Reg Dwight liked a fight on a Saturday night, me I'm just a lawnmower, you can tell me by the way I walk.

Did Reg really like a bit of a ruck ?, I don't think so, did he get as well oiled as a locomotive, doubtful, but the song was great, and his hair then was his own. He and his band made some great music in those early days, I can still listen to the album Captain Fantastic.

Where would he been without Bernie Taupins great lyrics I wonder ?, if you listen to the lyrics of some of the songs on that album you get a hint of the seediness of the music world as it was then.

All that aside back to the mundanities of everyday life.

So yesterday I got my backside in gear and made a start on my very neglected looking garden, the Winter had left it in a sorry state, the grass uncut, the patio which I think was a honey colour when the slabs were laid were now a dirty looking greyish colour.

Dead leaves lay across the cold stone like soldiers who had lost an unequal battle against the weather, a gardening Stalingrad if you will,  I was now to become like a gardening  graves registration unit clearing the battlefield of the fallen.

Plants from last year as limp as TM's Brexit strategy, (I will never mention it again).

I had formulated a plan, my aim was to clear everything off the patio, all the garden furniture, various pots, get rid of an old Christmas tree which had very little life left in it, and sweep all the leaf debris and other stuff off.

I'd rather optimistically bought a pressure washer during the week and was itching to try it out, but delayed gratification was required, first I had to cut the lawn.

With all the rain we've had it was hard work, plus I have man flu, which everyone knows is totally debilitating :).

After all tomorrow (now today) was Sunday and in the night there was the real possibility of a call from Mr Farmer..

Grass cut I moved all the stuff off the patio and at this point disturbed some grubs, and a Robin watching my labours took his opportunity and swooped down, grabbed a grub and flew back into the nearby bush.

There he sat his prize in his beak, I think in his own way he had a look of thanks on his face, but his mood soon changed when he landed in front of me and I tried to get another picture, he stared at the camera with a look that said, "You looking at me" ?

The grim reality of a dirty patio.

So I make  a start, a Robin gets fed, and a grub meets his maker, there must be a reward for all this effort so a trip to a brewery is taken, Blackened Sun Brewing Co is based in Stacey Bushes Milton Keynes. A short trip down the A508 which took all of 20 minutes.


I'd seem them on Twitter and taken a look at their beer list where I spotted Nebula Stout, Stout being of my favourire beer types I'm always on the lookout for some I've never come across before.

I need to lose some of that belly, and beer is not helping, bit of a dilemma, anyone know of an answer ?.

Please no suggestions of less beer, I couldn't cope.

Gary on the right owns the brewery and runs it with his Wife Sharon, both lovely people to chat to, and he told me about some of their beers and his thoughts on brewing, I sampled a few and decided that some had got to come home with me.

---

Tonight I'll be trying the Luna, a beer described as dark, brooding Saison with a roasted  malty flavour and distinct coffe overtones.

Sounds good, the Hedone I tried last night with a curry, a nice beer with a lowish ABV of %3.6 quite refreshing and very easy to drink.

On a boozy theme later I'm off to the Crown at Ashton for dinner, they do some great roasts and a very decent bottle of red, so if your've ever out that way pop in.

I don't often buy the local rag mostly because it's mostly full of nothing, but this week I thought I'd take a look at what they were reporting on, and to my surprise there was this article on Bradlaugh Hall in Bangalore.

---

Earlier this week I was diverted on my homeward journey down the litter strewn A45 and had to take a slightly different route home which led me through the village of Earls Barton.

The traffic was slow as others had had the same idea as me and when I got to the point of just about leaving the village to join the Wellingborough road I glanced to my left and saw this.

I hadn't noticed this before but then its a long time since I went anywhere near the village, but with Saturday coming up I had a quick look on the web, got some contact details and decided a visit was on the cards.

All the way down the drive was this beautiful blossom which only lasts a very short time, but on a sunny day it looks glorious.

New Lodge Vineyard has it turns out been established since 2000, quite how I'd missed that I'll never know, but I'd read on their web site that they do red and white wine plus a sparkling wine.

Wine on a sunny Saturday with fromage.