“What ! You didn’t WALK to Spennymoor ?” I hear you say. “It’s only six miles, you wimp“. In honesty, Mrs RM was a bit exhausted and I didn’t want to abandon her too long. And the bus (No.6, Sapphire), electric sockets and irritating juvenile behaviour free, had me outside the Little Tap in 20… Continue reading NOT A SPENNYMOOR, SEVERAL PENNIES LESS
OLD DURHAM TOWN
Looking at my review of 2021 it’s full of personal highlights but lacks completely new discoveries, due to the unattractiveness of overseas travel. But I always reckon that the more you visit a place, the more you learn*. And so with Durham, on perhaps a tenth visit over the last 20 years, and whose Queen’s… Continue reading OLD DURHAM TOWN
BEAMISH – PATIENCE REWARDED
The last trip out of the year, which produced a nerve-settling eight ticks to end the month (though not the year) ahead of BRAPA. I know you think us pub tickers live in a commune near Halifax from which our ticking taxis depart each weekend, but in truth I’ve got Baa Baa sticking needles in… Continue reading BEAMISH – PATIENCE REWARDED
BOXING DAY OBSERVED AT THE WORLD’S OLDEST FOOTBALL GROUND
Enough of awards and retrospectives, back to the blog. Tuesday 28th December, another day stuck at home, another Bank Holiday. Boxing Day (observed), as the Vistaprint calendar would have it, since 26 December fell on a Sunday. Americans don’t have Boxing Day, of course, they’re all required to work 364 days a year to pay… Continue reading BOXING DAY OBSERVED AT THE WORLD’S OLDEST FOOTBALL GROUND
THE 2021 AWARDS ISSUE – MOTORING, MONKEYS & MATILDA MANN
I’m not one to look back, in anger or in joy, but according to that Patronised contract that Dave reminds me of I’m legally obliged to bring you an annual awards issue that won’t be as good as BRAPA’s. And unlike Simon, who works full-time, I’m far too busy to go through all my year’s… Continue reading THE 2021 AWARDS ISSUE – MOTORING, MONKEYS & MATILDA MANN
DECEMBER ’21 STOCKTAKE + JANUARY ’22 PREVIEW
It seems I don’t always do a separate December review, but as you know I like order, and it gives me a few more hours to think about the awards issue. HIGHLIGHTS A more exciting travel map than a year ago, anyway, even if it looks a bit squeezed into the middle. I did see… Continue reading DECEMBER ’21 STOCKTAKE + JANUARY ’22 PREVIEW
THIS IS THE K.I.T.
It’s just dawned on me I have to actually write the 2021 Review, it doesn’t produce itself spontaneously out of thin air like the whole of creation apparently did. Looking at my “liked” Spotify tracks the first one is this positive track encouraging us to hold on till the pubs re-opened by This is the… Continue reading THIS IS THE K.I.T.
SALT BAO
One day left to catch up with the blogs AND write my famous 2021 Awards Post (or at least Part 1/14). I’d nearly caught up, but I’ve just done another dozen pubs in Durham and Edinburgh, because you don’t save pubs from the comfort of your home. This must be December 27th, a fifth day… Continue reading SALT BAO
BOXING DAY – BALTIKA & BELGIAN BLUE
Boxing Day is “traditionally” the day that blokes go to football while their wives clear up the mess from Christmas Day and make up an inedible casserole from turkey and Brussel sprout leftovers. You can guess what the retiredmartin household thinks of “tradition”. Talking of football, saw this on the Manchester City Blue Moon forum;… Continue reading BOXING DAY – BALTIKA & BELGIAN BLUE
THE QUEENS SPEECH, OR A PINT IN THE BLAKE?
You left us on Christmas Day just as we’re about to be kicked out of our new Sheffield local and forced to watch the Queens Speech and eat Long Clawson cheese all afternoon. In desperation, I scoured the Facebook pages of the nearest GBG pub. Well, well, as Jimmy Saville used to say. Open till… Continue reading THE QUEENS SPEECH, OR A PINT IN THE BLAKE?
