After a couple of pints and a couple of laughs at the Duke of Edinburgh, I needed to ballast up for the walk home and the evening’s real drinking. At the Wong Kee Fish Bar, I got a huge chunk of perfectly battered cod for a couple of pounds. Sublime, even though the place sounds dodgy (Wonky Fish Bar?).
Archive for March 2011
2012 Presidential odds as of 31 March 2011 3 comments
Wong Kee Fish Bar, Swindon Leave a comment
Duke of Edinburgh, Swindon 2 comments
By proximity to his house, I believe the Duke of Edinburgh is Silent‘s local but I didn’t have his number to ring up and see if he wanted to meet for one…or two. It was a bit early on Friday evening, anyway, and he was very likely stuck in traffic so I went in without a guide and was very glad I did.
The bar was packed when I entered and stepped over the bulldog snuffling spread-eagle on the floor. Looking over shoulders and surveying the beverage offerings I settled on a pint of Guinness. “You come to an Arkells pub and order a Guinness…typical,” said a guy next to me before emptying the last of his Carling lager. Typical. Mick behind the bar gave a smirk at my sideways glance at the guy and took my cash while the first pour settled. I took up residence at the end of the bar and watched the crowd dissipate to other areas of the pub as their orders came up.
There were backpacks up on top of a wall mounted juke box and other high places. Some boys playing snooker went out for a smoke and one of the old guys down the far end of the bar took their packs down and had the bulldog sniff heartily before replacing the bags on their perch and heading back to his. Odd. Later, after I was half through my Arkells 3B (you can’t go to an Arkells pub and not, etc), the boys donned their packs and headed out; as they passed the dog he freaked out, barking and snapping and causing them to yelp and dash for the door…ahhh, piss taking at its best. I must come back.
The Carpenters Arms, South Marston, Wilts Leave a comment
I arrived back at the railway bridge a hundred meters from my bus stop in time to see my bus fly by, so I went backwards 50 meters and dove into the Carpenters Arms. They close at 2:30 on Sundays only reopening Monday at lunch, so I was lucky the NWHHH trail wasn’t any longer than it turned out to be.
The brew I chose, Moonlight, had a World War II aircraft on the pump clip and quite a taste of bubblegum about it. This was very dissappointing as I settled into the BBC News Channel coverage of the UN actions against Libya. I still had a few swallows to go as closing time approached and decided it would be prudent to go hang out with the landlord and his conversation pal; as it turned out, the talk was all about Libya as well, only this time regarding energy.
The other punter, as it turned out, had worked in geothermal and had what I privately found to be a crackpot idea that we should drill into the earth’s core and use it to heat water we pump down the hole (and thus produce steam). I didn’t want to argue the efficiency of such a system mainly because I wasn’t in a mood to argue, but I am entirely willing to wager against this ever getting past a demo stage.
Carriers Arms, South Marston, Wiltshire and North Wilts HHH 20 March 2011 Leave a comment
The last day of winter and this was the first time my legs had been exposed to the outdoors since last summer. My longest run since the accident has been four miles and here I was running from the bus stop a mile away to the start of the North Wilts Hash. The deep end only has to be above your head to be dangerous.
We left from the Carriers Arms, just after I had been introduced to some of the local lore: “You don’t want to wear that pink hat…it means you are the gay-of-the-day,” I was aptly warned by the fellow who shortly would be running around with the hat on.
Site of the first back check on the Hash trail
Not exactly up to form and surrounded by hashers that seem fit enough or, at least, more fit than the usual assortment of alcoholics I was surprised to find myself amongst the 3 or 4 FRBs throughout the run. Even more pleasant a surprise was the appearance of a Beer Stop stashed in the weeds about a mile from the finish. The weather out was perfect and the walkers’ and runners’trails seemed perfectly timed for this re-group. All this, and the fee is only 1.50 (free for first timers).
Remnants of the beer stop
Back at the Carriers Arms, the welcome couldn’t have been warmer and Henry’s IPA was a perefect brew to start with while awaiting the circle. The Sunday roast was in full swing and the single barmaid cheerfully and efficiently dispatched our endless orders whilst keeping up with those of the diners and the regulars propping up the bar.
We had the circle in the rudimentary garden next the car park. There are also tables out front and the village is pretty quiet on the weekend so this is entirely an adequate watering hole.
