18. Fri 24/3/17: The Bricklayers Arms, Hightown Road, Luton

Beer: Wantsum Bouclair 4.5%, Flipside Random Toss 4.4%

Out: AJK, Leighton, Steve

Not every evening down the pub is going to be enlightening, and this was one wasn’t particularly. Discussion revolved around the Knockouts rehearsal of Wednesday night, which produced some decent tunes, and potential stage apparel for the band to wear at potential gigs. KO trousers could be made up, and made available as the only thing available on the merch’ stall (we tend to sell bits of crap from a suitcase). My thoughts are of a nice embroidered polo (as opposed to polo necked) shirt – though L8s is adamant that the preferred logo be of a mod/ska man (like off of Two Tone records) kissing a pair of balls, over the legend “Kiss the balls”. Steve arrives late and leaves early.

The beer is decent. I can’t remember. I wrote the unlikely Wantsum BOUCLAIR in caps in my notebook – but can’t find any mention of it on their website. I moved onto the Flipside quite early… and think that’s the one pictured.

9. Tue 7/3/17: Frog & Rhubarb, Luton

Beer: Purity Pure Ubu 4.5%

We saw the 1990’s in down the Frog…

These days I sometimes go in en route to “Curry Club” at my Dad’s house – dialing a meal in with my father and siblings and niece.

The Frog isn’t a bad pub – airy and light, when it’s light outside. The Pure Ubu was nice, and I had a couple of pints, then went on my way.

Pictures are a bit crap aren’t they? I’ve cleaned the lens, we’ll see if that helps. It might be the printer (the composition isn’t great either).

15 Sat 18/3/17: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Grafton Brewing Co Lady Mary 5.0%

Get to the BH at 13:30, and me brother is already in, reading, at the table at the right of the door. The pub fills up rapidly but, at half past, it’s sparsely populated – and far more pleasant than the Brickies. Is the beer far better too? It’s a moot point. Paul the Mod would say so – I’m for the Brickies, warts and all… but still, it gets far too packed so we come here pre-match now.

The Lady Mary is a decent and robust, pint. I manage to request a pint of Mary Jane (as per my dyslexia claim), which is embarrassing, especially as I then feel compelled to add “sorry, what the hell am I ordering…?”

In preparation for the upcoming equinox quiz we leaf thru the bumper pub quiz book on the shelf and fire questions at each other. REM, I correctly answer to “who released the album Out of Time?”
John’s next in, then… Chris possibly. Steve has my Middlesex CCC membership bumph. Paul and Asa aren’t in, so the last scorer sweep is down (and remains unwon). Wilf is annoying – picking out several players… the pesky scamp.

Half Time Treats: Page L: “Posh brioche”

20 Wed 29/3/17: Kings Arms, Lymington

Beer: Sharp's Doom Bar 4.0%

On the south coast/New Forest for work day out, which involves boating from Lymington to the IOW and back again, on Thursday 30th. Some go down the night before to sleep in local Premier Inns or the corporate day out organisers’ boat. I’m on a boat. Some go for a pre-arranged Italian meal on Wednesday night; I do a pub crawl on me tod.

The only GBG pubs are the Wetherspoons in town and The Monkey House which is a good twenty minute walk from the Marina. I pass the JDW and, wondering whether continuing the walk was justified, went into this pub on the way. I’d have stayed for a couple (and contemplated staying in the town centre) if the pub was better. My plan was to find a decent pub and enigmatically read Oscar Wilde’s essay on socialism… it wasn’t going to happen here.

Doom Bar was the only option. There were four regulars at the bar, the barman was regaling how, though he disliked “_____”, he loved working with her because she was so easy to bully… ordering her about, telling her what to do etc. Seemed a thoroughly unpleasant boast to me, but that’s the way things seem to be going – both in workplaces and politics these days. Anyway, the assembled clientele seemed amused enough with it. The bastards.

I supped up me beer and made a beeline to the Monkey House, listening to a podcast: The History of England Episode 209: (15th Century) Exploration.

317 Sun 11/3/17 Bar Orozco, Cádiz

Beer: Cruzcampo 5.0%

Cádiz is cold and wet and WINDY. My holiday wardrobe selection is being exposed as far too optimistic…

On arrival in this, apparently the oldest, city in Europe we try and head toward the westerly beach in the old town; but are beaten back by the tempest. We pass a group of prospective Cofradías preparing to lug a dummy paso around town in a Semana Santa rehearsal (and think, though the weather’s bad, at least we don’t have THAT to contend with this year), and eventually end up in this establishment.

