Beer necessities

A fine idea was proffered by Berry and Helen to cycle up the river to one of the few (possibly the only in Cambridge) pubs where you can sit in a beer garden right next to the River Cam. Of course this came with a whole side order of track and trace registrations, distanced queuing, rules about what can be ordered from what table section, and a refusal to accept an order for a bowl chips when I was keen for some. We persevered with a couple of fruity ciders, whilst kayakers glided past and a particularly wobbly SUPer (Stand-Up Paddleboarder) risked an embarrassing fall in front of a full garden.

The Cam is always nice in this spot but the whole experience did beg the question as to why we’re so fanatical about going back into pubs. It would be cheaper and less hassle to pick up a bottle of plonk and sit in a meadow adjacent to the river. The vibe would be almost the same, and in fact more peaceful.

In the evening, a what-has-become-customary meet up involving a lot of gin in Dan and Joey’s back garden. Joey’s gin measures are what one would call generous and her servings of mac ‘n’ cheese were as copious as her shots of gin. As the night rolled on, I won’t claim to remember the specifics of everything that was discussed. When Dan summarised the evening as a ‘conversational adventure of total joy’, it confirmed that a wonderful time had been had by all.

Talking about gin drinking always makes me think of this hilarious Mash Report clip.