Monday, 8 September 2014

Eight weeks to go

It feels a bit strange starting a blog of our year aboard when we haven’t even set off.  Just thinking about writing a blog makes me realise how many topics there are but I have also realised that I don’t have the supporting material (just as well probably).

For example - canal side pubs.

We are fortunate in that our leisure time enables us to visit a greater variety of pubs than most people.  We have seen all extremes and I now wish I had recorded the good and the bad for fun and memories.

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Sometimes we find a pub we are at home with so we stay in the area for a while.  We love rural pubs that still have local clientele rather than those converted to chic food establishments. 

Watching and mixing with locals is fun as each character often reminds us of a particular character in our village local back home, sometimes even down to the type of dog they have.

We have been to our fair share of grotty pubs.  I remember going through Banbury in Oxfordshire.  For some reason Banbury sounds like it should be a lovely place and, indeed, it does have some redeeming features.  We went to a pub one evening - Chiltern stone and thatch - the sort that looks inviting.  It was a bit dark inside and the guys at the bar were pretty rough.  My pint was under £2 and Karen’s lager just over - should have realised then I suppose.  Anyway we sat down and noticed that everyone sitting down were girls.  Then we saw the posters: ‘Karaoke every week night 9.00 - 1.00’.  It was five to nine - we drank up and fled!

We were in Bristol harbour two summers ago and found some really great pubs; however, the area shown below was alive each and every night with hen and stag parties.

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So we moored further down in the harbour opposite the SS Great Britain.

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I take a picture of each lock we go through for a personal record and to help prompt memories in the future.  I now wish I had recorded the pubs we visited.

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