Slapped wrist.
I have been given a right royal telling off by the clever gentlemen (and I use that term loosely) that design and operate this web site, mainly because of my lack of blogging. I have also been getting it in the neck from members of the drinking public who await news on a weekly basis, and also from the normally timid nature loving folk who have been extremely vocal in their complaints that they haven't seen a nature page for months and months and months and months.......... So stop your whinging and read on:
Since the wonderful prize winnings of last month and associated articles in the press, we have been increasingly busy, with beer flowing out the door (in casks, not loose) and off to a growing number of pubs around the south of England. This does seem to be counteracting the effects of the atrocious weather of the last month or so that has seen rural pubs suffering due to the lack of trade. People aren't going to sit in a pub garden, enjoying a pint while the water table rises up through the grass and over their feet and the torrential rain dilutes the very beer they have come to sup. More about the crap weather in the Nature Page.
Over the last couple of weeks we have had a young lady called Michaela doing her work experience here, much to the envy of her friends and teachers alike. I hope that she did learn something, but on our side we thought that she was really good and not at all like your average monosyllabic teenager who pride themselves on being able to grunt in more than one language.
As a thank you present, we bought her a pair of the most revolting pink wellingtons, which of course she thought were wonderful. What is it with girls and pink? Thanks Mick the Monkey for all your hard work.
There have been a lot of disturbing things happening in the brewing industry of late, which kind of started off with Gales of Horndean being taken over by Fullers and ceasing to brew, followed by Archers of Swindon who went into administration but have kept their heads above water and are still brewing. Then last week we heard of two Hampshire micro's that have ceased to trade. I'm not going to name them just in case I'm being misinformed but if it is true then this is a real shame. To top it all, I heard on Thursday that Ringwood Brewery have been taken over by Marstons (Wolverhampton and Dudley.) I am friendly with, and have a lot of regard for many of the employees at Ringwood and I can only hope that Marstons are good to their word when they say that it will be business as usual. I wonder if Marstons will be sponsoring The New Forest Show next year?
Talking of Hordean, The Brewers Arms has been taking our beer on the SIBA scheme, so if you wanted to be cheeky, I suppose you could say that good beer at last returns to Horndean, but of course I wouldn't dream of saying anything like that. The Brewers Arms is on the amazingly name Five Heads Road. If anyone has an idea why this should so be named, then drop me an email. Anyway, the pub is well worth a visit or even a very short diversion from the A3m.
Good old Wayne at The Prince of Wales, Shirrell (I'm sure that this should read 'squirrel') Heath has had a couple of firkins. This is a great little pub, very cosy inside with a stunning garden as well. Food's good, beer's good, garden's good,landlord's good, infact it's all just bloody good! Seek it out.
The next pub is a mighty find indeed. If you see one of those enormous thundering helicopters with two rotors, the chances are that it's come from R.A.F. Odiham. In the associated village, by the church, is a beautiful square called The Bury. On one side of this is an amazing proper pub called The Bell. What an wonderul little place. It's very, very old with small rooms and low ceilings. The landlady, Sue, does amazing things with containers full of plants in the ancient courtyard to the side of the pub. Everything is so lush and green and well tended. Within very easy reach of the M3 and on many bus routes, so there's no excuses. It doesn't matter if our beer is on or not. This place is a must.
Tucked down a myriad of streets in Portsmouth is The Connaught Arms in Guildford Road. A corner local, this place has been dishing out good beer for years. It has one of the lowest cellars I have ever experienced. It must have been constructed by, or for the use of, midgets. My friend Hillary would probably feel most at home there. Anyway, pop in for a beer if you are in Pompey. You always get a good crowd in there.
Cue for a song..... There is a pub in Fareham Town, it's called The Gordon Arms...... and I think it ranks as Farehams undiscovered gem. Another back street local that is so friendly you just don't want to leave. I was gob smacked when I delivered here. I never knew it existed and now I can't wait to go back. One thing that is amazing about it is the garden. It just goes on and on and on and on and on and on. Please support this wonderful place.
On the furthest reaches of our delivery area is the village of Wisborough Green. In an idyllic and classically English setting (it sits on the village green) this pub has, for a long time, been the drinking haunt of a couple of friends of mine. What a wondrous place to have a summer pint with a view that goes all the way over to the cricket pitch. How delightful the sounds of slurping ale and leather on willow! The pub by the way, is of course called The Cricketers. No more than a short throw from the A272 and please, no jokes about Maiden Overs or Middle Wickets etc.
