Happy Arthur's day!

Guinness, that is, not Astrop.
Now that you're all in festival mood, it's just 250 years today since young Arthur Guinness took out his 9,000 year lease on St James's Gate Brewery on his 34th birthday in 1759. Whatever Diageo's future plans there should still be plenty of time for a real pint. Dublin's the place to be, or even Nigeria, kicking off at 17:59 exactly.

With the Railway Bar swallowed up by the Shelton Hotel this road's a parched desert. Now if we only had that bloody Wightman Bus I could make my way down to the Nag's Head for auld time's sake. Nominal loyalty suggests the OAE, perhaps, but I'm damned if I'm going to crawl down to the SHOLsbury.