8. Kettleshulme 23th March 2013

It was a dark and stormy night…no it wasn’t ..it was bright and very snowy day so hats and gloves and everything else. It was just a short walk from our house around Toddbrook reservoir and up to...you guessed it… a pub ! The Swan Inn at Kettleshulme and back again. It was quite hard going and quite deep in places, I wish Julie would keep the conversation light… I wasn’t really in the mood! The Swann Inn was quite full and I ordered a pint Guinness and a small sweet sherry for Julie. There was one guy sat at the bar who stared at me intently with his bloodshot eyes as if it was his pub and how very dare I come in to his bar from some towny place and interrupt his day. As I tried to examine just how bloodshot his eyes were whilst reaching for my change from the barmaid I inadvertently knocked over Julie’s sherry. I can’t say it was completely my fault as the barmaid decided to offer the handful of coins first one way through the 4 beer pumps then another way and finally round the side of them. Red eyes’s stare narrowed at this palaver as I shrugged my shoulders in order to make light of the situation but he was having none. It was complete silence, even the baby stopped crying! We departed as quickly as possible giving myself a Guinness brainfreeze on the coldest day of the year !