April 2024. St. Leonards-on-Sea A quick Thai lunch with the in-laws in Southborough, then an hour south to the coast to check on our caravan in Rye before the letting season starts this week. The south coast storms last Autumn sent the staff building flying (literally), partially into our patio, but all’s well now. The… Continue reading QUEUEING IN THE THREE LEGS
Author: 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.
“Haven’t you had enough ?”
April 2024. St. Albans. I could do with an app that monitors your intake, adjusts for ABV and tippage into pot plants, and sends a message saying “STOP. NOW !”. Instead I have Mrs RM, who arrested my detour out of St Albans Spoons towards a giant McMullen pub next door, and headed me back… Continue reading “Haven’t you had enough ?”
WILL YOU MEET ME IN THE WETHERSPOONS, ON THE CORNER NEAR TO MIDNIGHT…
April 2024. St. Albans. An evening in St. Albans, Social Club, trad pub, Wetherspoons. The Spoons was packed. The Waterend Barn is one of the JDW joys, a, er, barn of a place that draws in all human life. An Amy Winehouse tribute had just finished at the theatre next door, and I had to… Continue reading WILL YOU MEET ME IN THE WETHERSPOONS, ON THE CORNER NEAR TO MIDNIGHT…
SUSSEX IN ST.ALBANS
April 2024. St. Albans. Mrs RM messaged me on the mad dash back from Royston Social, my tick in the bag, to say she was in the Spoons with a large glass of Shiraz and not to rush. Well, I took that as instruction to stop in a bonus pub and picked the first Guide… Continue reading SUSSEX IN ST.ALBANS
LUKE LITTLER IS ON THE TELLY AGAIN
April 2024. St Albans. I’d parked up for the night in the Verulamium, the ghosts of Roman Centurions all around, warning me my new GBG tick was 52 minutes walk, and suddenly a half of Citra in a social club on the other side of St Albans didn’t appeal to Mrs RM. You go to… Continue reading LUKE LITTLER IS ON THE TELLY AGAIN
VERULAMIUM
April 2024. St. Albans. Another trip back south to visit both sets of parents; another half-way two-thirds stop in the campervan. It was almost a second stop in a week in Harpenden, too, but a few minutes further took us to St Albans and the Verulamium Park, which suddenly looks very dark. Dark skies are… Continue reading VERULAMIUM
POPPADOMS AND MOONSHINE
April 2024. Sheffield. I took the first bus back from Millhouses (it was a 3) into Sheffield, a journey filled with life and laughter amongst the three gentlefolk on the opposite seat. “Your hair’s really nice”. “Aww, thanks”. “I’m bald, can I borrow yours ?”. I walked a bit, aimlessly, hoping it was now too… Continue reading POPPADOMS AND MOONSHINE
GUESS THE NBSS
April 2024. Millhouses. Sheffield. Some French translation work for you this morning in the comments, I see, so let’s set you an additional task in deducing the beer scores at my next pub in the smart Sheffield suburb of Millhouses, a mile’s walk through a vast retail estate from Woodseats Spoons. This stone acts as… Continue reading GUESS THE NBSS
SPOONS LIFE, WOODSEATS PALACE
April 2024. Woodseats. Sheffield. Usual pattern; couple of nights in Waterbeach to start the week, then back “home” to Sheffield to forlornly try to get the laundry dry. Though, as Angela Rayner is finding out today, is “home” actually home if the neighbours say you’re never there and the grass is too long. We helped… Continue reading SPOONS LIFE, WOODSEATS PALACE
“Excuse him, he’s from The North”. SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE CROSS KEYS, HARPENDEN
April 2024. Harpenden. Unless Borehamwood has come up in the world since my last visit (2001) I can safely say Harpenden is the poshest town in Hertfordshire. And that’s despite a less than glamorous underpass at the station. The number of bistros and Thai restaurants is a good indicator of prosperity, and although the pubs… Continue reading “Excuse him, he’s from The North”. SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE CROSS KEYS, HARPENDEN
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