Saturday 19 July 2014

Formative drinking and one heck of a thunderstorm...

Last night's storm was really an eye opener!

Back when Scrobs was around the magical age of eighteen, the family lived in a village, where Dad had built the house in 1952. (See Scrobs passim). The house was well up on a natural ridge, and the views to the south were incredible, with Fairlight to the left, Hastings in the middle, and Battle to the right. All of these are several miles distant.

Whenever there was a thunderstorm - like the one last night, Dad used to get up and watch it all happening, because you could see lightning for miles in all directions, and it was one of his abiding pleasures! In true form, I heard the first roll of thunder at around 2.30am, and went into YD's old room to see lightning flashing in all directions, including some superb forked strikes nearby! It really was spectacular, even though the views from The Turrets are more limited because of the churchyard trees!

And to complete the yarn, as it's my birthday today, Mrs Scroblene is taking me to lunch at the very pub a hundred yards away from the old house, where all my formative drinking became a pleasing pastime!

We used to know it as The Broad Oak Inn back then.

The Landlord was a funny old boy back then, and could either be grumpy or very kind, and you probably wouldn't really have noticed the difference on some days, and his beer came from barrels stacked behind the bar, and the only food he sold was crisps and arrowroot biscuits! It's changed  now, and there's a car park, a big room and a great garden for children, but the lure of the possibility of meeting an old formative drinking chum from the sixties is an additional aspiration...!

8 comments:

rvi said...

Happy birthday mate. Don't do anything I wouldn't enjoy!

Watching lightning is intrinsically satisfying and pleasurable. Great stress relief just to sit and watch. When I lived in Geneva many years ago, I used to drive out of an evening along the motorway towards Lausanne and turn off into a country lane somewhere in the middle of the plain just to park and watch lightning dancing in the sky over the Alps on one side and the Juras on the other. Some really spectacular entertainment most nights - and entirely free. I still like to stand by and watch lightning even now, but there is a health and safety freak these days who insists I keep away from windows - even though there is a ten foot fully roofed patio surrounding our little hovel!

There is also a pleasant little village called Broad Oak just on the edge of Canterbury which has a couple of very old comfortable welcoming rustic pubs tucked away down the side streets which serve excellent food and atmosphere. But yours is probably a different village. If ever you are over that way, I recommend a swift half - or a very decent (and not too expensive) dinner.

A K Haart said...

I like storms too - particularly that clean fresh smell of heavy rain after a long hot spell.

There was thunder here, but only in the distance, nothing exciting.

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

I used to work in Canterbury, Reevers, and occasionally went thataway towards Herne Bay, but never stopped there!

If they're Shep's pubs then they're just fine by me!

And thanks for your good wishes!

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

It's still a bit humid here, Mr H, but as I'm so full, I think I can just make it to a welcome armchair in the cool...

Trubes said...

We've had some thunder rumbling around and just a few flashes of lightning but lots of torrential downpours. I don't like lightning, being a womin I'm a bit frightened of it.
I remember a terrific storm over Merseyside in 1964, my parents were away on holiday and I was home with a friend staying, we were both petrified it went on for what seemed like hours!
I hope you had an enjoyable birthday,
love Di.xx

Electro-Kevin said...

Happy Birthday.

I like thunder too. And watching a storm at sea.

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

Hiyaaah, Trubes!

Yup, it was a great day thank you!

Just another year older, it could be worse I suppose..;0)

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

Thanks, Elecs!

Hope you're all bearing up too.