18th August, 2026.
OK: it’s Tuesday.
And, bar watching For All Mankind, tonight?
I’m fully expecting the day to be two things.
One?
Quiet.
Two … ?
Not rain: despite being as overcast as it’s possible to be, without being the planet, Venus!
The sooner it does?
The sooner I can complain about it!
~≈🌧️≈~
You possibly aware I’ve worked in the pub trade: so keep an interested eye on the industry.
I’m as aware as anyone, that pubs are closing at a worrying rate.
And that many of what had been pubs are being converted into flats or offices.
The Castle, on Ongar Road, is the most recent example in Brentwood that I know of: but there’s probably others.
So … ?
Seeing this piece, recently — a piece that tells me how the government are planning to modify planning permission regulations, to make it harder to turn unused pubs into homes or offices — caught my attention.
I like it: I think it’s a good idea, a good idea to aim for.
But … ?
I also think it’s a good idea: if the business is there to support the pub staying open.
It’s useless to keep a pub open: if no-one’s there to use it.
~≈🍺≈~
