Pubs seem to think they're re-opening

[Sebastian Cobb]

Just drink some tins in a graveyard or something.

[A Hat Like That]

Very well served for that in Brum. Very well indeed.

[non capisco]

I have always been a sucker for indulging dismal circumstances and have long been grimly amused by how utterly fucking bleak a lot of Spoons venues are

Didn't you tell me about one you were in once when the bar staff started fighting AND it was on fire, or have I just completely pulled that out of my arse?

[The Mollusk]

Half true! Rochester Castle in Stoke Newington, notoriously grim Spoons. Two of the bar staff got into a brawl where they were throwing glasses at one another. One other staff member was trying to separate them while the rest just carried on pouring drinks.

I've also had my heart broken AND had a successful Tinder first date which ended in sex in that pub. Not on the same night though obviously, that would be mental!!!!!! But yeah, legendary venue.

Fuck it *books table*

[Ferris]

Half true! Rochester Castle in Stoke Newington, notoriously grim Spoons. Two of the bar staff got into a brawl where they were throwing glasses at one another. One other staff member was trying to separate them while the rest just carried on pouring drinks.

I've also had my heart broken AND had a successful Tinder first date which ended in sex in that pub. Not on the same night though obviously, that would be mental!!!!!! But yeah, legendary venue.

Fuck it *books table*

Was my regular for the week I stayed at a friends house in Stoke Newington. Loved it.

[non capisco]

Where the fuck have I got "the pub was on fire" from? Of course it wouldn't have been. Although if there was ever a pub whose policy wasn't to immediately evacuate its patrons in the event of a fire it would obviously be one owned by Tim Martin.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Most London Sam Smiths don't have the beer adequately kept or poured and they have inflated prices vs the North. Old Brewery Bitter is a traditional classic, definitely a good beer for its style.

They have some terrific premises too. The Citte of Yorke, Princess Louise and Captain Kidd are anything but urine soaked hellholes. I'd pay just to sit down in them and read a book (don't tell Humphrey Smith that).

It's a shame the ownership is so fuck awful as they are behind preserving a lot of at risk pubs and the general idea of minimalist old school boozers is a great one. All the rest, the no swearing, no phones, no cards, is a load of antediluvian bollocks and I can see why people are done with them.

[Pranet]

I'm a bit surprised about this pubs being booked up for months in advance stuff. Last year when they reopened they didn't seem that busy at all when I went. Suppose people have been cooped up for longer this time. Hope it doesn't last. It would nice for instance when going for a walk to be able to pop in for a pint.

[flotemysost]

^ Yeah, I suppose last year we'd already had a few months of decent weather before pubs opened, so lots of people had probably been able to meet friends in the park for a while and there was less novelty/urgency. Everyone I know has said that they've found this lockdown by far the hardest in terms of bleakness and isolation.

I did think it was a bit odd that takeaway pints are being allowed from the same day the pubs reopen this time, rather than staggered as before. Possibly makes more sense for the pubs/takes less pressure off them? Although surely allowing takeaway drinks a few weeks ago would have given them a bit of a lifeline, after a presumably incredibly difficult period? I'm not sure.

I have reluctantly agreed to go to birthday drinks in a pub garden in a few weeks. Reluctantly because it'll be my own birthday, I'm looking forward to being in (well, outside) a pub again though.

[chveik]

OPEN THE FUCKING PUBS BOYS

[Sebastian Cobb]

The best pubs tend to be smallish and occupy the ground floors of tenements. These are FACTS.

[beanheadmcginty]

Edit: is the climate markedly better in the south of the UK than the North?

FUCK YES. Having grown up in Kent, going to Sheffield to university was basically like moving to a version of the North Pole where it rains instead of snows. The climates are hugely different but no one outside Kent realises this.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I'm a bit surprised about this pubs being booked up for months in advance stuff. Last year when they reopened they didn't seem that busy at all when I went. Suppose people have been cooped up for longer this time. Hope it doesn't last. It would nice for instance when going for a walk to be able to pop in for a pint.

It's partly inflated media hype driving the demand. Like any advertised shortage in the UK people just panic.

The no-shows are going to be off the scale.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Edit: is the climate markedly better in the south of the UK than the North?

You can make good wine and cider in the south so Yes.

