The Pretty Pigs

The long journey back from Hull earlier that day meant that we were in no mood to do much cooking so Shelley's suggestion of a walk to The Pretty Pigs for something to eat and a few drinks was a great one.

The pub's cheap food and drink policy unfortunately attracts a somewhat downmarket clientele (hark at me the snob !!) and this was evident when we arrived as it was chav central.

I took the if you can't beat 'em approach and ordered two drinks ( I was on the Greene King IPA and Shelley was on Sol) and two carvaries for the bargain price of £20.03.

We took a seat in the pub's back room where a large family were celebrating a wedding anniversary. Social skills were sadly lacking from the respective children and grandchildren, the grandkids were all playing games on their mobile phones whereas their Dad's had set up their tablets on the table and were watching the football. Happy Anniversary !!

The fact that the blokes were watching the footie was an unexpected bonus for me as I couldn't help but overhear them relay the score of the v*lla v Stoke game to their family. I must have been grinning like a Cheshire cat when I heard one of them say, it's 4 1 to Stoke now !!

A buxom waitress appeared with an anniversary cake at one point which as its centrepiece featured an impressive indoor firework that wouldn't have looked out of place at a KISS concert. Unfortunately Mum and Dad weren't sat together, so by the time Dad had walked round the table to join Mum for the obligatory photo the pyrotechnic display had burnt out so daughter ended up taking a snap of the happy couple engulfed in smoke.

The pub is built on the edge of a large lake and the surrounding area is renowned for flooding. I feared that the environmental agency would have to issue another flood warning for the area as a woman sat on adjacent table was that heavily pregnant that I was worried that her waters were about to break and we were all going to have to swim for our lives !!

Our drinks had given us an appetite so it was time to collect our carveries. We were sat quite a way from the seating area so I was forced to demonstrate swerving powers equal to those of Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi as I weaved in and out of the pub's patrons clutching onto my heavily overstacked plate.

We were too full of Sunday lunch to stop for another one once we had finished eating so we headed home. I didn't see the weather forecast for later that night but I predicted heavy winds in the Tamworth area seeing as I'd just polished off a meal that included stuffing, onions and cabbage on top of a few pints of real ale !!

UPDATE 11th May

My nephew Tom and his girlfriend Kelly popped round for our assistance to help them book a holiday on line. Before we got started we took them for a carvery at The Pretty Pigs...

I mentioned in my previous post that the carvery at The Pretty Pigs is good and at £7.29 represents good value, much better value than the £26 it costs these days to store a bag in the hold on a plane as Tom would find to his cost later that night !!

Although brought up by my real ale loving brother Dave, I couldn't help feel a tinge of disappointment when I asked Tom what he was drinking and he answered Carling. Hopefully, just like Pokémon, it is something that he'll grow out of.

I opted for a pint of Greene King IPA, got our carvery tickets and sat down, unfortunately the seating area featured clientele that would have been more at home in Krackers Bar, Brean (see my post for early May at that venue) including one bloke sat in front of me who was dressed in his Sunday best, vest and tracksuit bottoms. His tracksuit bottoms were that ill fitting that I was treated to the sight of two inches of bum cleavage. It was almost enough to put me off my stuffing balls !!

Shelley and I love to go walking around the Tamworth area and we regularly walk to the top of one of the highest points in the vicinity namely Pooley Mound. However that day it wasn't the district's highest point as smaller plates in the Pretty Pigs meant that we had to adopt a stack it high policy when at the carvery, mine was that high that I could only take little steps back from the counter to my seat !!

Unsurprisingly, despite the mammoth portions we helped ourselves to, the outcome was a predictable one. Four empty plates.

UPDATE 11th June

We turned our nose up at a £14.95 steak meal at previous pub The Samuel Barlow and made our way to The Pretty Pigs for a cheap 'n' cheerful carvery. I hadn't realised but there is a structured pricing policy in the week, carvaries without beef at £4.09 and with beef are £4.39. I ran the risk of BSE and stumped up the extra 30p for us both ignoring the advice of a barmaid who was wearing a hilarious Keep Calm and Eat £4.09 Chicken tee-shirt.

Wednesday night is quiz night at The Pretty Pigs, and as we walked in the quizmaster asked the question 'From what musical are the songs I Dreamed a Dream and On My Own from'? Remarkably I resisted the urged to shout Les Miserables at the top of my voice !!

There is normally a good selection of ales to wash down your meat and six veg with at the pub, it was Marston's Pedigree for me and a diet Coke for my conscientious other half.

We got the nearest table to the carvery serving hatch which was great news as my heavily stacked plate defied gravity. Well you have to ensure that you get full value for your £4.39 expenditure !!

I hadn't got room for a second pint so it was a slow walk home for William Bunter !!

UPDATE 17th August

We had Shelley's Mum Jan staying with us for the weekend so what could be better on a late Sunday afternoon than a walk along the canal, a couple of pints and a traditional Sunday lunch?

There's always at least two ales on at The Pretty Pigs so I went for the school night friendly Greene King IPA which, at a session friendly 3.6% ABV, meant that I'd be fighting fit on Monday morning.

 

 

Despite only asking for a half I got Jan a pint of lager dash, due, in no small part, to me being distracted at the bar, the young lady next to me was wearing a dress that tight that I could almost make out which boutique she had purchased her thong from !!

I was also distracted by the notice board for future events at the pub which included Bouncy Bank Holiday an event being held on the August Bank Holiday weekend. The fact that there is a bouncy castle and free food for kids means that it is something that Shelley and I will avoid like the plague !!

We were sat by the pub's television and, is so often the case when there's a tv on, my eyes were inexplicably drawn to it. I found myself getting hooked on Songs of Praise in a manner that hasn't happened since it was a welcome distraction to doing History homework on Sunday nights many, many years ago.

The food was, as always, plentiful (due my expertise at food stacking) and was extremely tasty, however the dining experience was occasionally interrupted by a woman on the next table literally attacking the crackling on her pork with a knife. A knife has seldom been used so violently since Anthony Perkins attacked Janet Leigh in the shower in Psycho. I could almost her the shrieking music !!

There was just time for another drink (Jan was still working her way down her pint !!) before a walk home.

UPDATE 5th October

The weather was forecast to be on the turn and we were told to expect to see the start of some unpleasant autumnal days, so we decided to say goodbye to our elongated summer with a stroll to The Pretty Pigs for a couple of pints and some food.

I always worry about the encouragement given to children to visit this pub, a poster advertising future events confirmed my fears, for just £5 on December 20th your child can have breakfast in the pub with Santa, and £8 gains entrance to the children's new years eve party !! In a public house?!! The world's gone mad !!

