Legally I have to provide you with a summary of the previous month’s posts. Despite knocking out 62 of them, I’m still at least a dozen posts behind, including one from here;
THE HEADLINES
Forty-five (45) new GBG pubs in eighteen different counties, which may itself be a record. Russ will know.
My little GBG map looks like an elephant.
Here’s the shocker; some really great beer in November. Average NBSS score 3.38, the highest since October 2004*.
Obviously, meeting Simon (twice !) was the highlight. Here he is, looking like a PubMan David Soul in the Chequers in Little Gransden. A revisit for me, a revelation for both of us. If there’s any justice it’ll be CAMRA National Pub of the Year.
Oh, I did meet a few other legends too;
Sorry, wrong pic. Meeting Roger Protz and other legends in St Albans was a great day. Even with just the one new tick.
LEGEND OF THE MONTH – CITRA
Mick’s appearance mere weeks after his heart attack is an inspiration to us all, and his post on the subject a lesson in understatement.
HAIRCUT OF THE MONTH – CY GODDARD
This guy never lets us down on Proper Pub days out either.
Romania was tremendous, even if you all hated the photos of craft beer bars. So here’s a shot Mrs RM took in the ladies loo.
NEW PUB OF THE MONTH – Reading Room, Wheathampstead
Brand new, a GBG cert, and at 3pm when the schoolchildren came in it was the cheeriest place on earth. Weird stuff on the walls.
BEER OF THE MONTH – The one on the list below, below Morning Glory, at Beer O’Clock. Sorry, cask fans.
DECEMBER PREVIEW
I have some crazy ideas for December. Prompted by Pub Hermit, I may go to the Isle of Wight and get stranded there when the Solent suddenly freezes over.
In the middle of the month I’ll be taking BRAPA to some hard-to-reach Fenland pubs and pulling over on the side of the A605 so he can go for a wee.
And I’ll be finishing London, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and more.
And taking photos of Ullage next to roaring fires.
*Yes, of course I made those up, but I know Americans love numbers.
retiredmartin 
Any Balsall common or Kenilworth boozers in Warwickshire GBG section? A fine effort of 45!!!
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Kenilworth has had Green Man (Ember Inn), Virgins & Castle (old pub, Everards) and Old Bakery, which is closest to Proper Pub. They’ve all beenin the Guide for 10-15 years. Nothing in Balsall Common but the Railway at Berkswell station up the road used to do (Bass wasn’t great though !).
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Everards ?
I remember the Virgins & Castle as a proper Davenports pub.
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Reckon Everards took it over and did it up 15 years ago or so.
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The railway was doing keg brew XI last time I was there!! Like keniKenilw so may pay a visit 👍🍻
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“*Yes, of course I made those up, but I know Americans love numbers.”
Yes, we do, so please add some more insignificant digits to your averages…
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I worry about BRAPA’s posture looking at that picture.
Unless the rucksack is deliberately weighted heavy and low to maintain equilibrium after six pints.
With the lean on the bar added as belt and braces preparation for the fatal 7th pint.
The Prof
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Paul Bailey’s latest post is about the difficulty of commenting on WordPress blogs; still seems to affect mine as well.
Good BRAPA analysis.
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I would worry about BRAPA’s rucksack if it got in the way of a Yorkshireman visiting Birmingham.
I have just been reading “Why does everybody have flippin’ rucksacks? Why do they swing them right in front of my face, mere fractions of inches above the top of my beer, as if I’m not sat there. Why don’t they know they’re wider than Cyril Smith when trying to squeeze through narrow gaps with one on their backs? They should be forced to have Long Load markings and fit wing mirrors to themselves. Anyway, apart from all the inconsiderate twits with rucksacks ……..” – and I’m not sure he spelt “twits” correctly.
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Go to Offerton in Stockport and they even say “Twit” incorrectly.
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I purposefully spelled Tw@ts like that!
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You are too kind, there was no way I was going to let you lot enjoy yourself without my presence, I’m glad I made the effort, even though I had to restrain my drinking a little. A very good day out.
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You’re always very good company, even with your funny taste in beer. I would love to have known what you thought of the Bass in Bath.