The Cricketers Arms, Swindon Leave a comment
Tucked away in the Railway Village a half block away from the Glue Pot, the Cricketers is a fantastic little bar. Both staff and customers seemed happy to see a new face and a welcoming fire blazed away in the hearth as the landlady’s granddaughter rode a wee bicycle around in the main lounge. I had one of the most delicious pints of Perry I could have hoped for and stupidly forgot to note the brewer.
Waggon and Horses, Southmoor, Oxon 4 comments
The Waggon and Horses is a nice, old village pub on the north edge of Southmoor. I hopped off the bus for a quick pint here on Friday and was treated to some incomprehensible (but friendly) conversation about horse racing and the benefits of moving near BBC’s studios in Cardiff.
Kicks on Route 66 — 18 March 2011 Leave a comment
Not sure about this tattoo…really didn’t want to get into a discussion with this guy. It appears to be a link chain with a shrub growing out the top link and deformed rat carcasses hanging off the branches. I love my bus commute.
Castle Tavern, Oxford 1 comment
Two gay bars in one day (but only three in three years)…it’s the 1970′s all over again. I left the Jolly Farmers because I was hungry and couldn’t bear the thought of a “sausage roll” comment, but a half block away there was the Castle Tavern with a Greene King sign outside that indicated they have a kitchen. It seemed a less stringently homosexual venue (although unquestionably so, nonetheless) with a mixed clientele and a few real ales on tap. I had a Sorcerer mainly because the pump clip looked like the owner of the Meet Rack in Tucson:
A friendly and very competent staff soon brought my fish and chips. The music was less disco-y and the old building really seemed more of a local pub than a pick up spot…although I wager it has its moments.
The Jolly Farmers, Oxford 1 comment
I would have thought there would be more overtly gay bars in England or, at least, in the larger towns; but, even in London you rarely pass one that you are sure of from the outset. Even the last one that I went into, the Bird In Hand in Cambridge nearly two years ago, wasn’t too obvious until you squeezed through its entrance. There was no ambiguity (see the sign and imagine ‘plowing’ or furrow’ type innuendo) about the Jolly Farmers, though, and this is quite a breath of fresh air.
I had an Amstel, but they seem to sell so little lager that it took a moment for the bartender to figure out how much to charge. Another helper was trying to figure out where a grocer was, but could only use clothing shops as landmarks. I had a pleasant enough conversation with a late-middle-aged guy about the state of the local scene relative to that in Brighton or Manchester.
I would imagine that this is a loud and fairly youth-oriented club in the evenings. If the Oxford Hash ever lets me hare the Red Dress Run, this would definitely be on the shortlist of stop opportunities.
R.I.P.: Augustus Owsley Stanley, III Leave a comment
Owsley died in a car wreck near his home in Australia a few days ago. A fan of his work since my first chip of Dead family acid in the early 80′s made the pages and pages of blotter I had swallowed up to that point irrelevant, I mourn his loss as should all of you. If we had 500 mg of this stuff in the freezer today, Jackie and I would be set for the next 20 years (that’s 1000 Saturdays X 2 people X 250 μg/person) . Any offers?
Sure Fry, Swindon Leave a comment
The executive decision has been made to call all British fast food reviewed here a “kebab,” for the purpose of tagging. “Fish and Chips” will also be included as appropriate, but for now if you follow the kebab links you will get anything designed to absorb alcohol and prevent or alleviate a hangover.
The visit to the Sure Fry was for none of those reasons, though. We had done a lot of shopping and I was just starved. The chippy is just a couple of blocks down from the house and I figured this would be the best accompaniment to a cold Foster’s prior to putting up some garden gates and fence posts (the fence panels to be delivered sometime next week). I arrived at 2:10 pm but the hours say they close at 2…the happy proprietor didn’t seem to have a problem with my tardiness and fried up a fresh batch of chips and cod for me and although the batter was a bit bland the fish was fantastic and the chips adequate.
