Pleasure of Pub

Yesterday on the way to the council 'Tip' I noticed that new flats have sprung up on what used to a public house, The Red Lion in the heart of Greenford - not sure if I should go as far as to say the heart has been ripped out but it is I think symptomatic of a change in the Alcohol climate of the UK.

Non routinely for me I did visit an Ealing  Pub (The Rose and Crown) yesterday and found it a good experience - it was not the sort of drinking place I'd have sought out for a wild time but it did seem to really serve it's local community it's even got  a number of performances of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet coming up in August  in the garden there.



Another pub that's been demolished for flats 

Alcohol is a problem for many but it's also a pleasure for even more and the value of it as a social lubricant and a part of rituals  is difficult to overestimate.

I started visiting pubs at the age of about 14 and it was less of an issue than it would be now and for me (I don't think) that it's been a real problem as we get older many 'moderate' drinkers tend to cut down their consumption for a variety of reasons.

But there are problems that a social hub (that is called  a pub) can address and which are not met by the myriad of coffee shops where the strung out stare at their laptops and tablets giving the impression that they're not alone.

Oh I had a great incineration session too..

Burn Baby Burn (as Hudson-Ford would say)