grill him about the orange highlighter.
I may make a BRAPA detour into Northants so Si can see the pub glory of Burton Latimer.
Now, I can’t say I haven’t been here before; I did stop to admire the Weetabix factory once, but there were no free samples so it was a short visit.
It’s a working town, boosted by distribution centres to the north but depleted by the death of Rushden & Diamonds FC to the south. Rumours that Rushden offered LifeAfterFootball £100k a week to move from the Cobblers during the Diamonds’s heyday are unfounded.
Those two WMC examples, replete with lovely fonts, are examples of the town’s multitude of clubs, something it has in common with Desborough.
It’s a plain town, so I’ve tried to improve it with filters and a rare use of black and white photography. Perhaps Peter Jackson can turn this blog into a 3D film.
The only buildings that Dick and Dave would linger over are tucked away next to the parish church.
If Burton had a latin motto, it would translate as “Not Oundle“, but I warmed to it, nonetheless.
Particularly when the “revitalised” Duke’s Arms opened, on the dot of 4pm.
You can trust a pub with Mann’s livery. Well, clearly you can’t, they’re normally serving John Smiths Smooth. And I know Mudgie will have something to say about the cushions.
But everything else was pretty much perfect, from the 4pm tradesmen to the Bossa Nova, to Punky Radio night to the, er, eclectic collection of classic albums on the wall.
It reminded me a little bit of the Rock & Roll Brewhouse, but that’s in Brum, not the outskirts of Kettering. And this is very much village pub, albeit the sort you last saw in 1978.
With the sort of 2018 beer choice you just don’t expect in 1978.
The Anarchy was provided with CAMRA discount, quite how he knew I’ve no idea, and was excellent (NBSS 3.5). They sold four pints in ten minutes, which is pretty much the same as in all the Milton Keynes pubs put together.
OK, perhaps after a year you’d grow immune to the appeal of having Nicole’s classic Eurovision winner glued to the wall, but it’s guaranteed one return visit this weekend.
retiredmartin 
Pretty amazing on the airline collapse. I had not heard about that until you mentioned it. Hope you were able to cancel everything without cost.
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Nearly. Bit gutted to miss out on all that awesome US craft beer, though. #MAGA
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Mudgie is not the only one who’ll kick off about the cushions.
I once ploughed my way through nine of the bastards laid out on a bed in a hotel in Dublin before I could rest my pissed head on a pillow.
In the morning a couple of them went out of the window into the car park …well you know what it’s like fighting through a hangover trying to tear open the sachet of Gold Blend.
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Spinal Tap move over.
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No. No I don’t, Prof. I take my own espresso machine with me.
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When you leave Spoons?
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So that’s where Bono got the idea from… ☕️
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Well, if you will stay at these camp, sorry, “boutique” hotels, Prof…
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I read the story about the Primera collapse, the other week, and then thought I remembered something about you and Mrs RM thinking of giving them a go. Primera did appear dangerously under-funded, both financially and in terms of actual aircraft owned/leased. Surprised you two accountants didn’t spot that.
Trust though, the credit card company sorted you out financially, but not good when things go wrong like that and it’s too late to make other arrangements.
ps. Think I prefer Nico to Nicole!
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To be fair I’d have made Mrs RM swim the Atlantic if I had my way. Us accountants rarely practice what we preach, Paul !
I prefer Chico to Nico.
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” Us accountants rarely practice what we preach”. I know, I’m married to one!
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Do you mean Nico who used to hang around with Lou Reed et al ? I’ve a feeling that she used to live not far away, when I lived in Didsbury for a year during the 1980s, but maybe I dreamt that…
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That would be her, Etu. She ran Lou Macari’s chippy and the Tommy Duck pub for a while.
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Slap.
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“Don’t worry Mark, I’ll grill him about the orange highlighter.” –Ha! Thanks so much for this, Martin; I’m always honored when you refer to me directly in one of your posts (even when it takes me a couple of days to acknowledge it!)
I did have to chuckle at the album that was selling itself on Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Clair” while leaving you to find in the fine print that it’s all sung by someone else!
Did he really give you a CAMRA discount without even asking you if you belonged to CAMRA? You may need to find a new disguise. 😉
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Yes, he did 😉
I took Si back there today, it was quite an experience, as you’ll no doubt read shortly !
Personalising blogposts with our favourite readers is a key objective. If you look very closely, and rearrange lots of letters, you’ll see Pashmina Pauline spelt out in every post.
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Who’s that woman doing the John Cleese impression on the Clair LP ?
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