I calmed myself down (well, only a bit in all honesty) by ordering myself a pint of Greene King IPA whilst Shelley went on the Strongbow. We managed to find a free table and had a couple of drinks while we waited for the carvery queue to die down.

The couple of tables by us gave a surprisingly clear picture of family life in 2014. The table of four to our left literally sat in silence when they finished their food, the boy and girl were both on their computers while Mum and Dad were on their phones.

The table to our right contained a young girl with her Dad. The girl was drinking an orange Fruit Shoot (Fruit Shoot today, alcopops tomorrow, you mark my words !!) while eating her dinner. She ate her meat and then claimed to be too full to finish her veg. She then showed remarkable powers of recovery when she found enough room to polish off a chocolate fudge cake with ice cream !! It wouldn't have happened in my day. Mrs L's ruling was always if you don't finish your dinner you don't get a pudding.

I don't think it would be unfair of me to say that some of the clientele in The Pigs aren't the brightest, however do they need to be told that the 79p bread and butter addition 'tastes great with fish and chips'?!!

As always my plate was stacked in a manner that was gravity defying although I don't think I'll ever take advantage of the pub's recently introduced take away facility. I have enough trouble getting my plate from the counter to my table, I'd never manage to carry it all the way home !!

The Three Tuns

On our long walk back home from Hopwas we called in for one for the road (well canal to be precise) at The Three Tuns at Fazeley.

The pub is in a great location but is in need of a major overhaul, firstly it is a bit grubby, if the pub was a person you would say that they need a good wash, and secondly the pub looks like it has been thrown together, the loos are effectively outside the pub and a separate function room is round the back. Basically the brewery needs to throw a substantial amount of money at the place, and at a time when pubs are closing at the rate of twenty six a week, this seems highly unlikely.

I thought we'd walked in on the annual Fazeley staring competition given the glares we got from the pub's patrons when we ventured in. I was half expecting the barmaid to state 'You're not from round here are you?!' when I reached the bar as this is very much a local pub for local people and a sign declaring (as though it was something to be proud of) that all v*lla games are shown live meant the local people were folk that I don't like to be associated with.

I must admit though I was quite impressed to see that the pub has an exclusive beer, Fazeley Flasher is brewed by the Ringwood brewery and has a taste to suggest that it would be a good session ale. The fact that it was early Sunday evening so technically a school night meant that sadly I never got to confirm my theory.

The beer garden is as scruffy as the pub which is a real shame as it could be so much better given that there are views of the interchange of the Birmingham & Fazeley and Coventry canals with a backdrop of the Fazeley mill.

All in all one to avoid.

The Red Lion

Over the canal from The Tame Otter at Hopwas is another fabulous venue, The Red Lion.

It would be wrong to pick a favourite out of the two. The Tame Otter is a better pub and does good food but The Red Lion has got a local, friendlier feel to it and possesses a fantastic beer garden.

I am sure that Shelley will vouch for the fact that I am not a fan of beer gardens that aren't proper beer gardens, The Horse and Jockey in Sutton Coldfield springs to mind of a perfect illustration of my point. The beer 'garden' is effectively tables and chairs over looking the pub car park which is situated near traffic lights on a major road junction. Compare that vision with the view of the beer garden at The Red Lion.

Although I'd been on the Aspall cider in The Tame Otter the prospect of a pint of Sharps Doombar was too good an opportunity to miss so I reverted back to drinking ale. Lack of Aspall meant that Shelley went onto Th*tcher's cider which she commented, in contrast to Aspall, tasted quite sweet. I was quite surprised as surely anything carrying that name would, by definition, be bitter and leave a very unpleasant after taste !!

The beer garden was nicely full but we managed to secure prime position with a seat in the sun. One unpleasant consequence of v*lla's win against Chelsea the previous day was the predictable abundance of people in their rarely worn v*lla shirts. There were three in the beer garden at The Red Lion that day including one on a small child. This blatant act of child cruelty made me want to contact Esther Rantzen at Childline !!

We were entertained as we witnessed a domestic on an adjacent table. The lady in question was unhappy that her other half had taken her out on the proviso that they were going out for an Italian meal, but, as she loudly informed the pub, all he had done was 'spend the day drinking' . How we laughed when he unashamedly told her that her hunger was 'all in the mind' !! Unsurprisingly at that point she stormed out !!

The Tame Otter

Our all dayer in Brum the previous day meant that we needed some fresh air to clear our heads, so we took advantage of the glorious Spring weather with a walk to The Tame Otter at Hopwas.

This is one of our favourite walks as we walk down the towpath of the Coventry canal from Amington for approximately five miles. Whilst our time that day of one hour thirty five minutes wasn't quite a p.b. it was still pretty good considering the previous day's over indulgence.

When we set off I foolishly declared that I might not have an alcoholic drink when we got to the pub but, due to the fact that I was parched after the long walk, it was no surprise that my order was two pints of Aspall cider.

There are a couple of real ales on offer at The Tame Otter but in all honesty drinking a lovely cold dry cider outside this pub is what hot days are made for.

You will note from the photo that I am resplendent in my red gilet (I think they used to be called body warmers years ago) as there was a slight chill in the air but it was definitely outdoor drinking weather and we vowed to return to the pub when the weather was 'otter' !!

UPDATE 14th September

The after effects of a long drinking session round at Shelley's Mum's on Saturday afternoon/night and early Sunday morning meant that we needed to blow away a few cobwebs when we got back to Tamworth so the lengthy canal side walk to the Tame Otter seemed like a good, though possibly over optimistic, idea.

We have done this walk in less than one and a half hours though usually average an hour and three quarters, however our 2am finish had certainly taken its toll as we ambled our way to the pub in just under two hours !!

We generally drink Aspall cider outdoors at The Tame Otter but we broke with tradition, after firstly opting to stay indoors, Shelley sensibly went for a soft drink on the basis that she'd had too many the day before and I, fearing that Aspall's 5.5% ABV may have tipped me over the edge, went for the more sedate Everards Tiger Bitter at a much more sensible 4.2%.

The pub has recently had a bit of a refurbishment however I noticed very little difference, it was a bit brighter and probably a bit more dining friendly but it was little more than a lick of paint and new fixtures, all very tame if you pardon the pun !!

We took the weight off our weary feet, and I enjoyed my Cask Marque accredited ale while celebrating a successful military style haircut that Shelley had given me just before we set off to the pub...

It seems a lifetime since my mop top days !!

