retiredmartin

April 2026. Sheffield.

As I may have hinted, the last few months have been stressful, and not just due to the more limited recent availability of the £1.89 salt and pepper calamari from Home Bargains, which I used to fill out our celebratory Sang Lung takeaway last Friday night.

I think I could have cooked them a bit more, but we’ve all got to die of something.

We were celebrating the “completion” of the sale of Sunnyside, following notification of “exchange” on the Tuesday (while I was looking for a comfort stop in Hatton, awkwardly). I’m not sure how I’d have coped with the sale falling through a third time due to events down the chain.

When the call finally came mid-afternoon, just after I’d dozed off, Mrs RM had her boots on for a trip down the pub before me. I’d have preferred a trip out somewhere new in Skegness, but Hillsborough Spoons would have to do.

100 years old this year. What a beauty.

At 3pm on Friday the Rawson Spring is packed with gentlefolk, some younger than me, and quite a few headed for the left bank of pumps, the interesting one with Arkells, Red Squirrel and Gorlovka Stout.

Yes, I really pushed the boat out. Gorlovka (NBSS 4), Jaipur (3.5) and that salted caramel cookie dough sandwich to share, £12.66 all in.

Quite why I decided we needed the craft cans, I’ll never know.

Two for £6.50 is your clue. The Thornbridge “West Side Glory” is a bargain, but the Fierce alcoholic “Irn Bru” is a terrible idea.

We could have walked home in the rain, but then I’d have had to walk back half an hour later, in the rain, to get the crispy beef and Singapore rice.

So we waited in the Beer House,

watching folk huddle under the Hillsborough tram stop shelter, listening to “Fox on the Run”, and sipping chugging NBSS 4 Two by Two and Almasty.

Phew !