Druid
Well-Known Member
It has gone straight over their heads
Is it time to call 'Last Orders'?
- Thread starter Stalker62
- Start date
Many years ago, I ran a country pub inside Dartmoor National Park. I ran a farmer's pheasant shoot, and it was really a very good time in my life. Then breathalyser arrived and things changed. A year or so later, I moved on.
The village I've lived in for the last fifty years has also changed out of all recognition. There are now more newcomers than locals, some of whom immediately look to change what goes on here, while others take no part in local activities.
The local pub is empty for most of the week; it doesn't open on a Monday and is often shut by 9 pm. Village life, together with the "local", has changed forever. I fear.
The village I've lived in for the last fifty years has also changed out of all recognition. There are now more newcomers than locals, some of whom immediately look to change what goes on here, while others take no part in local activities.
The local pub is empty for most of the week; it doesn't open on a Monday and is often shut by 9 pm. Village life, together with the "local", has changed forever. I fear.
Let's be honest @Stalker62 's local pub, it does get quite interesting at times.....The good thing is, you can get up and walk to another table and get better conversations. It would be a bit tedious if we sat around agreeing with each other all day........As ever, there are folk in the pub you are happy to spend time with and those who really shouldn't be allowed out in public
People come & go as youngsters move in & families move on, then those who no longer have kids move back.
It’d be a really carp pub without some of the regulars who make it worth frequenting of an evening or the odd lunchtime.
One of the regulars in particular tells some cracking tales & I reckon it’ll be a sad day when his tankard gets taken down from behind the bar.
Most certainly not time to call last orders; just pin an old blanket across the window so the bobbies don’t know we’re having a lock in
Absolutely agree. The old regulars are highly entertaining and some of the most entertaining of them at the lock in were once on the other side of the fence I thinkPeople come & go as youngsters move in & families move on, then those who no longer have kids move back.
It’d be a really carp pub without some of the regulars who make it worth frequenting of an evening or the odd lunchtime.
One of the regulars in particular tells some cracking tales & I reckon it’ll be a sad day when his tankard gets taken down from behind the bar.
Most certainly not time to call last orders; just pin an old blanket across the window so the bobbies don’t know we’re having a lock in
You have bobbies come past? Wow.People come & go as youngsters move in & families move on, then those who no longer have kids move back.
It’d be a really carp pub without some of the regulars who make it worth frequenting of an evening or the odd lunchtime.
One of the regulars in particular tells some cracking tales & I reckon it’ll be a sad day when his tankard gets taken down from behind the bar.
Most certainly not time to call last orders; just pin an old blanket across the window so the bobbies don’t know we’re having a lock in
See them on occasion, once every 6 months.
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
I understand fully s62's wonderful illustration.
I've been logged off a few days and realised that I also was upsetting our "local". I only realised while logged off that life is still good.
It is easy to get drawn into heavy debates during these troubled times.
My apologies for any upset of our "local".
What ever comes our way I'm sure we will adapt, exploit or do whatever it takes to pursue our interests.
Cheers s62....
I've been logged off a few days and realised that I also was upsetting our "local". I only realised while logged off that life is still good.
It is easy to get drawn into heavy debates during these troubled times.
My apologies for any upset of our "local".
What ever comes our way I'm sure we will adapt, exploit or do whatever it takes to pursue our interests.
Cheers s62....
Merlyn
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, I have to agree with your post. It's called getting old, but I prefer that to the only alternative.
Fowler1990
Well-Known Member
And I was Vewy vewy druank.
Poisonous monkeys aside, as a group of outdoorsy mid thirties with kids there are very few establishments locally not overun with the shutdown shift types and labourers that love a bit of Charlie.
Pool tables and darts boards are all gone and you will only ever see the football on sadly.
We have created an inner sanctum of garages with loading rooms, darts boards and pool tables, saved a shed load of money, don't have to worry about taxis/driving in rural areas and the pubs we actually like we go and eat in most weekends through the year when the tourists are away. Would never be a "local" but nice to be on first name terms and the owner bring the kids ice creams etc and generally friendly and nice.
The new forest is a tourist trap and unfortunately some of the local establishments forget that there is people there throughout the year, if they made the pubs more attractive to families with kids they may see a turn more buisness.
Within 6km.there are 15 pubs, three of wich have outdoor play areas... guess which are the ones that do well...
Went to another that recently remove a skittles lane and play park and the owner was complaining about how hard this year has been....
Not a mass of buisness acumen about it seems, for an area filled with campers...
K
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Hmmm.
Pearls of wisdom from the Clarkson fella..
“Loneliness is a big issue in rural areas and part of the problem is villages losing their soul. You don't have a village doctor anymore. He's in a health centre 30 miles away and you can't get an appointment. There's no village bobby on the beat. There's no village vicar, there's no village shop, there's no village school……”
Add to that the village pub then note that said pubs are shutting at the rate of half a dozen a week! This is indicative of how society has changed - particularly after Covid lockdown. Kids nowadays don’t know how to converse or debate other than texting through their phones and following the latest “Influencers” - wotever they may bring to society (no, I don’t know either) so why would they ever go to a pub when they can converse electronically from their lonely and sad Stygian bedrooms?
Sadly I don’t see any resurgence of country pub life anytime soon. Their time has come and now gone. More’s the pity….
Pearls of wisdom from the Clarkson fella..
“Loneliness is a big issue in rural areas and part of the problem is villages losing their soul. You don't have a village doctor anymore. He's in a health centre 30 miles away and you can't get an appointment. There's no village bobby on the beat. There's no village vicar, there's no village shop, there's no village school……”
Add to that the village pub then note that said pubs are shutting at the rate of half a dozen a week! This is indicative of how society has changed - particularly after Covid lockdown. Kids nowadays don’t know how to converse or debate other than texting through their phones and following the latest “Influencers” - wotever they may bring to society (no, I don’t know either) so why would they ever go to a pub when they can converse electronically from their lonely and sad Stygian bedrooms?
Sadly I don’t see any resurgence of country pub life anytime soon. Their time has come and now gone. More’s the pity….
That makes 7 of us now, I think.
As for the rest, it went right over their heads.
Fowler1990
Well-Known Member
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Scarpa
Well-Known Member
My local changed hands a couple of years ago and it went from a local place where they even had a mattress in room if you were too hammered to ski back down to more of a meal place with no local atmosphere. But a friend of the old owner has taken over this year, may the old atmosphere return. Plus I can ski tour through the forest to it in 35 minutes
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