We were feeling a bit peckish and our general lethargy meant that the prospect of cooking when we got back wasn't a good one. Although the Sunday lunches looked good we wanted comfort food so we went down the Elvis Presley route and ordered a hunk a hunk a burger and fries. Oh yeah, and another pint !!

While we were waiting I couldn't help noticing the price of a Christmas Day lunch at The Tame Otter...£52.95 !! Ho Ho Ho(w) much?!!

Our stay was a brief one and we sensibly opted for the shorter walk back through Tamworth town centre rather than along the canal.

Shamefully, when we got back, I was falling asleep on the settee at 6.30pm and called it a night at 8o'clock !! I just can't hack these late nights any more.

Wetherspoons

I took the wise decision that the 20.03 train home was the one for us, well seven and a half hours drinking is more than enough for most people especially seeing as we'd spent all day on the beer at the Cheltenham Festival the day before.

Unsurprisingly we still managed to squeeze in one for the road after leaving The Flapper at Wetherspoons in Paradise Forum.

I must admit I find this pub a bit soulless not helped by the fact it is engulfed by the hideous eyesore of the Central Library. The person that named this place Paradise Forum was surely being ironic.

The only good thing that this place has got going for it is its location as it is an ideal stopping off point to and from Broad Street / Brindley Place but it is most definitely not a place where you would choose to spend the night. I must confess that, although the sign says that they are for patrons only, I am a regular user of the somewhat cramped loos in this venue when I am caught short particularly when the Frankfurt Christmas Market is in town.

Given the fact that we'd all had a few by this stage it was hardly a surprise that there were logistical difficulties getting to the pub from previous pub The Flapper. Gray, Jule, Val and Paul were heading for The Shakespeare before a call from Andrea pointed them in the right direction.

Erdinger Dunkel was available on draught which, although nowhere near as nice as Erdinger Weissebeer, made a nice change from my usual option.

I'm afraid I have little recollection of the girls' drink of choice as things were getting a bit hazy by this stage

Actually looking at the photo it was a large glass of rose for Shelley and a half a cider of some description for Andrea. Thank goodness I took the camera along.

It wasn't long before our missing in action chums turned up though we couldn't hang around long as there was a train back to Tamworth with our name on it.

The question was would I be able to resist the temptation of one for the road back at the Bolebridge in Tamworth?...

EDIT - Unsurprisingly the answer was no !!!

UPDATE 27th May

We called into Wetherspoons on our way back to the station at the end of our post holiday all dayer. We had just eaten at Pizza Express and needed to have a cheap drink having being stung for drinks with our meal, a 660ml bottle of Peroni and a 330ml bottle of Aspall were an outrageous £10.50 !! Mamma Mia !!.

I went for my customary bottle of Erdinger Weissebeer..

..while Shelley had a glass of wine I think though my memory was getting a bit sketchy by this point.

This was very much a whistle stop visit as the 21.03 back to Tamworth was the train with our name on it and I note from the time on the photo that I had only begun pouring my drink at 20.33 with the station a ten minute walk away !!

We necked our drinks, paid a visit to the conveniences, and hot footed it down to the station with me promising Shelley that we would not visit The Bolebridge back in Tamworth for one for the road. A promise I amazingly kept !!

UPDATE 30th October

I had just been to see Airbourne and Black Stone Cherry both play blistering sets at the LG Arena with work mate Bill. Our plan was a simple one, have a drink in the first pub that was open when we off the train at Birmingham New St. Disappointingly we had to walk to the fairly soulless, and soon to be demolished, Wetherspoons in Paradise Forum but at least it was open and cheap, which wasn't a bad thing seen as we had just paid £4.50 for a pint of Stella 4% in a plastic glass at the arena.

Bill being Bill was on the full strength Stella whilst I went a bit more school night friendly with a pint of Greene King IPA. At 3.8% ABV Bill (who believes that drinking beer below 5% is 'pointless') more than likely disapproved !!

We dissected the gig in some detail and both agreed that we had witnessed something special. Bill is a big rock fan and once famously turned up very late to an important meeting stating, very proudly, to the meeting's attendees 'I've got Led Zep tickets' !! Most were pretty unimpressed whilst I felt like high fiving him !!

Neither of us had eaten and we were running out of options as the night got later, I almost heard Bill sigh with disappointment as he forlornly stated that McDonalds had just shut !!

Pie and chips was my post gig food of choice once I'd drunk up and captured the pub visit for posterity.

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The Flapper

I'm not sure whether technically this was my choice or Gray's choice but being as it was so good then I'm claiming it !! After moving on from The Prince of Wales we walked the short distance to The Flapper none of us really knowing whether the pub would actually be open such was the length of time since any of us had last visited.

Formerly known as The Flapper and Firkin the pub has now lost the last part of its Firkin name and we found that little has changed since our last visits.

The pub was fairly quiet but we were given a warm welcome by the barman who showed us a photo of the pub in its previous carnation The Long Boat, sadly, highlighting our advancing years,  pub veterans Gray and myself admitted that we'd both visited the pub when it carried that name around twenty five years ago !!

I was pleasantly surprised with the beer on offer and chose a pint of the previously untried Cottage Brewing Big Boy which this big boy felt was pretty decent.

Lack of people in the pub meant that the pool table was free so it was game on in the age old battle of the sexes, boys v girls. Now I'm not one to gloat, but I doubled the black into the middle pocket to put us one nil up, and Gray cut the black into the top pocket for the boys to go running round the Bull Ring with the cup after securing a two nil victory.

Photographic evidence would suggest that the girls did not take defeat in good grace..

Unfortunately that was where sporting success ended for the day, news came through of a 4 1 loss for Blues, we watched the Irish beat the French and take the six nations title and later on we discovered that v*lla had beaten Chelsea. What a Firkin disaster !!

Our friends Val and Paul joined us at quarter to seven though maybe their late arrival was ill advised being as by that stage we'd been drinking for over six hours !!

The Flapper was definitely pub of the day for me and this opinion was further evidenced as firstly, my last couple of pints were of Robinson's Trooper (the Iron Maiden beer) and, secondly, the soundtrack for our visit from the jukebox was second to none : Led Zep, Sabbath, Floyd, Foo Fighters, Hendrix, Santana etc.

Let's Rock !!!

The Prince of Wales

When we were deciding where to go after leaving Walkabout the plan was that all five of us would choose a venue. Jule was first pick and opted for The Prince of Wales, 'Good call' I declared in a Wayne's World stylee.

The Prince of Wales is a proper pub, though I would imagine that younger folk may describe it as an old man's pub. It is tucked behind the International Convention Centre and is popular with both theatre goers (the Birmingham Rep is nearby) and real ale drinkers.

