Category Archives: Pubs

It’s been a blast

I’ve been in the pub business for 14 months and it’s been tough. And fun.

After a lot of agonising, I’ve decide to sell my shares in the Schooner. I’ve learned so much in this short time, more than I could have imagined just a year ago.

I’m proud to have contributed to turning around a failing pub, making it a viable business.

While I’ll leave mid-January, I’ll be helping out informally until the end of the financial year.

After which I’ll take some well earned time off, do some work on the house, then explore my next project.

Which may be a pub of sorts.

Pub crawl

Life’s been very busy, so I’m only just mentioning our pub crawl of last Tuesday.

Well, it was more of a dog walk, but pubs were involved. After all, the mutt needs to learn about pubs.

Our walk naturally began at the Schooner, followed by selected bars in Ouseburn.

The dog exceeded our expectations, walking from the Schooner to the Tyne Bar; her first real walk outside.

Apart from one minor attack directed towards a Lurcher, Harriet’s behaviour was great. Well, OK.

Some dog in bar pictures.

Pub III

This week and last, I painted a pub. And, you know what, I managed to do a decent job. The place looks like a pub, rather than a pub pretending to be a cafe.
A little more work is needed to get it right, and I neglected to take a picture at the end of last night’s decorating shift, but it’s pretty much there now. Anyway, I’m now in a pub other than our pub. And it’s nice. And I can have a pint without thinking I might need to nip behind the bar if it gets busy. The guy who’s singing here has also played in our pub. He’s ridiculously good.

Big Red and the Grinners

Our local, the Three Tuns, did something different last night (different for this pub, anyway), showing that good live music will always attract people.

The place was as busy as it used to be a decade ago, with the gig room full and a busy bar. The style of music wasn’t the norm for the Tuns, but maybe it was time for change.

The Loft Boys and Big Red & the Grinners.

Sociology

Anyone with an A level in Sociology knows this boot.

Only three and six. A bargain and still available in a bar in Newcastle. Until someone spots it.

And, if they don’t, it’s mine.

A clue. The Town Wall.

Newark

Right, a few years ago, I was stuck in Newark because I had a booked train and work stuff ended early.

So, I used my time wisely, after my non-booked train brought me to Newark. I found some nice bars.

My second visit to Newark was a few years later, just a few weeks ago. We stopped off in the van on our way back from Peterborough. When we found the Castle Barge.

And we’ve found ourselves here again today, meeting up with some of my second in command’s family.

We had a drink earlier in the Old Post Office, a nice old post office, although I took no pictures.

We did have a quick drink in the hotel bar beforehand.

There were some other decent bars. For example …

And …

And then …

We had to find food, before a nightcap in the hotel.

Other nice bars may have been involved.

St Alban

I used to spend a lot of time in St Albans, a whole lifetime ago.

We’re staying there tonight and I’ve spent much of today retracing my children’s steps as infants. And one time after a trip to Munich in the early 00s.

While my children have little recollection, other than a crowding geese incident, we often frequented places such as ….

Enough of of that though, we also went to some pubs (some of which my children have visited).