albayr: Where everybody know's your name

I know I know - cheers did it first. But that's what its like at Geordies - the best pub in the world (probably). When sprogs started at Davie Coulter's Karate around 3 years ago I would drop them off then head to an Irish pub in Burns Statue Sq for a pint. A bit of an out-of-the box Irish pub put good enough. Then I remember a pub much nearer - Geordie's Byre. Years ago an old pal, Dahl (Paul Dahlstrom) had taken me there once. At the time I thought it was an old man's pub. So I decided to try it out. Its got such a small frontage that I wandered past it a couple of times before I finally found it. Its between a bookies and a funeral parlour. Very unassuming front. Great beer. I took to going in on Karate nights. I'd take a book and sit in the corner seat and read. The job I was doing at the time was pretty stressful so my visits were a welcome break. I'd sit quietly for an hour, go pick up the sprogs, buy they an ice-cream and Mancini's (of course) then head home.

There's a fruit machine (sound turned off) of course and two TV's high up on the wall. One TV is on most of the time (sound turned down - of course: occasionally turned up for an item of interest for 5 mins or so then turned down again). The other TV has text showing horse-racing results - again no sound.

Its a small place - maybe you could have 20 sitting - around 18 months after I started going I discovered there's a larger back area which is open sometimes for functions.

Red-leatherette seats and lots of pictures and memoriabilia on the walls - and a vast Whisky range on the optics.

After around a year sitting reading I'd occasionally say hi to one or two of the early evening regulars - 6 months after that I'd pass the odd word or two - six months after that I'd made a pal - Jim. I stopped taking my book and I'd sit at the bar with Jim and pass the time of day for an hour. Great guy - Gas engineer - always just off duty. Parks up and home, gets the bus in to the pub for maybe 90 mins. Likes the dark beer with a Lambs rum chaser. Another six months after that and we'd started buying alternate rounds for each other. Once or twice I'd pick him up at the bus stop after getting the sprogs and run him home to Belmont.

A couple of times I'd mentioned this place to Cal. One day I took him over and he fell in love with the place. Pretty soon (maybe around early 2009) Cal and I took to heading down on a Thursday night: this was on top of my hour on a Wednesday. Cal invited some of his other pals - a lot of teachers from Greenwood - they became my buddies. I enjoyed their initial chat. They'd be allowed 30 minutes to gripe about school. They'd tell some horror stories about the weeks events - mostly I figured I was glad I wasn't a teacher. After the 30 minutes conversation had to turn to something else.

Characters

Martin-quifftastic

Cal C - The panda

Brendan-boy
John McQ - tall boy
Johnny- army

Graeme E - te cricket
ALB - the CIO
Richard - the art
Jools P - the song

Some 'official' Geordie's portraits (with the horns)