James turns 21 this Saturday, confined to the Sheffield Uni digs he’s been stuck in for months due to projects and viruses.I’m glad we got out to Hillsborough to see City win their last game ever (the derby doesn’t count); hard to believe that was only two months ago. A dull match, mind.Judging by the top photo, his FIRST match was an equally soporific affair.
Yes, we took our two month old son to a match in the blazing Perth sunshine. Even the programme’s hilarious cartoon (and you thought Kegbuster was naff) failed to keep his attention.
And he wasn’t yet able to enjoy the redeeming feature of all Scottish football.
Though they started the 1999-2000 with a 1-4 hammering v Hearts, St Johnstone were in Europe for the first time since they’d last played Berwick Rangers, and the sponsors were queueing up.
Note the advert from the Cherrybank, one of the closest bars to out-of-town McDiarmid Park and a haven for quality Jarl and comfortable pub seating.
A pub for Gentlefolk rather than tickers, and one of the more relaxing 20 minutes of the month wandering the rooms. No-one seemed to mind as I poked my nose where it shouldn’t go.
It was one of the highlights of a couple of trips in 2019 to Perth, a city best approached from the south in Autumn.
“The Ayr of the East” I noted, at a stroke condemning both towns with faint praise.
A quartet of decent pubs in the Guide. par for the Scottish course outside Glasgow and Edinburgh.Sadly, the gorgeous Green Room had closed even before the Lockdown.
but I’m hopeful that Greyfriars Bar will see us through the apocalypse.
“Just to warn you, it’s a dark beer. I like that one myself”said the cheery, chatty barmaid of my random Eden Mill purchase. I guess that’s why English pubs have those little jam jars in front of the pumps; they can’t be bothered to tell you in person.
In 1999 we’d popped in the Old Ship for lunch and been a bit “meh !”, but on a quieter afternoon visit last year even Belhaven/Greene King couldn’t diminish it.
“How are ya ?” says the lovely Landlady. “Thirsty I bet“. Little things make a pub.It was Jarl, of course, a cool, foamy gem of a beer, and the Scottish version of Landlord. If you serve Jarl well you probably run a good pub. Yet another Scottish NBSS 3.5.But never mind the beer, it’s all about the people, and at lunchtime there was a Proper Pub mix of newspaper readers, Professional Drinkers and Ladies Who Lunch (on wine).
In October I had superb beer in Scottish Spoons, with the Capital Asset a star.
A great place for hat spotting.
And if you’re after murk….
One day I’ll take James back to see St Johnstone play City in the Anglo-Italian cup, when it gets revived as a good idea. Everything gets revived eventually.
Without wishing to deny the undeniable issues around sexism in beer, pubs, and well, everything, I do wonder what reaction there would have been if it had been a male bar person saying that to a female drinker/beer blogger…
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“Are you sure you want a whole pint, love, it’s 6%”. Yes, heard that said to a lady in the Oakham Brewery Tap quite recently. She stood her ground. It wasn’t Mrs RM either, on this occasion.
In fairness to the venerable landlady in Perth, and others, I find quite a few pubs warn drinkers about beers of weird styles (i.e. anything not pale and hoppy).
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It’s a very fine line between the tiresome woman-splaining we suffer all the time, everywhere 😉, and someone in the service industry just doing their job and doing it well. A tricky one to call on both sides of the bar, and sometimes called wrong in my opinion…
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WAY above my head, Mark. I just do what Mrs RM tells me, and that’s nothing to do with Mrs RM being a woman.
She gets really irritated when we have table service and she gets given the half “(“in a girly glass”) and me the pint.
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I generally do as I’m told too Martin, I’ve learnt that it’s generally in my interests.
It’s just that sometimes, I don’t realise that I’m being told…
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Ha ! Yes, I see what you mean.
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Not just Mrs RM.
Mrs TSM said today that the glasses in the Woolpack are dirty – not that that matters for a few months, if it did before, I thought.
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“One day I’ll take James back to see St Johnstone play City in the Anglo-Italian cup, when it gets revived as a good idea.” SPFL Tunnuck’s Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup is what the big boys play now. Jumpers for goalposts etc…
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Nineteen months ago I was sat in that little room of the Cherrybank Inn, a lovely pub.
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This post is very “pubby ” made me a little sad ,but onwards we go -our walk today saw us chatting to horses,calves & big cows too -I have had a very greedy woodpecker in the garden & the sun is shining.No sign of my job starting & will continued to be furloughed. Looks like no holiday though this year (returns to sad state ! )
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😒
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Perth is one of my favourite places in Scotland, and ten years ago I stayed there in the finest guest house I have ever encountered, the Dunallan. No guarantee it will be the same now, especially as the proprietors then seemed a fair few years older than me.
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Love the old school pics! Gotta get myself to Scotland one day..
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Thanks Liam.
Love your blog by the way. Thanks for creating such a useful resource for folk dealing with Alzheimers & Dementia;
https://daditsliam.wordpress.com/
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Ah your too kind. 😊
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