It’s Good to Talk...”You Know What I Mean...?”

BT’s ad campaign drummed it in to us that talking is good, especially when it is on their phone lines and filling their company coffers.  However it wasn’t so popular a prospect during a recent pub visit...




This is The Albion pub in Winchester, owned by Flowerpots Brewery. It’s a classic old street corner pub, and, as it is close to the train station, it seemed like the obvious final port of call on this particular Winchester wander before catching the train home.



At the bar there was the selection of Flowerpots champion beers to choose from, as well as Langham Brewery’s ‘Arapaho’.  I decided to have a Perridge Pale and packet of Pipers...and sat down at a proper pub table...



The pub wasn’t very busy, just a few people scattered around...


...including Chas...

...that’s Chas sitting at the bar in his camo shorts, fingerless cycling gloves, mirrored sunglasses and Batman cap.  Chas likes to talk...and before my backside had landed on my chair he was talking to me, and he never stopped for the next half hour...

I enjoy talking to people in pubs but Chas was a little bit different.  Apparently he is a 50 year old ‘gamer’ who behaved and talked like a 17 year old, and who finished most of his sentences with, “you know what I mean”, though I have to say most of the time I didn’t, as he rambled on about gaming, and Batman conventions...

I did manage to understand that...

....he came from Basingstoke,

...next to his Mum, his first love was the Titanic

...he usually drank real ale, but was currently drinking cider because of the hot weather...

...the guy sat nearest to him at the bar, had no intention of being talked to by Chas, and made it clear by responding with an aggressive “What?” a rebuttal which even Chas understood...so he carried on talking to me...

The Perridge Pale was very good, and helped me to cope with Chas’ chat, but the half an hour soon passed, Chas finally finished his half of cider, and announced he would have to go...

By way of a distraction I picked up the beer mat and had a look at it...



....”Is that a Black Rat cider mat?” asked Chas in an excited voice that sounded like he’d just seen the last Batman collectors card he needed for his set, and he came over and picked one up.  He then asked the barman if he could have it, and receiving the barman’s agreement stuffed his treasure in his bag and prepared to leave.

Chas shook my hand, said his farewells to everyone who wasn’t listening in the pub and was gone...
...the tense atmosphere in the pub lifted immediately,  everyone looked at each other and there were smiles and spontaneous laughter of relief.

The barman came out of hiding at the far end of the bar, and explained that he had been keeping out of Chas’ way for at least an hour.

No-one can say that pubs aren’t about the people...and despite his slightly inept social skills, it was hard not to like Chas, a nice guy... friendly, well meaning, but in his own virtual reality...

On the way out I noticed the sign on the pub wall...

Blue Plaque...

...I was convinced, but I couldn’t help wondering whether they’d really ever left....

Footnote...
You may have thought that this post couldn’t get any stranger, but shortly after publishing it I had a lovely email from Alan ‘ Howling Laud’ Hope who is the leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.  Alan said that he was pleased to see that the plaque was still in place, in all its glory, at The Albion, and continues:
“I was in Winchester for 10 days in Nov 1997 with Screaming Lord Sutch who was standing in the By Election. Sutch never stood again as he died in June 1999.“

Alan is also a member of CAMRA, and naturally I am very honoured that the leader of a proper political party has read my blog.

Long live the OMRLP....!