A few thoughts and some beer-related stories

We’re back in strange and rather uncertain times again, something that seemed unlikely back in late summer, but as a work colleague of mine delights in saying, “We are, where we are.” I agree and there’s no point, especially at the moment, in trying to explain or to apportion blame for the situation we find ourselves in.

I’ve been away from the blog for a week now, due to a rather pressing family matter that I’ve had to deal with. I won’t elaborate further, at present, but it wasn’t an event that was totally unexpected. All will be revealed in due course, but for the time being I just want to take a step back and reflect on some of the things that have been going on during my absence, especially those affecting the world of beer and brewing.                                                 

The obvious place to start, is the petty and spiteful ban on pubs selling alcohol to takeaway. For many establishments this represented something of a lifeline, and the loss of this trade now, must seem as yet another kick in the teeth. The reason being is that groups might congregate outdoors, in order to consume this takeaway beer, thereby mixing with others and breaking the ultra-strict lockdown rules.

How utterly absurd! Has no-one in government given a thought to how cold it is outside? It’s certainly not relaxing in a beer garden type of weather. Have they also not thought that if people really wished to meet up and consume alcohol in this fashion, they could pick up a few tinnies or the odd bottle or two from their local supermarket?

This kind of muddle-headed thinking and inconsistency is not helping the fight against the virus, and neither is it encouraging people to adhere to the guidelines. We’ve witnessed exactly the same sudden changes in policy when it comes to schools – the main source, in my view, of the increased number of infections.

Let’s move on to another story, and one that is a particularly sad one. It concerns Cardiff based brewer, SA Brain, who are/were the largest independent brewer in Wales. The company has been particularly hard hit by Covid-19, and had already leased its 156, mainly wet-led pubs, to national brewer, Marston’s. Now it looks like Marston’s will be supplying beer to the Brain’s tied estate once pubs are eventually allowed to reopen. This has raised a large question mark over the future of Brain’s own brewery; a state-of-the-art facility that only commenced production in 2019. 

Veteran blogger and CAMRA activist Tandleman, has written an extensive and informative article about the problems that Brain’s are facing, and you can read it in full by clicking the link above. I posted my own comments on TM’s post and apart from the obvious condolences over what is happening in Welsh brewing, I picked up on a point made by the author, that I want to elaborate on further.

TM highlighted the hypocrisy of a significant number of so-called “beer lovers” who bleat on about struggling railway arch and man in a shed brewers, whilst ignoring the plight of the remaining family-owned brewers. Many of the latter have a long an impressive history, along with an equally fine reputation, but such firms are being squeezed from both sides.

They find it increasingly hard to compete in a market dominated by large national and multi-national brewing concerns but are also coming under pressure from many of the much more recently established brewers – the proverbial “man in a shed brewers” mentioned above.

In a bid to even things up, the government are looking at scaling back the rules governing Progressive Beer Duty; a sliding scale of duty rated based on barrelage. These regulations were originally brought in to assist the small breweries survive in a market where the “big boys” held most of the cards.

As is often the case with well-intended legislation (some might call it interference), it was some of the long-established family-owned brewers who started feeling the pinch. Unable to compete with the discounts offered by the national and multi-national chains and finding themselves undercut by many of the micros (due to lower duty costs), many family-owned concerns found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. Talk about the law of unintended consequences!

The government’s response has been to order a review into the whole system regarding beer duty, with a view to levelling things up. This has unleashed a sh*t storm of epic proportions, particularly amongst supporters and lovers of micro-breweries.

I’ve come across this myself, and have fallen foul of some of the younger, and more radical members of the local CAMRA branch. A small, but significant number of these more fanatical members have been calling for a boycott of established family brewers such as Adnams, Badger, Harvey’s and Timothy Taylor's, because of their support for a levelling up of beer duty.

A couple have even described Sussex’s oldest and finest brewery as “Evil Harveys,” making snide and childish remarks every time the brewery name crops up on the WhatsApp Beer Socials group.  Although I’m no longer a CAMRA member, I have pointed out that CAMRA exists to promote and encourage ALL brewers of Real Ale, regardless of size, quality or provenance, so such behaviour is counterproductive.

