Secret Snacks

You’ve been at work all day but you’ve got a horrible feeling that you’re not going to be rewarded with a justified meal at the end of it. That glance in the fridge as you prepare to leave the house gives you all you need to know; whether it’s something defrosting or the use-by date jumps out at you. And you know it’s probably not going to be great. The only way to combat it is to have an emergency snack prepared. But what can you get? If it’s something hot, it’s going to be expensive and it’s more likely to smell. Anything cold is cheap and cheerful, but might be extremely unhealthy to eat as a whole portion in one go. Sometimes you might be pleasantly surprised. You might have a whole load of extras thrown in or a huge side to fill the void. You’ve then got to hide and dispose of the snack in secret so as not to cause offence (that is if you haven’t eaten it already). You just can’t win. The only way is to control your own pantry.

Oakham Southern Cross at the Raglan Arms, Rugby

This small community pub is only a stone’s throw away from the commercial district of Rugby but it has all the feel of a small local, and despite the appearance of a tied house outside it had beers from three independent breweries within. There’s a couple of picnic benches outside its front doors for those who like their beer al fresco, but it’s still sealed off from the main street. Inside is a snug on the left while the right leads out into a long room that takes up the rest of the pub. The bar is in the middle and there’s a stage at the top of the stairs. The landlord here was very friendly and instantly took an interest in where we were from and our plans for the day. We visited this pub before the grand refurbishment; and it’s now tied to Black Country Ales. I’ve not a chance to visit yet.

Spooks: The Greater Good

This was an interesting film with plenty of action sequences and it was great to see the characters out and about more often than sitting behind their desks. It was great to see some guest appearances from the series cast, even if they were slowly being killed off one by one. But once again we see the section head at all odds with the world with everything to play for to uncover a conspiracy that we see little evidence for. Mace was his usual boisterous self and as usual I was quite surprised that he didn’t have anything to do with the conspiracy. I spent a lot of time trying to work out whether the Holloway character was covered in the series, and it would have made a lot more sense if an introductory sequence was filmed. In the end the plot suits the title, but it doesn’t necessarily justify Harry’s rogue actions to conduct the investigation. And of course, there’s still the classics Spooks finish which still doesn’t define the legacy of Harry Pearce.

Byatt's Phoenix Gold at the Rugby Tap Room, Rugby

We were looking forward to this next pub. It was a former shop that had been converted into an independent bar; and we’d set some time aside to spend longer here if we wanted to. We were really looking forward to sampling some new brews. But we needn’t had bothered. A long line of pews were pushed up against the narrow room with a row of twelve casks at the end, but only two beers were available which were more local to us than the pub. These were poured slowly and unenthusiastically by a half-asleep barman. We crowded around a small circular table near the end of one of the pews opposite while we decided what to do next. We certainly weren’t inspired enough to peruse the bookshelves or open up a board game. Instead, I went to talk to the bottle-shop owner who shared the shop’s entrance for a much more stimulating conversation. It’s a shame that we had more pubs to visit as at least his brews were interesting; but he didn’t have a license to sell them on the premises. It was a shame that these two businesses didn’t merge. We finished our drinks and invested our extra time into exploring other pubs in the area. 

"If you remain humble, people will give you love and respect even after you have finished with the game. As a parent, I would be happier hearing people say 'Sachin is a good human being' than 'Sachin is a great cricketer' any day.

It’s great to show your passion after a victory but do you really need to brag about it? As an athlete, you might let off a bit of steam; but it’s still important to be respectful to your opponent. After all, they participated in your victory and helped you to achieve it, didn’t they? And for the audience, it’s not necessarily a victory for them (unless they’ve placed a bet on you). For them it’s about the story of your journey and how you got to where you are. So if you’re going to spend the rest of your days boasting of your victory then people will become tired of you very quickly once you’ve achieved your goal. But if you can recognise that it’s not just you who made the magic happen then people will envisage you as someone who cares about those around him. You might have earnt something; but you still need to recognise the responsibilities that come with victory. 

Branscombe Vale Branoc at the Rupert Brooke, Rugby

This was an odd location for a pub, or at least it was for the way that we approached it. It seemed that we left the main high street by talking through a service road towards the back of the shops which brought us out onto a large open car park. The pub was opposite. Inside was a few tables overlooking a large timbered roof and a flight of steps led us down to the bar opposite a long line of open-plan tables. The beer was functional but the atmosphere was uninspiring and it felt like we’d wandered into a barn that had been converted into a clubhouse. We wondered what the building had been before and whether it was some type of showroom. Apparently it used to host an indoor market which would explain its location. We didn’t feel the bard’s presence or recognise any of his works, so on we wandered.

 

Intriguing Characters

Who is this person? Why are they doing that? Why should I care. You might read a lot of stories where there’s plenty of action, but they can be a bit hard to follow if you don’t know anything about the characters and how they react to it. Otherwise you may as well be reading a manuscript for a movie. Stories should make the reader want to find out more about the characters rather than predict what is going to happen to them. A bit of backtracking never did anyone any harm and it certainly fills in a few blank pages. It also gives you the opportunity to display how unique your character is and show their traits and attributes. But you might want to keep some things a mystery to encourage your reader to read more and not make your character’s reactions so predictable. Otherwise it would be quite easy for the reader to foresee the rest of your story.