All around my Hat

I went to St Albans Arena to see Steeleye Span.  Haven't seen them for a few years. They played some of the more traditional songs and they were superb.

I left St Albans at about 10:30pm, and thought that this must be the ideal time to travel up the M1/M6 back up north.  How wrong I was.
The M1 was shut to just one lane for most of the length.  Signs then told me the M1/M6 exit was closed.  I took the M45, and cut up past leicester to get to the M6. The entry slip road was closed, so I had a bit of a round about route to get back on the motorway. More signs then that the M6 Toll was closed, no problem, I stayed on the M6.  The M6/M5 was closed, so I came off at the A38 and back on again. Another sign. The M6/M62 junction was closed.  I came off accross to the M56.  The M56/M60 slip road was closed, so I carried on straight into Manchester, through the City centre and out onto the M66.  The M66 Ramsbottom exit was closed, so I had to go all the way up to Haslingden and turn around.  Finally got home at 3 AM - 4 1/2 hours to to 200 miles of motorway, made up almost entirely of cones, and no sign of any workmen at all.

Saturday I got over to the boat for a couple of hours for the first time this year i think.  I spent a couple of hours tidying up, and taking note of what tools and wood I needed because I was going top spend an entire day the following weekend finishing off the floor.

Another boat was out of the water for re-blacking, and I noticed quite a neat arrangement of horn/headlight on the front of the cratch.

T.W.O. is not too many

Friday Morning, I had to go down to Hereford.  I nearly Ran out of Diesel but managed to get to a petrol station on fumes.
As soon as I got on the motorway on the way back, all the rubbish from the bottom of the tank got to the injectors.  Just got up to speed on the motorway, and suddenly - misfire, and I was back down to 45 for a few seconds, then it would be ok again.
Sorry for all the trucks who had to pass me all the way up the M5, until the miss firing stopped by about J10 of the M6.

Sunday night I got the train over to York, for a slight diversion on my way down to Hertfordshire for work on Monday. As the sun was shining, I sat outside KRO in piccadilly for a pint, watching some sort of demonstration going on.  I think it was some African flag, but I don't know what they were demonstrating about.  Lower duty on beer perhaps ?

Called into York brewery for a couple of great pints of Guzzler, and chatted to a few friends.  Suitably refreshed from the Train journey, I went to find the hotel.  The Queens hotel is on the river, and looks like it used to be a warehouse, but inside the resemblance ends.  Superb Hotel, superb room overlooking the river.

Wandered into the town, and had a quick pint in the Golden Fleece, I think the most haunted pub in England.  I found where the bands were playing, but still had an hour to spare, so I went around the corner to the Last Drop - another York Brewery Pub.
I sometimes wonder about York Brewery, the Pubs are the Three legged Mare, The Last Drop, - Is there some sort of ghoulish agenda here...

Back around the corner at the Duchess, the first band, T.W.O. were superb. Helen Turner and Sharon Winfield on Vocals, guitar and Mandola.



The second half, and Lau came on and were true to form.  This was the end of their tour, which I think started in Poland, so they probably deserve a break.


Walking back to the hotel I stopped off in the Capital Bar. They have a very unusual couple of hand pumps on the bar.

Monday morning, and the Breakfast arrived (see previous posts on Breakfasts).  I am not a fan of Buffet Breakfasts at the best of times, this one however was done very well in all aspects other than one.  The plates were warm, the food was warm, the coffee was good, and the choice was good.  The room was ok, and plenty of room on the table.  All of the ingredients of the breakfast were cooked well, but the ingredients themselves were terrible.  It doesn't matter how good a chef you are, if you start with cheap and nasty ingredients then you are wasting your time.  Come on, wake up Queens hotel - you have all the makings of a great place to stay, but throw it all away in order to save 50p by buying cheap and nasty breakfast ingredients. I bet you don't do that for the evening meals, so why is breakfast such a joke to you?

December already...

Thursday night I went to Manchester Academy to see the Decemberists while they are on their UK tour.  I didn't think many people had heard of them, but the place was packed.

Absolutely brilliant, and the full-length Crane Wife, over a quarter of an hour of a fantastic track.

To be, or not to be (probably not a pencil at all)

I decided to have a couple of days off, and go to the annual brewing conference at Stratford on Avon.  Never been there before.
Arrived on the Wednesday night, checked into the hotel, and headed for the nearest pub (well, the nearest cashpoint, then the nearest pub).  I found a completely empty pub, with a disinterested teenager behind the bar, selling disgusting Greene King IPA.  I decided to wander further into the town.
A quick, average pint in the "spoons", then found a nice little pub called the Old Thatch, on some sort of market square, selling "Purity" ale, which I presume is the local brew.  Very nice.
After a couple of pints, I decided to head back to the hotel, but on the way found a nice little community local called the Old Tramway.  Originally the station masters house I believe.


The following morning I had a quick wander around the marina - Another place I will have to visit when (!) I get the boat in the water.  The town centre was all shut off as the queen was visiting, and one doesn't want her to accidentally see any commoners like me does one ?



Saturday morning I was back up north first thing, and went to the New Inn at Clapham for the Festerers reunion.

The pub had a couple of fantastic beers, an Irish stout called Iron Plate, and a Bitter called Copper Plate.  Fantastic beers even though I say so myself.  Both had run out by mid evening, and I had to survive on Black sheep for the rest of the night.

Proud of British Beer

"Proud of British Beer" is a short film produced by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA). It features brewers, both large and small, hop and barley growers, maltsters and industry suppliers. …




WATCH THIS FILM

Proud of Beer film

Back on the music

Well, the music season seems to have started.  Thursday night I went down to Camden town to see Dave Swarbrick.  Of course, I had to stop off one station early on the underground, didn't I...

Good night with Dave in a very small, dark and crowded bar in the back of an old shop.  Nearly £5 for a bottle of beer though!  Had a couple of pints of youngs bitter in the Spread eagle near the tube at a much more reasonable (!) £2.90.

Had to go up to the lakes on Friday (working) but managed to call in at the Old for a great Lamb curry and a pint of Yates.

Back up north Saturday, and a brilliant evening watching Lau at the Met.  Mr Green seemed almost subdued, and hardly gave his squeeze box any abuse.  Brilliant night!

To finish off the weekend in style - how else but to watch 10cc in Concert. Wow!  The first set was accoustic, with an amazing number of songs that I never knew Graham Gouldman wrote.

The full length "Feel the benefit", what I consider 10cc's best track, was absolutely mind blowing, and takes the prize of the best musical moment of the year (so far).