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.

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...

On and On

 ...so this thing drags on.

I'm extraordinarily lucky that I have most of what I need to continue to work and to still enjoy some beer at the end of the day.

I'm also lucky that I don't suffer from cabin fever as much as others so, for the most part, I'm not feeling the impact on my mental health that others are.  It never really escapes my mind that this this will come to an end and this helps prevent what could become despair.  Thank goodness (or genes, or whatever).

I am bored by it, though.

Nevertheless I have learned some new things - like making shortcrust pastry with bread flour gives you fantastic pasty dough. That has kept me entertained recently.  The boy reckons it's in my West Country roots but, hey, I've been experimenting with how to make interesting fillings with leftovers.  It's fun.

The company I help run has changed immeasurably recently and I'm hopeful this will translate into a much more sustainable model coupled with more opportunities for young people in the community to learn how to be in work.

But a couple of times I have fantasised about being able to go to work in a building that isn't here; to leave around 4.30pm with a thirst on; pop to the nearest decent pub with the boy and then, on the spur of the moment pop to a restaurant on the way home and not have to plan what we're going to have for tea.

Little things, and we will get them back.

It's just a matter of digging in, I know.

Tiers for Souvenirs

 We've just arrived back from Bristol and for the first time ever, since I started this part-time nomadic existence, we didn't have beer in a pub the whole time we were there.

Bristol was in tier 3 when we arrived and had just gone down to tier 2 when we left.

I still enjoyed sitting in our flat, working whilst watching the world go by from our high perch but the lack of relaxed time in our favourite sort of out-of-home experience has meant fewer "what if" chats than usual.  Our chats have been much more - need to do this, how's that going sort of thing.

It was a slight compensation that we were able to walk to two tap rooms, buy our canned beer and express some appreciation to the staff and assure them we'd be back as soon as we could.

Before we left, I also booked deliveries from the breweries we were unable to visit.

I'm confident that most of our beloved Bristol beer businesses will be back just as soon as it's feasible next year.  They're well run organisations who have proved themselves adaptable over the years - and especially this year - and they deserve the benefit of their extraordinarily hard work.

No, they're not heroic surgeons, ICU nurses or care home assistants but only a philistine would believe they don't bring value along with their passion into society.

 The job I do, I can do because I've been lucky and this year, our skills have been celebrated because we did "good things" for the community.  We 3D printed faceshields, we loaned and donated tech equipment to people who needed them,  we coached people to help them with their digital skills to help them rebuild their practice, or just connect better with friends or clients.  Until now, people thought all we did was a "nice little after school club for geeky kids".

You have to be really careful when you judge the worth and the skill of someone's occupation. Good brewers and bar staff are a special breed.  The implication that "just serving beer" or "just dancing on a stage" or, "just telling jokes" are somehow unimportant, or can be done without is, frankly, offensive.

When I've had a day "cat herding" as I juggle finances, people, and other things my preferred way to unwind from that is a couple of pints: well kept and well served from someone who is skilled at making me feel welcome (trust me, that's no easy feat).  They give me the time away from emails, slack, other media channels  and let me just...be.  Other people get what I get from going to the pub by going to the cinema, or to a stand-up club, or to the ballet.

My home has been a place of work for so many years that sometimes the only place I can take my work head off is in the pub.  Without that time out, which I've so sorely missed this year, I would burn out pretty quickly and not be there to do the things that people have suddenly realised is quite important and supports them in their work and personal lives.

So before you tell people in the arts and in the multifarious parts hospitality industry that their job isn't important and if it disappears then they should just retrain in cyber - just remember where it is you go when you, rightly, deserve a bit of R&R from your doubtless vital job.  

Specifically, to those in brewing and pubs, I salute you and thank you for helping maintainng my grasp on what's important. 

 

On and on and on and...

 So the 2020 hell-hole of never-ending shitness continues.

I suppose there was a bit of light in the US election result but there's a pretty low bar for what's "good" just now.

We've been pretty busy with work since the lockdown ended, and we managed another trip to Bristol but the best bit was a trip to Brownsea Island - we took beer and wine and we walked and communed with squirrels.  This was our highlight of the year.

Since then there has been sad family business to deal with and now, here we are again in lockdown.

Our beer deliveries from our favourite breweries continue and we've added darker beers into the mix, reflective of the change of season.

But there are pubs and breweries that won't come out of this.  Those that do will struggle since many rely on December as a way of ridng out dryanuary and wet Tuesdays in February.  This makes me sad - beyond the missing my regular pub trips - because it's the guts being ripped out of an industry that already suffers from a perception of them being drug pedlars only in it for a quick profit.