I’ve also reminded the individuals concerned that, back in 2019, they were willing enough to participate in a tour of Harvey’s, drink the copious amounts of free beer provided, and partake of the excellent buffet that the brewery laid on for us. Now they describe the brewery as “evil,” talk about hypocrisy.

This type of behaviour really annoys me and deserves calling out, but I know I am not alone in noticing an increasing snobbery creeping into CAMRA circles. Well respected brewers who kept the flag flying for cask ale during the dark days of the 1970’s, are now being shunned and even disparaged in favour of the newer concerns, with their hop-led and heavily citrus-infused “more exciting” ranges of beers.

Pulling these two thread together, I want to end with a story concerning another family-owned brewery, that was once held in the highest regard by CAMRA. The brewery concerned is Yorkshire firm, Timothy Taylor’s, and the news is that due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, which have resulted in all UK pubs being forced to close, the company has ceased producing cask beer until further notice.

This news is hardly surprising as cask ale and pubs are inexorably intertwined, but it’s not all bad as the Keighley-based brewery will continue to brew bottled beer to support the retail side of the business, which includes their own online shop. The majority of the brewery’s workforce will be furloughed during this period, with only key members of the team working part-time to keep the business active.

So, here we have a medium sized brewery that’s doing what it takes to keep itself afloat during these unprecedented times. Would you describe them as “evil?” I know I wouldn’t.

Looking back over the Christmas break

I mentioned in my last post that I might have news of an exciting new development. Well, there is something to tell you, but I’m going to keep you in suspense that little bit longer. It concerns a project I’ve been working on for several months, but it’s not quite finished yet. This is despite me making good use of the large amount of spare time that I’ve enjoyed over the Christmas – New Year period.

The holidays, as our friends across the pond would call this period, come to an abrupt end tomorrow, when two members of the Bailey household – myself and son Matthew resume the daily grind of our respective workplaces. I’m looking forward to it, in a perverse sort of way, although by the end of the week, I might be singing a different tune, but with nowhere to go, and no-one that I’m allowed to meet up with, it will be good to see some different faces and chat to people who don’t number amongst my immediate family.

Let’s get Christmas and New Year out of the way first; even though it was a period of considerable over-indulgence. Our rather large, free-range, Norfolk bronze feathered, turkey crown from Waitrose, ended up providing main meals for four days, along with the odd turkey sandwich or three! The meals encompassed a traditional roast turkey dinner on Christmas Day, cold turkey (and ham) with bubble & squeak made from the left-over vegetables on Boxing Day, Thai chicken curry the next day, and finally a rather nice turkey and ham pie that Mrs PBT’s knocked up on the fourth day.

By way of a change, we enjoyed a roast beef dinner on New Year’s Day, and last night I drove down and picked up fish and chips. Our usual excellent chippy, which is run by a friendly and sociable Turkish family, was closed, so I resorted to another Fish & Chip shop this side of the station.

Given its location, I’ve used it a few times, on my way home from a night out (remember them?) just to pick up a bag of chips that I probably didn’t need, so I knew it was OK, but it actually turned out to be excellent, with the cod fillets fried right in front of me. The family were impressed too, even though the length of my absence led them to believe I’d been kidnapped by aliens!

As for the rest of the food mountain, I’ve been quite careful not to consume too many mince-pies, even though I am rather partial to them. I’ve also only had one helping of Christmas pudding, and not too much cheese either. All rather tasty, but not good for the waistline!

On the booze front, I mentioned before, there’s probably enough beer to literally float a battleship, but here again I’ve been quite abstemious. One unexpected, but nevertheless very welcome present, was the gift of a 5 litre mini keg of Larkin’s Porter. It is still sitting out in the cool of the summerhouse as I write, and I estimate I have got through just over half.

One of the really special beer indulgencies I treated myself to was a takeaway container of Harvey’s Christmas Ale. I picked it up, the weekend before Christmas, and decanted what was not needed for immediate consumption, into a couple of those swing-top, re-sealable bottles – like the ones Grolsch used to be packaged in.

I sampled some over Christmas, and it was pure nectar. With a rich deep ruby-red colour, an equally rich malty base topped off by a background of peppery hop bitterness, this was a beer to sip and savour. Harvey’s devote a lot of time and attention in order to bring this beer to perfection, and their efforts certainly paid off with this year’s batch.

