Tuesday 6 February 2018

On the right track



Well there’s now another corner of the county for me to explore, as I combine visiting my wife, who’s convalescing at a Cottage Hospital in the Kentish Weald, with stopping off for a cheeky pint on the way home.

Although Eileen has now been medically discharged, she is undergoing some rigorous physiotherapy to get her fully mobile – without needing support, and able to go up and down stairs once again. It’s surprising how much out muscles waste away when they are not being used; I know this from my experience of a broken leg, nearly 40 years ago.

It’s equally surprising though at just how quickly the human body can recover, given the right treatment, and how rapidly full physical fitness can be obtained. You have to hand it to the NHS, as they've done a first class job in restoring Mrs PBT's to full health., and at this rate she'll be running marathons before we know it!

With this in mind, my plans to explore a few of the pubs on the Kent-Sussex border may come to an end, sooner, rather than later. In the meantime Eileen can enjoy being pampered slightly, as where she is staying she has her own room, with en suite and TV. It’s also nice and peaceful which, after the somewhat frantic activity associated with a stay in a normal hospital ward, is very welcome.

I’ve only managed one pub visit so far, but it’s a real cracker and somewhat of a rarity in so much that it’s a real rural pub, used by real country folk, rather than the “Green Wellington”, “Escape to the Country” brigade. What’s more it’s a pub where beer and the drinking of it come first, with food of secondary importance. If that wasn’t enough, I scored the beer at 4.5 NBSS, and came extremely close to awarding a 5!

Keep an eye out for the post, where I reveal the name and location, and describe the delights of this  “proper” country pub.

3 comments:

Russtovich said...

Excellent news on Mrs PBT Paul! (thumbs up)

And great news on finding a "proper" rural pub. That seems to be the in thing right now (RM posted about one he found in Longworth and Boak and Bailey put up a post about what makes a quintessential village inn). :)

Looking forward to the "great reveal". (heh)

Cheers!

Professor Pie-Tin said...

Oooh I like this - teasing the reader to keep viewing your blog.
And what a lovely looking pub it is too.
Local village pubs are an interesting phenomenon - Boak and Bailey complained they hadn't been made particularly welcome in theirs " despite our best efforts to ingratiate, such as making up the numbers at Tuesday night euchre games for a while. "
The " for a while " is interesting as it marks them out as yet more townies down from London who think a few nights " ingratiating " themselves with the locals will make them popular.
And euchre ? That gives the game away really.
Having lived in the country I found the best way of being treated with anything other than contempt in the local is not to try to ingratiate yourselves with anyone.
But they wouldn't be the first to make that mistake.
It shows in their blog - they invite comments but only print the ones they agree with.
Good news about the missus too Paul.

Paul Bailey said...

Thanks Russ, and thanks Prof, am pleased to report the missus is doing very well; more on that soon.

I haven't read RM's post about Longworth yet, as I'm having trouble keeping up with them all - how does he find time to write them, let alone do all the other things associated with day to day living?

I have read Boak & Bailey's piece though. Interesting about not being accepted by the locals; my parents reckoned it took around 20 years before they were full accepted in the Norfolk village they retired to, and that was after having lived in a Kent village for an equal period of time. Something about the English being "reserved"? Not that Cornish folk would relish being described as "English".

The Prof has it right on this, and I would also add just be yourself, keep yourself to yourself, be polite, don't sit at a table where you know the locals normally hang out (rather like a Stammtisch in a Bavarian pub). Basically, wait to to be asked and certainly don't be too pushy, otherwise you really will mark yourself out as an outsider.

I will reveal the identity of the cracking Sussex pub I teased you with very shortly, but it too was a real locals pub. It might be my age compared to B&B, who are mere youngsters, but I didn't feel out of place or at all unwelcome; and that was my first visit.