European Tour

Today we head off on a brief European Tour. Which naturally starts, as all good trips do, at the kennels in Ruddington. Then it’s to East Midlands Parkway where we get the train down to St Pancras. After a brief respite for a pint in the Parcel Yard at King's Cross we then get the Eurostar to Brussels. Which is possibly our last trip through before Boris bricks up the tunnel.

We are accompanied by Rachel Abbott and Stranger Child, on audio naturally. This is book four in the series of which I have read all three previous ones, L has read just the one. It’s not often I can brag about things like that.

We arrive at the Brussels Midi station and check into the local Ibis. Then it’s a matter of finding a decent bar. My research had detailed the Moeder Lambic Fontainas bar as being the best option and my research wasn’t wrong. The bar was listed as having one of the widest ranges of beers on tap in the country and there was an extensive menu on the table waiting for us, as well as a specials board. 

 We order far too many beers and also a plate of meats and cheese to try to soak things up.

It's an excellent night and we may have both avoided a next day hangover had the hotel not been offering Leffe Brune on draft, which is something you just don’t see in the UK anymore...

(Thursday 2^nd June)

Hidden Depths

Second day on the bike and now everything is throbbing. What I need is a nice reviving steak casserole in the pub at lunchtime but they have none. Fish and chips has to do but at least they have Nottingham’s own Tuck Porter on.

Tonight L runs up to Ruddington for Kettlercise. She always wanted to know what you can get up to with a kettlebell and, well, now she knows all the moves.

It gives us the chance to revisit one of the haunts of old, the Three Crowns pub. So opponent and I head there for our post-match pint or his case, post-match glass of water. I hope they do good water because the beer has been a bit naff there for a while. It was good once.It's nothing special tonight.

I lose 1-4 at squash but three of them were close, really close. I console myself with that thought and the fact I’m starting to feel a lot fitter as I limp home afterwards. I also discover that my conqueror is now an award winning author, having won a short story competition on the internet. Very well hidden depths.

(Thursday 19^th March)

Belly Flops

We’re at a dog show at Catton today. Our first run is a good one from MD but he belly flops a pole, so 5 faults. Then we have a big long wait before he has three runs back to back straight after lunch. There are no clears among them but only one shocker, which is progress. Then even Doggo gets eliminated by going in the wrong end of the tunnel, I didn’t see that one coming.

Daughter is working again, another trial shift back in Nottingham at Ruddington, so she stays overnight with us.

She always say that MD doesn’t recognise her when she comes home which isn’t true of course but we tell him to make an effort tonight. Actually I think he over does it, so I hope she noticed.

We stay in tonight, stay AF and munch on the pasta. It’s the Great Nottinghamshire Bike Ride tomorrow. 

(Saturday 21^st June)

The Laws Of Profitable Economics

An end of the year pub lunch today but not at the Brunswick, which is not serving food despite a packed pub as they again, defy the laws of profitable economics. Instead we’re at the Waterfall, drinking their dodgy beer, in their empty pub but at least they’re serving food.

Later, I win a game in our final squash match of the year. So my knee is clearly improving a little.

L meets us at the Leisure Centre. She was originally going to walk the boys up but it's too wet for the pampered pooches. So I take them in the car. Instead she runs there but is late arriving. She has some fantastically inventive story about helping a blind man buy a train ticket from Leeds or something.

We then head for an end of season curry at the Three Spices in Ruddington. The Three Spices is in the back of the Three Crowns pub, which used to be a really good real ale pub but it’s lost its way recently. Six ales but nothing you’d go out of your way for. They even sell born again Shipstones. A beer I spent a large proportion of my youth trying to avoid. So we give it a go. It’s different to what I remember but it’s still not an experience you’d want to repeat terribly often.

The curry however is excellent and no one is put off their food as we recount the tale of Doggo and the scarf he ate, the 12 year old puppy that he is. The scarf that we then had to assist in the re-emergence of, intact, at the other end of his digestive system. In fact everyone seems to be finding it quite hilarious and not at all revolting. He's going to be the talk of the Christmas dinner tables.

Then I queue for 45 minutes on Derby County’s website to buy Chelsea tickets for my brother which go on sale at midnight. It’s proving to be a popular game. 

(Thursday 19^th December)

Back In The Day

There’s a bit of a debate about which film to see tonight. Lincoln was favourite but as neither of us have heard of anyone whose managed to stay awake through it yet. Personally I've struggled to stay awake through the trailer. We decide to give it a miss.

Instead we head out to Ruddington’s Three Crowns pub which has the Three Spices Indian in the back. Known for its good beer, or at least it was when I used to go there after squash back in the day before they closed the courts at Clifton. Only actually eighteen months ago. Not tonight though, Nottingham EPA is their best offer and I’ve never been a fan of blondes of any description. Although perhaps I shouldn’t be so derogatory as it was one of the runners ups in this year’s Champion Beer of Nottinghamshire competition.

Curry wise. Excellent starter, excellent naan, veg rice disappointing, curry middling but possibly down to my choice. Cheap in price, so would do it again but there are better options. 

(Saturday 9^th February)