On the reading front, as forecast, I finally finished the twelfth and last book in Anthony Powell’s brilliant sequence of novels, “A Dance to the Music of Time.” This captivating account of life amongst the various echelons of English high society, although fictional, covers many key events defining the sixty years from just before WWI, to the mid 1970’s.

With a cast of over 300 different characters, the novels provide a fascinating insight into a way of life that often bordered on Bohemian, whilst at the same time keeping up an appearance of respectability. Narrated in the first person through the eyes of a jobbing would-be author called Nicholas Jenkins, who in many ways is modeled on Powell himself, the book has been my constant bedside companion since the summer of 2019, accompanying me on my first visit to Poland, and a cruise across to Belgium – back when we were able to undertake such ventures.

The ending at first seemed rather strange and almost an anti-climax, but thinking about things further, it was probably the best way of drawing the novels to a close. If you’d been writing a lengthy novel that taken up 25 years of your life, you too might be keen on finishing it. That’s if you could let it go, of course.

This brings me onto a TV series I have been catching up with. The BBC’s production of Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” novels has been first class; being both breathtaking and spellbinding in its scope, landscapes and storytelling. Having missed its showing on TV (I don’t get much of a look-in where television is concerned), I binge-watched several episodes, back-to-back on BBC iPlayer.

There are two installments left and I’ll probably leave now them until next weekend. Having enjoyed the luxury of lying in most mornings over the festive season, Monday morning is going to come as something of a shock. An early night is therefore in order, so I’ll take this opportunity to sign off and wish everyone all the best for 2021.

Welcoming in 2021

First spoiler alert! There are no references to pubs, beer or travel in this post.

Second – Happy New Year to one and all.

Third - It’s out with the old and in with the new, or whatever you’re supposed to do at the start of a New Year. There’s nothing I wish to add to 2020, apart from saying what we’re all thinking, which is good riddance, even though, realistically speaking we’re still some way off from turning our backs on Covid-19.

However, without dwelling any further on that particular topic, I want to move on as there are a number of areas, I’ll be working on in 2021, but before going any further.

Second spoiler alert - I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, as they don’t work for the vast majority of people, including me. It’s reckoned that only around 10% of people who make such vows at the start of the year successfully implement lasting change in their lives, whilst the other 90% fail.

The main reason is people set unrealistic goals. Achievements such as losing weight, running a marathon, stopping smoking, or becoming less stressed, whilst desirable, and even respectable, are also unrealistic. These types of goals invariably overwhelm the people who set them, leading to frustration and, ultimately, failure.

They almost certainly would work, if they were broken down into smaller, more achievable, and less daunting goals, but that’s not how most people approach them. So, not wishing to go down that road I’ve written out a wish list instead for the coming year, particularly as 2021 will see me reaching a significant milestone in my life.

In mid-April, I will qualify for a state pension, but whether I decide to take it, or postpone it for a few years, remains to be seen.  Mrs PBT’s will reach the same pension milestone in September, but she’s already fortunate to be drawing a pension, thanks to a decent final salary scheme, she was enrolled in, before becoming a mother.

She’s also one of the so-called WASPI women; the group that missed out when the government raised the retirement age for women, to match that of men. It’s a sore subject, especially after the group lost their High Court appeal against HMG’s decision not to make pension payments for women adversely affected by the change, so I shan’t say anymore on the subject – not that she reads this blog!

I am in the fortunate position of being asked to stay on at work, either full time or part time. I don’t wish to brag, but with nearly 15 years’ experience with the company, it appears they still need my knowledge and skills. The company is currently in a state of flux, having endured two years under a General Manager who was less than satisfactory.

That’s being polite but wishing to put the whole sorry saga behind us, we now have the chance to start afresh and make a real go of things. As well as losing our GM, we also witnessed the departure of our highly experienced and well-regarded QA/Regulatory Affairs Manager. This was an unfortunate part of the whole debacle surrounding the man at the top but is where I fit into the equation.

Whilst my current position is in Quality Control, rather than Quality Assurance, the two are related and I do have a fair amount of experience regarding the latter. One of my first tasks in the new year will be to recruit a suitable individual to fill the Quality-Regulatory position. Once appointed, he or she will need time to settle in, and again part of my revised role will be to assist and facilitate that process, as smoothly as possible.

