770. Sat 3/8/19: The Cricketers, Caddington

Beer: Sharp’s Doom Bar 4.0%

Doom Bar. DOOM BAR… sorry..

The cricket is on down The Cricketers, it’s not on at The Chequers. So, I’m suffering Sharp’s Doom Bar, rather than enjoying Sharp’s Atlantic over the green.

Ashes first Test, third day, England are 371-9 and doing well… (it doesn’t end well).

There’s a dozen or so people in here – youthful local lads – reasonably excited about the cricket. Their noisy conversation echoes around the back bar, the content of which suggests they know even less about the game than I do.

552. Sat 24/11/18: The Cricketers, Caddington

Beer: Sharp’s Doom Bar 4.0%

The Cricketers has its own quirky charm but, this drab autumnal afternoon, filled in with cloud, I’m not feeling it. I’ve just walked from the office, through the park, to Caddington for a haircut. I’ve time for a swift couple… but decide to drink up and cross the green again for a second at The Chequers.

Doom Bar tends to assist that kind of decision.

The pub is dark, the big screen is showing England v Australia rugby. There’s about a dozen blokes here to watch it, noisily and laddishly. Bawdy bantz bores the pants off me. I’ve no interest, so sit by the door, next to the pool tables, watching the smokers pass by for a fag out in the garden.

I sup up and leave.

804. Sat 5/10/19: The Chequers, Caddington

Beer: Fuller’s London Pride 4.1%

Surely the shortest my hair’s ever been prior to a haircut.

I’m coming down with a cold, I think, just days before a holiday. Typical.

The weather, though overcast, is mild autumnal pleasant, so I decide to take my pint into the beer garden. They’ve got a nice raised, decked and covered smoking chalet round the back and as there aren’t any smokers I sit in there.

It’s reasonably calm and quiet: the only sounds emanate from a noisy kitchen extractor fan, the cars on the Luton Road and aeroplanes descending into the airport.

There’s a big old spider’s web to my left. The big old spider therein has managed to catch a wasp, and is busily wrapping him/her up to devour later. It’s quite a scene… I try and take a few pics of natural historic significance.

London Pride suffers somewhat from boring ubiquity but served well, as this is, easily knocks spots off the likes of Doom Bar (and anything Greene King brew).

805. Sat 5/10/19: The Cricketers, Caddington

Beer: Sharp’s Doom Bar 4.0%           

It’s veritably bustling in The Cricketers this Saturday afternoon. Blokes sat at the bar, younger blokes flitting between the pool table and the big screen. The Town are losing (at Derby).

It’s cold in here.

The man in charge is putting logs on the fire. The fire is far too small to heat such a big pub, but it’s aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, the wood fire imbues the place with lovely smells – and wood cracking on a fire is aurally pleasing too.

That’s all well and good – the big old screen provides a service too. Shame about Doom Bar. Shame about the Town.

Stephanie returns from the hair salon and we leave.

769. Sat 3/8/19: The Chequers, Caddington

Beer: Sharp’s Atlantic 4.2%

The Caddington (pre-haircut) dilemma. The Chequers is the better pub, with better beer: The Cricketers tends to be more interesting. The Chequers has a tiny little telly in a tiny little room screening sport: The Cricketers has a huge great screen (and several tellies) screening Sky Sports.

I wander over the green to The Cricketers at first. The first Ashes Test is on but… Doom Bar. I cross the green again and order a pint at The Chequers.

Atlantic and Doom Bar come from the same brewery – is Doom Bar so inferior, or has ingrained prejudice stymied my judgement?

The tiny little telly room in The Chequers is dark. The telly is off.

An inability to watch sport in a pub should never be regarded as a “clincher”. The beer is fine… but the pub is packed, there’s only one spot available: an arm chair in the middle of the dining area. On the table (where I’d sit, if the place was empty) is a family group: Mum, Dad, teenage kid and considerably younger kids. All kids vie for attention. They do so reasonably, commendably, politely – but relentlessly. They don’t annoy, not much, not really, but I start to weigh up pros and cons before deciding on supping up and moving on.

There’s a wedding party emerging from the church next door. The groom is a big old fella… his bride is neither. He’s done well. The fair is on the green. I dodge the dodgems and walk on to The Cricketers.

804. Sat 5/10/19: The Chequers, Caddington

Beer: Fuller’s London Pride 4.1%

Surely the shortest my hair’s ever been prior to a haircut.

I’m coming down with a cold, I think, just days before a holiday. Typical.

The weather, though overcast, is mild autumnal pleasant, so I decide to take my pint into the beer garden. They’ve got a nice raised, decked and covered smoking chalet round the back and as there aren’t any smokers I sit in there.

