So, our little bar has somehow been voted CAMRA Gateshead pub of the year.
We’d not expected this; there’d been a hope of coming in as runner up, but we couldn’t have imagined coming so far in our first year.
Our only real target was to make the 2024 Good Beer Guide; pub of the year wan’t really on our radar.
Due to a Network Rail arch inspection, the bar is closed and we’ve some time off.
Quality time with the dog.
Christmas, the perfect time of year for camping.
Think about it; Boxing Day bus services end pretty early in the day. And it can be a real pain to get a cab late at night.
Fortunately, when faced with a long, cold walk home last night, there was an alternative.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the future lately.
People who know me might be surprised to hear that I don’t see this cool little bar as being part of that.
Getting this place open was one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced. Largely because I did most of the physical labour as, well as the obvious multitude of bits of red tape, formalities and other such rubbish.
In many ways, getting the ‘bus up and running was pretty close to work I’d done when I had a proper job. While the bar was stupidly hard work, it was hugely rewarding. Particularly when there was a real outcome and a feeling of I did this.
And maybe that’s what I liked about the last few projects in my old job. Once something was delivered, the buzz was over. The inevitable live running politics took over and a new job came along.
So why would Microbus be any different? I’m at the point when, although I love the place, the buzz is already a distant memory and the people shit has started to encroach on the joy in something new.
This stuff’s so frustrating.
Opening a bar is hard work. But, when someone posts something like this, it’s all worthwhile.
It’s been a tough couple of months, but we did it.
We opened a bar.
After a 12 hour day in the (new) pub, I went to work in the Schooner for another 4 hours.
Back in the new place in five hours.
I’ve been involved in the Schooner for almost two and a half years. It was meant to be something of a hobby after early retirement from a proper job. I’ve reduced my share in the pub significantly, but it’s proven impossible to sever all ties. Soon perhaps.
We’ve been told that we should get the keys to the new place in the next few days. Then we’re hoping to get the place up and running in a month or so. There’s a lot to do, but we’re looking forward to it.
The premises license for the micropub came through the other day. While we’d heard weeks ago that the license had been approved, the physical license took a few weeks to materialise.
Not that we were in a rush; we’re still waiting for the lease and planning permission. The deadline for the planning decision is the end of next week though, so there should be another development soon.
Of course, that’ll still leave the matter of the lease.
Meanwhile, thoughts on potential t-shirts (they won’t be white, this exists only on paper right now). And maybe a table top.
And I’m continuing to buy random shit.
I’m currently watching the Quatermass Xperiment (1955) on TV.
AKA the creeping unknown.
As a young child, I found this film pretty scary. Following the return of a space ship to Earth, with its nose buried deep in the ground, the experts arrived at the crash site.
As a young child, I wouldn’t have known what a VW T2 was, even though I had one of those German police VW car and van models.
So I wouldn’t have noticed that the experts had arrived in a T2 split screen.
One unusual thing about the van was the radio set in the engine compartment!
