You’re an Inconvenience and I Must Leave You…

No not you, loyal, determined and long suffering followers….

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…but WordPress…

I can’t bear it any more…

…the time it takes to open the site…

…the countless unexplained formatting gremlins…

…the lack of compatibility with Apple software (which may be Apple’s fault)

…and the lost gems of creativity (occasionally) as the software crashes just when I’ve finished a post but before it is saved…

…and the lost years of my life watching the screen in the vain hope that the site isn’t ‘hanging’ but is just operating slowly and all will be well in a minute…

WordPress, I’m now on 80% of my free blog site memory limit and if you think I’m going to pay good money for more of this you’re sadly mistaken.  I’m a Yorkshireman, and strictly abide by the Tyke’s Motto…

So from now on I’ll be on Google Blogger here:

https://ghpub.blogspot.com/?zx=60e1b5a56aa8e3c6

As you can see I was in the process of transferring my previous posts across, but I can’t be bothered with that anymore – life’s too short…

…so the rest will stay here, and future ones will be over there…

…there are some top pub bloggers on Blogger like BRAPA, so it must be good…

Hopefully, I’ll see you there for a pint down the pub…

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It’s Good to Talk…”You Know What I Mean…?”

BT’s ad campaign drummed it in to us that talking is good, especially when it is on their phone lines and filling their company coffers.  However it wasn’t so popular a prospect during a recent pub visit…

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Continue reading “It’s Good to Talk…”You Know What I Mean…?”” →

Wykeham Seek…

Through old stone arches and hiding away in a narrow old street near the cathedral you could still expect to see poor peasants and rich merchants passing by this 18th century pub…

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…but as you can see from the photo the modern young couple with baby buggy and contractors fence and skip, have spoiled the illusion a bit…

It really does feel like the Wykeham Arms is playing hide and seek though (cue the cheesy title), and though I was wandering fairly aimlessly, and not trying too hard, it took a while to find it.  Not that an aimless wander around the beautiful precincts of Winchester cathedral is without its rewards…

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Beautiful buttresses….

But finally I came to the pub in its little narrow Dickensian street..

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A beam in the pub displays the date 1755 and this is an old coaching inn, where according to their website, one Admiral Nelson may have stayed on his way to Portsmouth.

It also seems this area was Winchester’s infamous red light district in the mid 1900s, (and a stones throw from the cathedral at that!). Fortunately Winchester is far too posh for such things these days…and the Wykeham’s clientele on this Saturday lunchtime included well-to-do shoppers, and American tourists.

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It’s a Fullers pub so no need to show you the standard cask ale line-up…

…so here’s a photo of the some of the extensive collection of tankards that filled the pub, and the walking sticks on the ceiling so the old folk can’t pinch them…

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The Fullers Beachcomber pale ale was good, without being as exciting as the old style seaside image on the pump clip…

The pub retains its historic character well, and appeals to a wide range of people, but being in a posh part of Winchester it had an upmarket feel.

When some tourists asked for tea or coffee at the bar, the son of the family who run the pub, said that they didn’t, but explained that directly opposite the pub on the other side of the street was a very good tea shop.  He assured the customer he wasn’t just saying that to get rid of him,  but he knew it was good because they actually owned the tea shop….

…cracking bit of sales patter…

A decent pub then, but the surroundings are much more impressive…

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