Colin the Cauliflower may be cuter, but Baa Baa Toure now has a fan in Saudi Arabia. At least, I assume he’s the reason a Saudi would log on to this site.
Baa Baa was delighted to see my Gloucestershire section fully pinked after a last triumphant march from the Coronation to the Tobacco Factory, via the eerie streets of Bristol/Bed Monster/Southville/Ashton/whatever.
It’s always a delight to have Mrs RM with me on my ticking trips; she drinks the beer while I “tick with a sip“, as Florence & The Machine sang in 2009.
The only problem is that ginger beer and coffee and beer don’t mix, and walking at Mrs RM pace when you need the loo is an ordeal.
Five minutes away from the Tobacco Factory, I ran ahead, shouting “It’s the pub with the giraffe”. Possibly the first time anyone has said that (See also : Headington, house with a shark).
The loos were accessed through an outdoor area, and I noted with relief that it all looked very quiet, allaying my fear that pubs would be full on a Saturday night in Bristol.
After catching up with Mrs RM, who’d walked straight past the giraffe and was halfway to Ashton Gate, we reached the sanitation and sign-in point, or “entrance” as it used to be known.
“So sorry, we’re full. All tables taken“
“Can we wait ?”
“You CAN, but it could be 30 minutes“
“There’s another pub across the road” said Mrs RM, missing the point entirely.
As at Whitby, I brazened it out, and was rewarded a mere 10 minutes later with a table next to the stage (!).
Well, what do you expect a pub called “Tobacco Factory” to look like ?
Exposed ducts, a couple of casks (Fortitude NBSS 3), some Bristol Beer Factory keg, a hum of 20-something noise, you wouldn’t know we were in a pandemic. We celebrated completing Glos. with a shared rumbaba.
The staff were great, as they always are, and deserved rather more than the mess of silver I left for a tip. It’s awkward when places only want payment by card but you want to leave a tip. “And your own” doesn’t really work.
Would I persuade Mrs RM into a “Proper Pub” for a celebratory pint of Thatchers before 10:00 9:30 ?
Well, no, of course not.
retiredmartin 
Mrs RM was lucky the loos were outside -not as easy these days to just nip into a pub for a quick wee -I suppose even Spoons guard the door these days
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They do, but as long as you sign in with the NHS App you can nip in without being marched to a table. At the moment.
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Congratulations on ticking off another county. Reading various beer blogs while drinking Two By Two House Pale (keg, murk, delicious, consistent) in the Tyne Bar. Not busy but evem though there are plenty of tables inside, there are more outside in the road Bridge arch seats.
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The Tyne Bar aka The Ship in Ouseburn ? Never done that one (unless I did after an unwise 6th pint in the Free Trade once). Yummy keg murk.
It seems AGES since I finished Tyne & Wear, pretty soon after I met you in Tynemouth I think.
The increase in outdoor seating this summer as part of Council sense has been a good thing.
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Colin the Cauliflower may not be cuter than Baa Baa Toure. I think he just seems to have a wider range of emotions.
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That’s just wind.
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Cauliflower does that to me as well.
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“At least, I assume he’s the reason a Saudi would log on to this site.”
(must… bite… tongue)
“and walking at Mrs RM pace when you need the loo is an ordeal.”
Ah. For me, I never ‘depend’ on my darling wife’s SPM (steps per minute). 🙂
“and I noted with relief”
I see what you did there. 🙂
“we reached the sanitation and sign-in point”
I don’t see any sanitiser in the photo below.
“with a table next to the stage (!).”
Hmm. A Greek Tragedy? Noh play? V for Vendetta?
(thinking of plays with masks)
“It’s awkward when places only want payment by card but you want to leave a tip. ”
Payments by card over here include an optional tip portion before putting in your PIN (usually either $ or % amount).
“Would I persuade Mrs RM into a “Proper Pub” for a celebratory pint of Thatchers before 10:00 9:30 ?”
Absolutely!
“Well, no, of course not.”
I’ve never been good at figuring out the whims of wimmin. 🙂
Cheers
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