Don't be surprised if you spot a celebrity in this venue as the Hyatt Hotel is a stone's throw away, and visitors from across the pond staying at the hotel often pop in for a pint of real beer in a proper British pub. This was the case a couple of years ago when Lady Ga Ga called in for a drink and bought the whole pub a round, I bet it put a smile on their poker faces !!

Jule's choice was vindicated further when fellow real ale drinkers Gray and I spotted the vast array of ales on offer, we both opted for a pint of Black Sheep Bitter whilst the girls went down the Strongbow route.

Going to the toilet is a unique experience in The Prince of Wales. I can only assume that the toilets were designed with Dutch Tango drinkers in mind..

Being as it was Saturday afternoon there were cursory glances to phones for score updates, and Andrea rained on our blue parade when she informed us that Birmingham City had just gone two nil down.

We declared that the pub was obviously an unlucky one so it was time to move on to somewhere luckier....

Walkabout

The Australian themed bar Walkabout is one of the few original remaining bars from the launch of Broad Street as Birmingham's premier entertainment area. It was heavily featured in the national news last year as it was the venue where Australian cricketer David Warner punched England batsmen Joe Root because he was wearing a green and gold wig.

We met friends Gray, Jule and Andrea in there just after midday which in reality was the last thing I wanted given the fact that we had spent the previous day drinking copious amounts of beer at the Cheltenham Festival but the Italy v England six nations rugby international was kicking off at 12.30 so my first pint was a kill or cure potion.

I didn't give a Castlemaine XXXX for the choice of beer in Walkabout, the lack of real ale meant that I had to resort to pints of Becks Vier, however my Shelia, Shelley was jumping up and down like Skippy when she saw that draught Aspall cider was on offer.

Upstairs quickly filled up but we were at the head of the queue when downstairs opened up and we managed to secure prime position ready to cheer on a convincing England victory and hope for an Irish loss later that day.

Unfortunately our move downstairs did little to improve the quality of the beer. The downstairs beer taps presumably don't see much action as my next pint was as flat as the proverbial witches ...
Pint number three (yes, okay, I was feeling better by this stage) was even worse, Jule, noting the quality of the beer in round two, ventured upstairs for the next one and came back with drinks in plastic glasses. Maybe the pub was worried about a return visit from David Warner !!

Thankfully we got the result from the England game that we were hoping for so we decided to have the last one on the balcony overlooking the canal hoping to catch some Australian style sunshine though not too much as I don't think any of us had followed the Antipodean directive of slip, slop, slap

The Anchor

There was one expression, above all others, that we didn't want to hear from the driver when we boarded the coach back to Brum after drinking pints all day at the Cheltenham Festival....sorry folks, but the toilet is blocked !!

We were forced to sit cross legged throughout the journey back so we were all close to bursting when the coach finally pulled into Digbeth coach station. Shelley's mates Amanda, Michelle (x2) and Vicky all opted to spend a penny, well thirty pennies to be precise, at the coach station. Whereas Shelley and I decided to combine our loo visit with a trip to the pub and called in at The Anchor, a venue literally next door to the coach station.

For real ale drinkers The Anchor is a fine venue, emphasised by the fact that it is a regular winner of Birmingham CAMRA pub of the year. Not only does it serve numerous real ales but it also stocks several foreign beers including my choice that night draught Erdinger Weissebeer.

The pub, a particular favourite of both home and away fans on Birmingham City match days, contains several small rooms and we took advantage of the fact that the back snug was deserted and relived tales from our fabulous maiden visit to the Cheltenham Festival alone in our very own exclusive VIP area.

Unfortunately an impending train meant that we only had time for a quick pint before heading back to New Street for the journey back to Tamworth to spend our winnings on a much needed curry.

UPDATE 25th October

This is a great pre match pub, listed for many years in the Good Beer Guide it is popular with both home and away fans. I stopped off on the way to see Blues play Bournemouth. The pub can get very busy on match days so a rather unflattering precautionary selfie was required from across the street.

I had arranged to meet mates Matt and Gaz in there and talk quickly turned to depressing state of affairs at our football club as we enjoyed our drinks which in my case was a pint of Erdinger Weissebeer.

I did notice with a smile that if you bought a pint of Fosters you were entered into a raffle to win a pair of Birmingham City match tickets. I can almost hear you all cracking the same joke, what's the second prize, two pairs of tickets?!!

I also smiled when the bloke next to me proudly showed his latest purchase to his mate. He pulled out of a carrier bag a vinyl copy of Rush's triple album Archives. The final track, The Fountain of Lamneth, is a mind numbing 19 minutes and 58 seconds long !! As bad as Blues are I much sooner sit through an afternoon at St Andrews than listen to a Rush song than is nearly twenty minutes long !!

Matt's girlfriend Sarah arrived accompanied by her sister Yaz and we got onto the subject of long distance running. I must admit I was understandably unable to contribute too much, maybe I should have changed the subject to Rush album tracks and involved the bloke sat next to me !!

Begrudgingly we drank up and made our way (via The Wagon and Horses) to the Temple of Doom...

The Square Peg

Night games are always a bit of a pain for me, I get back to town at around quarter past ten which means I just miss the 22.03 train so I'm left with nearly an hour wait for the 23.10, and, as fond as I normally am of an extra pint or two, it is an occasion when that isn't the case.

My usual venue for passing the hour is the legendary Square Peg, legendary due to the size of the place and the fact that it apparently contains the longest bar in the UK. This CAMRA Good Beer Guide listed venue opened in 1995 on the site of the former Lewis's store and gets it's name from when Wetherspoon's founder saw the plans for the place and remarked that it looked like a square peg in a round hole.

Despite the length of the bar anyone who has ever tried to order a drink in this place will vouch for the fact that it doesn't matter where you position yourself along the bar you will always struggle to get served !!

I had a spring in my step on the night that I visited The Square Peg, my beloved Birmingham City had just battled back three times to earn a hard fought draw against high flying Burnley. The final equaliser was scored in injury time meaning my beer was a celebratory one. A draw is like a victory these days !!

Mrs L has instilled the eye for a bargain in me so not only was I drinking in a venue that is easy on the wallet I also made use of a 50p off a pint (Purity Pure Gold) coupon. The pounds were being well and truly looked after.........Warning, selfie alert.............

As a non smoker I was in full favour of the smoking ban and The Square Peg is definitely one establishment that has benefitted from that piece of legislation as it used to be shrouded in a fog of smoke. I must admit though at times the stench of smoke would be a welcome aroma given the pungency of some of the characters that this place continues to attract !!

