“Thank you, Dorset, next.”
As Ariana Grande will no doubt say when she headlines #Glasto in 2031*, and that bunch of “look at me, Mum” layabouts will ignore her geographical clumsiness**.
Thornford has the courtesy to have its own station, or “halt“, a jolly 15 minute walk from the King’s Arms.
I’d never heard of Thornford before, and Wiki suggests I’ve missed little.
There’s a listed phone box, a pub in scaffolding, and this Victorian clock tower, which tells me it is 1962.
New owners seem to be making a real effort, though the styling will divide opinion on this blog.
And the carefully selected classical piano (Shazam let me down with the identification) suggests a spark of individuality that impressed me, if no-one else.
The young landlord gives me an enthusiastic review of the ales, and I haven’t the heart to ask him which is going fastest.
It’s immediately apparent the Palmers (NBSS 2.5) is going slower than the two overdressed ramblers who’d just walked in.
“Oh, hullo. We called yesterday. To enquire whether you served sandwiches. And you said you did. Marvellous!”
A series of complex questions followed, concerning the exact components of the salad and crisps accompanying their cheese sandwich, and the type of brown bread. An exchange that must have taken, ooh, 27.5 minutes.
BRAPA gold.
“And would you like a drink?”
“Ooh, yes! I’LL have a drink!”
“I’m cream crackered!”
They’d probably only walked from the station.
Predictably, he had a half. Of keg cider. Eventually.
And then inquired at length about the wall mounted pumps, which are undeniably impressive.
Anyway, ramblers. At least they bought drinks from the pub.
Yes, they spent more than me.
*I mean, the Cure? Irrelevant by 1992.
**Am joking. Ariana is a legend.
retiredmartin 
“I’d never heard of Thornford before, and Wiki suggests I’ve missed little.”
Obviously not as famous as Yetminster, which was the inspiration for a Brit comedy show. 😉
“which tells me it is 1962.”
Yes, yes, but by which calendar? Gregorian or Julian?
“though the styling will divide opinion on this blog.”
No high tables (in view) so that’s a plus. But does that big arse clock actually work?
“(Shazam let me down with the identification) ”
(nods in commiseration)
“is going slower than the two overdressed ramblers who’d just walked in.”
(slow golf clap)
“Weird oversized tulip glass?”
Indeed. Aren’t they normally in cls instead of half pints?
“A series of complex questions followed, concerning the exact components of the salad and crisps accompanying their cheese sandwich, and the type of brown bread.”
My wife is starting to get those types of questions for lunch time catering. She turned one down last week for four people; and each one of them had a specific condition, such as gluten free, celiac, vegetarian etc!
““I’m cream crackered!”
That evokes all sorts of horrid images.
Oh, and you missed a closing quote. 😉
Cheers
PS – Also, I felt funny putting it in the actual post, but thanks for the kind words (from those that posted) with regards to my poem for Richard.
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Only just seen the Yetminster line.
Your best yet.
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“Thank you London”, as Madonna said in Maidstone, I think it was, in 2008 or then abouts.
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Not in the same league as Dave Mustaine’s slight faux pas in Belfast in 1988.
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The embarrassment-per-word factor might be just a tad higher though?
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A bit more life threatening though.
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That looks like a classic example of how to take what (I would assume) was a traditional village pub and convert it into an identikit gastro monstrosity.
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God forbid anyone trying to make a living from someone other than half-drinking tickers ….😄
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Exactly. Ones that don’t even drink a half, but kill their pot plants.
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Martin Taylor MBE (for services to the horticultural industry).
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In creating a market for replacements, for the plants that he has killed, you mean?
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High sales of weed killer to counter the triffids he’s created.
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A post about Dorset without mentioning Dorset Knobs (the ramblers perhaps ? ) At least I see you mentioning the Giant Dongle, (a copy of which languishes in our car ) in another of your missives which I will move onto next !
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