Last night on the Zoom call we were discussing the Halt to Ticking, and Simon nipped out to get another artisanal beer. I thought it was this one; but on buying one for Mrs RM just now (£1.49, Tesco) it appears that it’s 7.3%. “Better go and buy another one then” shouts Mrs RM from… Continue reading WAIT, THERE WAS A GBG21 ?
ZOOM
There were 3 things I swore I’d never do. Home drinking, “virtual” pubs, and sitting still for 2 hours (there probably are other things but I don’t want to start Russ off). But I managed ALL THREE last night during an emotional Zoom call with fellow Pub People Rikke (organiser), Duncan, BRAPA, Quosh, Sarah, Jim… Continue reading ZOOM
UP AND ATTERCLIFFE
From Greenland to Attercliffe to complete a magical afternoon. The only things that would have made it better would have been a) A pint in any of the John Smiths pub and/or b) A Lamb Handi curry in one of Attercliffe’s many curry houses. But it was enough, that day, to explore a suburb I’d… Continue reading UP AND ATTERCLIFFE
GREENLAND. AND THE BALL.
Some people dream of a rich and fulfilling life, enriched by career, family, a sense of civic duty and Chinese takeaways. While those ARE important, I just want a blog view from Greenland. I should have been in Nuuk last August on the first part of Mrs RM’s world tour, logging into an internet cafe… Continue reading GREENLAND. AND THE BALL.
THE BOXER
Draught Bass has the best trademark, but John Smiths has the best pub signs. Shame half the Johns pubs in Yorkshire are long closed. From the Westbourn Hotel (oddly marked as Lynn’s cafe on the map) I headed randomly north-eastward in the direction of Darnall. Whatever that is. The voyage of discovery takes you past… Continue reading THE BOXER
FISHING FOR JOHN SMITHS IN WOODBOURNE
It’s snowing again. We MUST be in the North. Luckily for Mrs RM, this will scupper the walk she promised me we’d make today (and the trip to the Dram Off-Licence, hey-ho). Talking of Mrs RM, she’s just invested in a weird world travel map to highlight the places she hasn’t been to yet. Note… Continue reading FISHING FOR JOHN SMITHS IN WOODBOURNE
UP THE SKI SLOPE
A bit of off-piste posting, before I return you to closed John Smiths boozers tomorrow. James and I ended up climbing the abandoned artificial slope at Parkwood Springs more in desperation than plan, having decided it’d be nightfall before we reached Rotherham. The light industrial streets north of the Valley of Beer aren’t the obvious… Continue reading UP THE SKI SLOPE
JANUARY STOCKTAKE + FEBRUARY PREVIEW (no, not really)
Contractual obligation requires me to bring you the “highlights” from January 2021. OK, it was the snow, giving Walkley a magical feel. Snow that brought children to the grassy knoll opposite our house with their sleds, only to be berated on Wonderful Walkley for spreading Covid in the frosty air. Covid kept our pubs and… Continue reading JANUARY STOCKTAKE + FEBRUARY PREVIEW (no, not really)
SAVED BY THE BELL
The estimable Tim Thomas has asked me to compile a “Guess the Pub” for his local branch. Sadly, there are very few Craft Union or Sizzlin’ pubs in Newbury, but I have one idea. This isn’t a Guess the Pub. I bet 75% of you can identify this famous place from the picture above, or… Continue reading SAVED BY THE BELL
TAX RETURNS
Don’t panic; you’ve still got 13 hours to get yours in. The Inland Revenue just let me off doing mine after I gave up claiming travel to tick GBG pubs was a deductible expense and my tax affairs became rather simpler. That leaves Mrs RM and my 19 year old barber to do theirs, if… Continue reading TAX RETURNS
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