No pub for three months and then two within 3 days. What do they say about buses? Well, apply it to pubs. Is happiness in retirement linked to the pub? You decide. We had discussed which pub would be our first visit after lockdown and appropriately it was our local here in Headingley. The second was up at the vineyard although not our local, local, because they were still remodelling, but the one up the hill at Middlesmoor. Still called The Crown so no great difference.
But the first one was last Friday and, after all this time, it was more impulse than a planned visit. As might have been predicted, initially it was a little bit weird. We had to wait a while to come in, standing away from the people in front and the people behind us similarly distanced from us. Then we had to sign in with name and address.
Thereafter it was plain sailing. In fact it was better than the past ‘normal’. I didn’t have to fight to order our drinks at the bar, I was the only person there. We sat outside at our numbered table and the staff brought our drinks to us. We hadn’t booked so we were quite lucky. The next booking wasn’t until 5 o’ clock so that gave us about three hours before we had to vacate. More than enough time for one pint of Stella and a glass of Chardonnay.
Other than that we were sitting in a kind of cubicle, the sun was shining and there seemed to be more staff than customers, all was very pleasant and ‘normal’. You can see this in the photo above although I look like I’m asleep rather than enjoying myself. Still all good until one of the staff rolled a metal barrel of beer past to the ‘garden bar’ (a new addition and a welcome one had we been having a second drink outside). The dogs who had taken to the new arrangement with ease didn’t like the barrel and went a bit berserk. Still they soon settled down again, as did we.
So to Sunday and this time deep in the wilds of North Yorkshire as above at The Crown. This time we planned it better but the outcome was not as intended. This time we intended to have lunch, a late one true but lunch nonetheless. We booked for 4 o’ clock and arrived about half past three so we could have a drink first.
Good plan but what we didn’t reckon on was a power-cut. In July? Yep. So no hot food, just sandwiches and a couple of glasses of wine. We had sat in the actual pub for the drink but weren’t allowed to stay in the same place for the sandwiches, we had to move through to the dining room. That’s different. I’ve included a photo below to show you how weird (that word again) this arrangement was.
We were in a huge room, as you can partially see in photo, just the two of us, four if you include the dogs, only used in normal times for shooting parties. As we were about to leave a party of nine arrived, 4 adults and 5 children. They filled it up a bit but by then we were on our way. So no worries about places being crowded. But I have to admit social distancing went by the board when the children arrived and wanted to pet the dogs. They were from Bristol and Sheffield, don’t know whether they’re virus hotspots. Let’s hope not.
This pub has a nice reputation for having the rudest landlord in Yorkshire so we wondered how he would be under the circumstances. Gone, was the answer. Retired at 75 and either gone back to Lancashire or across the road to his house in the village. Take your pick.
So there we have it. Retirement blog about and drinking in pubs in the new normal world. Definitely some differences and not at all in the manner we had anticipated. But overall it went well and thus far, (it’s now Tuesday) we don’t seem to have caught anything terrible from our adventures. But maybe give it a while before we get too triumphant. There’s always the second wave if this first one doesn’t get us.
Incidentally while we are on the subject of pubs… Before lockdown we used to have a pub meal about once a week. Well the pups loved it so what can you do? I used to worry that the calories involved would increase my weight against which I fight a constant battle. So no pub meal in the last 3 months you might assume this would have a positive effect on my weight. I.e. it would decrease. But not at all, my weight has steadily risen throughout lockdown and not a pub meal in sight. Go figure.