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Brendan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Pint of Guinness, shot of bourbon and an argument

> about politics please.


Dermot has pointed out the sign bearing the legend "Anyone caught talking politics in this establishment will be rendered uncoscious and barred with extreme prejudice"

He's fine with the Guinness and bourbon though.

Fair enough and if they keep coming the need to discuss politics will dissipate and be replaced with amicable chit chat followed by eloquent yet exaggerated tales of derring-do and inevitably slip comfortably into discordant singing and empathic promises of lifelong friendship.

Brendan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Fair enough and if they keep coming the need to

> discuss politics will dissipate and be replaced

> with amicable chit chat followed by eloquent yet

> exaggerated tales of derring-do and inevitably

> slip comfortably into discordant singing and

> empathic promises of lifelong friendship.


Dermot says the next one's on the house and is intending to have your post framed and mounted behind the bar.

He went all quiet and after a while excused himself as he 'had something in his eye'.

He's been upstairs for a while now. I think that's The Pogues Sally McLennane he's playing on a loop.

I don't suppose you could get your man Dermot to have a shifty in your esteemed wine cellar Hona could you as I have a certain yearning for a Chateau Lafite de Rothchild '58 followed by a Margaux '61. Any chance old bean? Oh! and I'll be having a pint of Guinness while I wait and one for Brendan too while you're at it. Cheers!

Well I don't really want to disturb Dermot right now, as he's having some 'me' time, and he's prone to buzzing objects at a chap's head if his reverie is interrupted.

I suppose I'm kind looking after the place. Can't find what I suspect are highly fancy-pants wines in the cellar at the moment, but the redoubtable Philomena will be around soon so she'll take a run around to sus out a case or two of each.

'Sourcing' we vintners call it.

In the meantime the Guinness is in plentiful supply.

It is wonderful stuff this Guinness. Yes it may be a highly commercialised ?brand? and therefore should get nothing but scorn from an armchair anarchist like myself but there is no another stout to rival it on these or any other islands.


It is even aesthetically pleasing. ?the vertical curves snaking over the straight, horizontal contrast of black and white like Ingrid Bergman?s hips in Casablanca or Jessica Alba?s in Sin City, depending on the type of establishment of course,


But. Errhhm. Anyway.


Did I ever tell you about the time I saved the fortunes of one of Belgravia?s more notable Perfumeries by using a pint of Guinness to lose a Rolls-Royce in a poker game?

1 ton, that?s 1000kg or 2204.6226218 in old money. A motorcar weighing any less is just be plain dangerous.*


Or would that be an old money ton, in other words 2240pounds or 1016.0469088 of the ones that make sense?


Did I ever tell you about the time I beat the Sultan of Brunei at scrabble?


*Not to be confused with plane dangerous.

I beg your pardon. You appear to be making no sense at all. Are you trying to engage me in a conversation about carpentry perhaps?


It must be the hour. I find beer helps.


A pint of brown beer of some description for the lady please.


Hmmm, the service is a bit sparse in here today. Normally I would go and man the pumps myself but that Dermot has a mean streak as long as the shillelagh he keeps under the bar counter and he reserves them both for those who cross the ordained boundaries univited.

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