Moving Spiritual Homes

The Derby Arms is no longer my local boozer. Keith told me about another pub very near both of us which sold beautiful real ales and we both decided to pay it a visit. The pub is named The Montefiore Arms and it's a very small and comfortable boozer. The landlord Andy has a guest ale pump which is dedicated to wonderful brews from around Britain and every time we visit a different ale is available for consumption. Bravo! He also has a grand selection of bar-snacks and crisps and (if you are really hungry and seriously strange) peperamis. For every new ale I taste I will report back to the Blog and pass on the knowledge.

Tasting notes: Unicorn brewed by Robinsons up in Stockport. I drank quite a few of these so the taste is quite hard to recall. I think it was hoppy. Or maybe malty?. Or was it hoppy and malty? Anyhoo it was very drinkable.

Tasting notes: Two Faced Janus brewed by J.W. Lees near Manchester. A wheat beer if my brain serves me correctly. Nice but nicer if taken on a hot summers day.

The things people do at the weekend: Dean Diggler stepping out to a murder mystery night.

The things people do at the weekend: Strings in Wilkinsons with a couple of hoes.

Mr & Mrs Mawdsley

My sister got hitched on Saturday in Worsley near Manchester. It was an intimate ceremony followed by the wedding 'breakfast' on a single dining table and a disco to round-off the evening. Rosie looked a pretty-picture in her dress and Matthew very smart in his suit. My father's speech was slick and thoroughly enjoyable. I read a poem at the end of the ceremony and I have printed it below so that I can remember it in years to come.

Love's Philosophy (Shelley)

The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds mix forever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law sublime
In one spirit meet and mingle -
Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss the stars
And the waves clasp one another,
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother:
And the sunlight clasps the earth
And the moonbeams kiss the sea -
What is all this sweet work worth
If thou kiss not me?

The married couple Matt and Rosie signing the books.

Strings and Parkes in the hotel bar before the ceremony.

Matt's kids Max and Freya who were absolute superstars on the day and looked it too.

Mother and son after the ceremony.

The gents on duty. From left to right: Dylan, Maurice, Al, Michael, Matt, Max, Stringles, Dad and Charles.

Nice uterus. A Parker-Stringer production. Little Bops makes his or her first appearance on the Dog's Blog. The scan was taken yesterday at the hospital in Margate. Boy or girl I wonder?

The End Of A Cushy Number

Well the contract with my employers will finish at the end of the month and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. I have spent most of my time at home with my feet up and it has been very relaxing. Our final rollout will involve three days of next week for the whole team in Coventry and Birmingham. Happy days! In the meantime we have the matter of my sister's wedding in Manchester. I will be dressed in fancy attire (along with my father) and will be reading a poem written by Shelley during the ceremony. It will be rehearsed regularly before the event as reading aloud is not something I am very good at.

Hols in France: The view from our terrace.

Hols in France: Our splendid villa bathed in sunshine.

Hols in France: Get a room guys.

Hols in France: The marina in Saint Aygulf in the late afternoon sunshine. The temperature was warmish 16 degrees each day.

Hols in France: The town of Fréjus at sunset and in the distance our villa in the hills.

Hols in France: A strange picture this. It was taken in some restaurant-infested square in Saint Tropez. I liked lines of trees and the atmospheric gloom. God I can't wait for the springtime.

Hols in France: Dean and Parkes walk the strip in Saint Tropez. Nice marina but no a patch on Ramsgate I'm afraid.

Hols in France: This was meant to be a nice picture of Parkes until a big brown bear got into the shot and tried to pinch Parkes' sandwiches. We managed to scare the bear off with the help of a sharp stick and Parkes' lunch survived. But it certainly gave us claws for thought.

Hols in France: After daytripping Dean, Parkes and I were starving hungry. We scouted around a town called Le Muy trying to find a sandwicherie and stumbled upon this place which served us lovely long baguettes with delicious fillings.

Hols in France: Parkes on the rampage through the wildlife reserve.

Hols in France: A beautiful day in Saint Aygulf.

Hols in France: French Beaver. We saw five or six of these creatures in a wildlife reserve and they really were the size of beavers but didn't have the flappy tail - instead they had a ratty-like tail. Can anyone identify this aquatic beast?

Hols in France: That crazy trucker Keith Silk.

Hols in France: Smokin' Joe Hogbin.

Hols in France: Crouching Nicole Hidden Parker.

Hols in France: Tucking into dinner on New Year's Eve. The meal was a part-BBQ, part-kitchen affair as the BBQ didn't really have enough coals. Still the mexican chicken was delightful.

Hols in France: The clock strikes twelve on New Year's Day. Champers in one hand and mobile phones/devil horns in the other.

Hols in France: Real Beards take to the floor on open mic night. SingStar on the PS2 is a fantastic game.

Hols in France: Put your hands up if you wanna ROCK! Nicole and Strings breaking the rules.

Hols in France: Keith and Deano crooning for their lives.

Hols in France: Keith decided to cook a tortilla on New Year's Day. It was tasty gorgeous.

Hols in France: Deano and Strings sitting on the beach snacking on baguettes on New Year's Day. Unfortunately they didn't taste very nice so we ate a McDonalds shortly afterwards.

Hols in France: Deano and Parkes enjoy a New Year's Day stroll in Saint Raphael. It was mild but windy and helped blow away the cobwebs from the night before.

Hols in France: The view on a windy day from our terrace. The sea was really blue and the white horses were leaping everywhere. This pic was taken on the day before we returned home.