OK, it was funny at first, but can whoever has hidden the sun now return it please?
Well, it’s probably up there somewhere, but as the season draws to a close, we’re glad to say that the weather hasn’t affected trade too badly this year. More of our regulars and not-so-regulars are realising that coming to Beeses isn’t just about sitting in the sunshine. Last year saw quite a few evenings with Ma and Pa glowering at each other across the cribbage board while the rain beat down all around. But not this year, which gladdens Ma’s heart on these increasingly darker evenings, although she’s contemplating adding mulled wine to the menu and towels to the pile of shawls.
But for once this newsletter has more than inane rambling, half-truths and conjecture, for we have some breaking news what is an exclusive and everything!
Blooming marvellous
Several weeks ago, Pa was preparing to
administer his resuscitation techniques (they’re unorthodox, but
effective...) when he saw the reaction of Clare, our hard working gardener,
to Ma’s news that she had entered Beeses in the Bristol
in Bloom competition. Those of you who have been coming for a
while will know how much Clare has changed the gardens at Beeses over the
last couple of years, and even Pa, who can barely discern an aphid from an
arboretum, has been impressed with the results. This week, Ma heard
that Clare’s efforts have been recognised when the letter arrived
this week to inform her that Beeses had won in the Restaurant category!All the credit for this achievement goes to Clare, who has worked in the garden in all weathers for the last couple of years, and we hope that you will join us in giving her our congratulations. The awards ceremony is on Monday 29 September at the Mansion House, and Clare will be accompanying Ma to receive the award (which is a bit of a poisoned chalice, as Ma has been known to get a little out of hand at formal functions; she’s still the talk of the Guild of Sweary Landladies, who were a little taken aback at her unusual combination of adjectives during Roger Mellie’s keynote address).
Beer festivalPlans for our third beer festival are well advanced, which is just as well seeing as it’s this weekend! This year we’ll have 18 ales available from 12 different breweries, including some old favourites (Bath Ales, Butcombe, Wickwar and Butts) and some ales that are new to Beeses (Bristol Beer Factory, Great Western Brewing Company and the Wye Valley Brewery). We’ll also have eight ciders for your delectation, including Gwatkin’s award-winning Blakeney Red Perry and Yarlington Mill Cider.
Tickets to the festival are £4 a day, and £10 for the whole weekend, and they’re on sale now. Once again, half of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to our local community groups, the Friends of Troopers Hill and Friends of Eastwood Farm, and the ticket will also include a free pint. This means purchasers of weekend tickets get a free pint on each day! We’ll also have a raffle or tombola of some sorts, with all sorts of beer-related prizes, plus the comparatively sober but rather spiffing grand prize of six (SIX!) tickets to Legoland. Many thanks for these prizes go to all our brewery friends, plus the wonderful James Nicholson at Legoland, who is due to receive one of Ma’s extra special hugs the next time he hauls his sorry ass to Bristol...
The Bristol Ferry Boat Company are running two trips specially for the beer festival on the Saturday, departing Welsh Back at 11:30 and 1:30, each staying at Beeses for 2½ hours. Adult prices are £14 return and £11 single (including a festival ticket), and you can get full details from the Bristol Ferry Boat Company on 0117 927 3416.
We’ve also got a full music programme lined up. On Friday evening, Professor Beese will be bringing along his alter ego, DJ Quizmaster, and spinning the platters that matter, the discs of risk, and, er, the CD players of doom. Probably.
On Saturday afternoon we’ve got a selection of our open mic acts: Dave Angus, Chara, Loop Withers, Hilary Pavey & Dave Totterdell, Mike Scott, James Slater, Pete Stearn and The Willbees.
Then on Saturday night we have The Monumentals: Gypie Mayo & Pete Gage have both played with Dr Feelgood, and they’ll be bringing Saturday to a close with some rollicking boogie woogie r’n’b!
On the Sunday we’ll have The Raggle Taggle Band, who are now semi-regulars at Beeses, and they’ll playing a mixture of Irish/folk/country and general good time music.
See you at the end...
And after that, it will be heads down and full tilt to the end of the season. Already, there has been wailing and gnashing of teeth at the realisation that there is less than a month until we close for the winter. So there’s no time to waste - get down here for your last Pa Burger or Beeser Salad of 2008! We’ve also got two quizzes and two open mics before we close, and both these events are more popular than ever: last month we were dragging in furniture from the decking in order to seat all the quiz teams, and at the last open mic we had so many acts turn up that they finished playing at a quarter to midnight! It has been rumoured that Pa may even get up and do one of his turns at the final open mic of the season, although whether he manages to escape Ma’s grasp long enough to perform his famed Puppetry of the Penis tribute remains to be seen...
Until then, and for those of you who missed the Straight Shooter gig at Beeses last month, you’ll have to make do with this picture of Pa rocking out at the Box Rocks Festival.
And in our last piece of music news, Sian from Bristol band Kosheen showed up at one of the August open mics, and put in a great performance that everyone really enjoyed. Sian also showed an interest in one of Nicky Johns’ songs appearing on the next Kosheen album. Nicky is one of our regular open mic performers, so it would be great if that happened.
So, no excuse for missing us before we go. The weather’s lousy, but the welcome is still warm. Catch us while you can...
Lurve
Ma and Pa Beese
Beeses Bar & Tea Gardens
www.beeses.co.uk
www.myspace.com/beeses
Tel: 0117 977 7412