Sunday 23 August 2020

Ebenezers Good...



No apostrophe on the sign Russ...

...but only Russ will be able to tell me whether there should be an apostrophe in the title and, if so, where it should be (I’m aiming for a short version of 'Ebenezers is Good', Russ).   As the auto spellcheck didn’t suggest one, and Apple are never wrong...


Satellite image - shadow of a giant GH eclipses UK...?

Anyway the shadowy figure that is Garden Hermit was once again on the move to investigate post-lockdown pub life in the local village....

Bass pipe...?...
...past the mysterious half buried pipeline in the woods, possibly supplying draught Bass direct from Burton to secret storage tanks on the lost Isle of Wight...


Bridge art

...under the bridge carrying the Hythe & Fawley railway line, closed (except for Fawley Refinery traffic) in the 1960s and now no longer used by the Refinery. However it may soon become Hampshire’s newest rescucitated railway...


Pop up squashed flat advertising...

I past the litter still doing its best to advertise the UK's second favourite Australian lager brewed in Manchester, which most Australians have never heard of....


Don’t stare at this if you get migraines...

...and a pointy roofed factory where million pound leisure yachts are built...


Retirement... looming...

...and at last the village centre is near, as yet another new retirement apartment development for Hythe’s ageing population, looms into view. 


Pandemic Pub Life...

The sign at the entrance to Ebenezer’s Free House reminds us all that as well as observing the normal rules, Covid pub life should be fun, as well as a focal point of the community...

...that man Pepys again.


Tardis like space..

Just a few customers dotted around inside (more out on the beer patio though) - so even though this is a quite small one-roomed pub, there was plenty of space.  The bar had order points protected by plastic screens, sign in and sanitiser and the doors were open to blow any virus’ away.


Full line up...(Double Drop and Abbot are the usuals)..

Better still there was the usual good range of cask ales two of which change regularly.


(GHBSS 3.5)
The Butcombe Original was good  and I sat  inside to enjoy it...


Helpful table labels...

...at a table which seemed just right for a single household person.


Costa del Hythe...

I’ve always liked ‘Ebs' - it's a nice place to be.  So I had another beer and this time went to sit out on the beer patio, which has enough palm trees to make it feel a little bit Mediterranean..



Pale perfection (GHBSS 4)...

... and the beer fitted the situation perfectly.  Hopback’s Crop Circle was very good.  Cool, crisp, with a delicate floral hop flavour and as pale as a quarantine-beating holidaymaker abandoning a European holiday.

a good sign...

Much as the first time I posted about Ebenezers, in the post lockdown pandemic world, on a beautiful August afternoon, pandemic fears seem to fade away and pub life at Ebenezers seems to be as relaxed as ever...

...thank goodness and long may it be so...

8 comments:

  1. "No apostrophe on the sign Russ..."

    I tend to give signage a pass. :)

    "Satellite image - shadow of a giant GH eclipses UK...?"

    It does look a little bit like an OS map so... ;)

    "possibly supplying draught Bass direct from Burton to secret storage tanks on the lost Isle of Wight..."

    Oooooooh. Wouldn't that be awesome!

    "However it may soon become Hampshire’s newest rescucitated railway..."

    That actually makes a bit of sense.

    "(Pop up) squashed flat advertising..."

    (slow golf clap)
    - and I can't do the strikeout thingy here as with most blogs

    "I past the litter "

    Passed dear boy. Even you passed it in the past. ;)

    "the UK's second favourite Australian lager brewed in Manchester"

    Blimey. They're as bad as Wolverhampton!

    "Retirement... looming..."

    Oh I say... (slow golf clap)!

    "Covid pub life should be fun, as well as a focal point of the community..."

    Samuel definitely knew what he was talking about.

    "and the doors were open to blow any virus’ away."

    With large fans stationed just inside? ;)

    "Helpful table labels..."

    I still can't figure out how a non-sentient virus knows whether or not a table has people from more than 2 households sitting at it.

    "at a table which seemed just right for a single household person"

    And, with regards to that, why do they need to indicate the two households must be different. Head scratcher that.

    "Hopback’s Crop Circle was very good."

    Oooh. One of the beers currently in my fridge is Hop Circle, from Phillip's brewery. :)

    "and as pale as a quarantine-beating holidaymaker abandoning a European holiday."

    A trifecta for (slow golf clap)!
    Duncan will be jealous. :)

    "...thank goodness and long may it be so..."

    A thought many of us are sharing, wherever we may be. :)

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Russ - top quality observations there especially the map concept...

      Clearly my trick to divert your attention to apostrophes and away from my other spelling clangers didn't work :)

      Interesting that Phillips have a Crop Circle beer too. Same kind?

      "With large fans stationed just inside? ;)"

      Afraid not - just got to hope for a breezy day - which it was. Wait 'til the weather turns cold though - that'll be interesting...

      I agree about the head scratcher pandemic anomalies - it is also quite clear that four persons from two households would not have a hope of social distancing at such small tables.

      That's always going to be the problem with groups in pubs during the pandemic.

      As for anomalies...there are many - most invented by our Government who is still trying to work it all out (with variable levels of success). Not that its easy of course... ;)

      Delete
    2. "Clearly my trick to divert your attention to apostrophes and away from my other spelling clangers didn't work :)"

      It sort of worked. Note that I made my own grammar mistake in my reply (I should have had 'if' after 'even'.) ;)

      "Interesting that Phillips have a Crop Circle beer too. Same kind?"

      It's Hop Circle, but it is a riff on Hop Circle as the can shows a spaceship with an alien head... made of hops. :)

      Interesting thought though; how many beers around the world share the same name?

      "Wait 'til the weather turns cold though - that'll be interesting..."

      That's putting it mildly!

      Cheers

      Delete
    3. Your IOW pipe reference brings PLUTO to mind.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pluto

      Delete
    4. Yes indeed - amazing achievement and in the end very little used as surface supplies were maintained as things turned out.

      Delete
  2. All of these pictures are clearly fakes. There is no sunshine in Hampshire as proven in the recent test series 😎😎 some decent lacings on that first pint and I suspect The Shamen is the only tune on the jukebox...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was trying to avoid overt Shamen EG references since the song is about ‘E’ - but didn’t quite manage it as you can tell from the title :)

      All the Hampshire rain was directed over to the Aegis Bowl for the match, by special arrangement. We tend to be dry down here in Hythe - something to do with a 'weather shadow' created by the (lost) Isle of Wight. ;)

      Delete
    2. I'll believe you 😀😀

      Delete