A quick catch-up

I’m conscious of the fact that it’s almost a week since my last post, but the truth of the matter is there hasn’t been that much for me to write about. Re-phrased, that perhaps ought to read, there hasn’t been much happening that I care to write about, despite having a couple of posts in draft stage, and one that is fully complete, and ready to go. That particular one relates to my visit to Greenacres Woodland Burials Centre on the outskirts of Norwich, where I went to pay respects to my parents at their final resting place. I haven’t hit the “publish” key yet, primarily because it’s a rather personal piece, which is totally unconnected to the principal themes of this blog, which are beer and travel.

I could argue that my visit to Greenacres, was what brought me to Norwich in the first place, and whilst I certainly made full use of my time in the city, there are many other towns and cities in this fair land of ours that I would prefer to visit instead. Nothing against Norwich, of course, but it’s a city I am quite familiar with and one which, not always for the right reasons, I associate with my parents in their twilight years.

The truth is, I’ve been feeling a little maudlin of late, and also rather tired. I’m not sure why I should feel this way, although I've been kept rather busy at work. I did find those four days in Cologne, manning the company exhibition stand, very tiring, as each day involved a nine-hour session where I was on my feet and also under artificial light, for much of the time. If I’m asked to help out at the next show – in two years’ time, I shall request a 3-day maximum stint, but 2025 is a long way off at the moment.

Because of feeling knackered, I rather uncharacteristically skipped this year’s Good Friday Ramble. I’d been having second thoughts regarding this 8-mile hike, which might seem surprising revelation for someone who undertook a 12-mile walk from Guildford to Farnham, last September, in order to complete the North Downs Way. Now that was heavy going, especially towards the end, but with that in mind, shouldn’t an 8-mile walk be a doddle?

It depends on circumstances, and the actual time frame involved. I had all day to complete that final NDW section, and there wasn’t the obvious distraction of a lengthy pub-stop half-way through! Three or possibly even four pints, together with a substantial meal, would lay heavy in anyone’s stomach, and I remember well the effect that just a couple of lunchtime pints, plus a sandwich can have on one’s ability to get going again. This doesn’t just apply to me, and I think it’s true that the first mile or so, after resting in a pub, really is hard work. It’s often better to stop for just a short break, say 15 minutes maximum, rather than anything longer.

I remember this effect from when I walked the equally lengthy South Downs Way. That was a decade and a half ago, and unfortunately those 15 years do make a difference, especially as I get nearer to my 70^th birthday! I’ve got a couple of years to go yet, but backing out of the Good Friday Ramble was a case of discretion being the better part of valour. My final excuse is, that as a slow walker, I often find myself struggling to keep up with the rest of the group, and for this reason why I usually prefer walking on my own.

It's a shame, as I was looking forward to catching up with old friends over a beer or two, whilst enjoying a bite to eat, at a pub I rarely frequent. I did check the public transport options before taking the decision to cancel, but the timings weren’t on my side. The ramble involved a hike of just over 4 miles to the Darnley Arms, from Cuxton rail station, and then a return walk of a similar distance, back. Surely, I thought, a substantial village such as Cobham must have a bus service, and indeed it does. Unfortunately, there was no service on Good Friday, which was a shame, as a bus into Gravesend, post-pub visit, would have been the ideal solution.

Instead, I played the dutiful family member and accompanied Eileen and Matthew on a drive down to Uckfield, to visit her sister and her niece. Matthew drove us down, in his shiny-new Ford Focus, and it was a nice treat to be driven, for a change. It would also have allowed me to enjoy a glass or two of beer, but it wasn’t that sort of visit!

On Saturday we called in at Fuggles Bottle Shop in Tunbridge Wells. It’s my birthday next week and Mrs PBT’s took the opportunity to buy a few bottles to help me mark the event. I selected four German, one Belgian and one British beer, as you can see here, on the attached receipt. The Rodenbach Grand Cru should be interesting, as it is a blend of two-thirds mature beer and one-third young beer. The more common, Rodenbach Classic, which is the brewery’s original Flemish red ale, is a blend of one-quarter “mature” beer and three-quarters “young” beer.

As an aside, I visited the Rodenbach Brewery at the town of Roeselare, whilst on a two-day tour of West Flanders, in the summer of 2015. For those who have heard the name, but are unfamiliar with the beer, Rodenbach is a sour beer that is aged for a minimum of two years in giant oak casks called foeders. The foeders are made from 150-year-old French oak, each with the capacity of about 8,000 gallons of beer. There are 294 of these oak foeders at the brewery, and they hold what the company believes is the largest collection of wood-aged beer in the world.

Returning to more mundane matters, I’ve spent much of the past two days in the garden, and was planning a short hike for Easter Monday, but the weather isn’t playing ball. I’ve still got two-thirds of the Southborough to Pembury section of the Tunbridge Wells Circular Walk to complete, but as hiking in the pouring rain has zero appeal, I shall look elsewhere for amusement. 

I will spend some time catching up on the blog, but I need to call in at Tonbridge railway station, at some time, in order to collect my ticket for Friday’s outing to Birmingham. Now that is something I am really looking forward to, and I can combine my visit to the station, with an escape to the pub.  So, until the next post, TTFN.