When lockdown ends - I'll be in my trusted pubs again; we'll go to Bristol and hope that our favourite places have weathered the storm.

 Until then the only way I can cope with this stuff is to accept that I have no influence over most of it; take a deep breath; make sure the fridge is full of good beer from independent breweries and help the people I work with and work for concentrate on the reason we're in business.  As my grandmother was (apparently) wont to say "the sooner you accept that God sends the weather, the happier you'll be".  I don't believe in God but I totally believe her philosophy on this.

Utter Bliss

 So we needed to go up to Bristol for the first time since lockdown.

We desperately needed to ensure the flat wasn't disintegrating in the total abandonment, we also needed to ensure that our poor old orchids got some TLC.

We did want to be responsible so we decided not to meet with loads of people this time and mostly keep ourselves to ourselves, but make the most of the chance to drink beer at a proper pub again.

We drove, taking some food and some kit that needed transferring.

The roads were pleasant - not empty, but not packed - long roadworks with a 50 mph speed limit slowed the journey a little but the whole thing was relatively low stress.

When we arrived at the flat - it could have been just the usual 3 or 4 week gap. That was a relief.

Obviously, it wasn't long until we ventured to the Barley Mow. 

They had hand sanitiser at the door, we were greeted by masked staff who showed us to a table, and then asked for contact details.  We were served at the table and they operated on card only.

Sadly, they did have a much depleted cask and keg offer but it was in lovely condition, and more than enough to keep us happy.  

The set up was comfortable and felt safe.  Enough that we went back - twice.

Over the next couple of days we did try other places:

 The Swan with Two Necks - indoor, good spacing but other measures not really apparent.  A bit disappointing, to be honest but fortunately well behaved punters.

Tapestry Brewery Taproom - outdoor seating, well managed arrival, details collected, table service, fresh beer.  Not my favourite beer in the world, but we did enjoy being there (except for the yappy dogs).

Fierce and Noble Taproom - outdoor seating and a service one-way system via the bar in the taproom.  No details taken and, to be honest, the service didn't feel especially careful but the outdoor spacing and thoughtful customers made up for most of that.

The Bridge Inn - was a bit of a last minute thought since we were on a time limit. For such a tiny, tiny place the landlord did a great job.  Hand sanitiser, request to complete details via a phone app and careful policing of the door way.  Inside seating was partitioned and there was extra seating outside marked up to manage social distancing.  Wasn't expecting the beer to be the best (Dawkins which isn't our thing, generally) but it was probably the best Dawkins we've had.  All in all, very happy.

Wednesday evening we went back to the BM which was perfection and we finished with a glass of "Running with Spectres" which was the last beer we drank in the BM before lockdown.  Such is the circle of things....

All this shows that it can be done although I suspect it'll get harder over the winter if these measures need to persist.

Mostly, I was so very pleased to see that the staff at the Barley Mow are still there and have lost none of their enthusiasm for the trade. 

We're avoiding the public again for a few days, just to be sure, but we definitely want more of this...

First Pint of Cask

So, as I've said before, we were biding our time on the "let's go to the pub" thing.

We have an elderly parent to visit and we have no idea whether the virus we suffered earlier in the year was COVID or not and, let's face it, with the best will in the world there are so, so many unknowns in all of this.

Still, when friends needed to meet up with us to ask us a favour and to collect some of our 3D printed faceshields the pub seemed the most natural place to do it.

I took a look at a couple of local pubs to see their opening hours and their general approach.

It so happened that the first one that looked promising also replied really quickly to my "what time do you open?" message.

Landlady, Rachel, knows us pretty well and I've always liked her attention to quality.  Her cask offering isn't usually the most exciting but she told us she had a few local beers on cask and had craft cans as an alternative.  She also offered to open up half an hour early to fit in with our timeplans.

Frankly, you really can't argue with that.  So, at 3.30pm on Wednesday - after a visit to the parent - were in the pub, with friends and catching up.

Rachel and her staff had adapted the pub to make little booths from folding glass screens.  This had the effect of giving you a little cocoon but not blocking the view or the light. 

We had table service but it was done deftly, with no awkwardness, and a collaborative, flexible approach when Best Beer Buddy, couldn't help himself and collected beers from the bar (there was no one else even close at the time).  All in all it was a lovely way to pass a few hours.

We all felt safe and comfortable and like this pub had been operating this way for years.

It wasn't a Damascene beer moment or anything like - it just felt perfectly right.

On this basis, I'd happily go back!

I hope the next place we try is as good.