If all goes according to plan, I should be able to take more of a back-seat position by the time Mrs PBT’s reaches state retirement age in September, so will then look at going part-time. Ideally, I will drop down to working just three days a week, Tuesday – Thursday. The company directors have already agreed this in principle, and me doing this will allow me two extra days each week to do the things that are important to me, whilst keeping my mid active AND still bringing in an income!

We will see how this pans out, but it’s important to not only get the work-life balance right, but also to plan for the future. So, with this in mind, there are several quite specific areas I want to address over the coming months. Apologies if it’s all rather boring domestic stuff, but with government’s nannying draconian restrictions still in place, I might as well use the time as best I can.

Here goes. My current car needs replacing; almost certainly with a small SUV that will be easier to get in and out of – more important for Mrs PBT’s at present, but after a lengthy drive (when that’s allowed), I too find getting out of the driving seat rather an effort.

Moving on.  A new pair of glasses is required. I had an eye test back in the summer, but due to the close fitting and facial measuring, that choosing a suitable pair entails, I decided to leave this task until the pandemic is on the way out.

A new pair of walking boots is also required. Yet again there are concerns over close contact with other people, whilst getting my feet accurately measured, followed by trying on several different pairs of boots. It’s not a job to be rushed, so in the meantime, I’m going to “make-do and mend” and re-glue the detached soles, back onto my current pair.

There are then several unfinished jobs around the house that need looking at, including a proper and appropriate floor covering in our new kitchen and dining area. To our shame, the kitchen was fitted out in 2008, and whilst the dining area is primarily used as office space by Mrs PBT’s, bare chipboard is not the most attractive floor covering.

The “old” kitchen, which is in the original part of the house, needs stripping out and the room converted to an office area, leaving the current office section to revert to its intended use as a dining area. Not that we normally sit down at a table to eat our meals, or anything, but it would be nice to have guests round (when Nanny allows) and do things properly!

Last, but by no means least, the stairs and landing area needs decorating, and the small roof above the living room bay-window, needs some attention.

All these “projects” and new toys will require funding; hence my decision to carry on working, but one fortunate by-product of not going out, or going away is, like many people who are still gainfully employed, I’ve managed to tuck away a reasonable amount of money to help ease me into retirement, when the time comes and I do eventually hang up my spatula.

If you’ve managed to read this far without losing interest, or falling asleep, thank-you for your indulgence. Normal service will be resumed with the next post, which might even contain news of an exciting development.

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2020 - The Year in Beer

In normal times I would be putting together my annual review of what I describe as, “The year in beer and travel.” Unfortunately, with you know what about, there’s been precious little travel and, apart from the honourable exception of the first quarter of 2020, most of the encounters I’ve had that involve beer, have been those that have taken place within the confines of my own house or garden.

I covered the rather limited amount of travel I undertook, in my previous post, and looking back at some of the headings I’ve used in past reviews, there’s inevitably going to be a lot of blanks.

So, no brewery visits and no best beers abroad – unless Scotland and Wales qualify in this category, but there were still some much-treasured highlights that brightened up an otherwise dull year. A year which saw the British people subjected to some of the most draconian restrictions ever imposed by their own government; restrictions that surpassed and continue to surpass those passed during times of war.

Best Beer on Home Turf

This has to be the first pint of Harvey’s Sussex Best, enjoyed in a pub, shortly after they were allowed to reopen, back in July. The pub where this joyous reunion took place, was the White Hart at Newenden; a village with the River Rother running through its heart, so that it straddles the border between Kent and Sussex. The White Hart is a lovely old, white-painted and part weather-board clad pub, virtually opposite the village church and at the bottom of the hill, just before the ancient stone bridge across the Rother.

On one of the hottest days of the summer, I stopped off there with son Matthew, for a pre-booked meal. As we sat in the garden at the rear of the pub, waiting for our cod and chips to arrive, I took a few mouthfuls of the delectable pint of Harvey’s in front of me.It was pure nectar, and almost worth the four month’s wait. Cool, refreshing and well-conditioned it was everything I’d expected, and more! As I was driving, I was unable to have another, and had I been scoring it would have come out as a 3.0 – 3.5 NBSS. 

