From Brentford I walked back into Ealing, past the new Bees ground which I may well revisit once they install their posh seats. You know how us City fans love our posh seats.
Bing maps won’t let me show you my actual route to The Owl & the Pussycat, which actually took me through Gunnersbury Park, an essential comfort stop in a city lacking essential comfort stops.
Learning lessons from St Albans, I realised I needed to eat. My luck was in.
A little shrine to Naples and Maradona, who Mrs RM actually saw waving to the crowds from his palace on her own Eurorail adventures of 1987. In her honour, I had the house special pizza and double espresso.
I should take up food blogging, I really should. This gooey feast was “to die for“, a sumptuous feast that had us “licking our lips” etc etc. Lovely people, unfussy service, no craft beers.
I felt revived, and decided I didn’t need to borrow one of those OFO (Oh **** off) bikes that get tipped in the canal in Manchester to get to my micro. Not that I’d have been able to follow the instructions.
The Owl & the Pussycat enables me to finish off the large lump of pink that is the West London bit of Page 280 of the GBG.
Didn’t I walk past Northfields tube station recently and slag off the coffee ? Oh no, that was South Ealing, I get confused.
Ah, here we are. Typical micro, looks quite light and welcoming and there’s cheese next door.
Inside it’s exactly what you expect from an Ealing micro pub.
Less fun than a Spoons, let’s put it that way. Reading the beer menu is a challenge for us oldies.
The owner is polite but distracted at opening time. Perhaps I should start tipping up at closing time. His beer, though, is surprisingly wonderful given that it appears to be made in the shed. The Walpole Special is a tasty NBSS 4, though I’d rather be drinking it in an Ember Inn.
Richard Coldwell would love this place.
Needing some laughs, I went in search of Newbury Tim.
retiredmartin 
The primary riders of those bikes, people under 30, don’t need instructions. Was the employee of the month around when you visited?
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That position was vacant.
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Yes I think I would like it … but then again anywhere is better than an Ember Inn, unless it was the last pub on earth.
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“her own Eurorail adventures of 1987” –My Eurorail adventures were in 1985; ah, to be young again, and hopping on European trains. I knew I was fortunate, even then, but only when you’re older do you look back on what you were doing in those days and say, “You lucky bastard!” π
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You have to do those things when you can, don’t you. I took 6 months out at 24 to travel America/Tahiti/Australia, better than 3 years at University in developing skills.
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Concur, somewhat. π
Did Europe via Eurail for about 11 months back in 80/81. Stayed with relatives in England to rejuvenate between two 2-month passes. Also flew back to Crete for a few weeks to stay with an American girl I’d met on my travels, then spent two months traveling around the UK. It was quite the experience (complete with stories π€π), but, as sappy as it sounds, I wouldn’t trade what I currently have with my darling wife for anything. ππ
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It’s all about girls with you, isn’t it Russ π
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Awwww
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“an essential comfort stop in a city lacking essential comfort stops.”
Au natural I take it? π
Oh and on my phone the map’s a bit small. All I could make out was the bottom right which I thought was “Stand on the Green”, which I took to be the opposite of “Keep off the Grass”. But I was mistaken. π
“and Maradona, who Mrs RM actually saw waving to the crowds from his palace on her own Eurorail adventures of 1987. ”
Was that when he was overthrown as the dictator of a small European country? π
“Almost perfect pinking”
Perhaps. But we all know green is the new pink. π
“Pic from a 1977 Al Stewart album cover”
The Year of the Cat?
“Quirky”
I see #3 was no longer available.
“though Iβd rather be drinking it in an Ember Inn.”
You’re showing your age. π
Cheers
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Yes as nature intended.
Definitely “Year of the Cat”.
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Can I now add you into the Ember Inns fan club? Alan and myself are biggest fans
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