In an effort to avoid the rain and to kill time between dinner and a show, the nearest thing to the theatre is Ole & Steen. I have a peppermint tea because sometimes I don’t have a hot chocolate, and a chocolate mousse-y cake-y thing, which to be fair is quite nice, if way too rich (admittedly after a quite rich dinner, so maybe that’s on me).
The first First Friday Social at work for the year. A smallish turnout, but a perfectly sized one. We play some pool, I have a couple of pints (but not my usual Lilley’s mango cider, because for some reason I think it’s just going to be too sweet for me tonight), and make my way home at a reasonable hour (if later than originally planned).
Raph and I go for a quick drink after coffee at the Bristol Loaf, because for some reason he wants to come here. I have never felt less welcome in a pub! It’s incredibly intimidating being two outsiders in a pub blaring Marilyn Manson at four in the afternoon on a Sunday, one of which (yours truly) ordering an orange juice. I shan’t recount Alasdair’s anecdote about it - that’s his to tell.
Time to catch up with Raph for the first time since Christmas, swapping the traditionally belated presents. I have a perfectly ok hot chocolate and a quite nice croissant, and that’ll do fine. I’m normally a bit more adventurous with the Loaf (their crumpets are excellent), but we got there just as the kitchen was closing, so alas no. Another time.
We pop in for a quick drink as part of Maddie’s goodbye celebrations. I get as far as ordering a Jubel Peach before Alasdair reminds me that it’s still Dry January, so a ginger beer it is. I know I am normally the first person to argue that actually gentrification isn’t all bad, but this is one of the few examples where I do think we need pubs like the old Colosseum. Now it’s just any other pub. Bring back the Queen fruit machine.
The usual haunt for the OPPO new year’s drinks, so I pretty much uniformally am on the mocktails. Definitely feels over-priced for what it is, and the ambience is, eh. But it’s tradition, now.