A POST-GARDENING TIPPLE

“I’m so pleased you’ve been helping with the gardening” said Mrs RM, mistaking weary compliance for enthusiasm.

I retired so I could walk aimlessly and mysteriously end up at the pub, NOT spend 2 days sawing up and putting wood into a skip.

Actually, TWO skips were filled, though I’ve rescued the match ball from a Wednesday v Birmingham game, possibly the result of a typically cultured Ian Clarkson clearance.

Paul Bailey has been writing about his own joyous experience with “tendrils and clematis”, whose second album on 4AD is a joy, but if Paul was on Twitter he’d have more inspiration from medicman.

That’s pretty much the sort of long-term plan Mrs RM has for our back yard, once she’s decided on the new shed.

To be fair, filling up skips with wood, branches and discarded children’s toys is mildly therapeutic, and I felt we deserved the beers and Chinese takeaway afterwards.

Chinese from Sang Lung, sadly I forgot the Thursday Special.

Strong beer from Torrside chosen by Mrs RM for the label (top) and Simple Things. Sometimes, only a 9% odd imperial stout and greasy takeaway will do.

Don’t judge me. I hurt.

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.

13 thoughts on “A POST-GARDENING TIPPLE”

  1. Top sustenance for a budding (pardon the pun) gardener 🙂

    That shed with the serving hatch looks perfect – I thought it came with ‘condiments’ too, until I enlarged the photo and saw it was sanitiser ! Should have known – but it will come in handy for keeping your pub shed open during the third wave.

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  3. “Mistaking weary compliance for enthusiasm”… yes, I know what that’s all about. Like the time I nearly cut off some toes with a rotavator. Still, there’s a measure of satisfaction to be got from making a semblance of order out of chaos, and it’s a fine excuse for beers afterwards.

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  5. ““I’m so pleased you’ve been helping with the gardening” said Mrs RM, mistaking weary compliance for enthusiasm.”

    You’re singing my song Martin. But at least my darling wife agreed to hire a gardener whilst she’s away, as she knew darn well I wouldn’t put too much effort into it by myself! 🙂

    (also, the gardener doubles as the painter for the interior of my pub so… win/win!)

    “NOT spend 2 days sawing up and putting wood into a skip.”

    Luckily for me, my wife feels (quite rightly) that I’m a bit accident prone, so no sawing for me!

    “possibly the result of a typically cultured Ian Clarkson clearance.”

    That’s his signature at the top left, innit? 😉

    “but if Paul was on Twitter he’d have more inspiration from medicman.”

    LOL! Well done medicman! 🙂

    “That’s pretty much the sort of long-term plan Mrs RM has for our back yard”

    Go big or go home, eh?

    “Chinese from Sang Lung, sadly I forgot the Thursday Special.”

    Definitely a “d’oh” moment there.

    “Sometimes, only a 9% odd imperial stout and greasy takeaway will do.”

    I’d kill for a decent 9% imperial stout right now. The greasy takeaway will have to wait as my darling wife has frozen (almost*) enough meals to keep me from starving until I see her again mid-May.

    * (I’ll have to open the odd can of beans** and the occasional box of KD – Kraft Dinner macaroni and cheese)

    ** (must remember to see how much juice is in my can of Heinz baked beans so I can let Si know on his SiFiPieFi blog, week 3) 😉

    Cheers

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  6. I must say a 9% stout and greasy Chinese food sounds like a winning combination to me. I wonder if UK breweries have benefited from demand for imported beer from the newly affluent Chinese. I recall hearing about British cheese makers finding that they had an important new marketplace in China. I imagined filthy rich guys in Shanghai encouraging their party guests to “Try the Stilton.” 😉

    When I taught English in Taiwan the local government had such a monopoly on beer that the only available beer– creatively named “Taiwan Beer”– actually included the word “monopoly” on the bottle label in the description of the brewery! I think they’ve opened up the market a bit since then.

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      1. I had a great time there, though it’s one of those places that takes an awful long time to get to– not so many direct flights, I don’t think. Never met people any more friendly than the people of Taiwan, that’s for sure.

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