The Swan Neck Explained

This is a swan seen today in Tatton Park. I liked the apparent dirty swan neck that is of course just the light reflection of the dark and muddy water onto it's luminous white feathers.

Seeing them so close up always reminds me of the countless swans encountered on a three-day canoe trip some years back, slowly paddling down the lazy River Wye to the wonderfully named Symonds Yat. We stopped off every night to say at a riverside pub B&B. Ah the bliss of arrival and that first pint.

Going off on one further, this then reminded me that if you do go to any south west pub and ask for a cask beer and expect a head on your pint you will be sadly disappointed. This is because, even if the bartender is prepared to tighten their 'sparklers' to inject some air in the mix, their hand-pull pumps aren't fitted with a critical swan neck on the beer 'tap' anyway to push the beer down to the bottom of the pint pot (see St.Wiki for details, though note that this particular entry appears to have been written by a southerner with little appreciation of the northern way). I have tried to explain to daughter J the importance of perfecting this 'pulling' technique now she is working behind the bar part-time in Sheffield.

Incidentally, I also told her that any self-respecting bar person should be able to 'draw' the perfect shamrock in the head of a pint of Guinness without being asked.

Both life skills are as equally important as her English Degree I told her.

Whilst this blip has given me a thirst, I have decided my body is a temple tonight. A fish finger sandwich beckons.