July 2024. Watford to St Albans.
Still on last Thursday, I’m afraid, as I opt to give the rail replacement bus back to St Albans that will undoubtedly get lost in Bricket Wood, and instead take a more direct Green line route.
OK, it means an extra two (2) quid, but the bus is green and and there’s an urgent drunken discussion about “tight lines“. Something to do with fishing.
So many questions;
Why is the end point called Brixen Town Hall ? Who is Brixen ?
Is the Peahen any good ?
Can I have a new phone with a good camera like Mrs RM and BRAPA.
What am I doing at 11:30 on a Thursday evening mixing with St Albans lairy youth ?
Well, because they’re in the way on my scenic stroll down St Michael’s Street back to the campervan.
And because when I was in THIS exact spot 3 months ago,
when Mrs RM called time on my speculative pre-emptive ticking. But she’s not here to stop me now. Sadly.
“Are you OK ?” asks the nice chap collecting empties as I take the exterior shot. If you squint, really squint, you might think you’re at Ledbury’s Prince of Wales, a lively back street boozer.
Sadly, that’s as good as it gets. The Ghost Ship with horrific 3D clip costs me £3.50.
A half.
In a warm glass. And it’s awful (0.5)*. First plant pot pour of ’24. Stick to Guinness, folks.
I seek a bit of late night cask redemption in The Boot.
But the Ossett White Rat wasn’t great either, lacking the crispness the GBG demands (2.5),
though again the pub was a den of good cheer and a classy soundtrack.
As it was in 2018 when two of the greats debated hop varieties over pints of Doom Bar, while I stuck to Anarchy on keg.
In a heatwave, actual or allegorical, stick to keg.
It’s now 7 minutes to midnight, like in the Wah ! Heat song, and I’ve missed last orders at the Chinese takeaway AGAIN.
*It is inevitable I shall give the White Swan another go. That’s how life works.
retiredmartin 
Your quality framing means you don’t need a great camera.
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Pubs after about 6pm are a mystery to me. You should be home on the cooking lager by then
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I recognise Duncan, but who is the fella on the left?
I’m looking for a replacement phone, in the not too distant future. My Xiaomi Mi 9T has been fine, these past 3.5 years, but it doesn’t produce photos as clear and as sharp as Simon’s (I haven’t seen any of Mrs RM’s recently), so would welcome any suggestions.
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That’s Richard Coldwell, who died in 2019. Thought you might have met Richard, though actually I only met him a half dozen or so times myself in the last couple of years of his life. Never forgotten,
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Thanks Martin, I thought it might be him, but I couldn’t remember his name – he produced the Beer Leeds blog, I believe.
Sadly, I never had the chance of meeting him.
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That’s him. Richard also did some brilliant blogs on foreign travel (Malta and China come to mind).
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“Is the Peahen any good ?” It had been seriously modernised when I used it a few years ago.
“In a warm glass. And it’s awful (0.5)*”. Complacency now the beer buffs are moving to Luton.
“But the Ossett White Rat wasn’t great either”. Yes, no Autovacs in Hertfordshire.
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I don’t like saying beer quality is dipping in St Albans but the Robin Hood wasn’t great this year either. Must revisit and do the Mermaid/Lower Red Lion.
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They’re pubs, except the Mermaid, I remember from November 2019.
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