I had time for a second pint and, in contradiction to the lyrics of one of their early songs, I found I could not get whatever I wanted as Piledriver, the beer launched by Status Quo, had literally just run out. I was forced to opt for a pint of Prescott Track Record which just like its political namesake packed a real punch !!

UPDATE 29th April

This was one of those rare occasions when a trip to the pub was the last thing I wanted to do. I had just watched Blues get virtually condemned to what I used to know as the third division and I just wanted to go home and sulk like a child but night games mean I have an hour to kill on my own in town while I wait for my last train home and what else is there to do but go for a pint?

After going ABV crazy pre-match (5.4% and 4.7%) I went for a much more sedate pint of Ruddles Best Bitter at a far more sensible 3.7% and reflected on my team's performance that night.

The pub itself was full of its usual characters with two old boys at the bar arguing about how many deaths Stalin was responsible for.

My phone was particularly busy with my aston v*lla chums eager to remind me of the score. Bless 'em.

Not to worry, a defeat for Doncaster Rovers on Saturday with a Blues draw or win at Bolton and we're safe. We can do it, or is that my 5.4% beer talking?!!

UPDATE 4th November

Well, what a turn up for the books !! After witnessing an 8-0 defeat in my previous visit to St Andrews I arrived at The Square Peg in a state of shock, Blues had deservedly won a home league game !! A fabulous 2-1 victory over Watford. Life is never dull when you are a Birmingham City supporter !!

A few drinks before the game meant that I thought that I'd best go low on the ABV scale when I ordered my drink, however I'd never seen a Brewsters Brewers Dozen before so I felt it would have been foolish to turn down the opportunity of a new real ale. I almost felt my hangover start when I checked out the ABV, 5.5% !! Ouch !!

I sat down and sent a text to fellow Blue Noses Deb and Andy who were holidaying in Gran Canaria letting them know how well we'd played. I'm sure they wouldn't believe me given the fact that they too sat through all eight of Bournemouth's goals less than a fortnight before !!

Maintaining this blog is a huge task and I took time in The Square Peg to assess how many pub visits I needed to write up, a daunting total of nineteen !! Realistically I needed to stay in for a couple of weeks to catch up but that was never going to happen !!

To make matters worse I committed a blog crime, the fact that I was still euphoric from the win coupled with the two Staropramens and two cocktails before the match and a 5.5% beer after meant that I forgot about taking my photo until I got to New St !! Here I am at the station, I'm not sure if you can just make out The Square Peg in the distance?!!...

Surely I'm allowed a lapse? One home win in the previous twenty four tends to have that kind of effect !!

Canalside Cafe

Mindful of the potential for a shout of man overboard rather than the standard man down we carefully made our way along the canal tow path from the Picher and Piano to our next point of call the Canalside Cafe.

As the name would suggest the pub is situated alongside the canal in Gas Street Basin. The word quirky was invented for this place, Shelley refers to it as The Living Room and it is easy to understand why, it is like a living room in a 1970's upmarket semi detached house, when having a bar in your living room gave you a feeling that you'd really arrived !!

The area behind the bar is that full of clutter that it needs a visit from Kim and Aggie to sort it into some semblance of order.

Birmingham city centre already has its' fair share of entries in the CAMRA good beer guide though it's a real shame that this gem isn't one of them. The pub is a former 18th century lockeepers cottage and claims to be the smallest pub in the city. It is living proof that good things really do come in small packages.

The inside of the pub is a mixture of mismatched furniture, trinkets and fairy lights, and the real fire makes the place very welcoming on a cold Birmingham winter's night.

The quality of the beer matched the quality of the pub, it was two pints of the previous untried Skinner's Betty Stog bitter for me, and for Shelley, firstly a half of Th*tcher's Gold cider followed by a half of the potent Weston's Wyld Wood cider weighing in at an impressive 6.5% ABV.

Although I wouldn't necessarily say that this pub constituted one of the promised 'upmarket venues' (sorry Shelley !!) it definitely received a big thumbs up from us both.

UPDATE 10th October

This was only a very brief visit to the Canalside Café. Shelley and I were out to celebrate the silver wedding of my brother Dave and sister in law Julie. We had already had a couple in nearby Soloman Cutler, and we got to the Canalside Café at 7.10pm giving us twenty minutes to neck a pint and have a brisk canal side walk to Red Peppers at The Mailbox. Plenty of time !!

The pub disappointingly is partway through a refurbishment. I say disappointingly because one of the things I like about the place is its quirkiness and the fact that it appears that it has been literally cobbled together. First impressions are that the pub is a bit bigger and the position of the bar has altered giving it more room. The jury is still out for me, I'll have to go back when it is finished and give my critique in the style of Kevin McCloud at the end of a Grand Designs episode.

The beer thankfully is still really good, there was a bit of a crush at the bar when we arrived so Dave sent me up to get the round in, two Sharps Doombars, half a Th*tcher's Gold and a small white wine. I forgot one thing when I got back to our pitch, Dave's change !! Trust me, there was no way he was going to let me get away with that. What's a tenner between brothers?!!

We stood at the edge of the area that was still being refitted and the décor was a bit sparse to say the least..

Not an ornament or trinket in sight, talk about going from the sublime to the ridiculous, the place use to resemble Steptoe's junkyard !!

I sensed a tenseness in Dave, he had seen the beer prices in the restaurant and was pacing around like an expectant father. Don't worry Dave it's only money, you can't take it with you when you're gone !!

We finished our drinks and made our way out, given his impending expenditure I wasn't sure whether Dave was going to walk along the canal or throw himself in it !!

Pitcher and Piano

We made the very short journey (around 15 yards) from previous pub The Slug and Lettuce to the Pitcher and Piano. Of all the numerous bars in Brindley Place this is definitely my favourite, good beer, decent music and, unlike its near neighbour All Bar One, reasonably priced given its location.

There was a bit of a delay at the bar when we arrived due to the fact that customers were taking advantage of the offer of half price cocktails, I was surprised I didn't spot Del Boy leaning against the bar, then again you would hope that he has learned his lesson !!

The wait at the bar was worthwhile though as the rarely seen Brakspear bitter available for me, whilst my good lady went for a bottle of Mexican beer Sol. Ay caramba !!

The night was going well, 3 pubs visited, all of reasonable quality and not a sign of a Wetherspoons establishment - maybe I had really turned over a new leaf !!

We were delighted to secure a couple of prime seats at the end of the bar, so we settled back and enjoyed the Friday night action..

Gents, visit this place and you get the chance to be King for a day as the toilets are bizarrely labelled Kings and Queens. Thankfully that night this particular King did not need to sit on his throne !!

