Things are running smoothly here in Prawle (I hope this statement won’t become known as my famous last words.) I have a set routine and with the odd exception of freezers breaking down, beer pumps not working properly and the one occasion where I ran out of wine, I am now finding time to plan ahead. We have the Easter break coming up soon and things here go mad. Busy is not a suitable description. It is full on all day and all night, a precursor of the summer to come? We are going to modify our menu and will attempt to encourage the ravenous hordes to book across two sittings. Also if the weather is good to us I will allow people to eat in the beer garden, where they can also enjoy a marvellous sea view.
We now have a regular clientele who use the Provi’ as a refuge from the drudgery of daily life in this village by the sea, a quiet and remote village with some of the most beautiful coastal scenery, a place where modern fast paced city life has no foothold... Sorry I was referring to drudgery wasn't I? Anyway, I now meet on a regular basis some very interesting characters. I’ll start by mentioning Tattoo Pete. Pete is a local fellow who spent time at sea and has also lived abroad in his time. He is also the only council employee I know who drives around in a Jaguar. I am reliably informed (and I have no personal knowledge of this) that he has tattoos over most of his body as well as several interesting piercings. I first met Pete when I was a customer rather than a landlord. My first impression was probably similar to most other peoples and decidedly wrong. Here was a thick-set chap with a goatee beard, tattoos all over him including his neck and ears. He had an earring that looks like a napkin ring in his earlobe and I mean in his earlobe, not just connected via a small pierced hole. Pete looks like he should be heading up a chapter of the most vicious Hell’s Angels you could encounter, but in truth he is a pussycat. He can be articulate, is very amusing and most importantly he is a nice bloke. It is quite funny when he is at the bar and a party of walkers enter the pub. You can see them exchange looks after they notice Pete and they obviously wonder if they have come to the right place. There is a scene in the Blues Brothers where Jake and Elwood go into a very nice restaurant to try and persuade one of their old band members to rejoin them. The patrons look on with contempt at the two anti-heroes, looks of disgust across their collective faces. Jake turns to one table and in a rasping voice says, “I want to buy your daughters,” “How much for your daughters?” I intend to get Pete to do this at some point in the future. Never judge a book by its cover is a truism we should all remember.
We now have a regular clientele who use the Provi’ as a refuge from the drudgery of daily life in this village by the sea, a quiet and remote village with some of the most beautiful coastal scenery, a place where modern fast paced city life has no foothold... Sorry I was referring to drudgery wasn't I? Anyway, I now meet on a regular basis some very interesting characters. I’ll start by mentioning Tattoo Pete. Pete is a local fellow who spent time at sea and has also lived abroad in his time. He is also the only council employee I know who drives around in a Jaguar. I am reliably informed (and I have no personal knowledge of this) that he has tattoos over most of his body as well as several interesting piercings. I first met Pete when I was a customer rather than a landlord. My first impression was probably similar to most other peoples and decidedly wrong. Here was a thick-set chap with a goatee beard, tattoos all over him including his neck and ears. He had an earring that looks like a napkin ring in his earlobe and I mean in his earlobe, not just connected via a small pierced hole. Pete looks like he should be heading up a chapter of the most vicious Hell’s Angels you could encounter, but in truth he is a pussycat. He can be articulate, is very amusing and most importantly he is a nice bloke. It is quite funny when he is at the bar and a party of walkers enter the pub. You can see them exchange looks after they notice Pete and they obviously wonder if they have come to the right place. There is a scene in the Blues Brothers where Jake and Elwood go into a very nice restaurant to try and persuade one of their old band members to rejoin them. The patrons look on with contempt at the two anti-heroes, looks of disgust across their collective faces. Jake turns to one table and in a rasping voice says, “I want to buy your daughters,” “How much for your daughters?” I intend to get Pete to do this at some point in the future. Never judge a book by its cover is a truism we should all remember.
I look forward to the visits of Mr & Mrs B. Mr B. is a multi talented chap who can do everything from manage the software requirements of local businesses to repair fairground organs. He is also a doyen of fine ale. Before we first took on the pub, we had a chat with a few locals and they made it clear that if Mr B. likes your beer then you are not doing too badly. Now, Mr B. knows that I know this and takes great delight as he takes his first sip of a pint in saying, “Landlord, there’s a problem with this beer!” I always look worried and he smiles his knowing smile following it up with, “This beer’s very good, I may have to have more.” He gets me with that every time! Mrs B. is a lovely lady and is definitely the Ying to Mr B’s Yang. Together they add to the charm of this place and I enjoy chatting to them on their frequent visits to the Provi’. Over time I will introduce you to more of my locals.
There are more interesting and colourful characters here and I will provide more information on these soon.
I have excellent staff here at the Provi’. The kitchen is managed by Karen tucker a local girl who has made a huge success of our food operation. She works like a Trojan and has given our customers a marvellous choice of mouth-watering dishes that keep them coming back for more. Alongside Karen is Ian another local who is fast becoming a kitchen whiz in his own right. He is our lunchtime specialist. The bar is my domain, but I wouldn’t manage without the help of Martin who comes from the nearby village of East Portlemouth. Martin helps out on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and is a massive help during our busy times. I occasionally call on his assistance at lunchtimes, but this is not as easy for him as he educates his own children at home. So you see I am able to surround myself with erudite, colourful and intelligent people here at the Provi’.
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