It’s a reasonably small and unassuming neighbourhood bar. The proprietors appear to favour Athletico Madrid (although most bars in town also have some Cádiz CF memorabilia). However, the main point of interest about the barman (we’re presuming the owner) was his formidable level of service. On a number of occasions a regular would walk to the bar and – without either saying a word – his order (it was always a he) would be prepared/poured and the transaction completed. The barman knew exactly what the customer required, the customer knew he knew; neither party saw any requirement for small talk.

Very impressive although… “hello” and “thank you”, surely, remain minimal requirements - if only for the sake of courtesy. But, no, that would involve a second of attention denied the Las Palmas v Villarreal football match on the telly.

5 Wed 1/3/17: The White House, Luton

Beer: Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger 5.0%

The WH were screening Man City v Huddersfield in the FA Cup (supporting, if not proving, the “they don’t screen Sky” theory). The place was half full, entirely soulless. The beer was well presented but seemed way too strong compared to the (way too weak) Grainstore at the Brickies earlier.

The photos taken outside the football ground didn’t inspire. They were taken in perpetual drizzle – and I’ve never really sussed out how to use the camera. We’ll see.

Anyway, the football went badly; according to the coverage afforded by my phone.

Town were 1-0 down early (as I saw thru the Brickies window on the way down), then 2-0 in the second half. Then it was 2-2. Then 2-3 to Oxford – at which point I left the pub.

I walked home, ipod unplugged, listening intently for equaliser elation; hearing nothing. On passing the Brickies I looked through the window and concluded that the Oxford players looked the happier in the immediate post-match pictures.

It wasn’t until I hit the junction of HTR and Havelock that I heard a vague chorus of “Que sera sera” from the 700 odd Oxford fans

Thereby, my match boycott photography project was nipped in the bud before the requirement to trudge around Wembley (hoping to snap a discarded boater).

22 Wed 29/3/17:The Six Bells, Lymington

Beer: Hilden Pale Oat Ale 4.8%

Back to the Wetherspoons (a small, three level, example - suitably quirky and incongruous for the area) where I bump into a breakaway party from the work do Italian meal. Apparently it was over expensive and a set menu which some (who ended up in JDW) didn’t fancy.

A good enough bunch, I was called over – but they were all eating… I sat on an adjacent table, leaning in and trying to minimise feelings of social incompetence.

The beer selection is far better at JDW, and Hilden Pale Oat Ale was quite good. But, still, I felt I was impinging on my colleagues' evening. As if I needed to increase the weird loner sensibility, taking notes and pictures on/of pints of beer in pubs wasn’t going to increase my Lymington High Street cred’ in this company.

I started back down the High Street toward to marina and, hearing what I thought was another gaggle of colleagues up ahead, ducked into… the next pub.

21 Wed 29/3/17: Monkey House, Lymington

Beer: Piddle Cocky (4.3%)

Made decent strides toward the MH, and the walk only took ten minutes or so. The area is very white, very pleasant and very moneyed. In terms of pubs, this seemingly translates into the Brexit boorishness of the last pub and the fact that this hostelry (though listed in the GBG) is more restaurant than pub. Nice enough and all, but one felt almost grubby going to the bar just for a pint.

Bought a Cocky Piddle (Piddle Brewery), winced at the witless moniker, and toddled off into a room, out of the way back past the toilets, that clearly wasn’t required for dining on a Wednesday night. Incongruously alone in an over lit overflow room; there wasn’t going to be any reading here either.

I drank that one and trudged back into town, calling Steph to whinge a bit, then listening to how the Portuguese and Spanish divided the 15th century trade routes (and decimating indigenous populations as they went about it).

17 Mon 200317: Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Lincoln Green Hood 4.3%

Equinox Quiz. Rex Horton QT: Steve, H, me brother, myself. We do terribly badly in the first quiz of the year. My newly refurbed Wyvern Perfect pen (bottom left in the beautiful photograph) leaks spectacularly and immediately in me brother's hands; which is nice. After that, although it seems to be working alright (not that I could see much in the crappy dingy corner table we’re sat at), it’s viewed with general suspicion by my teammates.

RHQT come joint last (with the Bar Stewards).

The Lincoln Green beer was a perfectly fine pint. There was something stronger, but being a school night and all.