4-Up

Went over southside mid afternoon to meet up with Carl and go on a Halloween walkabout. Things were surprisingly quiet, with only a few young kids trick-and-treating with their adult chaperones and preparations (much lower-key than in previous years) being made for the usual bonfire across from the Harold School in Glasthule.

We began in the Cozie, which had been a hotbed of Halloween fun and games a couple of years ago but was very subdued this year. We didn't stay long there before moving on to Weirs, which we also remembered in fun terms from a previous Halloween. Things were a bit better there in terms of decorations at least, though there was nothing special happening and there was only a handful of customers (one of whom was the guy in the blip - it wasn't a great image to begin with, which is why I messed about with it a bit). We settled in at the bar, and were very surprised soon after when one of the staff began to take down the decorations. When we mentioned this to the barman he said they were acting on the manager's instructions. We told him we didn't much care for that, and reminded him that this was the actual Halloween night. He agreed, called a halt to the ripping down of the cobwebs and brought over lollipops and peanuts. We were impressed with how he'd handled the situation and immediately ordered another drink, which in turn led to another afterwards. I took a fancy to something other than another pint of lager, and asked for a Malibu and pineapple instead. When I was told there was no pineapple I hesitated, at which point the girl behind the bar suggested that I try a Captain Morgan and Finches Orange. I said okay, and was delighted I did, since it turned out to be a gorgeous tipple.

A flurry of activity behind the bar shortly afterwards seemed to signal a change of shift, and another guy appeared, wearing an unmistakeable air of being managerial. Sure enough, he wasted no time coming out onto the floor and continuing the decoration demolition job which had been earlier interrupted. Once again we expressed our disappointment, but he was having none of it. "The party was last night", was what he gave as his reason, and he wasn't at all interested when we reminded him that this was Halloween night. So we left.

It was time for food at this stage. There's an Indian restaurant right across the road from Weirs, and that's where we went. It was okay, though I wouldn't hurry back. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to go for Indian two nights in a row.