Each time I traversed Long Lane in Bermondsey, a defunct pub would catch my eye. Simon The Tanner, it was called: its petrol-blue frontage and distinctive red pub sign suggesting it may once have been a Shepherd Neame house. I often wondered what it might have been like to visit: until, one day, without fanfare, I had the chance to find out. Simon was back.
Simon The Tanner
November 11th, 2011Cask v Keg
May 31st, 2011Recently, I have seen lots of debate on whether craft beer dispensed by keg should automatically be considered less superior to cask beer. As a result, I’ve been trying to clarify my own opinions on the matter. Read the rest of this entry »
A Bit Of Political Fun
July 18th, 2010It’s not often I get overtly political in this blog, but perhaps it’s time to try something a bit different. What I’m going to do is sketch out a rough-and-ready policy idea. It’s not terribly well-considered or in-depth, but that’s not the aim: I’m not a political expert, much less a policy wonk.
This blog piece is simply a starting point for a debate. It doesn’t even necessarily reflect my own views. So, have a read, and use the Comments section to leave your thoughts. (Comments are moderated, and anything abusive towards me or any other commenter will be rejected straight away. Other comments are approved or rejected entirely at my discretion, but I’ll try not to be too censorious.) Read the rest of this entry »
Uruguay 2 – 1 South Korea
June 26th, 2010The 2010 World Cup will be remembered, if for nothing else, for the incessant droning which could be heard over the television coverage: Mick McCarthy. Read the rest of this entry »
#save6music
May 16th, 2010Well, it seems that the best way I can share my opinions on this is to reproduce the email I’ve just sent to the BBC.
Read the rest of this entry »
Those Manifestos In Full. Sort Of.
April 18th, 2010With the General Election campaign in full swing, I decided that I ought to read the parties’ manifestos. And I’ve got to be honest with you: they’re pretty heavy-going.
Read the rest of this entry »
To Cheat Or Not To Cheat?
March 25th, 2010What follows is a little something I recently posted to an unofficial but very entertaining Notts County FC mailing list. Read the rest of this entry »
Bread and Butter
February 3rd, 2010Well, the poem I unleashed upon you last night received a few plaudits on Twitter. Well, two, to be precise. But that’s enough to persuade me to publish another of my linguistic efforts; so here goes. Read the rest of this entry »
Rules of Attraction
February 2nd, 2010I’ve got a confession to make. I occasionally write poetry. I mean, very occasionally. And not to a particularly high standard. But there’s something therapeutic about the process nonetheless.
I rarely share my poems with anyone. But here’s something I knocked together back in 2004. Let me know what you think, by tweeting me: I’m @martgro. Read the rest of this entry »
We’re Only Human
December 31st, 2009For when the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name,
He writes – not that you won or lost – but how you played the Game.
Grantland Rice’s poem Alumnus Football eloquently – if perhaps a little cloyingly – uses an extended sporting metaphor to convey a more general philosophy towards life. But in sport, that very idea espoused by Rice – that it’s the taking part that counts – is looking increasingly sepia-tinged. Read the rest of this entry »