Thornbridge Jaipur IPA at the Watts Russell Arms, Alstonefield

I left my previous pub disappointed but read in my guidebook that there was another pub worth visiting just down the hill. It had eccentric opening times but was worth the visit. I headed down and today it was open. It was an old stone farmhouse hidden behind a clump of bushes with a few spaces for a couple of cars in front. There was a square table in a corner with stacks of books, board games and rainy-day activities. There was a lounge on the opposite side of the bar while my side had a long row of perch seating. A small and stout man was doing the accounts as I walked in; but didn’t exactly give a friendly welcome seeing as I was the only patron in at the time. I still had a bit of walking to do but couldn’t resist the calling of Thornbridge’s famous Jaipur IPA. Given the welcome; I opted to sit outside and enjoy my pint in their decked beer garden.

A Prayer from a Stalker

While dining for breakfast, we fell into a conversation with a man on the opposite table. He looked quite scholarly and was wearing light sports attire and had a few books and folders with him. He was trying to work out where we were from, and was delighted to learn that we were from across the pond. He asked about our trip and why we were here, and told us that he was a writer and his publishing firm had an office in London. As he gave us our card he mentioned that today was the National Day of Prayer; and that he was there to support the celebrations. I went on full alert then as I sensed that a conversion or two might be on the agenda. Just as we were preparing to leave, he asked us if he would like to say a prayer for us. I asked for nice weather (which we got) and Mum asked for happy memories. The scary thing was that he was staying in the same hotel as us; and even on the same floor; or at least he entered the building and got in the lift with us.

Brewsters Aromantica at the Pillar of Rock, Bolsover

I thought I’d treat myself to a pint before exploring Bolsover Castle, and as the cask marque was a Wetherspoons I decided to eat here too as there would be plenty of time to walk it off before the drive back. I couldn’t get on the actual pub car park but I did find a free car park behind the library. The pub is quite modern and open-plan, and it’s a small venue for a Wetherspoons. There’s a few fake bookcases to divide the pub up into sections. I found a comfy table in a corner by the door and ordered an ultimate burger alongside my pint, but I wasn’t impressed. It’s here that I discovered Henderson’s Relish for the first time. I wondered if it was a Yorkshire version of Worcestershire sauce, and tried some on my chips. It was a bitter cross between soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, and I have to say I’m not a fan.

A Double-up on Lenses

Some time ago, I’d thought I’d lost my camera. I pictured where I left it and thought that I’d never see it again. It wasn’t an expensive camera, but it was a good spec and I was quite fond of it because of the colour. You don’t usually get a choice. So I ordered a second one off the internet to replace it, and in the meantime I found the first one so off I went snap happy. Unfortunately, I was away a bit too long than anticipated, so when the replacement camera arrived at my doorstep, I’d ran out of time to return it. So I’ve now got a second camera as a back-up. But because of the technology, these old cameras use XD cards which for some reason aren’t mainstream any more. Mum tends to borrow my camera more and more these days so I’ve ordered a second memory card ready to call into action.

Thwaite's Wainwright at the White Lion, Matlock

This is a very quiet pub in an old part of town; but its main attraction is that you get to sit outside and watch the cable cars go up the Heights of Abraham. You can do this in underneath the pub’s large green umbrella and picnic tables on their cobbled front lawn. It’s a traditional stone-built pub with a stone floor, a fireplace and two small front lounges. One’s for drinking in large leather chairs and the other one’s for dining, and a fireplace separates the two. In the back there’s further tables for dining in a modern atmosphere. I was hoping to get a nice chat out of the barman, but he was more interested in whether I was dining or having another drink. I did take a peek at the menu but it was a little out of my price range. My main concern was to get back to the campsite as I still had a hill to climb.

A half-arsed Assessment

There’s a new tactic in town to make us sell more insurance at work. Not only do we have to make a quality offer; there’s also key words that we must legally use to ensure that we’re selling the item correctly. And this new tactic is for a supervisor to listen in on the offer and talk about it with the colleague afterwards. Now I didn’t get in retail to sell insurance, and in the past I’ve always been told to offer it in a light-hearted way so as not to pressurise the customer into buying it. So if someone says no when I’m not halfway through then I stop. But I got marked down for this. The new tactic is to be a robot and continue making the offer so that you’re sure that your customer has got all the information to make an informed decision. Now to a customer it seems that you’re becoming that robot and you’re ignoring them. 

A mix-up in Time

It was my first afternoon in Matlock and I was particularly keen to check out the local pub scene. I had a guidebook to the best pubs in the area; and it would take me just half an hour’s walk to join up with the nearest walk to my campsite, and another half hour to get to the first pub. Furthermore; Matlock seemed a large enough town, so it would be easy to get a taxi back if the worst came to the worst. The first pub that the guidebook recommended was shut on Mondays. I checked online and the local CAMRA branch hadn’t updated their opening hours either; so an e-mail was duly sent upon my return. In the meantime, I carried on into the village; where the next pub was shut as well. In fact, the only pub I found in the area seemed to be a newly opened micropub that wasn’t listed anywhere, and the locals even asked me if I was looking for the only pub in Matlock. It kind of dampened the mood a bit for the rest of the day.