retiredmartin

You left me in the second new GBG entry in Inverness at 7pm, pondering how to spend the rest of my evening before LBC becomes listenable.

I could have walked up and down the Joker Steps 127 times (not smoking).

I could have walked round town taking photos of all the listed buildings.

I could even have stared at the river Ness looking for ripples.

But of course I went in the Spoons. Those 50p vouchers don’t spend themselves.

This is a great place to observe the odd Scottish relationship with Spoons and queues.

Wait tillI get to Aberdeen.

You can see why the King’s Highway keeps its Guide place.

The chap next to me did a little game of “No, after you !” with the chap on my left.  I was desperate to see what beer he’d choose.

Ah, good choice, Sir !

During our 5 minutes at the bar I interrogated him on Nessie sightings the ale turnover (“flies out on curry night“) and was urged to ask for tasters at the bar.  You know me better than that.

An observation; Scottish people are really nice.

Only one spare table, and that was next to a war zone.  I upset a bloke on the table opposite who’d dropped his menu on the floor by picking it up, and boosted my calorie count with a child portion of the the salted caramel brownie. #LiveYourDreams

Time for bed.

Oh no, the lights are on in No.27.  Never walk past an open GBG pub.

It’s a casual cafe bar we enjoyed in 2015 and they seem to be a virtual Windswept showcase.

Following the BRAPA lead, I go for the strongest beer, the magnificent Wolf (3.5), and neck it far too quickly. “Build Me Up, Buttercup” the pick of the musical fayre.

Keep going, retiredmartin, up the hill.

By now I’d visited all but one of the central Inverness GBG pubs, and the Castle was the highlight last times, and and and.

They had the Celtic Euro game on, so it was a bit packed, and blokes at the bar blocking the pumps skilfully.

But they had the Windswept Werewolf on, and a little table next to the French diners bewildered by the menu, and again I thought it was wonderful.

Some superb cask on an Autumn Thursday in Inverness, and a superb choice of Scandi noir and deep social commentary in the DVD library back at the Alba.

I made the right choice.