Some dog pictures from pubs in Newcastle the other night. She’s possibly the cutest dog ever.
I didn’t really want a dog, but once persuaded, I wanted a pub dog. I couldn’t have asked a better pub dog; or a better dog. Life wouldn’t be the same without her.
After hearing about a new micropub in Durham, we had to take a look. The Holy GrAle is definitely worth a visit; a really decent range of cask and keg.
And a pretty lovely Marble imperial stout, 10.5%.
Since we were in the area, we also called in the rather excellent Station House.
And the Waiting Room.
Unfortunately, the dog experienced her first delayed train (waiting for an ambulance).
After meeting a bunch of nice people one night at Northern Kin festival, we promised we’d try out the buskers’ night at the Gin and Ale House (previously, the Albion) in Jarrow.
We’d stopped off at the pub a couple of times in the past, but only for a quick pint in passing.
After a delay of a few weeks, we finally made time for a longer visit last night. For some reason, we decided to walk. With a walk of almost two hours, we stopped off half way for a break at the Cricketers in Bill Quay.
That meant that we arrived a little later than intended, but it was definitely worth the walk. It was more of a traditional buskers’ night, with a more natural feel than the buskers’ nights I was accustomed to in the Schooner. We’ll be back next Thursday, although we might set off earlier.
Sadly, while we did meet up with festival acquaintances, the dog’s festival friend wasn’t there last night. Apparently she’ll be there next week though.
Last night also allowed us to test the challenge of the dog’s visibility in the dark.
I’ve been in the pub business for 14 months and it’s been tough. And fun.
After a lot of agonising, I’ve decide to sell my shares in the Schooner. I’ve learned so much in this short time, more than I could have imagined just a year ago.
I’m proud to have contributed to turning around a failing pub, making it a viable business.
While I’ll leave mid-January, I’ll be helping out informally until the end of the financial year.
After which I’ll take some well earned time off, do some work on the house, then explore my next project.