Christmas at Prestwich

It's not that warm selling beer and mead at Prestwich Christmas market
I have finally got mobile blogging working though

Technophobia

I have finally taken the plunge, brought myself out of the dark ages, etc.

I have retired my ageing "push-button" mobile phone after only about seven years use, and got one of these touch-screen thinngys.

I have spent two days taking photo's of the inside of my hand, while trying to talk to someone...
I have spent two entire lifetimes copying all my contacts to the new phone...
So this was supposed to be my first post using my phone....

  ..but the blogspot APP doesn't work !!!

Back to the PC then.

I acquired some nice rubber matting for the front and rear decks from ebay, and a quick trim with the Stanley knife...

 It is quite bouncy and puts a bit of a spring in your step ...

On the way to work on Sunday night I had a couple of pints in the City Arms, a great little pub hidden away off St Peters Square.

It is good to see that some of these old pubs with tons of character are still surviving in Manchester.

Stripes and the blue beer

Ian has now finished the main painting on the boat, and has moved on to the coach lining. It comes as a shock to realize how many rolls of masking tape are needed.

 This is what happens when you fall off the ladder while painting stripes!

Once the tape is removed, the boat is looking great.

 

We ran the bar at Bury beer festival again, and all the beers ran out.  Great news as after working the bar for 2 12 hour shifts, it is far easier to carry empty casks out of the place on the Sunday.  The Costa Del Salford and the Decadence were, of course, the first to run out but the Stouts and the Mild also sold very quickly.  People do drink dark beers!

I found some blue children's swimming goggles on ebay for 99p, and we set about confusing some of the customers.  We set up at the end of the bar, and first we tried fitting the goggles to a half glass, then a pint glass, and finally we found the best fit was a commemorative glass we had at the back of the bar.
Next I went over to the supermarket and got a nice piece of Blacksticks blue cheese, and we had a pint of beer, wearing goggles, looking at a piece of cheese. Several pictures later, and we have confused everyone at the bar.

Saturday we set about brewing the next new beer.  The run-off from the mash tun was a sort of golden orange, which we didn't want, however once the wort had been boiled, the special malts we had included turned the beer to a superb red colour

 Lashings of Amarillo hops, half an hour laying out the new clip, and we are away.

 

I can't wait until next week to taste it!