The Little World of Barnum T Jugbat

Gentle musings about beer, cider, cycling and sport in an increasingly random and serendipitous world

recent posts

  • Thoughts on Cycling in Norwich

    The last few days I’ve been cycling around Norwich, my home town. Despite Noel Coward’s view, ‘Very flat, Norfolk’, Norwich is a very hilly place. With the River Wensum flowing through the middle you can’t go anywhere without hills. As a cyclist there are easier and harder routes to get to places and as I struggled up St Andrews Hill I started thinking about this. In it’s wisdom the city council has built up a network of cycle only roads, shared pathways, cycle routes, cycle racks, and cycle crossings. All of them routinely, and the city council staff, come in for criticism from cycling organisations, drivers and the general public. Even taking into account the general malaise of complaining about everything regardless this seems unfair.

    The cycling facilities might not always be joined up or convenient but they exist for us all to take advantage of. The issue isn’t cyclist, car drivers, taxis, buses, lorries or anything else other than us as individuals. The others are lumps of metal we use. It’s our thoughts and behaviours that turn them into dangerous objects. If we were all more tolerant, thoughtful, and proactive cycling and the world in general would be a better place.

    But to get back to Norwich. Much of the centre is shared pathways, making it convenient for considerate cyclists and pedestrians both. I find slowly freewheeling with plenty of audible ‘Excuse me’s’ and ‘Thank you’s’ make life pleasant all round, as does acknowledging drivers as we wait for each other to pass. There are green pedalways to the outskirts and beyond and a number of proactive cycling organisations all doing their bit. We have several very good bike shops anf pubs par excellence.

    The only blot on the scene is the Northern Distributor Road, our northern bypass. Ironically it wasn’t built by the city council. It has a cycle path along it. I have ridden it several times and it isn’t for the faint hearted. Snaking from one side of the NDR to the other, varying surfaces, uncontrolled crossings of busy main roads, diversions away from the bypass and sneaky dead ends for the unknowing it is a challenge. Why not give it a try if you want your hair to turn white.

    Norwich is a great place to cycle, let’s all enjoy it together.

  • Binmen Blues

    Today is Monday, on Sunday the mighty Canaries (Norwich City) will play Ipswich Town (hereafter called the Binmen for reasons I will explain if you ask) in the ‘Old Farm Derby’. It’s bigger than the (Old Firm Derby in my opinion).

    We are not playing well, both individually and as a team, and many supporters are calling for change at the top with both manager and sporing director in their sights. A new manager, virtually a new team, and 5 managers in as many years. What happened to patience in this and any other sphere?

    But to business. Form doesn’t count in a derby. All we want is commitment, bravery, and a thorough thrashing of the Binmen. I’ve seen many derby’s over the years, some good others not, but the best have been hard fought exciting encounters. We haven’t been beaten in 16 years by them, long may it continue.

    OTBC

  • How does work make me fulfilled?

    Never thought about it before, a damn fine question, but here goes:

    At least I’m still around to be able to do some which is a bonus.

    It’s a feelgood factor when we eat the product from the allotment. Even after 40 years I’m a crap allotmenteer, The weeds are still there, some crops fail every year and the spuds are usually scabby. The taste makes up for it and if you don’t consider the cost of my labour, which you don’t if you enjoy something, it’s all free organic food. It’s great being sanctimonious.

    Breaking pallets, skip diving and generally collecting free wood for the woodburner is hard but enjoyable work which makes me feel happy, satisfied, and sometimes achingly backed the next day.

    Hard work doesn’t have to be physical, I participate in, help with, and organise a variety of volunteer organisations. The various rules regulations, and legal requirements are hard but not the hardest part. No, that is all the other people. Each have their own personality. They are frustrating, disorganised and fail to recognise my superior logic and organisational skills. But I love them all and wouldn’t be without any of them.

    so, to sum up, hard work makes me feel so many different emotions, mostly positive. At the end of the day I’m just glad to be around to share this wonderful world we live in.

  • Daily writing prompt
    What’s the trait you value most about yourself?
    View all responses

    The ability to laugh at myself. As I get older there are more and more opportunities for me to do this, it’s what keeps me so jolly.

    That and copious amounts of Real Ale, Real Cider, great family and friends and a very lucky life.

  • Dream Jobs

    List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter.

    Pub owner

    Steam Train Driver

    Zaphod Beeblebrox

  • Queues

    I’m not sure where the strange behaviour of forming queues in pubs came from but I disapprove. Most bars are big enough for customers to spread out and a good barperson will know roughly who is next. I appreciate that to the less confident or inexperienced customer it can be daunting but you soon gain confidence and join in. It’s character building and you meet interesting people..

    By the same token I also disapprove of bars which are lined with stools on which locals resolutely sit leaving you to shout over their shoulder, when the barperson eventually acknowledges your presence, and try to pay for and collect your order using multiple upper body gymnastics. This is a feature of many Good Beer Guide pubs amongst others, surely only half the bar needs stools , leaving the rest for us lowly customers?

    One of my local ‘Spoons has different issues, no less challenging. The long bar is split into three parts by two great big columns. The two end bars feature an identical range of real ales, the middle keg beer and soft drinks etc. For some reason customers queue at the middle bar but not the end ones, partly because they are smaller but mainly we know the routine. However, there are occasions where randomly, at either end the staff will tell you they are not serving at this end so go to the other bars. This causes a dilemma, do you join the middle queue or shoulder past it to the bar and assertively order, or go to the far end? A simple ‘No Service Here’ sign would help. Even when you place your order the beer could be pulled from a pump at the other end. So do you wait for your beer or walk down the bar to save the staff a journey? Having said that the beers are usually excellent and the staff friendly, accommodating and friendly.

    Cheers

  • Hello World!

    Welcome to WordPress! This is your first post. Edit or delete it to take the first step in your blogging journey.

    Well, this is exciting. I’ve created a blog. As a person who finds Velcro amazing this will be an excellent adventure. Feel free to join me on the journey.

    My specialist subject is beer and pubs with secondary leanings to cycling, walking, Munzees, Waymarking, Geocaching, and the world in general.

    I’ve no idea where this will lead so lets begin and see what happens.

    Cheers