20 August 2011

It soothes all my troubles away...

I'm not advocating drinking all your troubles away...that's a line from the song 'I Am A Cider Drinker'. (It also includes the lines 'With me breeches full o' tadpoles,
And the newts between me toes'. I don't advocate bothering wildlife, either.)

There's a pub quite close to where we're camping. It's basically three small rooms - two for drinking, one a 'museum', full of those infamous 'Things In Glass Jars' that Sherlock loves, a lot of fossils and bones, an entire stuffed alligator...well, it's just got all sorts in it. Both the boys have spent quite a bit of time in there.

It's a cider pub, so there are about ten ciders on tap, a few bitters and that's about it. It's stuffed with walkers, musicians, and dogs. A lot of dogs. Which seems like even more dogs, when our two get involved, being massive.

Anyway, it's lovely. Unspoilt by modern life, fantastic views down to the sea, chicken roaming about in the large garden (did I mention dogs?) and utterly relaxing.

Mycroft even let his hair down and had a ginger beer shandy. (Which isn't an extended metaphor for any gay sex act...) If you like ginger beer...and you like bitter, then you should try mixing them.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, the pub sounds lovely! And I must try the ginger beer shandy, that sounds like it's right up my street!

I'm so glad you guys are all having a good time! Thanks for letting us share a bit of it!

John H. D. Watson said...

I was a little worried about the dogs and the chickens, but they didn't even seem to realize they're food. Also your poll lacks an "all of the above" option.

Anon Without A Name said...

he pub sounds like a combination of the lovely (real ales and ciders on tap, eclectic customers, dogs) and the slightly disturbing (dead things in jars, dead things not in jars).

I'm trying to imagine ginger beer and bitter together... and failing. I think I'll stick to stout. (And very glad to hear "ginger beer shandy" is not a euphemism, given that Mycroft is three years too young for any of that, gay or otherwise :-p).

The holiday is sounding lovel, you all seem to be having a wonderful time. How are the boys coping with life in a tent? How are you and John coping with the complete lack of soundproofing?

Also, your poll needs a "done by other people" option, for those of us prone to sinking :-)

Anonymous said...

Outdoor pools always win. I like swimming outside but I'm afraid of sharing space with unexpected animals even fish kind of freak me out. There is nothing living in a like chlorinated pool.

It's a shame that Jamaica Inn no longer has it's museum. It was a great pub and the museum was awesome. It was filled with great stuff in jars like two headed pigs. There were also amazing Victorian taxidermy scenes. There was also a section on smuggling and pirates, in honor of the book. The taxidermy bit was best. You can look at some images here: http://www.acaseofcuriosities.com/pages/01_2_00potter.html

It's fantastic that you gents are having such a great vacation! Enjoy the time off.

Greg Lestrade said...

Yes, happily the dogs have shown must more interest in other dogs, and the chicken are clearly used to the mayhem, so just dart about eating crumbs.

My polls always lack something - sorry, people!

Nameless - it's too sweet for me. But Mycroft liked the ginger beer, and hell, you're only young once. I'd rather he drank with us than did it all when he got to Harrow! (Not that I expect him to end up drunk in the gutter, but you know. Think it's the Italian influence. We were given red wine and water in our beakers, as kids.)

Anonymous said...

I like swimming in the ocean, though I have a fear of dark water. If I can't see the bottom, it scares me. At least with the ocean ( I grew up in Hawaii) you can usually see the bottom or what's swimming around you.

The tide pool sounds like a great place for Sherlock to swim! I have fond memories of catching tadpoles and little fish from the tide pools and bringing them home to watch them grow.

I think you're idea of letting Mycroft have the shandy was smart. My parents always always let us have a little sip of beer or wine. It took all the mystery away so that when we did turn the legal age it was more of a, "Yay, I can have it whenever I want! I'd rather have cream soda."

Amy said...

Sounds like paradise! I bought some pear cider today, which will be refreshing come evening.

I voted for swimming in the sea, because the sea has *waves* to ride! I don't like knowing there are fish near me, but if there's a nice clear bit of sea going boogie-boarding is the Best Thing Ever.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Amy. I'll vote for the sea since I can only pick one. I'm actually not much of a swimmer so pools bore me. But if I can mess about in the waves then I'm happy as can be.

Bronwyn said...

For the best stuff-in-jars I've ever seen, y'all will have to come to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Mutter Museum is amazing. They've an entire wall of skulls all labeled by gender, age and cause of death. So cool. Check it out.

http://www.collphyphil.org/site/mutter_museum.html

A very nice woman there told me where to order the bone sets I use in my forensic science class to talk about body ID and anthropological classifications.
Toodle,
Bronwyn

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great time for all of you! I'm glad you're getting a bit of an escape. I'm not too fond of most alcoholic things, but I love a really spicy ginger beer.

I also prefer outdoor pools, but lakes are nice as well, provided there are no pike. Sea and rivers are fine for wading, but can contain a lot of potentially freaky critters.

Hello, I'm H. Savinien and I've been reading through your blog (and Dr. Watson's) for the past week and a bit. I admire you two and the boys very much.

Rider said...

I like snorkeling, so the sea for me, but in a sheltered area so there's plenty to see.

There's a rocky inlet at a place called Clovelly which is a marine sanctuary. The fish know they are protected and will swim about ignoring you unless they suspect you might have food for them...

http://www.sydneynature.com/snorkel/clovelly.html

If you want to play in waves you can go to the other side of the headland and surf, or mess about just seawards of the inlet proper, but most people are there for sheltered swimming, sunbathing and snorkeling.

Bit cold to go out there now, even in a wetsuit! But should be warm enough by October.

(Obligatory Australian venemous fauna reference: I once saw a Blue Ring Octopus there...)

Kath Ballantyne said...

I moved to Australia when I was about 6 and spent the next 6 years swimming in the ocean, the ocean baths, the lake and out door pools. You couldn't get me out of the water. In those days the indoor pools were terrible with the overpowering chlorine.

I swim through sea weed and with my eyes open and past fish and jellyfish and crabs and turtles.
Doesn't bother me at all unless they're stingers like Blue Bottles (the jellyfish not the flies) or the red algae that itches.

The ocean baths were wonderful because you could splash about and use boogie boards and throw a ball around and not get told off.
They were concrete pools filled by the sea and every month or so they pump the water out and get rid of the sand and seaweed.

I'm a long way from the beach now though and I really miss swimming. I'll have to get back into it.
Indoor heated pools for me these days though as my Fibromyalgia means I can't handle the cold water any more.

Lol. The verification word was dies. Wonder what it's trying to say

Kath Ballantyne said...

Rider: We had blue ring octopus in Newcastle too.
I've been to Clovelly. Mich nicer than Bondi or Manly. I've never known why those beaches got popular overseas. Always crowded with people and no decent waves.
We have beaches that go on for miles I'm not sure why people need to cram themselves into one.
I'd love to go snorkeling

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