A sunny summer evening coinciding with the home leg of the wife's reading circle gave me the perfect excuse to pop down to The Barking Dogs for a couple of jars last night.
I walked in on a particularly lively saloon bar for a Tuesday evening and the reason for this confluence of the great and unwashed of the local area was quickly made apparent by a flyer affixed to the door advertising an appearance by local favourites, The Melksham Flyers, that very evening.
After exchanging a few pleasantries and taking receipt of a pint of Brakspears, (expertly pulled by landlady's daughter Margot I might add), I made my way round the back to the pool room where the band was setting up and made myself comfortable in a front row seat.
En route to the pool room, a porcelain, ornamental duck cryptically warns those of taller than average stature to make a momentary height adjustmment in order to avoid a painful collision with the low oak beam to which said duck is attached. Us rakes down at the Dogs generally consider any unfortunate who comes a cropper at this point to be a fair target for our merciless, raucous laughter.
Bearing this in mind, I had a keen eye on all those making their entrance should misfortune befall one of them and provide me with a little mirth. As chance would have it, a chap wearing the sort of riotous garb that devotees of the Flyers are famous for, replete with mirrored shades and clutching a swanky white pool cue made a beeline for one of the tables for a couple of frames with a pal before the band's set began.
With a resounding thud, the inevitable happened and our erstwhile sharp shooter was sat dazed on the floor, glasses askew and wearing a pint of Betty Stoggs.
Cue peals of laughter from yours truly; a reaction I was soon regretting as his rather burly accomplice , face contorted in rage, snarled "Can't you see that man is blind?!". Taking a step back and winding up to take a punch, he was stopped dead in his tracks by the opening bars of "You're Never More Than 6 Feet From A Rat" as the band took to the stage and in no time at all the situation was diffused and we were all happily rocking away together. Saved by the Melksham Flyers!
I walked in on a particularly lively saloon bar for a Tuesday evening and the reason for this confluence of the great and unwashed of the local area was quickly made apparent by a flyer affixed to the door advertising an appearance by local favourites, The Melksham Flyers, that very evening.
After exchanging a few pleasantries and taking receipt of a pint of Brakspears, (expertly pulled by landlady's daughter Margot I might add), I made my way round the back to the pool room where the band was setting up and made myself comfortable in a front row seat.
En route to the pool room, a porcelain, ornamental duck cryptically warns those of taller than average stature to make a momentary height adjustmment in order to avoid a painful collision with the low oak beam to which said duck is attached. Us rakes down at the Dogs generally consider any unfortunate who comes a cropper at this point to be a fair target for our merciless, raucous laughter.
Bearing this in mind, I had a keen eye on all those making their entrance should misfortune befall one of them and provide me with a little mirth. As chance would have it, a chap wearing the sort of riotous garb that devotees of the Flyers are famous for, replete with mirrored shades and clutching a swanky white pool cue made a beeline for one of the tables for a couple of frames with a pal before the band's set began.
With a resounding thud, the inevitable happened and our erstwhile sharp shooter was sat dazed on the floor, glasses askew and wearing a pint of Betty Stoggs.
Cue peals of laughter from yours truly; a reaction I was soon regretting as his rather burly accomplice , face contorted in rage, snarled "Can't you see that man is blind?!". Taking a step back and winding up to take a punch, he was stopped dead in his tracks by the opening bars of "You're Never More Than 6 Feet From A Rat" as the band took to the stage and in no time at all the situation was diffused and we were all happily rocking away together. Saved by the Melksham Flyers!
Comment