It’s reasonably calm and quiet: the only sounds emanate from a noisy kitchen extractor fan, the cars on the Luton road and planes descending into the airport.

There’s a big old spiders’ web to my left. The big old spider therein has managed to catch a wasp, and is busily wrapping him/her up to devour later. It’s quite a scene… I try and take a few pics of natural historic significance.

London Pride suffers somewhat from boring ubiquity but served well, as this is, easily knocks spots off the likes of Doom Bar (and anything Greene King brew).

676. Sat 30/3/19: The Cricketers, Caddington

Beer: Gales Seafarers 3.5%

Plum for The Cricketers over The Chequers this pre-haircut pub trip, largely because they tend to have the Jeff Show (Jeff Stelling, anchor of the Sky football results show) on. They don’t have it on. The big screen is full of bloody Formula One qualifying.

A handful of people are in, apparently enjoying it. At least one has a phone logged into football results which he announces to his mate, who only seems interested in the Premier League.

I’ll be off to The Chequers after this. The beer alternative is what I ordered or GKIPA or Doom Bar. This is very small beer but, credit where credits due, it’s not bad at all.

Anyway, I sit back by the pool tables and smokers garden.

As I ready to leave my phone reports Town have gone 1-0 at Bristol Rovers. Collins. I clench teeth, make a fist and shout “COME ON TOWN”, quietly.

553. Sat 24/11/18: The Chequers, Caddington

Beer: Twickenham Naked Ladies 4.4%

Nice, I suppose, to have two very different (both potentially decent) pubs in Caddington. I’m normally drawn to The Cricketers, but the beer and clientele weren’t up to much today – so I hopped back over the green.

It takes too long to be served. I’m stood self-consciously waiting between two old locals. One has a couple of dogs, one of which farts in my general direction. Owner berates dog “he’s a dirty bastard”; “nah”, say I “he’s alright”, trying to down play the olfactory offence which, none the less, since I was upwind from the hounds rectal emission, was pretty unpleasant.

“Who’re Luton playing?” says the old boy. “Gillingham” I reply – but he’s not talking to me – he’s talking to the other aforementioned local to our left (who is watching the England v Ireland rugby match score through an “app” on his phone which replicates Ceefax… he could watch it live down The Cricketers). “Who cares?” he replies.

Eventually, thankfully, the barlady notices me and I’m served. Nice pint too. And nice to take a seat away from the codgers.

Drink that, have a wee in the (newly, nicely refurbed) lavs – pop back over the green for a haircut.

590. Sat 5/1/19: The Chequers, Caddington

Beer: Moorhouse Pride of Pendle 4.1%

Pre-haircut (my hair is getting very short these days) visit to Caddington. I generally prefer The Cricketers to The Chequers, but am put off by Doom Bar. It’s always Doom Bar. I’ve gone right off Doom Bar.

Beer at The Chequers is better. This Moorhouse is very decent.

Get my pint and go and sit in the dining (erstwhile pool table) area. It’s good for looking out onto the village green, but the folk on the table behind are too vociferous for a weekend afternoon: a couple and another bloke – they talk business, both back home and in Spain. They appear to be over enthusiastically talking up their similar (monied) midlife crises. They’ve got projects and properties and employees all over. They’re probably younger than me.

The conversation is relentless, feverish, positive/desperate. It’s strikes depressing on different levels. They’re going to be fine; maybe we all are. They appear to have the finances, but lack the temperament, to slow down and step back from careers that have defined them as people whilst stealing their souls.

I’ve never possessed temperament required to get up to any vocational steam and have thereby remained relatively skint… but have thereby been able to amble, to occasionally stop to smell the roses.

The roses and the hops and, after a couple of pints, the hairspray and styling putty too.

677. Sat 30/3/19: The Chequers, Caddington

Beer: Sharps Atlantic 4.2%

It’s a beautiful early spring day – the sunlight pours into the erstwhile pool room at The Chequers where I’m sat. The beer is good, great considering it’s Sharps, the Town are 1-0 up at Bristol Rovers and I’m haircut bound.

In the meantime, along with this somewhat rushed pint, I’m watching the BBC sports pages and texting my football pals. Luke has managed to live screen the match into his home…

Apologise for this low content report… what else was there? The beer was a bit lively at the point of dispense: meaning I was stood at the bar, somewhat lemonlike, for longer than I’d have wished. A bloke at the bar is watching Man U v Watford on his device. All this less than legal live screening of football is very widespread these days. The bar lady is young and tattooed, she serves someone else to give my pint time to settle. The pub is reasonably well populated: no one at the tables where I sit, but the old regulars are stood round the bar and there’s a few families outside in the beer garden.

Town end up winning 2-1. Barnsley can only draw at home, and Watford lose 2-1 to Man U. I get my hair cut shorter still.