174 Sat 30/9/17 : The Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Black Country Brewery Pig on the Wall 4.3%

LUTON TOWN 3 NEWPORT COUNTY 1

Post-match pints. The pub is already reasonably populated, and notably by a group of Bricklayers’ regulars all dressed in suits (complete, in many cases, with LTFC ties) preparing for a memorial visit to the St Albans Masonic Lodge, latterly frequented by a sadly departed member of their brethren. They stand in a big cluster (they’re big blokes) before being mini bussed out to Hertfordshire.

There’s Chelsea v Man City on the telly too – so there’s quite a few polyester Prem’ fans in, cheering on the television. We look down on that kind of fan… but they don’t have a match to walk back from, so get in first and grab all the seats. We stand outside, until it rains, then we come back in.

Match was good (Town 3-0 up at half time, then decide to make heavy weather out of it). John is in good form, the beer is good and Steve is looking better.

Steph and I are flying to Alicante (en route for BENIDORM) tomorrow.

192. Wednesday 4/10/17: Calle Labradores, Alicante

Beer: Mahou 5%

Carmen, it seems, isn’t going to show up. We’re five minutes late when we arrive at The Piazza, our planned meeting point, and wait around another ten before deciding to do the tourist bit and have a look in the cathedral. Just before we enter, Carmen arrives. Lovely to see her. She has kids and parents in tow – and it’s nice sitting outside with the extended family.

The Piazza seems like a tourist trap – on the square, right outside the cathedral, along with vendors and buskers. It’s possibly (actually, almost certainly) somewhere we’d not have gone to on our own – we’d have headed into the back streets – but in the company of a resident family it’s fine. And it is fine. Carmen, who studied photography with me fifteen years ago, noticing that I’m snapping away, produces her own camera – and a website on which she stores her photographs. She is, and always has been, far more accomplished than me – she takes some fantastic pictures. She doesn’t, as a rule, habitually photograph drinks in every pub she visits. More fool her, eh folks? “It’s not just beer”, she suggests.

No, there’s football too – on the Piazza tellies there’s coverage (a replay it turns out) of Man City v Shaktar Donetsk. Shaktar are apparently playing in Luton Town’s 1983 home kit. They still lose – as Luton Town were wont to do in 1983… although famously not at Man City (but they were wearing the away kit then).

Unlike the archetypal tourist trap we suspected this place to be – the bill for the beer was very reasonable.

249 Mon 20/11/17: U Sadu, Prague

Beer: Sádek 11°

After quite a booze heavy, but reasonably early ending, evening last night we’re up and about quite early – with a resolution to leave the pubbing to quite late. We do the city centre tourist bit – trudge over the Charles Bridge, trudge back…

My brother is flying back today – and will meet us mid-afternoon in U Sadu. We seem to catch the sense of post-holiday blues, even though we have another day left to go.

He dashes off for the airport – I get another beer in, and we contemplate a visit to Namesti Miru Christmas Market.

One of the pictures features Stephanie tapping on the window in an attempt to attract my brother's attention.

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.

280 Fri 5/1/18: The Strawberry, Newcastle upon Tyne

Beer: Wylam Angel 4.2%

We’re basically following the Good Beer Guide recommendations, as we would in any new town; but also working out routes to the football ground tomorrow. Not that you can miss the football ground; it’s huge. The Strawberry is right outside. It would be an absolutely run of the mill decent pub with decent ale – but for its proximity to, and allegiance to, Newcastle Utd FC.

The walls are bedecked with black and white prints/photographs of players old and new – pictures of the ground (evolving to become the monster it is now) – a “Nee Mackems” sign behind the bar. This would not be a place to wear red and white. We’re alright, we’ve got our black and white scarves on… though I’m feeling a tiny bit conflicted that this means we’re necessarily being viewed as (soft Southern) Newcastle fans. I have a (b/w) Luton Town badge on my Harrington lapel (under the leather jacket – it’s a two coat winter weekend), but that’s quite small. It’s not going to ruin my evening… I probably just need to grow up.

The early evening before the match is packed, and noisy, enough to entirely eliminate the thought of coming here tomorrow.

211 Thu 2/11/17: The Bear Club, Luton

Beer: Leighton Buzzard Brewery Restoration 4.6%

Out: SW, AW, AJK, Simon, Phil and Pete

Quiet Night is quieter than normal tonight: the official launch party for the latest editions of Clod Magazine, and Luton Haiku book... I don’t think either sell exceptionally well (if they sold any at all).
We sit at our little table at the front, huddled around the amps and albums and raffle prizes - admiring all the old record sleeves and talking music (The Fall/Brix Smith), cricket (Pete and I) football and booze...

Raffle prizes this QN as seen in the picture: Beret, Of Mice and Men and Ligo branded sardines. Matt wins. We don’t know Matt. Matt seems bemused by the (quite good) prizes.

127 7/7/17: Bricklayers Arms, Luton

 Beer: Cotleigh Tawny Owl 3.8%, Milton Justinian 3.9%

Another hot day/balmy evening. Too warm to sit inside, particularly as there are two rather big and sweaty (and progressively pungent) chaps ensconced in the back room, so we go outside.

Lovely to have Johnny Harper and Paul the mod Fuller out – haven’t seen them in a while. John is full of job insecurity, but in good form – swearing like a f*cking trooper. Paul is full of renewed hope for the Left.

It’s dark: I’m wearing old prescription contact lenses and have no reading glasses – so notes are minimal. The pictures hopefully convey some feel of the hot summer evening… they’re not brilliant though.