Saturday, 17 April 2021

Meeting Up

 It's probably clear that I'm the opposite of a socialite.

I loathe parties, I hate being required to be "on duty" in networking and other social contexts.  It's not really that I hate people, it's more that I find other people tiring and seldom feel like I have anything in common with the people in front of me.

We decided to avoid rushing straight to a pub garden - partly because of people but also because it's chilly out the second the sun goes in.

So, when some friends said they had to come to Eastbourne tidy up a recently-deceased parent's house and could we meet in a garden, we were in a bit of a quandry.  Where?  How?  Would it be cold?  Will there be idiots around?

In the end, the most sensible course of action was to invite them to our garden. We fretted about it being chilly, especially as the back garden loses the sun very early - but it still seemed like the best option.

Fortunately, they are also beer lovers (him being a talented home brewer too) so I went mad with the direct-from-the-brewery shopping and got cans and bottles from many of our favourite breweries.  Himself made a beer menu and, for all the world it looked like we had the makings of a beer-festival.

They were planning to arrive around 4.30 and at 4pm I had the dumbest idea to sit in the sun-drenched front garden instead.  It faces the street and we have a drive so it's a little exposed but we removed the car from the drive, got some coffe tables and our garden chairs out and had a little bask.  It was alright.

Friends arrived right on cue.  It was sunny and convivial.  They admitted to some nerves about venturing back to the pub just yet - it seems they're just about as people-shy as us. Although we hadn't seen them for probably nearly 2 years, it felt as comfortable as ever.  

We made some pretty basic bar food and we ate and drank.  I'd expected them to go around 6.30pm when the sun starts to dip below line of the Downs but they didn't, we had another, and another and they eventually left around 9pm.  Yes it was chilly by then and I couldn't do it every night but my goodness, it was a real tonic.

Sunday, 11 April 2021

On the Verge

 ...and the current lockdown relaxations reach as far as pubs in less than 24 hours.

Are we sitting here with our running shoes on, ready to sprint to the nearest beer garden?

Are we, heck.

The problem with prohibition is the management of the end of prohibition.

I'm seeing lots of my favourite drinking place which have suitable outside space gearing up to encourage the punters in again and good luck to them.

For us, there are lots of things that mean we'll be waiting a bit.

We're middle-aged and not due for our second vaccination jabs for a good few weeks yet.  Even though that mostly protects us, it does also provide protection for those we come into contact with so not mixing with vast swathes of people is probably still quite an attractive thing just now.

Loads of pubs are doing most of their business by pre-booked tables.  I totally get why people want that and why pubs feel they need to acquiesce - but I much prefer to be a spontaneous drinker.

It's still a bit chilly to want to sit outside for too long.  It won't be long until the temperature doesn't plunge into the sub-zero the second the sun goes behind a cloud...but early/mid April is not quite that time.

Our local have taken the decision to delay opening until nearer the end of the month - whether it's allowing people to get it out of their system for a while before having to deal with people, or whether they have other reasons - it seems like a good plan to me.

It's been a while since we've had to deal with lots of people and neither of us like that at the best of times - and the first few social drinking opportunities for groips of people definitely doesn't qualify as "best of times" by any means.

 So we'll wait a while.  In the meantime we'll be buying cans and stowing them in the fridge in the hope that the sunny spot at the end of our garden has enough warmth to double as "beer garden".

 But we'll be back there soon...