I wasn’t really feeling Friday night. My back was hurting and I felt rubbish. One female colleague had commented on the day that I looked awful and another chipped in that I looked like death warmed up. But the first Friday of January is always what we call the quiz team night out. We’ve not been a quiz team since 2011, but we keep this tradition up and the 4 lads I was meeting up with easily go into the top 10 list of my longest standing friends, we don’t see each other often enough so despite feeling crap. I wasn’t missing this.

As is standard procedure upon leaving work the music went straight on and the first song was “Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine” by The Killers. Talk about needing an anthem to start the weekend and getting one. I stopped by McDonald’s for a toffee latte and upon leaving opted against putting said drink on the floor to use the nearby cashpoints and hurting my back picking it up again. I generally allow myself 3 mistakes a year. This was to be number 1 of 2023.

The bus to Aldridge arrived and I was soon there. Now for some cash. I wandered round to Lloyds. Now closed (for good, not the night). Arse. It was still open when I last attended rehearsal in November. I checked my wallet. I had a fiver. Phew. Enough for a pint. I’m not one for paying by card. I know where I stand with cash and I don’t want the bank manager and government knowing where I spend my hard earned.

I headed to The Turtles Head, Aldridge’s micro pub. There were a few people in along with 4 dogs. I’m rubbish with dogs so don’t ask what makes they were but I think one was a bulldog. They had Thornbridge “Brother Rabbit” on so that was motion carried straight away. They were having trouble with the till, furious repairs were in action and when complete the tray shot out as if it was on Open All Hours, causing one barmaid to jump out of her skin.

Anyway the dogs were all friendly, one of them to the extent that he’d wrapped his rather long lead around my legs, causing issues with walking away with my pint. It took some coaxing from his owner before he unravelled and I could escape. The music was standard 80’s fare, the highlight being Heartache Avenue by The Maisonettes. Whenever I hear this I always have to turn to the side to sing the backing vocals like the ladies in the video. Thankfully nobody spotted me doing this.

It was time to meet the others. I walked back to the main street. HSBC was across the road. Nah, I’ll go Natwest opposite the Wetherspoons. I did and the cashpoint was out of order. I miserably trudged all the way back to HSBC. The 1st cashpoint? Out of order. You have got to be kidding me. 2nd one thankfully was playing nicely.

I needed paracetamol so went to the Lifestyle Express. I noticed two bottles of Prime behind the counter. Fully aware that people have been fighting over these in Aldi then buying them and flogging them at hugely inflated prices on E-Bay I considered buying one. However I’m a lover (I wish) not a fighter and I’d already wasted enough drinking time hunting for cash so I didn’t really have the minutes for fistycuffs.

I made it to The Avion, the Aldridge Wetherspoons. Naturally I was last to arrive. Swill, Morty, Mark and Al were already there and had been joined by Laura and Pezza who were enjoying a child free night. Laura was straight over. “What do you want to drink?”. I’m crap at being put on the spot, panicked and said “Carling”, which she rushed off to purchase for me. It was soon Swill’s round. I again requested Carling. He sent Mark up the bar and shortly afterwards I went up to help carry them. It was then I saw “Danish Dynamite” by Stonehenge Brewery on the bar. I love Stonehenge and their brewery is an amazing place to visit. I’m no beer snob though and enjoyed my Carlings but made a note to always check the menu before ordering.

Malabar was the curry house of choice for the evening, one that I’ve not been in before. Everyone knows my views on unlicensed curry houses so there was some banter coming my way that this was one of those. I protested but Pezza checked online and confirmed that it sold booze but you could take your own too. I really don’t get that. Be like taking your own prostitute to a knocking shop. Upon walking in there was the glorious sight of bottles of Cobra behind the bar. Beautiful. It was only 8.30 but the place was very busy, which was a good sign.

This place has an upmarket feel to it. The starters are called entrees and my usual one of choice the delightful Nargis Kebab has the name Nargis Kofta. I don’t normally order baltis as I just like meat and sauce and can’t be arsed to ask for this dish to have it’s tomato and onions removed but I was feeling brave now (enough to go back to Lifestyle Express to fight, maybe over a bottle of gin though) so ordered this dish for a change.

The food arrived quickly. The Nargis was divine. Standard but the balti sans all the shit that normally comes in it was also great. I wolfed the lot down. The toilets are upstairs and outside the door was a table with 3 chairs along the wall on one side. Made it look like sometimes you have to pass an interview before you get to use the facilities.

Back at the table the waiter tried to swipe my glass which still had a good mouthful of Cobra left in it. We have a DPD driver come into work who always comments about how slow I move. I wish he’d been there to see how quickly I reacted to that.

So it was a great night with superb people. After one last pint back in Wetherspoons, Alan gave us all a lift home like the top bloke that he is.

Sorry the blog has been dormant for a while. I’ve been struggling with it but will try and get back to normal service soon. Cheers for reading and happy new year.