May 2023. Own up. How many of you could place Alcester (pop. 6,273) on a map ? Probably only Mark Crilley, who reads all my posts thoroughly and saw the map in my 2017 post. Except I see that I only gave you an extract of the town itself 6 years ago, so here’s a… Continue reading ALE-CESTER
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.
DROITWICH SPA – THE SALT OF THE EARTH ?
May 2023. A decent number of new entries in Worcestershire in GBG23, and an ultra-rare newbie in Droitwich Spa. I was convinced I’d been to the Talbot before, but apparently not, and it’s a pleasant enough town of 25,000 souls to spend an hour if you like your black and white buildings. This one from… Continue reading DROITWICH SPA – THE SALT OF THE EARTH ?
BAPS IN BROMSGROVE
May 2023. Cobs in Cannock, Barms in Brownhills, Sandwiches in Sutton etc etc. Mrs RM went into crisis mode as late May brought a visit of the in-laws for ten (10) nights and I was tasked (ugh) to sort out the garden. I still have no idea what this device does; But my efforts seemed… Continue reading BAPS IN BROMSGROVE
A Kelham Get Together
20th April 2023. Back in Sheffield after 3 days in Waterbeach (1 Chung Hwa, 1 Beach Kebab) for a £35 one day festival in Kelham Island’s newish venues. James joined me; he reckons Sheffield is catching up with Leeds and Manchester in the new music stakes, but I’ll let Chris Dyson be the judge of… Continue reading A Kelham Get Together
MATILDA MANN MESMERIZES AT THE JAZZ CAFE
May 2023. Four London ticks was nice, but I was really in town to see a rare Matilda Mann (sold-out) headline gig at the Jazz Cafe. Just enough time in Hackney to walk the mile south along Mare Street to the Five Points Tap, not to be confused with what I assumed to be their… Continue reading MATILDA MANN MESMERIZES AT THE JAZZ CAFE
HI-VIS HACKNEY
May 2023. My first venture back into the rich world of UK pubs came four days after touchdown at Luton Airport, and with four (4) new London ticks I almost felt I’d got this Guide ticking lark sussed again. In truth, only London really offers such an abundance of ticking joy so close together, and… Continue reading HI-VIS HACKNEY
GREEN STREET TICKING
May 2023. Well done West Ham. David Moyes is finally a football genius. Couldn’t happen to better fans. UEFA ought to introduce a returnable deposit on those plastic pint glasses, though. Four weeks ago I was in West Ham land, taking two (2) new ticks from what has been a bit of a beer desert,… Continue reading GREEN STREET TICKING
COME ON YOU HAMMERS !
Manchester City fans are rooting for West Ham in their European final against Fiorentina tonight. Hammers fans share with City a sense of humour rarely seen in Liverpool or Trafford, as a quick look at our relative forums will prove. Upton Park was one of my favourite away grounds; the crowd tight to the pitch… Continue reading COME ON YOU HAMMERS !
Bye Bye Kaunas.
May 2023. Right. Let’s finish these Baltic posts and get back to Blighty. But I can’t leave without urging you to visit Kaunas and drop in to the Kiemo Galerija. You begin to see why the city was a Capital of Culture last year. OK, it’s not quite Bristol, but it’s tasteful and uncommercialised and… Continue reading Bye Bye Kaunas.
BEETROOT JUICE
May 2023. Two more Baltic posts, I reckon. I want to get the West Ham one out before their big night tomorrow. On the last night in Kaunas I’d popped down to the confluence of the rivers Niemen and Neris. I’ve always wanted to use “confluence” in my blog. The Old Town and the parks… Continue reading BEETROOT JUICE