One thing that has happened since the last blog is the implementation of the no smoking ban in all pubs. As I do my rounds I am receiving very mixed reports of how this is affecting trade. Some publicans say that they are down by 40%, while others say that they have seen a small increase in trade. I think we will have to wait and see what the long term influence will be. One thing I do know is that there will be a lot less smokers in the winter who are willing to stand outside in the freezing weather. I think the little shelters put aside for these snout casts will a tad too drafty. And now..... The Wallops Wood Nature Page
I don't really know where to start with this. It's been such a long time since I've written anything and so much has been happening. One thing I do know is that the weather has been an absolute sod to most things apart from a few Mosses and Liverworts. A lot of things cannot survive heavy downpours and when this is combined with cooler than average temperatures they don't stand a chance. It remains to be seen how badly the butterflies have suffered and the same can be said of other insects, especially the ground dwelling ones. Bumblebees are particularly prone to having their burrows flooded and this is probably one of the reasons why they are in such severe decline. Nestlings are also very vulnerable and I fear that second broods have been hard hit. The bird feeders need constant topping up as the Tits and other small birds just can't find enough food for their youngsters. It's amazing how many peanuts and sunflower seed they can stuff away.
Our local Sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) have fledged and last Sunday, as I was sitting in the office, I heard the distinctive kek-kek-kek-kek as the flew across the yard. I opened the door and watched three youngsters darting about, flexing their wings, experimenting with turns and feats of great agility and basically just showing off. They seemed to increase in confidence and speed as I watched them and they were soon bombing between the buildings, scaring the shit out of the feral pigeons and causing small explosions of sparrows. They also seemed to take great delight in approaching unsuspecting Skylarks from below and just sort of flying through them. Feathers falling like confetti!
The Red Kite which I observed on Beacon Hill has been seen a couple of time again and it would be wonderful if it took up residence. I read that in the 15th century they were abundant in all towns and cities in the UK and acted as the primary scavenger, a bit like gulls do today. With the size of them it would be no laughing matter if one of these beauties decided to leave a little gift on your shoulder! Who needs that sort of good luck?
I quite often see out of the ordinary things on my rounds and last Friday was no exception. By the side of Langston harbour is a golf course and as I drove past I spotted a very large quantity of very large mushrooms. When I say a large quantity I mean that an area the size of a tennis court was thick with them. From the size of them I think that they were probalbly Agaricus macrosporus and before anybody says anything about Latin creeping in here, they don't have a common name. I picked one last year which was as big as a dinner plate, took it straight home, chopped it up, fried it in a little butter and had it on toast. About half an hour from field to table and the finest mushrooms on toast I've ever had. There is nothing like very fresh food for flavour and texture. My Father had a boat, and as a child we used to motor over to the Isle of White, catching Mackerel on the way. As soon as we'd unhook them, we'd knock them on the head, gut them and slap them under the grill. They just aren't the oily fish that you can buy from the shop. The flavour when they are that fresh is so delicate, as is the texture and God, are they wonderful. Now I am boatless (and Fatherless) it is easy enough to catch Mackerel from the shore in season (now is good) and you don't need that much tackle. A cheap rod and reel, a set of feathers, a disposable barbecue and off you go. You might even catch a Bass.
GO ON..... Release the hunter gatherer in you!
Since the wonderful prize winnings of last month and associated articles in the press, we have been increasingly busy, with beer flowing out the door (in casks, not loose) and off to a growing number of pubs around the south of England. This does seem to be counteracting the effects of the atrocious weather of the last month or so that has seen rural pubs suffering due to the lack of trade. People aren't going to sit in a pub garden, enjoying a pint while the water table rises up through the grass and over their feet and the torrential rain dilutes the very beer they have come to sup. More about the crap weather in the Nature Page.
Over the last couple of weeks we have had a young lady called Michaela doing her work experience here, much to the envy of her friends and teachers alike. I hope that she did learn something, but on our side we thought that she was really good and not at all like your average monosyllabic teenager who pride themselves on being able to grunt in more than one language.
As a thank you present, we bought her a pair of the most revolting pink wellingtons, which of course she thought were wonderful. What is it with girls and pink? Thanks Mick the Monkey for all your hard work.
There have been a lot of disturbing things happening in the brewing industry of late, which kind of started off with Gales of Horndean being taken over by Fullers and ceasing to brew, followed by Archers of Swindon who went into administration but have kept their heads above water and are still brewing. Then last week we heard of two Hampshire micro's that have ceased to trade. I'm not going to name them just in case I'm being misinformed but if it is true then this is a real shame. To top it all, I heard on Thursday that Ringwood Brewery have been taken over by Marstons (Wolverhampton and Dudley.) I am friendly with, and have a lot of regard for many of the employees at Ringwood and I can only hope that Marstons are good to their word when they say that it will be business as usual. I wonder if Marstons will be sponsoring The New Forest Show next year?
Talking of Hordean, The Brewers Arms has been taking our beer on the SIBA scheme, so if you wanted to be cheeky, I suppose you could say that good beer at last returns to Horndean, but of course I wouldn't dream of saying anything like that. The Brewers Arms is on the amazingly name Five Heads Road. If anyone has an idea why this should so be named, then drop me an email. Anyway, the pub is well worth a visit or even a very short diversion from the A3m.
Good old Wayne at The Prince of Wales, Shirrell (I'm sure that this should read 'squirrel') Heath has had a couple of firkins. This is a great little pub, very cosy inside with a stunning garden as well. Food's good, beer's good, garden's good,landlord's good, infact it's all just bloody good! Seek it out.
