25th November 2022. Ever since Joanna Lumley discovered the Northern Lights in 2009, Mrs RM has wanted to see if the BBC’s editing made them look. That evening we were heading to one of the darkest places on earth (ignoring Maidenhead) to find out, but it was vitally important that, having done the culture, we… Continue reading CHASING THE LIGHTS
Month: December 2022
A TOURIST IN TROMSO
25th November 2022. (Look ! only a month behind with the blog now). The only things I could have told you about Tromso (pop. 68,577, bigger than I thought) before we landed were a) It’s at the top of Norway, b) You’re perilously close to Russia, c) It’s an unlikely home to a hideously expensive… Continue reading A TOURIST IN TROMSO
STANSTED, GDANSK, TROMSO
Mrs RM had decided she was going to see the Northern Lights, whether I came or not. “Oh, won’t it be cold there” I said. “And the Chinese takeaway scene is pretty ropey“. But then James said he’d come too, and I realised Mrs RM would have a better Instagram than me, and I relented.… Continue reading STANSTED, GDANSK, TROMSO
DUTCHMEN UNDER THE YELLOW ARCH
22nd November 2022. One last post from Sheffield before we go international again, and a trip down to Kelham Island that DOESN’T feature £3.40 cask. It’s took a while, but Sheffield seems to be alive with small club gigs at the moment. There’s four venues in a minute’s walk below the Moor Market food court… Continue reading DUTCHMEN UNDER THE YELLOW ARCH
THE KIRKSTALL END
21st November 2022. Hourly trains from Castleford to Leeds, a regularity aimed squarely at the pub ticker. Leeds is a target for fans of cutting-edge street art these days. This one is called “Woke Simon Attacked By Big Bird In Brid”. When I “worked” trips to Leeds were a regular occurrence for national meetings not… Continue reading THE KIRKSTALL END
IN CASTLEFORD, IN THE DOG HOUSE
I guess you’re wondering what sort of extreme partying I’ve got up to on my birthday (22/12, make a note in your 2023 diary). Oddly, not much since those ticks in Derbyshire. Writing blog posts, Chinese takeaway from Sang Lung (NCTSS 2.5), watched “Saving Mr Banks” on the telly (great), cheered City’s smashing of the… Continue reading IN CASTLEFORD, IN THE DOG HOUSE
FERNWOOD’S KINDER COOKIE CUP – THE DISCOVERY OF 2022
You may remember (you won’t) me mentioning the pubbing opportunities in Balderton, just south of Newark. and you may recall I mentioned a flippin’ micropub in the new village just across the A1 that we could have pre-emptively ticked that day if I’d bothered consulting What Pub. Well, Fernwood’s Brews Brothers was closed the first… Continue reading FERNWOOD’S KINDER COOKIE CUP – THE DISCOVERY OF 2022
RETIRED MARTIN DAY 2022 – NO BASS, BUT THE BASS MAN PROVES AMPLE COMPENSATION
Thank you for your good wishes for Retired Martin Day (22/12), the most magical day of the year. My Mum called me to say Happy Birthday this morning; I didn’t ask if the actual birth was that magical at the time. Anyway, to put you all out of your misery guessing where I went, here’s… Continue reading RETIRED MARTIN DAY 2022 – NO BASS, BUT THE BASS MAN PROVES AMPLE COMPENSATION
THE YPRES CASTLE AT NIGHT
Happy RetiredMartin Day (22/12) to all who celebrate. And even those of you who don’t. I’ll be off out (out) shortly to a magical place I’ve never been to before. It took me AGES to find one. Back in November Mrs RM and I were having a last night in Rye before heading home (home).… Continue reading THE YPRES CASTLE AT NIGHT
DYMCHURCH DELIVERS THE DOOM BAR (AND THE ALPACA SOCKS)
18th November 2022. Another GBG23 tick, a Kentish single calmly collected like Chris Tavaré compiling a patient 18* while all around him go mad with the marker pen/bat. Back to Dymchurch, which had let me down the week before (not their fault). But before Hidden Treasure, we sneaked a visit to Alpaca Annies, where Mrs… Continue reading DYMCHURCH DELIVERS THE DOOM BAR (AND THE ALPACA SOCKS)
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