Best Beer Abroad

I’m not sure whether Scotland counts as “abroad,” although if the nation’s First Minister has her way, it might eventually become an independent country. Two things though, Brew Dog is a Scottish brewer, and their bar at Edinburgh is definitely on Scottish soil, so the pint of the brewery’s Indie Pale Ale I enjoyed with my work colleague, whilst waiting for our flight back to Gatwick can count as my best, and only, beer abroad during 2020.

Best Beer Festivals

I didn’t think I’d been to any beer festivals during 2020 but looking back I attended the Winter Beer Festival held at Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Club, at the beginning of February. In normal times it wouldn’t have featured that highly, but as it was the only event of its kind I experienced, it’s worthy of a mention.

Looking back there were 24 beers on sale, the stand-out ones for me being:  QPA, a very drinkable 4% pale ale from Quantock Brewery (not exactly just down the road), Five C’s APA a 5% American Pale Ale from 360º Brewery of Sheffield Park (much more local) and Goa Express a 5.2% “Chai Baltic Porter” from Dark Revolution of Salisbury, (somewhere in-between in terms of local).

A comment  posted at the time, sums up the event quite nicely, especially the last sentence. "As well as friends from CAMRA, we bumped into two couples, plus assorted hangers-on who we know from the days when our children all attended the same primary school. Tonbridge is that sort of town!"

Best Locations to Enjoy a Beer

Worms Head Hotel - Rhossili. In the absence of anywhere more exotic and given the paucity in the number of places visited, I can think of few better, or indeed more appropriate places than the Worms Head Hotel, at the westernmost end of the Gower Peninsula.

Perched at the landward end of the Worms Head; a rocky promontory shaped like a giant sea-serpent that juts out into the Bristol Channel, overlooking the sweep of Rhossili Bay, the hotel is the ideal location to watch the waves come crashing in on the magnificent sandy beach, far below.

When it’s blowing a gale, as it was when Mrs PBT’s and I visited in early February, sitting behind one of the hotel’s large picture-windows, enjoying a pint of locally brewed, Gower Gold, whilst protected from the elements, has to qualify for one of my best locations this year, or any one for that matter..

Elms Inn – Burton-on-Trent. The other location was a difficult choice but, I settled on this one during our Proper Day Out in Burton-on-Trent, at the beginning of March. In a town blessed with a preponderance of excellent pubs, the location of one of them stood out above the others. The pub in question was the Elms Inn, an attractive Victorian establishment in a semi-rural setting, on the opposite bank of the River Trent, from the main part of Burton.

The Elms was packed when we visited, but we still managed to get a seat in front of one of the large bay windows, overlooking the river. With an excellent pint of Draught Bass, a friendly and mixed clientele, plus the company of some fine fellows, what was there not to like?

Bucket List

Looking back at last year’s post, I mentioned a desire I had to visit every European country. In 2019 I crossed Poland off the list, and had been looking at Norway and/or Sweden for later in 2020.

Those trips didn’t come off for obvious reasons, so my total still stands at 17 countries from an official list of 51. I dispute this figure, as it includes countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Russia. The first three are technically in Asia, as is the bulk of Russia, even though it is considered a European state. (Andora, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican are also included amongst the list of European states, but in all honesty, they are too small to make a special visit.)

There was, however, an item I could cross off my list and that was enjoying a pint of Draught Bass at the Coopers Tavern in Burton-on-Trent. This classic, unspoilt, 19th-century ale house dating from the early 1800’s, was originally used as a store, before becoming a sampling room and then the unofficial brewery tap. It was licensed as a public house in 1858, and remained as the Bass Brewery tap until 1991, when it was sold and passed through a succession of owners, until its acquisition by Joule's Brewery in 2008.

The Cooper’s had long been on my list, but despite several previous trips to Burton-on-Trent, I’d never managed a visit. I finally stepped inside this legendary pub back in March, when it was the penultimate stop on the “Proper Day Out” in the town and was not disappointed.

Best Days Out

Burton-on-Trent. No surprises that the “Proper Day Out”  in Britain's premier brewing town,  with a group of excellent fellows from the Beer & Pubs’ Forum, should feature as THE best day out I experienced in 2020.  Around half a dozen of us, drawn from various parts of the country, spent an enjoyable day visiting some of the Burton’s top pubs. I wrote about this memorable meet-up in the previous post, so won’t repeat myself here, but with a scarcity of other material, it’s difficult not to. 