The next pub is a mighty find indeed. If you see one of those enormous thundering helicopters with two rotors, the chances are that it's come from R.A.F. Odiham. In the associated village, by the church, is a beautiful square called The Bury. On one side of this is an amazing proper pub called The Bell. What an wonderul little place. It's very, very old with small rooms and low ceilings. The landlady, Sue, does amazing things with containers full of plants in the ancient courtyard to the side of the pub. Everything is so lush and green and well tended. Within very easy reach of the M3 and on many bus routes, so there's no excuses. It doesn't matter if our beer is on or not. This place is a must.
Tucked down a myriad of streets in Portsmouth is The Connaught Arms in Guildford Road. A corner local, this place has been dishing out good beer for years. It has one of the lowest cellars I have ever experienced. It must have been constructed by, or for the use of, midgets. My friend Hillary would probably feel most at home there. Anyway, pop in for a beer if you are in Pompey. You always get a good crowd in there.
Cue for a song..... There is a pub in Fareham Town, it's called The Gordon Arms...... and I think it ranks as Farehams undiscovered gem. Another back street local that is so friendly you just don't want to leave. I was gob smacked when I delivered here. I never knew it existed and now I can't wait to go back. One thing that is amazing about it is the garden. It just goes on and on and on and on and on and on. Please support this wonderful place.
On the furthest reaches of our delivery area is the village of Wisborough Green. In an idyllic and classically English setting (it sits on the village green) this pub has, for a long time, been the drinking haunt of a couple of friends of mine. What a wondrous place to have a summer pint with a view that goes all the way over to the cricket pitch. How delightful the sounds of slurping ale and leather on willow! The pub by the way, is of course called The Cricketers. No more than a short throw from the A272 and please, no jokes about Maiden Overs or Middle Wickets etc.
One thing that has happened since the last blog is the implementation of the no smoking ban in all pubs. As I do my rounds I am receiving very mixed reports of how this is affecting trade. Some publicans say that they are down by 40%, while others say that they have seen a small increase in trade. I think we will have to wait and see what the long term influence will be. One thing I do know is that there will be a lot less smokers in the winter who are willing to stand outside in the freezing weather. I think the little shelters put aside for these snout casts will a tad too drafty. And now..... The Wallops Wood Nature Page
I don't really know where to start with this. It's been such a long time since I've written anything and so much has been happening. One thing I do know is that the weather has been an absolute sod to most things apart from a few Mosses and Liverworts. A lot of things cannot survive heavy downpours and when this is combined with cooler than average temperatures they don't stand a chance. It remains to be seen how badly the butterflies have suffered and the same can be said of other insects, especially the ground dwelling ones. Bumblebees are particularly prone to having their burrows flooded and this is probably one of the reasons why they are in such severe decline. Nestlings are also very vulnerable and I fear that second broods have been hard hit. The bird feeders need constant topping up as the Tits and other small birds just can't find enough food for their youngsters. It's amazing how many peanuts and sunflower seed they can stuff away.
Our local Sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) have fledged and last Sunday, as I was sitting in the office, I heard the distinctive kek-kek-kek-kek as the flew across the yard. I opened the door and watched three youngsters darting about, flexing their wings, experimenting with turns and feats of great agility and basically just showing off. They seemed to increase in confidence and speed as I watched them and they were soon bombing between the buildings, scaring the shit out of the feral pigeons and causing small explosions of sparrows. They also seemed to take great delight in approaching unsuspecting Skylarks from below and just sort of flying through them. Feathers falling like confetti!
The Red Kite which I observed on Beacon Hill has been seen a couple of time again and it would be wonderful if it took up residence. I read that in the 15th century they were abundant in all towns and cities in the UK and acted as the primary scavenger, a bit like gulls do today. With the size of them it would be no laughing matter if one of these beauties decided to leave a little gift on your shoulder! Who needs that sort of good luck?
I quite often see out of the ordinary things on my rounds and last Friday was no exception. By the side of Langston harbour is a golf course and as I drove past I spotted a very large quantity of very large mushrooms. When I say a large quantity I mean that an area the size of a tennis court was thick with them. From the size of them I think that they were probalbly Agaricus macrosporus and before anybody says anything about Latin creeping in here, they don't have a common name. I picked one last year which was as big as a dinner plate, took it straight home, chopped it up, fried it in a little butter and had it on toast. About half an hour from field to table and the finest mushrooms on toast I've ever had. There is nothing like very fresh food for flavour and texture. My Father had a boat, and as a child we used to motor over to the Isle of White, catching Mackerel on the way. As soon as we'd unhook them, we'd knock them on the head, gut them and slap them under the grill. They just aren't the oily fish that you can buy from the shop. The flavour when they are that fresh is so delicate, as is the texture and God, are they wonderful. Now I am boatless (and Fatherless) it is easy enough to catch Mackerel from the shore in season (now is good) and you don't need that much tackle. A cheap rod and reel, a set of feathers, a disposable barbecue and off you go. You might even catch a Bass.
GO ON..... Release the hunter gatherer in you!