Occasionally the axis will flip and it will be warmer in Scotland for about 36 hours, but normally there is something like a 3-8°C gap between temperatures in the North to the South.

They also rely on us for a lot of water, so we should be rinsing them for that in return for getting shafted.

[phes]

With rain it really depends on which side of the country. Sheffield is pretty fine being just off to the east and right of the spine of hills. Rainfall is pretty comparable to most typical places centrally in the south. Move west and slightly North to somewhere like Rochdale and you're looking at 30 mm more rain (in a summer month) than somewhere central or southern. I lived in Manchester for a short while and I know there's much to love about it, but I found it bleak as fuck

[Zetetic]

Posting that rainfall map by Alasdair Rae:
http://www.statsmapsnpix.com/2020/08/rain-shadow-maps.html

[BlodwynPig]

On average Glasgow has 300 days of rain per year.

[Blue Jam]

Edit: is the climate markedly better in the south of the UK than the North?

Have you never lived further south than Edinburgh Ferris? I noticed a huge difference when I moved here from London. Had to buy new winter clothes and everything. And I also noted that a bit of snow didn't make the entire city grind to a halt.

I just wanted to add that there is also a huge difference in hours of daylight and darkness too. I've become used to the winter nights beginning at 3pm to the point that when I visit London in winter it's always been a surprise to see a bit more daylight. The trade-off is that we get proper almost-Arctic summer nights, not quite the midnight sun but not far off.

Wherever people are in the UK, I imagine the second lockdown would have been bleaker than the first because of the cold and the dark. To me the first one felt more like the school holidays, and I live near "Edinburgh's biggest beer garden" (The Meadows) and with all the picnics and barbecues I didn't miss the pubs and restaurants so much.

[Blue Jam]

Posting that rainfall map by Alasdair Rae:
http://www.statsmapsnpix.com/2020/08/rain-shadow-maps.html

That's beautiful, thanks.

I can understand some patterns, like why rain falls in mountainous regions, but is there any reason why both here and in the US there is much more rain on the west coast? Is it due to the earth's rotation and the clouds condensing as they cross the boundary from land to sea or something?

[gib]

yes, combined with the fact that the wind usually comes from the west

[DrGreggles]

My local is open tomorrow, but by invitation only (as there's an outdoor seating capacity of 30).
Received my invite yesterday. #valuedcustomer #notgoing

[Ferris]

Have you never lived further south than Edinburgh Ferris?

Birmingham, Sheffield and (briefly) London. Edinburgh is significantly different (and the short days/long nights thing is tough), but the difference between Sheffield and London? Ehhh. Though I'm coming at it 15 years removed and having lived in these places for a couple of years at most so I'm not well placed to judge.

[imitationleather]

I find London unbearably hot during the summer.

[Blue Jam]

I find London unbearably hot during the summer.

Same here. I actually bought a small air conditioner off eBay when I lived in London. Sold it before I moved to Embra and have never felt the need to buy one here. Now I've got a tiny little desk fan and that's enough.

[Icehaven]

Posting that rainfall map by Alasdair Rae:
http://www.statsmapsnpix.com/2020/08/rain-shadow-maps.html

That's the most beautiful map of the UK I've ever seen.

[SpiderChrist]

My boss has just told me that some pubs opened at midnight. It was snowing like a bastard at midnight round here.

[phes]

That is indeed a lovely picture. Lots of the 'rainiest places' lists focus on towns or cities and single weather stations, and don't really describe anything helpful because of the variation in microclimates and focus on populous areas.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Birmingham, Sheffield and (briefly) London. Edinburgh is significantly different (and the short days/long nights thing is tough), but the difference between Sheffield and London? Ehhh. Though I'm coming at it 15 years removed and having lived in these places for a couple of years at most so I'm not well placed to judge.

Having lived generally the length of breadth of England, and ditto for the USA, I think there's a discernible difference for UK people which people from abroad might not notice (kind of like regional accents), generally just described as a bit nippy, wet and overcast. But it's not a huge difference when you've lived somewhere that has 40C blazing heat day and night, palm trees and monsoon rains, then you travel up the coast and you're in -20 snowstorms, then go west and it's a pleasant 25, NW and you're basically in drizzy British style weather with lots of lush green, then go further into the middle and you're in an actual desert.

[idunnosomename]

CLOSE THE PUBS

[El Unicornio, mang]

Deso