Minnis Bay. A scorching hot, mid-September day without a cloud in the sky, wasn’t the best day to be travelling on Kent’s overcrowded roads, especially towards Thanet, but we received an invitation from Mrs PBT's brother and his girlfriend to join them for a few drinks and a meal, at a place called Minnis Bay; a sandy beach a short distance along the coast from Birchington,

We had a pre-booked table, on the front terrace of the Minnis Bay Bar & Brasserie, a large box-like Shepherd Neame pub, overlooking the beach. We enjoyed a nice meal, which included homemade beer and onion pie for me, a decent pint of Whitstable Bay Pale, plus a good catch up with family. For a while, all was fine with the world and things seemed to be getting back to normal. Little did we know!

North Downs Way

Over the course of late spring and early summer, I spent several days filling in the some of the sections I’d missed along the North Downs Way.  These included walking from Wrotham to the Vigo Inn, and then onto Cuxton, followed by a further day’s walking from Blue Bell Hill to Cuxton. 

Finally, in mid-October, I spent two glorious days walking from Charing to Blue Bell Hill; a journey that included an overnight stop at the  Black Horse pub at Thurnham.

Between Christmas and New Year, I’d planned to walk the seven mile stretch from Wye to Charing, which would have virtually completed the Kentish section of this long-distance footpath. Unfortunately, poor weather, and the fact I haven’t yet replaced my worn out and knackered walking boots, has rather hampered this plan.

Personal

A few last thoughts, before finishing. The additional time afforded by the first lockdown, allowed the chance to reflect and perhaps even re-evaluate

one’s life. Being away from the nine to five treadmill gave people time to ponder on what’s important in their lives. Was it the relentless pursuit of money and material wealth, or are things like health, happiness and general well-being of far greater value?

I wrote the following words back in April, but only stumbled upon them again the other day. To me, they sum up some of the positives from that strange period in all our lives. For what they’re worth, I’ve reproduced them here.

“There was blue sky aplenty and the sun was shining down as we sat looking out over the garden. “Isn’t it quiet?” remarked my wife. I agreed, the background roar of traffic on the nearby A21 was absent, there wasn’t the usual regular whine of jet engines overhead, from planes bound for Gatwick. Instead, there was nothing apart from birdsong and the sound of the odd fastidious gardener mowing the grass.”

“Our garden has been our salvation; our quiet oasis at the back of the house, our sanctuary, respite and escape from the madness occurring in the outside world. It might need a little tender loving care, including a new fence, that’s being dealt with at present, but we’re so lucky to have somewhere to enjoy the natural world, without setting foot outside of the house.”

On that note, let’s see what 2021 brings. Happy New Year everyone!

2020 - that was the year that wasn't

It’s certainly been the strangest year that I can remember, and I’m sure the same applies for virtually everyone on the planet, but for me at least, 2020 started out with the highest of expectations. However, as we approached the end of the first quarter of the year, it became abundantly clear that 2020 was going to be rather different, and not in a good way!

For once in my career, I started out by planning my time away from the office carefully, rather than just drifting into the year, and fitting in my holidays around other people. One of the downsides of being head of department is the need to ensure that adequate cover is provided by your section, at all times.

When that section is the Quality Control Department, having suitably qualified individuals available throughout the working year, is essential, as any hold-ups in the approval of incoming items, the carrying out of in-process checks, or that all important final release for sale, understandingly has an adverse effect on company performance and customer satisfaction.

There are those who plan their holidays with meticulous detail and, in one particular case, well in advance for the whole year. Others take a more relaxed approach and one that might be governed by external factors such as school holidays, or when their significant others are able to book leave.

In previous years I have worked around the requirements of my staff, only to find some of the best slots taken. So, even before the calendar changed at the end of 2019, I was in there with my plans. First, a short four-day cruise in early May for Mrs PBT’s and I, on the Queen Mary, across the North Sea to Hamburg; a city I have made two very brief visits to, but never really had the chance to appreciate, let alone explore properly.

The second trip was an equally short trip towards the end of the same month. This was to be joining a group of “beer enthusiasts,” many of whom are members of Maidstone CAMRA, on a short break in western Bohemia. The intention was to base ourselves in the city of Pilsen (Plzen, in Czech), and then to drink our way around as many local breweries and brewpubs as possible.

