A favourite walk and the pub after June 2015; The Cat's pub was dedicated to cats, all the ornaments around were depictions of cats, you weren't allowed to bring dogs or children to the pub - it was for cats! Not only that but it only opened about three times a week, a hobby pub run by Wally and his partner Anne.
We would go for a walk by the river Ter and then come back for Paul's favourite beer, clear amber in the sun, don't ask why British men love their beer, just look at its clarity. Anne would do a delicious 'ploughman's lunch' for about £4, half a pound of cheese with crisp baguette and salad, and enticing little packets of butter and Branston pickle. If it was winter you would find Wally grumbling in front of the log fire as he fed its ever hungry flames.
It was one of my favourite walks and lunch at the pub crowned it all. Essex in its backwaters can be very beautiful and verdant you just have to seek these places out. Wally in his retirement bought himself a tiny house turned into an occasional pub, filled the large barn by the side with two enormous steam engines (his other passion).
As photos they came up on F/B. the photo of the rose had been caught in a particular light, no wonder I love roses.
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| The river on one side of the bridge was choked with plants. |
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| But on the other side it was vaguely cleared out, and sometimes you could see grayling swimming around |
The end of the story about Wally the Walrus came up this morning, after having swum around the coastline of Britain, made it to France and Spain, he is now back in Iceland. A lot of boat owners will be breathing sighs of relief, at least he won't be damaging boats as he hauled himself up onto their decks. Apparently he is young and walrus don't start breeding till 15 years old, so maybe it was his gap year travelling the world!
That is a big chunk of cheese! Did you eat it all?
ReplyDeleteOur local river The Lea, is becoming choked with reeds etc. Such a shame, there seems hardly any river left in some places!
Probably not, the doggie bag always comes in useful. In my first MIL's case the dog never got a bite though!
DeleteGood to hear Wally came to no harm during his gap year.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if all those boat owners had to claim damage on their insurance. 'Damage by Walrus'. Apparently in one port they built him a pontoon to stop him climbing all over the boats, I think he holidayed in Tenby.
DeleteIt is sad that the days of 'hobby pubs' is over. In a period of about 50 years (ending in the 19th century) there were over 30 pubs in the street which now has only one here. Licensing laws killed most of them, then the only people who could afford to run profitable pubs were the breweries. Single struggling women used to open a room in their house for pin money.
ReplyDeleteBath had loads of those little pubs through the centuries, my husband at the time had a whole box of references, he was going to write a book on pubs, till someone beat him to it. I had two friends who lived in the small alehouses, both in Weston, one with the original stable front door and another somewhere at the top down one of the narrow pathways of the old cottages Tom.
DeleteKirsten Elliot and Andrew Swift beat him to it.
DeleteThere were still a few of these tiny pubs left in rural Cambridgeshire when I started frequenting such establishments back in the 1970s. Most have now disappeared. There was something comforting in having a landlord who specialised in incivility and grumpiness, rather than the smarmy salesmen who now occupy the role.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course the restaurants many pubs have become John. There is a sort of revival in 'craft beers', festivals held at brewery owned pubs sometimes. I drink milk stout because it is supposedly good for you, beers are far too bitter for me....
DeleteHis gap year! That made me laugh. The call of his hormones must have been loud, to call him all the way back to Iceland!
ReplyDeleteWell he had to go home sometime Debby!
ReplyDeleteI thought this kind of place only existed i one's imagiination.
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a few pubs still hanging on I think.
DeleteThat sounds my sort of pub. As for Wally - had almost forgotten about him it is so long since he made the news.
ReplyDeleteThink when he disappeared for a few weeks people forgot him Pat.
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