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So would I.
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Romanian looks a lot easier to decipher than Czech or Polish. Something like a cross between French and Italian, perhaps?
I see that Kent isn’t pinked-in on your map. Have you any plans to head this way, in the next few months?
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Only 9 to go, Paul I have a couple of Kent posts coming up, but a straggle of entries along the coast around Herne mean an overnighter or two.
We should meet up when I do the Foresters Arms in Tonbridge, thought Mrs RM seems strangely reluctant to get that close to the in-laws !
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You will like the Forester’s Martin, and I’m sure Mrs RM will as well; even though it is Tonbridge’s nearest pub to Southborough. Let me know when you are planning to visit.
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Indeed Paul. I assume that the Romanians are perhaps largely Slavs, but who were historically made to speak vulgar Latin by the Romans.
I have some French and Italian, and you are right. I used to listen to the news from Romania, on short wave once upon a time, and I could get most of it. Oddly, like Danish though, they tag the definite article on the end of the noun, rather than preceding it separately.
Tara would be the cognate of “terre” in French and “terra” in Italian. I wonder if it inspired the homestead name, in “Gone With The Wind”?
“Quite frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”, I hear you say.
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“I may go to the Isle Of Wight and get stranded when the Solent freezes over”.
I’m sure you will just walk back in that case.
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You lead the way !
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What on earth is that Romanian poster all about? 😮
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I refer you to Mrs RM’s explanation about 8 comments down. But the emoji is well-used !
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It is a throwaway device that supposedly lets women cleanly urinate while facing the bowl.
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Great summary of a productive and varied month. Where’s that gorgeous spreadsheet gone though? From the look of your plans my December will be a lot quieter than yours. Can we expect a Scottish tour of duty in the New Year?
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I really ought to make some Scottish plans. Just waiting to see if Mrs RM has any exciting working arrangements (i.e. not Northampton).
The spreadsheet will be back soon, in a one-off edition called “GBG19 – the first 100 Days”.
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Looking forward to the special spreadsheet edition and chauffeuring duties
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Are “Scottish plans” some kind of code, as “Ugandan discussions” once were, in Private Eye, Martin?
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Everything is code, Etu. Spookily, Uganda will feature in the post I’m writing AT THIS VERY MOMENT. There you go.
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“Despite knocking out 62 of them, I’m still at least a dozen posts behind,”
Crikey! I hate to think how far behind I’m going to get in replying over the next two weeks. The missus has Christmas catering up the ying yang which means I’ll be up to my eyeballs with the lunch truck, shopping, restocking and getting all the dishes washed in between catering gigs!
“Russ will know.”
Do I? (rummages through paperwork). I do! (but I’m not telling) 😉
“My little GBG map looks like an elephant.”
Pretty sure that looks like the X-ray my doctor showed me before my last colonoscopy. 🙂
“Average NBSS score 3.38, the highest since October 2004*.”
Makes up for the summer (and shows that cask, sadly at times, is better in the off summer months).
“Sorry, wrong pic.”
For now maybe. But I see him (it?) becoming a bit of a legend as time goes on. 😉
“Mick’s appearance mere weeks after his heart attack is an inspiration to us all, and his post on the subject a lesson in understatement.”
The heart wants what the heart wants. 🙂
“Female inventiveness apparently”
On my second go round with this poster it seems to whisper to me that breasts are not an impediment to success.
“BEER OF THE MONTH – The one on the list below, below Morning Glory, ”
I think having one of those will be about as I ever get to royalty. 🙂
(or, if it’s Imperial, why are they selling it in metric units?) 😉
“I may go to the Isle of Wight and get stranded there when the Solent suddenly freezes over.”
Pfft. You could always walk back should that happen.
“*Yes, of course I made those up, but I know Americans love numbers.”
(slow golf clap)
Well done sir! (had me fooled) 🙂
Cheers
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Is one of your backlog of posts about the Ship in Kirby-le-Soken? I see you have Essex as pink, but they are back in the guide for the first time since 1983, so I wondered if I just missed the post?
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You’ll have to wait and see, he says, in a panic.
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