I have been on several previous trips with this group, visiting Jihlava (Czech Republic), Düsseldorf and Bamberg, and they were all highly enjoyable. Son Matthew was due to accompany me, having been on a couple of those previous excursions, and was really looking forward to it, especially after missing out on a holiday the previous year.

Finally, Mrs PBT’s had floated the idea of a visit to Austria, later in the year, accompanying her eldest niece on a trip to meet up with her estranged father. That sounded a bit “heavy” to me, but my role was going to be making the travel arrangements, acting as interpreter (not really necessary) and just going along for the ride but, as we all know, things turned out quite different and one by one we slowly watched our holiday plans crumble into nothing.

When the pandemic really stated to hit, and the first national lockdown was imposed, I wasn’t surprised to learn that our cruise would be postponed. Discussion then ensued amongst the members of the Pilsen tour group, and a decision reached to postpone that trip as well; this time until 2020. There was a hitch with this plan, tied in with the decision of the majority of the group to travel by rail. The option for replacement tickets, issued by Eurostar, had to be fulfilled by the end of March 2021, so that was the date set for the revised trip.

March wouldn’t have been my choice for a trip to Central Europe, especially knowing how changeable the weather can be at that time of year, and now, with only three months to go, March 2021 is also looking increasingly unlikely. I haven’t heard from the organisers, but I strongly suspect that once again the trip will have to be rescheduled.

The Austria trip never got beyond the “loose idea” stage, although possibly later in the new year, it might get off the ground. Despite this, and totally oblivious of what was to come, at the beginning of 2020 I embarked on a couple of trips away, although neither of them was for pleasure.

During the first full week in January, I accompanied our Business Development Manager on a trip to Scotland, to help give a presentation to our largest UK customer. The latter are based in Dundee, so that was to be  our destination and whilst I would have preferred to travel there and back by train, my colleague thought that flying would be the best and quickest option.

I’m still not convinced of the latter, but as this was his call, I went along with it. So, come Monday morning, I met him at Gatwick, and as we were travelling light with cabin baggage only, we headed straight for the Club Lounge. Being a "frequent flyer," at least until the pandemic stopped play, my colleague enjoys a few “perks” which include preferential treatment at various affiliated airports.

For a small additional fee, he was able to include me as his guest, so I joined him to see for myself how the other half travel. It was all very civilised and light years away from what a friend of mine would call those travelling “steerage.” Most importantly there was no queuing for something to eat and then scrambling to find a table, or just somewhere to plonk one’s behind down.

Instead, we were given a choice of where to sit, and then had the option of a well-stocked, breakfast buffet-bar to choose from. I didn’t pig-out, as I’d had my usual toast and marmalade before leaving home, but the bacon was rather tempting, as was a small plate of scrambled egg. Less tempting was the prospect of a beer, but as my colleague so wisely observed, “It’s always five o-clock in the afternoon somewhere in the world,” so as alcoholic beverages were also included, we each had a beer.

A quick Easy Jet flight to Edinburgh, sitting right at the front of the aircraft, saw us amongst the first off the plane, and with no baggage to wait for, and no passport control to pass through, we headed down to the car hire area, at the far end of the terminal, to collect our pre-booked vehicle.

My colleague drove us the 60 or so miles to Dundee but taking the more westerly M90/A90 route disappointingly meant missing out on a crossing via the Tay Road Bridge. Instead, we arrived in the city from the west. There’s not too much to say about our stay, apart from the presentation going well, some useful business contacts made along with good feedback on the company’s products. The people were warm and welcoming, with no signs whatsoever of any animosity being shown towards two visitors from south of the border. Best of all, the breakfast menu at our hotel, included kippers – yes!!

The following month saw Mrs PBT’s and I heading west, along the M4 into South Wales. The reason for our trip across the River Severn was to attend the funeral of my great aunt, who’d passed away at the ripe old age of 97. We journeyed down the day before the funeral, booking a couple of nights at one of the two Premier Inns in Llanelli, as although my aunt had spent the bulk of her life living in nearby Swansea, the funeral took place at Llanelli Crematorium.

