1102. Fri 6/8/21: The Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Leighton Buzzard Restoration 4.6%

Low key, just AJK and I, evening out dans l’Briqs. We see the last of the watery late summer sunshine out in the garden, playing Stockwood Discovery Centre Top Trumps. It’s a great game. I win.

We discuss television series which I should be watching. I’ve missed What we do in the shadows thus far, it’s suggested I address that as soon as poss.

We discuss what I regard to be the odious default position of the Great British Public in kowtowing to them that are assigned to be our betters. Generation after generation we do it. My brother suggests that, personally, he does not. He bloody does. And he knows it.

Town at home tomorrow, at a match we’re all going to. This is just a nice little drink on the evening before we return to a home match-day routine which has been denied for well over a year. It will likely be quite emotional.

The beer is good, and relatively strong and we end up talking about Ken Russell and Michael Winner.

1102a. Fri 6/8/21: The Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Nethergate Melford Mild 3.7%

Friday night. No L8s this evening. I settle in the back bar, though TPK wants to sit in the garden. It’s too hot for him indoors. 

TPK produces a pack of ‘Luton artefacts’ Top Trumps. It’s an excellent, excellently rubbish game. We play. I get lumbered with a few naff objets de ville, such as ‘outside toilet,’ ‘though with such poor ratings, this and ‘bee skep’ are exchanged with some regularity. TPK ends up winning.

Back indoors. We check, and the quiz machine’s still playing up. Nick’s hoping for sunshine and a good day for the football tomorrow.

1112a. Sat 28/8/21: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Tring Pale Four 4.6%

After the last home game, and a 0-5 drubbing from Birmingham City, the mood in the pub before the Sheffield United match is strangely upbeat. Some chat, too, about the reverse fixture up at Blades Lane, or whatever their ground is.

Where’s JtCF? Where’s PtMF? AW and Bobby are in and raring to go. And here’s Ceej and SRW. There’s less of a feeling of rush and anticipation than we had for the first two games back, which is understandable. Though with Sheff’s losing so many games in their ill-fated last season last time, and they’re not starting so well this season, there’s surely a chance for a Town win…

1104a. Sat 7/8/21: The Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Nethergate Azza Hatter 3.7%

Post football. A resounding win for the Hatters, who crushed the Posh, 3-0. The Town were never in any kind of trouble (except for a Sluga ‘moment’), but once we got going, we looked very, very good.

PtMF calls us as we’re skipping up Midland Road. Go straight to the garden, he says. He’s spot on; it’s wedged indoors, but it’s also a bad call – we’re soon cowering under an umbrella, trying to get protection from a sharp shower. We talk about getting under cover for ages before we do, then take a table in the garage, behind Michaela and her wonderful Culture Club.

We chat about football, as one by one, Ceej then TPK (sans scarf) leave. More wittering with PtMF.

As I’m leaving I tell Maz, again, that I wasn’t around Luton in the 1990s, so can’t contribute to one of her projects, themed around Luton in the 1990s.

Michaela’s leaving town soon, so I ask her who’s going to look after culture. She suggests Clod Mag and the Luton Haiku. She really should know better…..

1113a. Sat 28/8/21: The Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Oakham Inferno 4.0%

Back from the game. Town nil, Sheff Utd also nil. Not a bad game, and we acquitted ourselves pretty well, and should have won, frankly. Never mind. There’s always next week. Except that next flipping week’s an international break.

Balls.

We sit outside with our beers. Lovely. I try and persuade TPK to stay as long as possible, as I’m going to a gig at The Hat Factory. He has one more pint than he might have done had I not asked him, but I’m stranded. Unti Aga comes along. He’s up for some evening entertainments, which is all dandy.

1101. Thu 5/8/21: The Wigmore Arms, Luton

Beer: Sharp’s Doom Bar 4.0%

Not fair, is it – to moan about a pub’s beer when, on approaching the bar, we note and bemoan the lack of any ale apart from DOOM BAR, and get to chatting to the manager – moaning about DOOM BAR, ‘cause he knows we don’t like DOOM BAR, but it keeps well – but now we’ve had an affable little chat with the manager it would be rude to leave. So, we order a couple of pints of DOOM BAR. You’ve got to support your local don’t you?

Well… we don’t find ourselves here that often these days… but this is Steph’s local, not mine.

Still, it’s a good thriving local; plenty of folk here at 6:30pm on a Thursday evening. One doubts that anybody has come here specifically for the DOOM BAR.