A man was sat on his own on an adjacent table wearing a headband and headphones, he looked like he had just walked off the set of Flashdance, and was 'bustin' some moves' to whatever 80's classics he was listening to. Mind you his dancing and general demeanour was that camp I'm not sure whether he was a King or a Queen !!

Next to Camp David was a table of girls of a hen party. There is a longstanding saying that all brides are beautiful, unfortunately this particular lady dispelled that myth. The hens were decked out in pink tee-shirts with their nicknames on their back, for example there was Sexy Sammy and Loopy Lizzy. I didn't see the back of the star of the show but given the fact that she wasn't the smallest of individuals hers would have undoubtedly been Widey Bridie !!

We stopped for one more and moved on in search of another venue...... Right, repeat after me, Do not go to Wetherspoons, Do not go to Wetherspoons !!

UPDATE 27th May

We broke up the journey (on our post holiday Brum pub crawl) from Pure Bar and Kitchen to the Pitcher and Piano by calling in, not to a pub, but to the new library of Birmingham. We went up to the secret garden and enjoyed some great views of the Big Heart of England, similar to those that can also be experienced at the Marco Pierre White restaurant in The Cube but without the need to purchase a £6 pint !!

The Pitcher & Piano is probably my favourite bar in Brindley Place it's a lot less pretentious than most of the bars in that area. Check of Shelley's great photo taken from the canal bridge. I'll probably use it in the Mark Lonsdale 2015 calendar. Available in all good stores ladies.

Even though it was a Tuesday afternoon there was still a decent smattering of folks in the pub. I panicked when I couldn't see a real ale on offer, I should have known better, they are situated at the back of the bar though there was only one on that day Jennings Cocker Hoop, and it was quite a nice drop. NB Shelley tells me that I always use that expression when describing beer so I will refrain from using it any more. Predictable?!! Me?!!

Shelley was on the Symonds cider, I didn't ask her what it was like as she would have undoubtedly said 'a nice drop' to unashamedly mock me !!

Although we had only left the twenty five degree heat of Benalmadena literally hours earlier we were brought down to earth with a Brummie bump as a quick look out of the window confirmed our suspicions, it had started to rain.

A man of approximately thirty was dining near us with his parents, how I laughed when his knife slipped sending rocket leaves to all corners of the pub. It's the sort of thing I'd do !!

It was time to move on just in case he fancied a dessert !!

The Slug and Lettuce

My aim to keep my post work pub crawl with Shelley to establishments of reasonable quality continued when we left our champagne quoffing venue Nuvo Bar and headed to The Slug and Lettuce in the heart of Brindley Place.

As it was just after five o'clock on a Friday night the place was full of life from the after work crowd a situation that was heightened by the influx of students who were decked out in caps and gowns having just attended their graduation ceremony at the nearby ICC.

I made a schoolboy error at the bar that I am ashamed of. Given the fact that this was a venue of better quality than I am used to, I made the incorrect assumption that there'd be no real ale available so ordered a pint of Beck's Vier. Imagine my alarm therefore when I spotted Greene King IPA at the far end of the long bar !! I'm not sure whether this offence constitutes grounds for my immediate expulsion from CAMRA !!

There were seemingly numerous work events as tray after tray of pints and shots made their way from the busy bar to their thirsty recipients. It added to the general buzz about the place. There is something a bit special about those first couple of drinks at the end of the working week. Please note this point carefully Benefit Street residents !!

UPDATE 27th May

We didn't need a Brumbrella for our journey between pubs during our post holiday pub crawl in Birmingham city centre as, although we were part way through a spring shower, the distance between previous pub The Pitcher and Piano and next pub The Slug and Lettuce was approximately ten metres.

The last time we were in this establishment I made the schoolboy error of not looking along the bar carefully enough, I was more careful this time and ordered a Greene King IPA, I wish I'd not bothered, it was dreadful.

The Slug and Lettuce must be better as an after work pub as I quite enjoyed it during our last visit which was around seven o'clock on a Friday night, it just didn't have the same appeal at quarter past five on a wet Tuesday afternoon, it was dead, the beer was rubbish and Rihanna was being played.

Let's move on Shelley....

Nuvo Bar

Sometimes, with some justification, Shelley gives me feedback that I don't always take her to decent pubs, preferring to stick to the more downmarket establishments that serve good ale or more often than not going down the cheap and cheerful Wetherspoons route. I was conscious of this fact therefore when Shelley met me straight from work at the end of a working week.

I had prepared myself well by lining my stomach with a lunchtime treat of cold liver and salad (well I like it !!) so I was ready for a post work beverage or two.

So with Shelley's words at the forefront of my mind stop number one was the very sophisticated Nuvo Bar on the edge of Brindley Place. It is described in its website as being 'Birmingham's most elegant and exclusive cocktail lounge and club, taking the concept of exclusivity to new levels'. Who needs Wetherspoons?!!

Being as we were in 'elegant' surroundings there was only one thing to do....order two glasses of champagne (Moet & Chandon seeing as you're asking) from Vincent the barman...

 

 

I will point out at this juncture that there was method in my uncharacteristic madness, all drinks including glasses of bubbly) are half price at Nuvo Bar from 4pm til 9pm on a Friday but that's a minor detail !!

The venue itself was bright and sharp bordering on the clinical, and the music was of the dance variety though, thankfully as it was still very early, it was more of a background noise, it wasn't til later on that night that guest dj for the evening Brandon Block was spinning the decks.

It was only ever our intention of stopping there for one and this decision was fully vindicated when I looked at the champagne price list...a bottle of Louis Roderer cristal magnum was £980.00 !!

Grab your coat Shelley we're off !!!!

All Bar One

All Bar One in Brindley Place is a venue that I rarely visit, not because I don't like the place, it is more due to the fact that it is so painfully expensive, a pint with the number 5 in it is a possibility in this venue but the night I went was a freebie so any principles that I might have had were put to one side.

My boss was at the bar when I arrived and offered to get me a drink so I went Dutch, by that I don't mean that I offered to pay half I mean that I ordered a pint of Netherland lager Amstel !!

I was joined by colleagues Edel, Val, Gloria and Liz and eventually Bill who, as always was running late. I've been out drinking with Bill before so it was no surprise when he ordered the strongest lager on offer, he doesn't do anything below 5% ABV, infact he used to be a member of what was called the Breakfast Club in his local Hertfordshire pub, lagers up to 5% were the Full English but Bill being Bill always opted for a full strength Continental !!

The pub is what you would expect from this particular chain a bit pretentious but not a bad place to go for a post work drink and the lack of pubs by the office means that this place regularly hosts any after work events that we have.