Portwell Angel, Faringdon, Oxon Leave a comment
Exiting the Faringdon Budgens with my bottle of chianti for supper just as the bus passed by, I comforted myself with a pint of Cotswold Cider in the Portwell Angel, another basement bar next door to the Old Crown. The pint was tart, astringent, and very, very good…this was the best cider I’ve had in months. The hostess and the only other punter were friendly as we swapped NHS stories and talked about the best place to sit when the next barrel gets tapped (the barmaid is a barrel-tapping virgin). I think sitting right up front with an empty glass is the way forward, but, alas I was done with my current glass and unlikely to miss another bus. Hopefully some video of the event will turn up on YouTube.
The Old Crown, Faringdon, Oxfordshire Leave a comment
An explosion in a lab at work late Friday led me to leave a little early for the bus. As we entered Faringdon, I figured whattheheck? A nice pint is just what I need to erase the memory of the heavily bandaged colleague being loaded into the meat wagon. The basement of the Old Crown seemed a perfect venue.
They only charged £2.15 for a pint of Hancock’s, but it is ale happy hour from 4-7pm. The place was quite warm and cozy with a huge fire blazing in the iron stove in the fireplace. It seems like a locals’ place, but everyone seemed friendly enough.
Upon drinking up, the loo beckoned and I was able to explore some of the narrow passageways in this 16th century coaching inn (and former courthouse) while looking for a urinal. Finding one, I tidied up and headed out into the open courtyard and found a half sized door in a gate leading back onto the square, with 5 minutes to spare before my bus…plenty of time to graba a bottle of wine for supper down at the Budgens.
The Royal Blenheim, Oxford Leave a comment
We had doctors’ appointments and some legal stuff related to the wreck to attend and, not knowing the duration, I took a vacation day. Lunch didn’t happen as planned at the Royal Blenheim, but I have to commend the selection of ales (7 or 8 taps including the delicious Village Idiot–the pub is owned by the White Horse Brewery). A very nice and, I think if the Thursday afternoon traffic was any indication, underused pub.
On-Inn Ale and My Last Oxford Hash Trash (unless I do more) 1 comment
Hey, I’m now no longer an Oxford Hasher (having moved house deep into the heart of North Wilts HHH territory) and so I feel it is inappropriate to comment on the trail (at least on your own web site, and moreover: I lost my username and password). Besides, I never found the trail anyway. Apparently, trail didn’t go anywhere near the Perch but finished somewhere between the Bengal-Spice-Non-Takeaway-Nor-Even-Eat-In-Can’t-You-See-I’m-Busy-You-Filthy-Infidel? and, with a little effort, the Punter.
The On-Inn was special…well, I got a down-down as a returner but the On-Inn Ale was the real treat. Malty with a peaty aftertaste that I hope is okay to drink, the Oxford Hash has these bottled for themselves and their visitors. The only way to get one is to find the end-of-the-trail and the only way to do that is to show up at the start.
The Punter, Oxford 2 comments
A few meters south of Bengal Spice I spotted the only flour blobs of my first hash post-accident. Making a note of the location, I followed the road into the Osney Industrial Estate and then back up the waterway toward Osney Island where, as I had hoped, I found the Punter which, like the Perch, has a deserved rap as a [shudder] gastro-pub. However, it seemed much more a pub and not just graced [sic] as it was by a proper…PROPER…drunk at the bar (two, in fact, once I arrived).
And, the gastro part was done properly, as well, in that it provides elegant and tasty versions of traditional pub fare: I had a Scotch egg that was sublime and served with something called piccalini which, I think, was the spicy and chunky pickle chutney I poured, cretin-like, over the mixed greens garnish and used my pint of Marstons to wash it all down.
The drunk at my immediate left, Stevenh (he said it was spelled with an ‘H’), had been arguing with another, somewhat less emotional bloke about the cast of ‘Zulu.’ “Who’s that other guy, NOT Michael Caine, what was in ‘Zulu?’”
“It was a cast of thousands,” were the last sensible words I was able to get out of my mouth. But, I learned all about Stevenh’s brother’s trips to New York and Kansas and how important an actor Christopher Walken is. I have GOT to go back to this spot, soon.
Bengal Spice Takeaway, Oxford 2 comments
Too late to catch up the start of the Oxford Hash, I needed some nourishment. I spotted Bengal Spice, and Asian takeaway that has kebabs on the menu posted in their window.
