If you can’t use your children to promote your own blog, what use are they ? Both of our lads came over for the Sheffield Tramlines Festival last week. They must have been desperate for something to do, as the line-up struck me as old skool. In a bad way. Mrs RM went with the… Continue reading CASK KIDZ
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.
JULY ’21 STOCKTAKE + AUGUST PREVIEW
Pubs are back ! OK, they were sort of “back” on April 12, and then a bit more “back” on May 17, but July 19th was when those bar codes and perspex and one way stickers were binned and we could finally order our beer at the bar, consigning the evil of table service whereby… Continue reading JULY ’21 STOCKTAKE + AUGUST PREVIEW
BACK TO BEATNIKZ
Eagle-eyed readers (probably just Leon) will note I had a notional 24 minutes between trains at Manchester, though you can knock 5 minutes off that as people are so SLOW getting off the train and out of the station. Don’t they know there are pubs to be saved. Any sensible person would have popped in… Continue reading BACK TO BEATNIKZ
“We’re no stranger to ticks. You know the rules and so do I”
I asked the ticket inspector if I could break my journey home in Newton-le-Willows. “It don’t bother me, mate” he said, in that charming Woollyback lilt. I knew you could, bit I always get a bit freaked out when your journey involves multiple train companies. But no-one cares. Except Tom Irvine. And not many care… Continue reading “We’re no stranger to ticks. You know the rules and so do I”
BOW-LEGGED AND TICKLESS
Playing up to my exclusive Mark Crilley audience today, as I cut my losses on the Wirral and head back to the ‘Pool of Life (not all of it the life you want to see, to be honest). It was 18:42, my itinerary to finish Merseyside Guide ticks via Newton-le-Willows that night was looking tight,… Continue reading BOW-LEGGED AND TICKLESS
MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN…
At last, the Merseyside micros end (good though they were) and you get a Proper Pub. A minor classic too, the Plasterers Arms in Hoylake the sort of place to restore your faith in suburban midweek drinking. Tucked in the back streets, minutes from the beach, I thought for a second I might not get… Continue reading MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN…
BLACK TOAD ROCK
Back in Liverpool Central from Waterloo, I changed for the Wirral line for 2, possibly 3 ticks. Could I possibly even complete Merseyside today. The tension was palpable. I spent the trip trying to get enough WiFi to check train times, scuppered by the Mersey tunnel. Ooh, look, there’s a train home that stops in… Continue reading BLACK TOAD ROCK
WATERLOO, HOW MANY BLOG POSTS CAN I GET OUT OF YOU ?
James called me on Thursday night and said he wanted “some advice”. Every dad fears the worst when they hear those words. Was he looking to ditch City after our disastrous 20-21 season and needed help to choose a new team ? Could he not choose between Crispy Beef and Spicy Squid at Sang Lung… Continue reading WATERLOO, HOW MANY BLOG POSTS CAN I GET OUT OF YOU ?
THE SECOND SUMMER OF SOUP ?
With the relaxation of Covid restrictions comes the return of the Pub Men. I was fascinated to read Pub Curmudgeon’s reflections on the return of normality. Of a sort. New blogpost – back to the bar, but no bacchanalia, and it will be a long hard road back for pubs. https://t.co/kvctCmNax4 — Pub Curmudgeon 🌸🍻 (@oldmudgie)… Continue reading THE SECOND SUMMER OF SOUP ?
SOUTHPORT – ON THE BLACKPOOL JANE TRAIL
These next few posts might be a bit haphazard, coming as they do from the wet fields of Kate Rusby’s posh Barnsley folk festival. Rather different weather in Southport last Wednesday, but I was on my own then. Blackpool Jane had laid the path for my trip (see here), and when a fellow blogger and… Continue reading SOUTHPORT – ON THE BLACKPOOL JANE TRAIL
retiredmartin 