Edel hurried us along as we were late for our table so my only photographic evidence was the selfie that I took on the way in which looks like I've got no face...

I returned to the venue the next day to get a better one....

UPDATE 27th May

Now, I'm not really a fan of All Bar One, but, as Dear Deidre regularly advises, relationships are all about compromise, so, as Shelley likes the place, I went along with her choice during our post holiday Brum pub crawl without so much as a murmur of complaint.

We had been in Spain literally hours earlier so the fact that it was Tapas Tuesday didn't really do it for this particular senor and senoretta, we stuck to drinks only, me on the Amstel and Shelley on her favourite tipple, Aspall cider..

As anyone who has ever bought a round in this particular establishment will verify it ain't cheap, so I paid considerably more for that pint of Amstel than I did my previous one, a bargain €2 on the marina in Fuengirola, in the sun in my shorts and flip flops..

Time for another holiday me thinks !!

 

 

 

O'Neills

This was an unexpected pub visit. I was going straight out from work for a team meal though we weren't eating until seven o'clock so, as I had no playmates and didn't fancy a Billy no mates pint, my intention was to work late and go straight to the restaurant. However, unfortunately for them, I overheard colleagues Jeanette and Rose say that they were going for a drink straight from work so I declared myself an honorary laydee and invited myself along.

As we walked down Broad Street in search of a venue I was half hoping that they'd choose The Figure of Eight (a decent pub and surprisingly one that is yet to feature in this blog) but instead we Irish jigged our way to O'Neills.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of real ales on offer so I went for a pint of Sharps Doombar which I like despite the fact that the beer doesn't keep its head and resembles cold tea after a few minutes. Rose went continental and had a pint of Peroni and Jeanette changed her mind between Heineken and diet Coke that many times that I can't actually remember what her final choice was !!

O'Neills gives you all that you would expect from an Irish theme pub, the place is adorned with bric a brac so it looks like Steptoe's junk yard, there are the mandatory photographs of Irish luminaries like James Joyce and music is alternated between modern contemporary and diddly dee stuff.

We only stopped for a quick pint as a last minute change of plan meant that my colleagues were meeting for a pre meal drink so I said my farewells, burnt my bra and ended my brief spell as a laydee.

Unfortunately as I left in a hurry I had to resort to a selfie to capture my visit however I went back the next day to attempt to get a better photo as the original was quite frankly scary, though in the name of entertainment I have enclosed both...

 

 

UPDATE 26th September

After work drinks on a Friday with colleagues used to be almost mandatory back in the day but staff departures, pub closures and general apathy have meant that such events are a rarity these days, probably no more than two or three times a year at best so how could I turn down an invitation from long serving colleague Graham to attend his 'leaving' do?!

I have put the word leaving in speech marks for a reason, he is doing what I did i.e. taking a twelve month sabbatical from work to do some travelling. I was in the (Levis) 5.01 club at the end of my working week, actually it probably wasn't 5.01, in reality I was probably in the 5.00 and 1 second club such was my eagerness for a pint.

Given that I didn't really know who was likely to be in attendance I took a precautionary selfie to avoid the need to explain to someone who I didn't know why I needed them to take my photo..

That reminds me, I must give my nasal hairs a quick trim !!

My timing was impeccable, Graham was at the bar getting them in (I couldn't see the beer pumps properly so played it safe and ordered a pint of Guinness) and realised my selfie decision was a good one, I barely recognised a soul !!

I was able to quiz Graham on his itinerary, and couldn't help feeling a pang of envy as he went over his plans, I can remember how we both felt in the run up to our trip, they are exciting times.

Thankfully a few people I recognised arrived so I was able to leave Graham to work the room.

The pub was nicely full of a mixture of after work drinkers and early Friday night revellers and the pub had laid on some live entertainment in the form of a bloke playing guitar. Thankfully his repertoire stretched further than the Field of Athenry, Dirty Old Town standards that you tend to get at these sort of venues, we were even treated to Squeeze's Labelled With Love, however given the reason for our celebration the singer's choice of Wild Rover was an appropriate one.

I stopped for a second pint but I knew it was time to go when I heard one of the group ask Graham, at just after six o'clock, 'What are we doing about food'?!! We'd only just arrived !! I felt like saying, look mate, go and get yourself a packet of peanuts from the bar and do what sensible people do, get a few beers down your neck and end your night with a kebab or curry. It's not hard is it?!!

UPDATE 24th November

When I wrote my blog during our travels in 2011 my American mate Jeff made two appearances, one in Philadelphia and one in Madrid, so it's no surprise that he's also made it into this blog. Jeff and girlfriend Lauren were doing a whistle stop European visit during their Thanksgiving break and Birmingham was the stop off point between London and Budapest.

When I met them in O'Neills after I'd finished work Jeff and Lauren were full of horror stories of their time in London, as much as they enjoyed it (it was Lauren's first time in the UK) they had been drinking in pubs in the capital city where a £7 pint was the norm !! Look out publicans, people have been sent to the Tower for lesser offences !!

The round of a pint of Carling (for Lauren) and two pints of Purity UBU for Jeff and myself was just under a tenner, even that was a bit on the pricey side I felt but it at least demonstrated to the tourists that their decision to venture north of Watford was a good one.

So here you go Jeff, you've made it onto both blogs buddy !!....

Okay you've not done it until November 24th but historically the Americans have always turned up late !!

Jeff and Lauren had enjoyed a couple of drinks in Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas market before meeting me which was fair enough but I was less impressed with their plans for later that night, they were off to see v*lla v Southampton. Okay, I know that they are both 'soccer' fans and their choice was limited but v*lla v Southampton?!! Why would ya?!! Mind you I think I am partly to blame, I took Jeff to a dreadful nil nil draw between Blues and QPR a few years ago at St Andrews. It's not always that bad Jeff honestly !!

Joking aside it was great to catch up with them. Work colleague Shital also popped in to join us and we recalled a few stories of when we all worked together around five years ago.

Our time together ended far too quickly but at least it ensured that Jeff made his mandatory appearance on a blog !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Longhorn

To celebrate my mother's birthday we took her to The Longhorn, an impressive CAMRA listed 1930's roadside venue in Walsall.

The expression 'look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves' was put into action when I went up the bar and took full advantage of the pub's offer of money off a pint of real ale (a pint of Purity UBU) for CAMRA members. Okay it was only twenty English pennies but as they say in the Tesco advert 'Every little helps' especially as Mr L unexpectedly requested a pint of premium (aka expensive) Italian lager Peroni.

