Tuesday, Dec 5. 19:08 Time for football practice

The last couple of times I’ve chauffeured the boy to football practice I’ve ended up sitting in the car, checking emails, watching Master Chef or even catching up with work messages. Not tonight though. Tonight I’ve used Maps to explore nearby pubs. It took a while to find something with a vibe more pub than restaurant, but without pictures of toothless karaoke killers or similar. The result: where am I? I need to check the map… The Golden Boar, Freckenham.

It feels like an independent place. No obvious brewery branding, and the only ale on tap seems to be two versions of London Pride. I’m having a Peroni. The local is at the bar, also drinking Peroni, and chatting to someone who sounds like he’s part of the Dom Christina family - he’s asking the landlord about the bottle design and talking about going back to Portugal with a drive to redesign the bottle. Not that I’m eavesdropping - the Portuguese guy is practically standing in my ear.

I can’t quite remember what I was planning on doing - this is one of those places where if you’re near the bar, you’re in the conversation. I think I should just sit here and join in the fun for the 20 mins I have left before the return journey.