January 2024. Waterbeach. I spent Monday to Friday down with my parents, occasionally getting Dad out of the house as the weather gradually improves. It won’t be long before it’s summer and I can take him to pub gardens again. In the meantime, I was going slightly mad sitting in a living room heated to… Continue reading BRIGHTER DAYS, DARKER BEERS
Tag: cambridge
MAMMON
January 2024. Cambridge. I’d arrived in Cambridge at 5pm, and aimed to have left by 6. M um locks the door at 7, to keep out the Waterbeach undesirables. Mum had given me a short shopping list for the Sainsbury’s by the station (bananas and mushrooms), but with 12 minutes spare after two rapid pints… Continue reading MAMMON
CAMBRIDGE GETS ITS BASS BACK
January 2024. Cambridge. Well, I didn’t believe Dan; In fact, I hadn’t seen Draught Bass in Cambridge this century, since a late ’90s Greene King dalliance with exotic guest beers saw it in The Zebra opposite the Cambridge Evening News offices. Dan wasn’t born when the Zebra was killed off. And now here it was,… Continue reading CAMBRIDGE GETS ITS BASS BACK
TOP 100 PUBS – THE ELM TREE, CAMBRIDGE
November 2023. Cambridge. I think by law there needs to be at least one (1) new Top 100 pub every fortnight so that by March 2026 there’s a 1,000 of them and then we can apply a 10:1 devaluation or something. Bit surprising that GBG perennial the Elm Tree hadn’t made my chart before, but… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE ELM TREE, CAMBRIDGE
SHOPPING FOR LLOYD WEBBER IN THE BURLEIGH STREET CHARITY SHOPS
November 2023. Cambridge. Staying in Waterbeach this last month my main respite has been the occasional couple of hours into Cambridge. It’s hard explaining to people who (almost literally) never leave the house that it’s only leaving the house that keeps me sane, and what I really need each day is to see something completely… Continue reading SHOPPING FOR LLOYD WEBBER IN THE BURLEIGH STREET CHARITY SHOPS
THE OLD TICKET OFFICE
November 2023. Cambridge. Dad moved from a noisy A & E bed to a dedicated elderly ward with 11-8 visiting hours which suggested he was in recovery. After my own recuperative crispy beef and pint of Landlord I decided to make my visit by train the next day, walking the half hour along the guided… Continue reading THE OLD TICKET OFFICE
IN WHICH I REMEMBER WHY I LEFT CAMBRIDGE FOR SHEFFIELD
August 2023. Cambridge. Obviously I’m not making these weekly trips back “home” for cheap beer, oh no. Nope, it’s so Mrs RM can have her photo taken outside one of the UK’s great houses as part of her 100 Day Challenge. And so I can use my free “Identify A Plant” app for Mum. No… Continue reading IN WHICH I REMEMBER WHY I LEFT CAMBRIDGE FOR SHEFFIELD
NO ENTRY
August 2023. Cambridge. A Sunday in Waterbeach, with Mum saying “Don’t you want to go out for a walk with Christine ?” by teatime, which says a lot about how little there is to do when I “go home”. We took the train into Cambridge, a once seven minute journey that now routinely takes twice… Continue reading NO ENTRY
MILL ROAD, OVER THE BRIDGE
July 2023. Cambridge. Reference to “Barbie” yesterday has no doubt had you wondering, “Has Retired Martin been to see Barbie yet ?“. Interestingly, ONE of our family has seen it. And Oppenheimer, which I reckon is the same length as a BRAPA blog but with fewer toothless drunks. Matt went to watch the one about… Continue reading MILL ROAD, OVER THE BRIDGE
WATERBEACH SWITCHES TO THE LAGER
June 2023. Greater Waterbeach. Two nights a week spent in Waterbeach taking Dad out to remote Fenland villages, with the bonus of some of England’s great takeaways. Worryingly, Mum has developed a favouring of the chicken shish and salad box at Waterbeach Best Kebab, the van that turns up six nights a week on the… Continue reading WATERBEACH SWITCHES TO THE LAGER
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