The front of the pub is where drinkers congregate so, as we were eating, we took a seat in the back room. There was seemingly a veritable feast on offer judging by the size of the menu it took up half the table.....

....however we were informed that because of the impending refit (the pub was closing for a week four hours after we arrived) there was a chance that some of the food may not be available, I had visions of us having to go back to ma and pa's with Mrs L cooking her own birthday lunch !! We needn't have worried they had everything we ordered with the exception of my mushy peas which given the inevitable methane gas impact on the ozone layer probably wasn't a bad thing !!

The food was great, the beer was great and the pub fully justifies its inclusion in the CAMRA good beer guide.

The Ladybridge

Following a brief trip to Tamworth's Ventura Park shopping centre looking for bathroom tiles we stopped off at The Ladybridge for a quick pint on our way into Tamworth town centre.

Given the fact that, despite my rapidly advancing years, a lot of my humour is still very schoolboyish it is hardly a surprise that I always refer to this pub as The Ladyboy.

The Ladyboy (oops sorry) I mean The Ladybridge is a pub / restaurant that is part of the site of the neighbouring Premier Inn. It is a ski jump away from Tamworth's Snow Dome and, as Tamworth is full of them, it is no surprise that it is located virtually on a roundabout - or island as us Brummies call them.

It was mid Saturday afternoon when we visited, the pub is split into two, the bar and the restaurant and both rooms were full. It is a popular place for parents to bring their children but don't let that put you off as there were a couple of real ales on offer so I thought I'd give rugby inspired Marston's Sweet Chariot a try (get it?!!).

We sat near the window though don't expect much of a view unless you like watching cars queuing to get into a shopping centre car park.

The pub itself isn't anything to get excited about, it is functional and soulless and certainly not a place that you chose to go to for a few pints. Maybe I am doing the place a bit of a disservice (I was on a bit of a downer as I'd just found out that Blues were losing) but there were no complaints from Shelley when I suggested we move on.

The only plus point from our visit was the inspiration we got from looking at the tiles when we visited the loo !!

The Railway

The refit of New Street station has seen the renaming and refitting of what is now one of the nearest pubs to the station. The Railway is the former Bright House or to give it its' more commonly known name Sam Wellers. Sam Wellers used to a very popular pub back in the 1980's with Shelley and her mates having a Sunday night residency there for a number of years.

The pub has been in decline since the emergence of both Broad Street and The Mailbox but has now had a £500,000 makeover though in all honesty very little has changed, the layout of the pub is pretty much identical and the clientele of blokes after a cheap pint remains unchanged. So on a wet Tuesday Birmingham evening me and Gaz were one of those bargain hunting blokes so we were delighted by the sign we saw when we entered..

We spent our £2.00's on pints of Greene King IPA, and, to be fair, they were pretty decent. We were soon joined by our mate Rich who I'm afraid to say has football allegiances on the wrong side of the city and try as we do we can't get him to come over from the dark side.

Although this was a popular pulling joint back in the 80's, the 2014 version of this venue is completely different with the only woman in the place being the barmaid but what did I care, the beer was £2.00 a pint, they were showing the football and AC/DC's Hells Bells was being played on the pub's sound system !!

All aboard !!!


UPDATE 7th March

I mentioned in my previous post that The Railway, in its previous guise as Sam Wellers, was an old haunt of Shelley and her mates, so it seemed appropriate that we ended our Friday night post work session at that particular venue especially given its proximity to the station as the 21.03 was looking a good bet noting our early start.

It was the first time that Shelley had visited the pub since its £500,000 refit and she was as unimpressed as I was, infact her comment 'it stinks in here' was one I couldn't disagree with. The stench probably had something to do with the fact that, despite the expensive refurbishment, the pub is still frequented by middle aged / elderly men in search of a cheap pint. That said, this particular middle aged man (albeit an unsmelly one) ordered himself a cheap (£2) pint of Greene King IPA...

The great thing about this place though is that it is really convenient for easy access to the rear entrance to New Street station, so we finished our drinks, kicked in the station's back doors and we were sat on the train literally two minutes after leaving the pub.

Despite my earlier good intentions the night was heading for its predictable conclusion, one for the road back in Wetherspoons Tamworth !!

UPDATE 27th November

Leaving work is always nice, leaving work on a Friday night is better but leaving work for a two week holiday really ups the ante and that's what I did when I left to meet Shelley's brother Craig and sister in law Maria in Birmingham city centre.

They were on their way to see comedian Lee Mack at the NEC but, given the recent renovation to Birmingham New Street train station and the various building projects that are going on in and around the city centre, I thought it was probably a good idea if I acted as a second city tour guide for my guests from Hereford.

I met them off the bus and took them through the city centre to the pub. Okay, maybe I could have done better than The Railway but Craig likes Peroni, Maria is a fan of Aspall cider and I like ale so as all three were available I believe my choice of venue, particularly given its proximity to the station was fully vindicated.

It had been several years since Maria had been in the pub, she used to meet Shelley in there regularly on a Sunday night many years ago in the days when the pub was legendary 1980's venue Sam Wellers. We even stood in the same spot that Shelley and her friends used to occupy and fiercely guard all those years ago..

The meet up was only supposed to be a brief one as they'd got a show to go to and we were saving ourselves for the next day when we (plus Shelley) were all meeting up for a few afternoon drinks in the Jewellery Quarter but the beers were slipping down a treat so it was a rather pacey four pints before they made their way for the 18.50 to Birmingham International..

See you tomorrow...

UPDATE 28th November

We had been promising to take Shelley's brother Craig and sister in law Maria to Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter for a few drinks for ages, 'When are we going to the icy cider bar?' is a question we are regularly asked by Maria. The icy cider bar that she refers to is the Lord Clifden on the outskirts of the Jewellery Quarter so called because it sells cider that has the consistency of an alcoholic slush puppy although in all honesty they are probably best enjoyed on a warm July afternoon rather than a dark, damp November day, however the moment had finally arrived.

My brief meet up with Craig and Maria at The Railway the previous night had been a successful one so we adopted the if it ain't broke strategy and used it as a convenient starting point ahead of our trip to the Jewellery Quarter.

Craig and Maria's trip to and from town on the number 35 the night before had left them traumatised so they brought along Shelley's mum Jan for moral support..

You will notice that Jan has got her eyes closed, maybe I'd sent her to sleep by describing the quality of the Greene King IPA at The Railway !!

You may also notice that once again we were located in Shelley's Sam Weller's spot, I told you she protected it fiercely !!

We were only stopping for a swifty at The Railway, we'd got drinking duties to perform in the Jewellery Quarter whilst Jan was off to Debenhams.

Ta ra a bit !!