Before I start, I should sympathise with the folk who didn’t get a drink on Friday night. Some of Mrs RM’s Scottish colleagues have apparently found pubs round Edinbugh Waverley shut entirely, denting shares in Tennents. No such trauma in Newcastle, though the centre looked a little less crowded as folk decided not to rely… Continue reading TRAIN DELAYED AT NEWCASTLE CENTRAL
STRAWBERRY IN THE SNOW
Not only did I make it to Newcastle, I reckon 3 hrs 45 from Cambridge might be a record, so I reckon Si is right about a lot of fuss about nothing over the Beast. Sadly, Mrs RM chose not to join me on the temperamental Metro to the centre, put off by the… Continue reading STRAWBERRY IN THE SNOW
PUB WINDOWS – SPECIAL EDITION
Soon I’ll be heading up the A1 to be reunited with Mrs RM, who’s been stuck in Newcastle for two nights with just a voucher for a free pint of Punk IPA for company. On the basis I might be stranded near Markham Moor for 3 days, and you get irritated if I don’t… Continue reading PUB WINDOWS – SPECIAL EDITION
WEST FEN PEARLS
Well, I’m up-to-date now, so if this snow doesn’t clear up soon I’m going to have to start making things up. Not that you’d know. I do have a few posts in reserve though, starting with a third (count them) walk from Ely station to Little Downham in a month. I’d missed GBG regular the… Continue reading WEST FEN PEARLS
SNOW, PLUM PORTER, VAR
As the great BRAPA says in his latest post, “let’s face it, the ‘Beast from the East’ has been more like the ‘Kitten from Thames Ditton’ so far” Mrs RM is stuck in Berwick on Tweed as I write. I did suggest she get out and walk across the holiday park to the Free Trade… Continue reading SNOW, PLUM PORTER, VAR
FEBRUARY ’18 STOCKTAKE, MARCH PREVIEW
Well, what an exciting month. I’m even up-to-date on the blog for the first time in 2 years, though there’s an exciting post on VAR to come. February saw a new country ticked, a trip to North London survived, some quality Draught Bass, a rare sighting of a sad Sunderland fan, and the conquering of… Continue reading FEBRUARY ’18 STOCKTAKE, MARCH PREVIEW
FARNBOROUGH’S PRIDENJOY
No, Russ, not a spelling mistake (for once). Bang-up to date, an irritating little tick in Farnborough, a place famous for having more Harvesters and Beefeaters than people (2011 census). The OS map makes this look an extraordinary bit of the world; airports, museums, “Danger Areas“, the home of darts, rifle ranges and even… Continue reading FARNBOROUGH’S PRIDENJOY
FLOWERS & FEATHER DUSTERS IN FARNHAM
My teenage son decided he’d had enough of me by Monday. “When you going out ?” That means “Leave me alone” “But the “Beast from the east” is coming” “Wimp” So off I went towards Aldershot, home of the UK’s most unlikely budget hotel options. Normal time, 2hrs 30, yesterday 1hr 55. Take… Continue reading FLOWERS & FEATHER DUSTERS IN FARNHAM
MONDAY MORNING YOU SURE LOOK FINE
Monday morning, trapped at home by the threat of the “Beast from the East“*, surprised the trains were running at all in the face of this never before seen onslaught. No trip to Aldershot today, so I did my usual fallback of a long walk round ” Cambridge central”, the place that nice Japanese tourists… Continue reading MONDAY MORNING YOU SURE LOOK FINE
FESTIVAL OF NINE LESSONS ABOUT OXFORD PUBS
First a “Punk’s Not Dead” theme, now a real “Flogging a Dead Horse” effort to squeeze an eighth Oxford post out of one pub crawl. But I like pouring over the lessons learned, even if it’s from barely 3% of Oxford’s pubs; Eight busy pubs, suggesting there’s plenty of life left in the traditional pub… Continue reading FESTIVAL OF NINE LESSONS ABOUT OXFORD PUBS