The weather outside is dreary – dreary like DOOM BAR.

That all peevishly said, its all very nice and convivial inside the Wiggy… if only I liked Stella Artois. I’ve nothing against them that do. I’ve nothing against anything here, to be honest apart from…

Been using this latest notebook for exactly one year. Covid. They normally last a few months.

1111. Fri 27/8/21: The Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Hook Norton Hooky Gold 4.1% , Adnams Ghost Ship 4.5%, Leighton Buzzard Golden Buzzard 4.1%

I arrive prior to AJK and SW. They’ve been to some “do” at The Leaside. It’s a leaving do. I don’t know who is leaving what.

Back dans l’Briqs, all is very nice and convivial, there’s a decent selection of beers on too. The early chat is reasonably high brow, before the beer and my banality kick in. We discuss Ernest Hemingway, according to my notes. I can only imagine the company were captivated by my contribution to that conversation. Steve leaves…

My brother and I retire to the back bar and I get the chess set out. It’s quite surprising how quickly beer intake can louse up one’s chess playing. I lose.

We get embroiled in chat with Brickies Quizmaster Nicky about our Brickies quiz regime. Nicky’s very generous view is that the Rex Horton Quiz Team is a good one, is good value when we attend – and that we should come along more often. We’re flattered, naturally, but can’t really concur nor commit to coming along more often. I think our annual attendance – Spring equinox, summer solstice, Autumn equinox and Christmas Quiz – is special because it is only the four times a year. Our next quiz is due in about a month (see episode #1135).

1105c. Sat 14/8/21: The Bear Club, Luton

Beer: Three Brewers Gold 4.0%

Live music returns to The Bear. After pre-lockdown closure announcements, the re-birth of live music at the club is a thing to be grasped and held close to the chest, like a psychotic mother guarding one of her young. 

Tony Kofi and his excellent band are letting fly with their Cannonball Adderley show. I don’t remember the spoken narrative passages, a couple of which appear in a couple of tunes. They feel a little unnecessary, but aren’t a problem – there’s a real fire in the playing and a really happy, attentive feeling in the club.

I end the night chatting to Justin, and ‘coming by’ one of Tony Kofi’s gold pens, which he’d bought for band members to sign their merch with. Kofi’s gone before this pen’s bestowed on me. I already have the album at home – should I take a pic of SRW’s cover and fake the signatures on my it?

1104. Sat 7/8/21: The Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Adnams Broadside 4.6%

LUTON TOWN            3-0       PETERBOROUGH UNITED

Good, football, innit? Town were bloody ace this afternoon. Fan-bloody-tastic. And, again, like at the Horse – and the Kenny – and back at the Bricks – its odd that though we haven’t been able to do this for 18 months (because of the Covid pandemic); things seem mostly back to normal. Not that we don’t hugely appreciate that feeling.

Also back to normal at the Brickies is the big match rugby dynamic. The rugger buggers (Gawd bless ‘em) have packed out the main bar – the big telly bar – it’s South Africa v The Lions – (spoiler alert) it doesn’t end well.

We traipse into the garden. That’s fine, until the heavens open – at which point we scurry into the newly appointed garage seating area, which is only half populated with a hearty delegation of Luton Labour types. They’re alright, we’re on solid nodding terms, they’ll tolerate us. It’s cosy, a little dark, in the back of the garage.

There we chat the usual rubbish. Beer is very good. I decide on a couple of pints – could’ve stretched it to three, but it’s quite strong stuff, then went back up to Steph’s.

1106. Wed 18/8/21: The Rising Sun, Slip End, Luton

Beer: Farr Brew Rusty Stag 4.8%, Farr Brew Farr’s Apart 4.8%

Another (balmy) Wednesday, another “meet you down the pub at six” visit to me Dad. Another battle with Farr’s Rusty Stag. It’s not great, again, tonight – I plum for Farr’s Apart after that, it’s bright and hoppy and far better.

Before DGK’s arrival I peruse the literature from his wine club. They seem to know their stuff, but seem unaware of the depth of my pockets. All seems very nice, but largely irrelevant to (lower middle class coattails) me.

Wine out the way, I open up my haiku notebook. I’ve not submitted a batch of South Bedfordshire inspired verses for almost a month – and find myself entirely uninspired this evening too.

The old man arrives and talks upcoming European train travels.