TO BOOK, OR NOT TO BOOK

Just back from a walk round a Hillsborough bursting to get back to life. The park next to Wednesday was clear of rubbish, folk keeping 60 feet apart, and a new craft beer bar is about to liven super-trad Middlewood Road, until recently the exclusive province of family butchers and discount stores.

Having pulled down the rotting shed in the corner of our garden Mrs RM now has free range to select a replacement.

Hillsborough Fencing suggest this model with a serving hatch for when we install a microbrewery as required under local Sheffield by-laws;

I still have no idea what I’ll be doing on the Glorious 12th. Indecisive, that’s me.

The local Spoons certainly appeals, and has a giant garden (top) alongside the Don.

Not exactly designed for the Ethels and Ednas who will presumably head back to Spoons for coffee and Eggs Benny on the 12th, and goodness knows what they’ll say when they can’t go inside for the coffee machine.

One thing for sure, I’m not booking. The last time I made a booking was on 27 June 1992, when I had to comply with prevailing social norms by booking ahead my wedding to Mrs RM (I believe she had to prepare for the event). I only tell you this now on the off chance one of you might remind me on the 26th June this year.

I’m certainly not making a future commitment to have a quick half, and I doubt pubs would want me taking up tables for 2 hours if I did.

Spoons won’t be making me book, but elsewhere the Sheffield Star reveals a bewildering array of re-opening arrangements.

I’m sure some pubs will have me, even if I don’t book on-line first; if they’re not too busy dealing with cancellations at the first sign of cloud.

As Pub Curmudgeon sagely notes;

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

21 thoughts on “TO BOOK, OR NOT TO BOOK”

      1. For our pearl wedding I bought myself a “pearl ” necklace from Accessorise -we were in London at the time -not sure where my husband was at the time -probably buying me a card

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      2. It’s that depth of detail in your reflections that make your contributions so valuable, Pauline. Most people would have omitted the shop name.

        Did your husband go in ANY shops (bar supermarkets) last year when they were open ? Not sure I did.

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  3. “Booking in limited space beer gardens for pubs keen to fill a table with 6 doesn’t lend itself to the solitary pun man wanderer poet.” Cookie’s ideas are often a bit off-beam, but this one, suggesting that six itinerant punning poets all turning up at once would be preferable to just one, surely takes the biscuit.

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  4. Starting to firm up plans for the big day. If the missus can get the car booked in for it’s service, we’ll either be freighthopping with the hobos to the Little R’Ale in Wellingborough, or supping in a beer garden in kettering if we can find one that’s opening. If not it’s looking like craft schooners in the fully heated marquee aside the Tap & Kitchen in Oundle. All liable to change if somewhere more local actually gets round to updating their Facebook page with a clue about opening. Exciting isn’t it!…

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    1. It’s absolutely the best time of our lives, Mark, but all some people do is complain about being made to sit outside, fill in a few forms and be denied their human right to lick handpumps.

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      1. “Take pictures of handpumps” was what I said. Have you thought of getting your hearing checked? – when it’s allowed, of course.

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      2. Licking handpumps is an allowed tick if the rare beer you want to tap into Untappd is sold out.

        Are you and Alan the ONLY people to have been to Sheffield pubs and posted on Pubs Galore ?

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      3. No, Just a quick pint, then I’m off https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/userinfo.php?name=rpadam has done quite a few, as have others. You know what Alan was like, he went to the pubs that others wouldn’t touch with a barge pole. When I joined the site there were a lot of gaps in the photographed pubs in Sheffield, so I went around taking pictures of all the pubs that Alan hadn’t been to (and a few that he had). It’s almost like a job. Still waiting to be paid.

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