You spend most of your life thinking it will never happen and then suddenly...it does...
Anyway you may be expecting the ‘birthday edition’ post - and who am I to disappoint...
Having watched excitedly as my ‘60th' sparklers fizzled and died (metaphor there somewhere), I made a wish that was something to do with Hampshire becoming the Draught Bass epicentre of the UK, and blew out the candles on my choc-chip and blueberry birthday muffins...
....only spitting all over them a little bit in my desperation to blow the last one out (well I have reached that age when I am entitled to dribble...)
Naturally, as is their forte, Google wanted the world to know about the significant birthday of a renowned garden hermit and part time pub blogger...
Naturally the trauma of reaching 60 requires real ale, and sticking the pin randomly (several times) in the Hampshire section of the 2018 Good Beer Guide, I finally managed to pick a pub that...
a) I had not been to, and...
b) was not too far away for an old fogey to drive to...
The Rockstone is a lovely old pub and likes to be known as 'the country pub in the centre of Southampton'.
This is almost believable looking at the adjacent Rockstone Lane and its mock gas lamps and old terraced cottages...
...and totally unbelievable looking the other way at Bevois Valley and the chaos of industrial units, eateries, retail units and second hand car dealers...
However despite this ambiguity of location, the pub retains much of it’s original old charm both outside and in...
...and has a fine collection of 'guns and beer' tin signs on display...
The pub has a single room (which was probably originally split into a public and lounge bar) which wraps around the bar in a U shape. On this Friday night it was soon full with people and the noise of conversation.
The Rockstone is known for something else - it claims to do the best beef burgers in Southampton. Certainly they are unusual and creative...including 'pizza style’ and chorizo with chocolate BBQ sauce...
We were efficiently served by the goth waitress with a spiders web tattoo on her elbow, and the burgers certainly lived up to their billing...
...but you don’t want to see the burger - here's the debris....yours truly being the only one on the table to clear the plate...true to his Yorkshire 'big meal' heritage
Oh yes and they had some beer (for those of a sensitive disposition the keg craft beer font is not shown)...
The Plateau Pale from Burning Sky was very good, and though the Mt Hood (Great Heck Brewery) was good, - it had an unusual tangy flavour which was a bit of an acquired taste. To finish the cask ale fest, Hammerpot Brewery’s Oyster Pond Stout was good too.
The Rockstone is a great pub with a great atmosphere and an unusual take on burgers, though it’s probably the first time I’ve had a bill for four burgers and drinks that's easily reached a 3 figure sum...
..and, unlike the micros, there was a distinct lack of flat cap hooks on the bar front...
...so I had to improvise...
The toilets were full of reminders that I'd been there and done that and got old...
although baby changing facilities in the mens toilets - weren't invented in my early paternal years...
So here I am...sixty...
...too old to rock and roll (though sadly no-one has yet told Mick Jagger) and too young to die...
Between a rock and a hard place...
...I need another beer...
..and, unlike the micros, there was a distinct lack of flat cap hooks on the bar front...
...so I had to improvise...
The toilets were full of reminders that I'd been there and done that and got old...
although baby changing facilities in the mens toilets - weren't invented in my early paternal years...
So here I am...sixty...
...too old to rock and roll (though sadly no-one has yet told Mick Jagger) and too young to die...
Between a rock and a hard place...
...I need another beer...
First off... happy birthday!
ReplyDeleteI turned 60 almost 21 months ago. Low key affair, just me and my better half, though my lads did send me a lovely large wooden plaque thingy with the Delirium Tremens elephant in wrought iron and a bunch of 60's scattered all over it. :)
"Google wanted the world to know about the significant birthday of a renowned garden hermit and part time pub blogger..."
I'm impressed! Mine is smack dab between Christmas and New Years so I pretend the icons for some famous bloke 2000 years ago are actually for me. ;)
"...and totally unbelievable looking the other way at Bevois Valley and the chaos of industrial units, eateries, retail units and second hand car dealers..."
Blimey. It's like they're literally just this side of the wrong side of the tracks.
"including 'pizza style’ and chorizo with chocolate BBQ sauce..."
Blimey. :)
"true to his Yorkshire 'big meal' heritage"
I'm guessing you waited till after taking the photo to nick the fries left over by others. ;)
"To finish the cask ale fest, Hammerpot Brewery’s Oyster Pond Stout was good too."
So; when you said 'within driving distance' you didn't mean it would be you doing the driving.
"though it’s probably the first time I’ve had a bill for four burgers and drinks that's easily reached a 3 figure sum..."
Blimey!
"there was a distinct lack of flat cap hooks on the bar front..."
Tsk, tsk.
"although baby changing facilities in the mens toilets - weren't invented in my early paternal years..."
Blimey! (LOL - sensing a trend from me here)
"...I need another beer..."
For me, that will be true no matter what my age. :)
Cheers
PS - "the pub retains much of it’s original old charm"
Since it's your birthday I'm going to let that misplaced apostrophe slide. :)
Cheers Russ - thanks for your birthday wishes and the 'allowed' apostrophe is a great birthday present :)
DeleteI think you've pretty much got me sussed in your comments...no I didn't drive home and yes I was tempted to eat everyone's spare chips...
Very belated 60th and 61st birthday wishes to you (I think I've got that right) - you must have become acclimatised to the '60s' by now...?
The truth about the Google birthday thing is that I think it only appeared on my google screen as a result of me putting my birth date in my google account profile - so I was pretending I was a world renown figure whose birthday was being celebrated by Google too... ;)
"and the 'allowed' apostrophe is a great birthday present :)"
DeleteOk, that made me laugh out loud.
"you must have become acclimatised to the '60s' by now...?"
Yep, will be 62 a few days before the year ends (the 28th). As for getting acclimatised, I think for me hitting 70 will be more of an introspection moment. Health wise I'm doing ok, which certainly helps. (besides, my wife decided to take it upon herself to have the health problems right as I turned 60 so it won't be my turn till I hit 70) ;)
As for Google, never knew that. I think my birthday is in my profile. Will have to check the Google page on my birthday (I've set my browser to DuckDuckGo for searches).
Cheers