Great things about pubs

There are many great things about pubs, but great pubs can change lives. A perfect example of this is when I was asked if I fancied going somewhere for a beer with a bloke who worked at the same place as I had did. Over thirty-two years later, two children and probably hundreds if not thousands more beers together, I can say that a great pub changed my life (and the great beer, of course)

Our lives have changed in less fundamental but still enjoyable ways through pubs (and beer) ever since. For example, the great fun and enjoyment, and travel to distant parts, my husband has had through us becoming good friends with a couple we met in the pub, and several years later he and the chap joined a shanty band. Background to that was the pub quiz my daughter and I used to attend (and I still do) through which we became friends with the couple who we called The Ice-Creams as they had an ice-cream parlour, and became a team together, and are still great friends now!

Husband on the left, shanty friend in the middle, Mr Ice-Cream on the right (they are shantying in a pub, of course)

The quiz! Now there’s another thing about the pub, it was through the quiz we met the Ice-Creams, and it was the same way we met the Am-Drams, the Bleadon Players, a very talented amateur dramatic group who also have a quiz team, and now, in fact, run the quiz. We have been to and enjoyed so many of their performances and are looking forward to their  pantomime in January next. Below is a photo from last year’s hilarious performance:

The quiz! Which brings me back to the point of this post – we have some new quiz mates who we met about a year ago, in the pub of course. They have had an interesting life a year of which was spent on a canal boat, and there is now a book available all about their adventures. The best thing I can do is share their blurb, and this is what Rob and Philippa Perryman wrote to introduce their story:

The misadventures of two new narrowboaters: “A Year On The Frog” is a funny, honest and soul-bearing account of the trials, tribulations and occasional triumph, of two novice boaters who give up security and comfort to live out their dream. Follow them from making their momentous decision to sell up and move onboard, through more than a thousand miles of cruising along the beautiful inland waterways of the UK and onto the next stage of their lives, All set against the back drop of the worst pandemic in modern history.
Throughout their odyssey they faced challenge after challenge and learned much more about themselves than just how to handle a narrow boat
If you are planning your own narrowboat odyssey, this book will help and give you an insight into what lies ahead. If you are already a boater you will love revisiting waterways you know well and learning about some you have yet to explore. You may also recognise, and chuckle at, the many challenges and pratfalls our intrepid boaters faced. If you’ve ever fancied a narrowboat holiday – read on. Finally, if you are an armchair boater then they would love to welcome you onboard The Frog to share their journey.

If this interests you, then here is a link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/YEAR-FROG-Misadventures-Two-Narrowboaters/dp/B0CLJJCS46