Monday 19 August 2013

And I'm done - PSH

18. Your local pub/bar/coffee house or tea shop.

I thought this would be hard because I was thinking of a place where I regularly go as being my "local". The problem here being that Mr M and I don't drink. Now we are not anti alcoho, although I do intensely dislike what it does to people, I don't leave the house unless I am with Mr M and he cannot walk into the city centre anymore because of his knees so coffee houses and teashops are not on our radar, at least not here. How was I going to do this one. I asked Mr M.
He gave me the look - sorry, The Look

"We'll take a picture of the OWL" he said. So we did

Now you might notice that the pub is not called the OWL it is called the Royal Mail. That's because the name was changed in the 1990s when the Royal Mail paid for the outside to be painted so all the bits that are now black were pillar box red. To say thank you the brewery changed the name. It used to be called
THE OLD WHITE LION
Aaah, see I know what you thought.
Now I'll tell you a bit of a tale that is quite embarrassing for me but it even makes me laugh.

When we first moved into our house, just up the hill from here, we used to regularly meet up with my cousin and her husband and go out for a drink - Mr M had coke I would have lemonade or water. Louisa would say "We'll meet you in the OWL" but we never got there because we would stop at the Old White Lion on the way (I thought) and there they would be so we would stay there instead of going to the OWL. This went on for a couple of years until one evening as we trudged back up the hill to home I paused and gasped "Why don't we ever get to the OWL?" Mr M stopped, paused and turned. "What do you mean?" he asked. Well Louisa says she'll meet us in the OWL and then we always stop in the Old White Lion and she is there so we stay there, we never go on to the OWL... Where is the OWL?"
He tried very hard, I'll give him that. He struggled manfully to keep a straight face but it was too much. He grasped the pole of the no waiting sign at the roadside and laughed so hard no sound came out and his face went very, VERY red.
I had an inkling that I had said something that was going to echo down the years. I was right. When he finally caught his breath, and it was several minutes before that happened, he managed to whisper "Three Letter Acronym"
As I write it I can feel the flush of embarrassment creeping up my neck and across my face. "Oh bother!" I said, "Of course!" I said "I should have realised!" and then I could see that this was going to be something to talk about for years and I could also imagine my face. Thank heavens we didn't have phone cameras back then!

So that's me done with this year's Photograph Scavenger Hunt. My thanks to Rinda for setting the challenge. I really enjoyed seeking out the pictures and giving it my own personal slant. I have made a mini album and told the story of each picture on the pages.As I won a prize last year I don't want to be considered this year. I have really enjoyed it and look forward to next year.

21 comments:

alexa said...

Well done on the final one for your collection and it takes a courageous soul to tell an amusing story against themselves :).

Kirsty.A said...

Great post.

Sian said...

Made me laugh too! Round here I'm still calling the pubs by the names I knew them as a student many many years ago. TTO thinks this is hilarious and has asked me not to do it in front of his friends..

Sian said...

ps well done on finishing up

Lesley McDade said...

It was a slow dawn for me too - but got there in the end. Fabulous story telling

Maria Ontiveros said...

I love this - it's one of my all time favorite scavenger hunt posts because of the wonderful story. And because it is your "old" local.
Bravo! Hope you'll link up at the end of the summer, even if you don't want to be in the draw for the prize.
Rinda

glitterandglue said...

Have read right the way to the bottom and found myself laughing out loud at your wonderful story telling ability. You're great! Your pictures are good to - not easy at 40mph!! Well done.
Margaret (glitterandglue)

~*~Patty S said...

Bravo to you for completing the hunt already...
this one is one of the stragglers on my list ... no photo yet.
Greetings from Virginia, USA
oxo

Becky said...

What a great story! You did make me chuckle. I have enjoyed looking at your photos :-)

Missus Wookie said...

oh thank you for sharing - that made me laugh!

john-w said...

Don't know what I did wrong, but I left a comment yesterday that doesn't seem to be listed - are well, try again.

Maybe it was that I was laughing so much, my eyes were too bleary to see what I was doing!!!!!!!

Anyway, great story, and a good photo.

Enjoy the rest of the scavenger hunt,

WOYWWer john-w #17.

Julie J said...

They never let you forget a gaff like that do they? I recall once commenting on the number of players called OG during the football results - only to be informed that it meant 'own goal'.

BJ said...

Super story, good job you included it as I was confused too - LOL BJ

Andy said...

Great post,and congratulations on getting everything!

Miriam said...

Well done on finishing! I just love your stories that go with the pictures. The OWL! brilliant.

furrypig said...

brilliant story and some brilliant scavenger hunt photos

Andy said...

I really enjoyed reading your post. I really like you studio photograph, it look a very creative space. Andy:)

The Mann Fam said...

I love your telling of the OWL experience.

debs14 said...

How funny! But I think that I may possibly have made the same mistake! We have a pub in a nearby town that is really called the Rainbow and Dove but I never call it that. You see, many years ago I arranged to meet a friend of mine at work there and neither of us could remember the name. We had a few guesses, knowing that it wsa something to do with the sky and an animal. After a while we agreed that it was probably the Moon and Duck. From then on, we always referred to it as the Moon and Duck.

Susanne said...

I flipped back through several posts of your photos, but I have to say, I enjoyed the OWL story the best. Good for your for being able to laugh at yourself.

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

I really enjoyed reading your post and seeing your photos. :o) Thanks for sharing a story that has me chuckling this afternoon.