I don’t know if they actually have kebabs, though, because after a full ten (10) minutes listening to the owner, or manager, or whatever-the-fuck he was supposed to be bitching about how he is losing trade due to any number of reasons
…none of which were, “WE IGNORE HUNGRY, PAYING CUSTOMERS STANDING PROMINENTLY IN OUR OTHERWISE EMPTY STORE,”
I continued south to see if I could find the On Inn…and then kill off the rest of the remaining time in another pub.
The Perch Inn, Oxford 2 comments
I guess I forgot how hashing works. I knew the trail was starting at the Holly Bush but couldn’t actually get away from the labs in time to go there directly, so opted to shortcut. This is always a dangerous proposition but there was a lot of damp property to the north and enough wooded area to make an interesting trail…and it was close to work.
The Perch was a welcome sight on the horizon
AND, it was close to the Perch, a pub I’ve never before visited. It appeared on the edge of the meadows and I made my way over without spotting a single blob of flour. Fair enough, at least it looked like a proper, large, country pub.
I enterred the large front dining room (there was a couch near the fire, but it was definitely a dining room), and was greeted by a dutch waiter sitting a table with another foreigner in waiters’ blacks. Well, I assume he was dutch from the accent and from the inch of head he left on my pint of Jennings Golden Host.
The pint was okay and the rooms pleasant enough, but nothing about it said “traditional pub;” not the lack of drinkers’ congregation area (or drinkers–a guy came in an ordered a Virgin-fucking Mary), nor the landlady, Magda or Marta (hard to tell from van de Voort’s accent), nor even the decorating touches straight out of Architectural Digest.
And, so, off I trotted south on Binsey Road.
Tap and Barrel, Swindon 2 comments
Update: here is a related, obliquely, link –> http://1pumplane.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/crossposting-of-carling-119-diamond-jubilee-treason-if-i-was-a-citizen/
The Tap and Barrel is an Irish themed pub in a largely immigrant neighbourhood just the other side of the rail from mine. I was down there, post run, to stop in the Halal butcher and to do some fruit and veg shopping in the many open air shops…thirsty work, indeed. A pint of Guinness was calling me from within this large inn.
At 47 minutes, Liverpool 2, ManUnited 0
Typical Irish themed pub that it is, I was served by the Polish barmaid and then settled in to watch the Liverpool/ManUnited match along with a large group about evenly made up of Pakistanis, Turks, Poles, Africans, Caribbeans, and a few native Englishman. Oh, and the children of many of these folk, although this doesn’t really have that ‘family’ sort of feel. It is a bit dank (which I like) and there is a scent of stale, spilt drink faint enough that you forget it, but which might be off-putting when you walk in. There are cast iron columns holding up heavy exposed timbers and the building feels historic; this is a really good, authentic local boozer for a really good, local street. Go visit soon, I’ll be the skinny, white American with the Guinness mustache…say, “hi.”
I love the way you can gamble on ANYTHING here. More than 20 months off there are already odds on the American Presidential Election. These are worth watching and I’ll update it over the course of time…place your bets at Ladbrokes (okay, this link is for real, as well).
Politics / US Presidential Election
Election winner
Time : Nov’12
Event : 2012 US Presidential Race
Selection Odds
Barack Obama 8/11
Mitt Romney 7/1
Sarah Palin 14/1
Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels, Chris Christie 16/1
Jon Huntsman 20/1
Hillary Clinton 25/1
David Petraeus, Newt Gingrich, Haley Barbour 33/1
Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio 40/1
Joe Biden, Ron Paul, Bobby Jindal, Rudy Giuliani, Eric Cantor, Jon Thune, Rick Perry, Paul Ryan, Scott Brown, Rand Paul 66/1
Mark Warner, John McCain, Rob Portman, Tom Ridge, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Sam Brownback, Mike Pence, Gary Johnson, Michele Bachmann, Stanley McChrystal, Tom Coburn, Michael Steele, George Pataki, John Bolton, Herman Cain, Jim DeMint, John Cornyn, Bob McDonnell 100/1
Fred Thompson, Dirk Kempthorne 125/1
Brian Schweitzer, Al Gore, Charlie Crist, Russ Feingold, Charles Roemer 150/1
Mark Sanford, Lou Dobbs, Dick Cheney, Carly Fiorina, Howard Dean, Bob Riley, Roy Moore 200/1
Sharron Angle 250/1
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