The following lunchtime, and just prior to the service, we were joined by my younger sister who’d travelled down from Nottingham; a journey only a few miles shorter than ours. Eileen and I had used the morning for a drive around the nearby Gower peninsula, scene of many happy childhood holidays, so our mini-tour was a spot of pure nostalgia for me – even though I’d forgotten how narrow some of the roads were and how steep the hills were too. You can read more about my return to the Gower, here.

Despite their obviously sad nature, funerals normally afford the chance of catching up with family members, some of whom you might not have seen for decades. Aunt Margaret’s send off was no exception and after the service, we headed to the local British Legion Club, for the wake. No cask beer of course, but the plentiful cups of tea that accompanied the buffet, were most welcome.

I spent time reminiscing about those childhood holidays in the Gower, with my late aunt’s four daughters, and also had a chat with her brother, who had given the eulogy at the funeral.

Uncle Wynn was my mother’s cousin, and I remember she was very fond of him. Having the opportunity of talking and listening to him reminiscing about when he lived in London and knocked around with a group that included my mum and dad, was both enlightening and comforting - in a strange sort of way.

Meanwhile, the world was slowly starting to take note of a worrying respiratory infection, that had started as a purely local problem in a city in central China that few westerners had heard of.  When I casually mentioned at the wake, that I had visited China the previous year, people pretended to shy away, but it wouldn’t be that long before we were all avoiding one another for real.

There was one last trip though, before the brown stuff rally hit the fan, and that was the excellent “Proper Day Out” that I spent in Burton-on-Trent, with the “Real Pub Men” of the Beer & Pubs’ Forum. Around half a dozen of us, drawn from various parts of the country, spent an enjoyable day visiting some of Burton’s top pubs.

Those selling the town’s legendary beer – Draught Bass, featured highly on the itinerary, and special mention should be made of the Elms, the Burton Bridge Inn and the iconic Cooper’s Tavern, a pub that had been on my bucket list for quite some time. The company of my fellow pub and beer connoisseurs was first class, and to top it all the sun shone all day. That was in sharp contrast to the more or less incessant rains that the nation had endured during the previous three months.

Little did I think that the farewell pint I had with the group, at the Roebuck, prior to catching the train back to Kent, would be my last pint in a pub until early July, as events moved very swiftly after that. The spread of this novel Coronavirus was beginning to dominate the news, and whilst it wasn’t particularly bothering me at the time, I did start to be a little more wary of crowded situations.

For example, my train journey to Burton at the end of the first week in March, involved that cross-London fiasco that affects all rail journeys originating from south of the capital. I toyed with the idea of walking from Charing Cross to Marylebone station to avoid the congested underground, but as my reduced-price ticket, involved travelling on specific timed trains, I wouldn’t have made my connection.

Given my relatively early start time, the underground wasn’t too crowded, although I did notice a couple of people of south-east Asian extraction, wearing masks. Later, whilst on the Chiltern Line service to Birmingham, I swapped carriages at one of the intermediate stations, as there was a passenger, a few seats away, coughing his lungs up!

The rest as they say is history, and nine months later there seems no end in sight to the pandemic. There were some bright moments back in the late summer-early autumn, when pubs and restaurants were allowed to reopen, albeit with certain restrictions. I took advantage of this four-month window to make a visit to see my father, in his Norfolk care home. I wasn’t allowed to set foot inside the home and had to talk to dad through a partly opened window, but at least I managed to see him.

In October, I walked another stretch of the North Downs Way; a journey that involved an overnight stay in a pub. Enjoying an evening meal plus a few pints in the cosy and comfortable setting of an historic old inn, followed by a full English breakfast the following morning, brought a brief sense of normality to the proceedings, but unfortunately it was not to last. 

Another national lockdown, followed by an increasingly irrational Tiered system of restrictions, has meant no pubs or restaurants in Kent have been allowed to open since the beginning of November. A sad state of affairs, that is bad enough for us punters, but obviously far worse for the hapless owners of these businesses.

I’m not sure now how and when this is going to end, as there have been far too many false dawns, and broken promises. The vaccination programme that is starting to be rolled out, should offer some respite, coupled with the fact that pandemics eventually fizzle out of their own accord. One thing’s for sure, I don’t intend on making any holiday or travel plans, any time soon!