Everyone’s Entourages

L is too ill to parkrun, instead we head up to the Lincoln Green Brewery shop in Hucknall where we pick up several presents and a few bottles for home. Then it’s off to the carpet shop in Beeston to choose a colour and to pay a deposit. L walks the boys home from there, nicely getting me out of throwing balls on the park. 

Something I haven’t time for anyway as Derby have a very un-festive 12.15 kick off against Norwich. A close but uninspiring game finishes 2-2. I do finally get a free ipro drink off them, which is mixed blessing as I don’t think anyone likes them.

On my way home, I visit the Blue Monkey Brewery shop in Giltbrook to get even more beery gifts.

Tonight we head back over to Derby to a Beefeater called the Mallard. A place that looked promising last time we were there until a power cut forced us to leave before we’d even sampled the food. This time it’s not looking so promising, the menu looks very average and we’ve been forced to pre-order. Something I always hate doing. At least after initially ringing us on Wednesday to ask where we were, the place seems to have got us down for the right night now.

All of L’s family are there. Her sister, brothers, parents and everyone’s entourages. Son can’t make it but Daughter puts aside her Toys r Us Christmas headband and hotfoots it over from Manchester, although she won’t make it in time for the meal. I collect her from the train station.

L remembers the antlers. Festive spirit does strange things to folk and I didn’t know we’d booked her a table by herself.

It’s a good night, in a contentious family orientated festive sort of way, just as you’d expect these things to be.

(Saturday 20^th December)

Winter Solstice

Some friends are holding a pagan festival of sorts, complete with Pagan Wassail, to commemorate the start of the winter solstice.

We consider something similar but in the end the only ritual I participate in, and as a mere observer, is as Derby County steamroller another fellow championship club, this time Doncaster, as they record their seventh straight win to go within sniffing distance of the top of the table.

L’s choice of ritual is even better, panto, in Yorkshire, and featuring H from Steps.

She heads up to Sheffield on the train while I drive up later to meet her afterwards, bringing Daughter and a sack full of presents back home at the same time.

Back home and waiting for us is a little Christmas treat. Before the match I’d headed off to find the Lincoln Green Brewery in Hucknall and to pick up a boozy Christmas present. L had asked if I could pick her up a bottle of the wonderful Tuck whilst I was there. Having found the place the proprietor tells me they’re all out of bottled Tuck but they do have nine pint polypins... and it is Christmas... 

(Saturday 21^st December)

A Quiet Revolution

I limp the boys around park, trying to kick their footballs with my good leg without standing on the bad one. Not easy. The calf tightness has eased but my knee is terrible.

L and I get back into the quiet revolution at home. Basically L paints while I chuck things away. I take a load of old CD racks to the tip in readiness for the one big new one I’ve purchased. The spare room looks almost empty now.

We head into Nottingham in the evening and first to the Falcon Inn on Canning Circus, a long standing real ale pub that’s never really been much good for any length of time. Once a Shipstones house, it’s had a variety of owners and a variety of business plans since. None of which have worked.

The one business plan that they hadn't tried was the entitled simply ‘sell good beer’. Enter Hucknall’s Lincoln Green Brewery, who have only been brewing since May 2012, and Adrian Draper, licensee at Fellows Morton & Clayton.

The result is eight ales across the bar and a packed pub. We somehow find a seat and settle in for a session on the jewel of their crown, Lincoln Green’s own Tuck. This is a 4.7% Porter and it’s awesome. Suddenly Nottingham has its own Old Peculiar.

We were originally on our way to the Peacock for some of the aforementioned but honestly this is better. Three pints later we do eventually leave for the Peacock, just for a point of comparison you understand.

We’ll be back soon though; Lincoln Green’s website says that they have two 5.5% ales coming up next. A butterscotch flavoured dark ale and a Christmas cake flavoured winter special.

When we do get to the Peacock the actual Old Peculiar isn’t as good at all, mainly because it’s a bit ‘old’ tonight. We should have stayed put.

We round the evening off with a curry at the Noor.

(Saturday 16^th November)